He wishes he wasn't able to do it. It's too hard to be able to read people's minds. He hears things about himself and knows things about other people that he really wishes he doesn't, but he doesn't know what to do about it.

Besides, he would be fine if he was just able to do a few, but there's one person in particular that he can hardly stand to go near, because he can see how they really feel about him, but mostly because her thoughts are always either in a jumble, or just too freaking sad. This is a problem because he really needs to be around this person on a daily basis.

Emma Swan.

It's also a problem because of the teensy-tiny detail that he's kinda in love with her. (It's a minor detail, really).

Then, there's the day when it all comes apart. Sure, there's been the times where she's sent him from the diner to break down sobbing in his hotel room. There have been the times where he's wanted to reach across the table at family dinners and just take her hand to make her feel better. There have been the times where he's passed her walking and heard the lyrics to their favorite songs playing in her mind. But nothing could've ever, ever prepared him for this one.

He wakes up in the morning, throwing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt on to go downstairs and grab a coffee at Granny's when he catches Emma sitting alone at a booth. He's not close enough to hear anything, but he has a feeling it's something he'd be better off not hearing. He knows right now is a tough time for her because her brother was born just a few days ago and it's a little more than obvious that her parents are obsessed with him.

Still, he can't resist. So, hearing the overlapping thoughts of everyone in the diner (including someone who has some major ADD), he begins to walk in the direction to go around her table, which is actually completely out of the way from the route back to his table if he doesn't want her to see him. He's expecting to hear something like what he's heard before, but this is completely unlike it.

Because he's so far away still and everyone has something on their minds, it's quiet, but it's undoubtedly Emma's voice- or thought voice. Why doesn't anyone want me yet? Again, it's faint, but definitely her voice. He's heard it too often to not recognize it. So, instead of walking right past her and back to his room, he goes over to her spot in 'her booth' and he envelops her in a bone-crushing hug.

It would sure be interesting if she didn't know that he could do this, but she thankfully did, which is why she had a gut feeling that he heard her the second he came over and tried to squeeze the life out of her.

Instead of coming up with a sarcastic remark like she normally would do, or a witty comeback, or just telling him to go away, she did what he never thought Emma Swan was capable of. She broke down sobbing the second he whispered, "I do," in her ear. He takes her out right then, his arm wrapped around her shoulder as he leads a breaking Emma back upstairs to his room with him.

The door swings open and closes with a bang, making Emma jump and quiet down for a second, only to continue sobbing. This is one of the jumbled-up moments when he can't really make out much, only a few different things every few seconds.

My parents- Henry- that little stupid kid- Neal- and also, the lasting thought, please don't go… is what seems to be fueling this after a few minutes. Once he realizes that unless he actually takes the thought off her mind, it won't go away, he picks her up and lays her down on the bed.

For the life of him, he cannot understand what she could've been doing at Granny's on the Open Early day at 5 a.m, but he can think of two things that might've woken her up. Number one; screaming baby. Number two; nightmare/thoughts. Either way, he can still see in her eyes that she's just plain exhausted.

After she's laid down on the bed, he goes over to his dresser and finds the old comfy shirt she used to wear to bed and pulls out a pair of sweatpants that he had meant to throw away years ago when he got taller as he got older and they got too short.

He walks over to her side on the bed, setting the clothes down on the chair. "I'm not going anywhere," he whispers, pulling her up and onto his lap, having changed his mind about sleep for a good few minutes. Yeah, you better not. He laughs a little bit at this, just before she begins to calm down.

She snuggles up into his chest, knowing that if she did so, he would tighten his arms around her. Comfy. The same smaller voice that he heard when she was alone in the booth earlier- one that reminds him of a child.

As he makes this connection, he remembers the reason he believes she's up at 5 a.m. "I have some clothes for you. You need to sleep, you're exhausted," he whispers, looking down at her. She nods, standing up. He hands her the clothes, letting her go into the bathroom to change. "I'll be right here," he tells her when she turns around to make sure he's still there.

She's out of the bathroom within minutes, her clothes in hand. He takes them and puts them on the same chair, ready and waiting for her to wear them in a few hours after she wakes up. After she's completely passed out, practically on top of him, he takes his phone off the nightstand and as best he can with one hand, he texts David. I have your daughter here. She's asleep. I'll bring her home tomorrow. She just needs a good night's sleep. I'll take care of her for you, just focus on your wife and baby.

The last part wasn't meant to be passive aggressive at all.