Title: Accidentally in Love

Author: Steph aka CaptainSwanLuver

Rating: PG

Pairing: Killian/Emma

Characters: Killian, Emma, Belle, David, Mary Margaret, Robin.

Category: Romance/Humor/Drama

Disclaimer: I do this out of a love for this couple. No infringement is intended.

Spoilers: Nope!

Summary: Emma Swan needs to be married by 30 in order to receive the money from her trust fund and save her failing business. Killian Jones is the thief who just tried to rob her store. The two strike a deal: Killian will pretend to marry Emma and she won't send him to jail.

Note: Thanks for your responses to the last part and for reading! I also wanted to take a second to thank everyone who has favorited this story and followed it. I appreciate it! Hope you enjoy this part! -Steph

…Accidentally in Love: Part 11/13...

~I was hoping it'd be you.~

A few nights later, Emma headed to the park. It was July 7th, the seventh day of the seventh month. She knew it was a long shot and probably ridiculous, but she was hoping he'd be there. She was hoping he'd remember the story she'd told him about the stars Vega and Altair and the significance of today.

Her face fell and her chest deflated when she arrived at their bench and found it empty. She sat down, willing the tears away. The stars always brought her comfort, so she was about to look up at them, when she noticed something fluttering in the corner of her eye. It was a piece of paper hanging from a tree beside the bench.

She stood up and walked over to the tree. The strip of paper dangled in the soft summer wind. She brought her fingertips up to it, touching it gently before grabbing a hold of it. There was writing on it. She smiled, as she looked at the handwriting. She'd know his handwriting anywhere. She'd spent many sleepless nights tracing her fingers across the words on the birthday card he'd given her and the inscription he'd written in her book.

She read the simple words of his wish. "To be with her."

Emma smiled through her tears and dug into her pocket for the strip of paper she had written. She had an extra strip in her pocket for him. She had hoped to find him here and to place them on the tree together, but he had already beaten her to it.

With trembling fingers, she hung up her piece of paper beside his. Her words echoed his.

"To be with him."

She stood there for a few minutes, saddened by the sight of the two strips of paper side by side while their owners were kept apart. Emma was just about to leave when she heard footsteps approach her from behind. Her breath caught in her chest. She knew it was him.

He came to stand beside her, smiling at the strip of paper that was now beside his and the words that were on it.

"I was hoping I'd find you here," he said softly.

Emma smiled, meeting his eyes. "I was hoping to find you too, but you'd already been here."

He shrugged. "That I was. I returned home because I forgot something."

"What?" Emma asked.

Killian pulled out two paper boats that he'd folded. "These," he said.

Emma smiled, her heart soaring that he'd remembered every aspect of the story she'd told him. "You remembered."

"Of course I did, love," he said softly. "I remember everything you've ever told me."

Emma blinked back her tears.

He held out his hand. "Shall we?"

Emma nodded and removed the strips of paper from the tree. She then placed her free hand in his, reveling in his touch. They walked in silence to the dock.

Once there, Killian handed Emma her boat, red because it was her favorite color. She handed him his strip of paper. She then dug into her pocket and pulled out the extra strip. She found a pen in her jacket pocket and scribbled something on the blank strip.

"What did you wish?" he asked.

She showed him the paper which read, "To be with my parents again."

Killian smiled and squeezed her hand comfortingly. He then placed a tea light in the boats and lit them. They placed their strips beside the candle in their boats. Kneeling beside each other at the end of the dock, they both put their boats into the water. They watched as they floated side by side and slowly drifted away.

She turned her gaze to him and asked softly, "Can we make a pact?"

Killian nodded. "Of course, love."

"Can we meet here every year, on the seventh day of the seventh month?" she asked in a whisper.

His eyes widened for a moment. "Emma," he began gently. "I don't want anything to stop you from living, from finding happiness. You deserve that. I don't want you to hold onto something that can only happen once a year."

Emma took his hands in hers. "Right now, the thought of being able to see you, even just once a year, is the only thing that's getting me through this. Please, Killian."

Killian swallowed hard. "Okay, love. I promise," he said.

Emma smiled and then stepped forward, as he wrapped his arms around her. They both squeezed their eyes closed, believing this could be the last time they saw or felt each other for a year.

…

~Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing.~

Two weeks passed after that night. David found his wife sitting in the library, Emma and Killian's wedding picture in her hands. He came to sit down beside her.

"I can't believe it was all a lie," she said, tracing her finger across Emma's face.

"Neither can I. I just don't understand how Emma could deceive us like that," David said.

"I do," Mary Margaret replied.

"Why would you say that?" he asked, his brow wrinkling in confusion.

Mary Margaret met his eyes. "Let's face it, David. Emma has always struggled to be a part of this family. She never cared about all of the money and the stature. She wanted to be herself and do things on her own. But all we did was try to force her to be like us."

"Is that so terrible? We're successful. We have a great life."

Mary Margaret nodded. "We do, but it's not what Emma wanted for herself." Mary Margaret paused and said, "I think, in some ways, we lost her when she walked out that door at 18 and changed her name."

David bobbed his head. "And now we may lose her for good."

Mary Margaret blinked back tears. "We're her parents. She should know that she can come to us for anything, but, instead, she thought it was better to create this entire ruse."

"She's a grown woman," David said. "She knew what she was doing. She knew her actions would have consequences."

"I know, but the fact that she felt like she needed to do this instead of come to us makes me feel like we failed her." She took a deep breath. "David, the truth is, we failed our daughter when she told us she was pregnant and we said we wanted to send her to a convent to have the baby. It wasn't what she wanted. She only agreed to it after what Neal did to her. And instead of comforting our daughter, we used that to get her to agree to our plan to go away and give the baby up. We didn't do it because it was best for Emma or the baby. We did it because it was best for us. Is it any wonder she felt like she couldn't come to us now?"

David put his arm around his wife's shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple. "I suppose you're right."

Mary Margaret wiped at a tear in the corner of her eye. "And now I feel just like my mother. Standing in the way of Emma and Killian, just as she stood in the way of us."

David shook his head. "We just want to protect, Emma. She has to understand that."

Mary Margaret sighed heavily. "I think it's time we spoke to our daughter, don't you?" she asked.

David nodded his head in agreement.

…

~I'm going to choose to see the best in you.~

The six month deadline came and went and Emma's thoughts on that day weren't about the money. They were about how she wished she'd been able to spend that time with Killian. She hadn't seen or heard from him since that night they set their wishes afloat on the river and she didn't expect to. As difficult as that was to accept, she knew she had to. She knew some wishes never came true.

Emma also hadn't had any contact with her parents. She thought after everything she was going to lose both her parents and Killian. Then she would be left with no one.

"Are you all right?" Belle asked, as she sat across from her best friend in their store.

Emma had been staring at her coffee. "Yeah, of course. I'm fine."

Belle sighed heavily. "Emma, you don't have to lie to me. I know you're miserable. You miss your parents. You miss Killian."

Emma shrugged her shoulders. "I started this whole thing, Belle, knowing I could lose my parents. I made that choice. It was a terrible mistake, but now I have to live with it. Killian tried to warn me that I might not be able to, but I didn't listen to him."

"Why don't you just call your parents? Maybe they're just waiting for you to extend an olive branch."

Emma shook her head. "I really hurt them, Belle. I don't know if they'll ever be able to forgive me. I can't say I blame them."

"Emma, they're your parents. No matter what happens, they'll never stop loving you."

Emma nodded, "Maybe so, but that doesn't mean they'll ever be able to forgive what I did."

They lapsed into silence for a few long moments, until Belle broke it. "What about Killian?"

"What about him?" Emma asked softly.

"Have you spoken to him?"

Emma's voice softened. "Not since that night on the docks I told you about." She paused and shrugged her shoulders sadly. "Everything is out in the open now and he got a front row seat when my parents learned the whole truth. After that, I'm sure he realized he was right. We could never work."

"And you can just accept that?"

"I guess I have to," she said, as she stood up and walked behind the counter.

Emma heard the bell sound on the door. She lifted her head, her mouth dropping open at the sight of her parents.

"Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?"

"I think it's time we talk, don't you?" Mary Margaret said as she sat down at a table, followed by David.

Emma stood rooted to her spot for a long moment, before finally coming to sit across from them. Belle stood up and gave her a reassuring smile before heading into the kitchen.

"I'm not sure what's left to say," Emma said.

"Well, I think you could start with an apology," David replied.

Emma swallowed hard. They were right. She had never apologized and they deserved that from her.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry for lying to you. I'm sorry for deceiving you for months."

Mary Margaret sighed. "We want to understand why you didn't just come to us and ask for the money to save your business."

"Emma, you have to know we would have given it to you."

Emma nodded. "I do know that. But I vowed when I went out on my own that I would never ask you for money. I wanted to do it on my own."

David shook his head. "So it was better to deceive us? To come up with this insane ruse?"

Emma lowered her eyes. "It seemed like the best option at the time, but I did feel guilty for lying to you. I was wrong and I truly am sorry."

"Thank you," Mary Margaret said.

Emma went on. "But I'm not sorry for falling in love with Killian. I'm not sorry that this whole thing brought him into my life. I'll never regret that."

Mary Margaret's eyes scanned Emma's face for a long moment. "You really love him, don't you?"

Emma nodded, as she felt tears begin to burn her eyes. "Yes, I do. And I know if you gave the real him a chance, then you would too."

David reached across the table and covered Emma's hand with his. "We were only trying to protect you, Emma. You have to believe that."

"You were devastated after what happened with Neal. You swore off love. We just wanted to make sure if you ever did give your heart again, then it was to the right man."

"I gave it to the right man," Emma replied. "You have no idea how hard it was to let him in, to trust him, but I did it and I am so glad I did, even though my heart broke all over again."

"Emma, all we've ever wanted is for you to be happy," David said. "I know it hasn't been easy being a part of our family and I know you have always felt like you don't belong. I'm sorry we didn't make things easier for you. I'm sorry you didn't feel like you could come to us and trust us. We are far from perfect and we have made mistakes, but we just want you to have the life you deserve."

Emma nodded. "I wasn't fair to you two either. I resented you, especially after what happened with Neal and sending me away to have my baby. I felt like I needed to be on my own in order to be accepted for who I am. I know changing my name really hurt you and I never intended that. I'm sorry."

Mary Margaret blinked back tears. "We've all made mistakes. We can't change the past. We have to deal with the present. I don't want to do to you what my parents did to us. I never wanted to do that."

"Killian loves me so much he gave me up so that I wouldn't lose you two. But I probably have anyway."

"Do we look lost to you, sweetheart?" David asked.

"You could never lose us, Emma. We're your parents and we love you, no matter what."

"Does that mean you can forgive me?" she asked softly. "Can you ever trust me again?"

David nodded. "Of course we can, sweetheart."

Emma let out a relieved breath. She slowly stood up and her parents did the same. She moved forward and hugged them both, their arms wrapping tightly around their daughter.

When they parted, Emma licked her lips nervously and met their eyes cautiously. "What about Killian? Can you ever accept him?"

"Does he make you happy?" Mary Margaret asked.

Emma's smile spread across her lips and her eyes sparkled. "Happier than I've ever been in my life. Happier than I thought I could be."

David and Mary Margaret exchanged a look.

"Then that's all we could ever ask for," David replied.

Emma smiled, her heart leaping in her chest. "I hope I can make him believe that."

Mary Margaret shook her head. "Actually, I think that needs to come from us."

Emma's brow furrowed in worry. "What do you mean?"

David stood. "We're going to pay your Killian a visit."

Emma knitted her brow together in worry. "Do you really think that's a good idea? A few minutes ago, I didn't think there was a chance for me and Killian, but now I do. I'm afraid if you two speak to him on your own, then things might not go well."

Mary Margaret squeezed her daughter's hand. "Emma, you say he is a good man. You say he has changed because of you. You say he loves you. After everything that's happened, we need to see that for ourselves."

Emma's face fell. "Fine," she replied softly.

Her parents kissed her on her cheeks and then walked out of the store. Emma chewed at her lower lip worriedly.

…

~I just wanted to be a better man for you, Swan.~

Killian wiped down the bar, his wedding ring sparkling in the light. He knew he no longer needed to wear it. He'd even tried to remove it a dozen times, but he couldn't bring himself to. It was all he had left of Emma.

Mary Margaret and David entered the bar, their eyes scanning the dingy, dimly lit dive. It certainly wasn't a place they would ever frequent.

"What can I get you?" Killian asked, without looking up from his task.

"Well, I guess that depends," David replied.

Killian's head shot up, his eyes growing wide at the sight of them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Nolan, what are you doing here?"

"We felt we were overdue for a talk," Mary Margaret replied, as she and David sat down on the stools in front of him.

"Does Emma know you're here?" he asked softly.

David nodded. "She does. In fact, we just came from seeing her."

"How is she? Is she okay?" he asked, trying, but failing, to keep the concern and eagerness out of his voice.

"She's been better," Mary Margaret said. "She misses you terribly."

Killian lowered his gaze, his voice emerging softly. "And I miss her, more than you could ever know." He paused and then added, "Look, I just…I never got to apologize for deceiving you. I am truly sorry."

Mary Margaret nodded. "Thank you, Killian."

"Let me ask you something," David said, leaning forward on the bar. "Why did you go along with that ruse for as long as you did? You had to know after some time passed that Emma wouldn't turn you in to the police."

"I did it for her," he said in a whisper. "I knew she needed me…and I wanted to be with her."

"And the fact that you knew she'd be a very rich woman when the time was up had no bearing on that decision?" Mary Margaret asked.

He shook his head. "I attempted to convince Emma to give the whole ruse up several times. She felt guilty and worried you would never forgive her. So I tried to persuade her to end it all and just ask you two for the money to save her business instead."

"You did?" David asked, surprised.

"Aye," he replied.

Mary Margaret eyed him. "Five million dollars is a lot of money, Killian. Do you really expect us to believe that it never crossed your mind that if you stayed with Emma then you could benefit from it too? You were a thief from a poor family. Do you honestly expect us to believe you didn't care at all about the money?"

"If I did," he began, his voice firm, "then I wouldn't have given her up, would I?"

David shook his head. "I suppose not."

"I broke your daughter's heart because I was trying to protect her. I know what it's like to lose everyone you love and I didn't want Emma to have to go through that."

Mary Margaret's face softened. "But then you lost her too."

"Aye. Love is about sacrifice, isn't it?" Killian said. "You see, we aren't so different after all. We both wanted to protect Emma."

Mary Margaret and David exchanged a look. They could tell every word he said was sincere.

David took a deep breath. "We forgave Emma."

"You did?" Killian asked.

"Yes," Mary Margaret confirmed. "We're rebuilding our relationship with her. But things will never be right between us unless we make things right with you."

Killian's brow wrinkled in confusion. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

David smiled gently. "We can see that you have tried to be a better man. We believe you love our daughter, Killian. We can see why she fell in love with you."

Mary Margaret tilted her head. "And your family background doesn't matter." Killian swallowed hard, as she went on. "You belong together. I think we always knew that. We saw the way you looked at each other and how Emma's face lit up every time you were around. There's no faking that. I guess that's why we were so easy to fool."

Killian began slowly. "So does that mean you can accept me?"

David extended his hand. Killian stared at it for a long moment before placing his hand in his. David shook Killian's hand as his response.

Killian's smile spread from ear-to-ear. "Thank you."

Mary Margaret waved a hand at him, a grin on her face. "What are you still doing here? Go get her!"

Killian began to move around the bar, but then remembered his shift wasn't over for several more hours and it would be too late to go to Emma by the time he was done.

"I have an honest job now and I don't want to ruin it. I'm afraid I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see Emma."

David bobbed his head. "I respect your commitment and applaud how responsible you're being."

Mary Margaret reached out and patted his arm. "Emma's waited this long for you, Killian. Something tells me she can wait one more night."

Killian smiled and nodded, as they got up and left. His heart was beating so fast in his chest he thought it would burst. He and Emma were finally going to get the chance they deserved.

…

~Killian, come back to me.~

Emma unlocked the door of the bookstore and flipped the sign to open. She went about her morning routine. She put the muffins and scones out. She started the coffee. Belle usually sorted the new books, but she had a dentist appointment that morning so Emma began that task.

She moved between the stacks, searching for the correct spots. The books were in alphabetical order by title and her eyes scanned the shelf where the T's were. She smiled when her gaze landed upon 'To Kill a Mockingbird'.

That book would forever make her think of Killian. She frowned, wondering what had happened between him and her parents. She was certain if they had convinced him of their acceptance then he would have shown up at her door last night. She had waited up well past midnight, but he had never come. A knot grew in her stomach at the thought that maybe they hadn't been able to get through to him after all. Maybe after everything, they still wouldn't get to be together.

The bell sounded on the door, but she didn't pay it any attention. Her thoughts were so consumed by him as she stared at the book that she didn't notice a figure hovering by her side. She reached for the copy of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and was startled when a hand reached out at the same time, covering hers.

"Sorry," she said, her gaze still focused on the book.

"It's okay, love."

She'd know that voice anywhere.

Her eyes slowly lifted, as if she were afraid it was just a dream or her mind playing tricks on her, and she'd be met with nothing but empty space.

But then her eyes met his and she breathed a sigh of relief. A smile curled her lips.

"Killian," she breathed.

He offered her a grin, before pulling her body flush against his and bringing his lips to hers. She felt herself melt into him, reveling in the feel of his body close to hers again. She thought she'd never feel him again. He pulled back and she buried her face in his neck. He squeezed his eyes closed and rested his cheek against her hair, inhaling her intoxicating scent.

"God, I missed you," he whispered.

Emma looked up at him and then cupped his face in her hands. "Don't ever leave me again. Do you understand me?"

"Aye, love," he replied with a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm never letting you go again."

"I love you," she said, tears now streaming down her cheeks.

"I love you too, Emma," he said, as he wiped her tears from her cheeks with his knuckle.

They were interrupted by the low sound of a throat clearing behind them.

They spun around to find Belle staring at them, a grin on her lips.

"Do you two mind? This is a place of business, you know."

Emma smiled, linking her hand with his. "I'm taking the day off," she said, as she looked up at him. "Killian and I are going to spend the day together."

"Bloody brilliant idea," he said, pressing a kiss to her temple.

They left the store hand-in-hand, knowing that nothing could ever tear them apart again.

Turns out, sometimes wishes do come true.

…

End of Part 11

Sadness over. Sorry for making you guys cry during this fic, but the happy is back now! Thanks for reading and please let me know what you thought! ~Steph