Coming Back to You

Chapter Twenty-Six

Over two hundred years ago in Killian's past…

"My ship has never been in finer hands," Liam Jones stated proudly as he looked straight on at Killian while he stood upon the top of gangplank of the Jewel of the Realm about to board his ship.

"Aye, Captain," the young leftenant replied as the man in charge stepped onboard their ship. "We stand ready to receive the King's orders."

Their Captain called out firmly to the men shouting, "To your stations!"

The crewmen all answered indistinctly, "Aye, aye!"

"When the King summoned me, I knew there was only one man I could trust to navigate this difficult journey…" Liam continued to speak to Killian as they shook hands and then walked together to the upper deck. "My little brother."

"Perhaps you mean younger brother," Killian responded with a sigh.

When the Captain opened his satchel, he pulled out a treasure given to the brothers from the King himself and then responded, "A gift to commemorate our latest voyage together."

His younger brother took the gift within his hands as he said, "A sextant. You always were the sentimental type."

"Look closer, brother," Liam replied as Killian observed the sextant more closely as was asked of him. "I've never seen markings like this. To what strange land are we headed?"

"I'm under orders not to say until we arrive," the Captain answered, then turned his back to him as he made his way to stand at the ship's wheel to begin their voyage.

Killian tried to object out of concern as he called out, "But, brother…"

However Liam cut him off before the younger Jones could finished as he continued once more, "This is the mission of our dreams. A mission that will bring feasts to the kingdom and glory to the Jones brothers."

"A hero's journey," Killian responded with pleasure and yet true humility, having never believed such a feat for him was possible until now. "That is indeed good form, brother."

Present day Storybrooke…

While David left to return home with Mary Margaret and Regina left with Robin and Zelena, Emma walked through the woods alongside Killian, not wanting to leave his side so long as she was unsure that he was truly alright and that his past had went on the same as it did before in fear just as her father was that they hadn't righted all of their wrongs. Plus, she missed her Killian so deeply that she didn't want to let go of him any time soon. While Killian was still unsure of what had her so spooked, he was happy to be with her as they walked hand in hand.

"So, love… Are you going to tell me what's bothering you, or will I have to keep on pestering you until you finally give in?" he finally asked after they had walked without speaking until they made their way down to the harbor again, while she gripped his arm tighter and then stopped walking once she moved around to stand before him. "I promise, you can tell me anything, Emma. No matter what you think you might have done. I know that something's wrong. Please, tell me what's bothering you. I only want to help."

When she reached up to caress his cheek like she had done earlier inside the barn, she stared into his eyes while whispered nervously, "You're here. I'm just so relieved that you're here and that's all I really need right now. I was just so afraid that I was going to… that I had lost you."

He looked at her in confusion as he replied, "I don't understand. Is there a reason why I wouldn't be? I told you a long time ago, I would never leave you no matter what comes. And I thought that by me trading my ship for you so we could be together again, even if I did get the Jolly Roger back, that you would know I truly meant it. What have I done to make you doubt me? Does this have something to do with our conversation earlier?"

"Nothing," Emma immediately answered as she pulled his head in closer so she could kiss him and then laid her head against his. "Oh God, Killian… you didn't do anything wrong. It was all me. After you were knocked unconscious by Zelena, my father and me were forced through her time portal. We didn't just defeat her with a few flicks of our wrists and a little bit of magic."

"Are you both alright?" the man who loved her asked in worry as he laid his only hand on her own cheek, then pulled away the long, yellow hair that had fallen over face with his hook.

She smiled as she responded, "Stop being so impossibly empathetic and just… perfect. I am afraid I messed up again, like I had done when you and I fell into my parents' past. Only this time it wasn't their past I screwed up. It was yours, and… Liam's."

Killian pulled his head away and then looked into her eyes with fear in his until he asked nervously, "Are you saying you actually met Liam? But that's not… If you had, you would have had to have fallen…"

"Back when you both were still trapped under Captain Silver's command, when you were still a…" she continued to try to explain until he abruptly cut her off as well.

"A slave?" he stated angrily, though she knew that his anger wasn't actually geared towards her, but himself. "No. No, you can't possibly know about that. Those were the worst years in my life, Emma. I never intended for you to find out about the kind of man I was so long ago. It's bad enough you knew me when I was still a pirate and a villain. I'm amazed you can care about me despite that man I was. But knowing that you saw me at an even lower point in my life than even then… You don't understand just how much I wish I could forget those sixteen years in my life."

The Savior gripped his hand and hook tightly, then gently helped him to sit down upon the very spot where they were sitting to watch the horizon before they left to find her parents within the woods, before all the chaos had begun, and took his face in both of his hands to try to calm him down as she replied, "You have nothing to be ashamed of, Killian. Nothing. If anything, I am even more amazed by the man you've become than ever before. You've always been a good man. You just buried it so deeply and I understand why you did it. I mean… I've always understood it, but it's no wonder why what Rumplestiltskin did to you pushed you ever the edge and made you become a villain. Anyone would have fallen, Killian. I want you to know that out of everything we learned about your past, everything we went through together, it hasn't changed my feelings for you at all, except it made me care come to care about you even more deeply. You protected me and Dad at great risk to yourself even though you didn't know us. I will forever be grateful."

Killian felt even more confused while he spoke again saying, "I don't recall any of this. If you were as much in my past as you say, how do I not remember? How could I forget ever meeting you?"

"Because to get back here to our time, I wished on a wishing star to return home and asked for your life to be restored to the way it was before I messed it up like I did with my parents," Emma answered sadly. "I heard your voice in my head as I tried to explain to your past self why I couldn't stay. And told my father why we had to make sure you would never remember us being there. If we had known you would have been on that ship when we looked for someone to get us to the Enchanted Forest like before… Believe me, I would have looked for another way. You once told me that you wanted to know about my beginnings. I feel the same about you too, Killian. I just never wanted to find out this way. I hoped you would tell me about it in time and I believe you were trying to a few days… an hour ago for you before we were interrupted."

"Honestly, I'm not sure what I was going to say," he deceptively responded. "My past is dark and full of pain, love. I didn't want to burden you with knowing any more than you already do. But then you were brave enough to share yours with me despite your own pain and fears. It's only fair…"

The woman Killian loved so deeply leaned in to kiss him before he could finish, then she pulled her head back so she could look into his eyes again and replied sincerely, "You can tell me anything or everything only when you're ready to. I have always known you've struggled with your past. But you needn't hide it from me out of fear of burdening me with your pain and guilt. No matter who you were then and what you did… I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me."

Killian smiled and answered, "So long as you'll have me, I'm never leaving you either. If there's a question pressing on your mind after all you've been through, ask me anything you wish to know."

"I only have one question I need to know," she nervously responded as he took her hand in his own. "I'm worried that I might have changed your past beyond what my wish was able to repair. I need to know I've made it right. You did still join the Royal Navy along with your brother, didn't you?"

"Aye," he replied strangely. "Liam was my Captain and I was his Leftenant. Our last voyage was meant to bring glory to the Jones brothers. It was meant to prove we've truly escaped our past and became men we could be proud of. In the end, I lost him and then became a pirate. Hardly the glory we hoped for."

Emma laid her head against his chest as if to comfort him and Killian wrapped his arms around her, then she answered, "Your brother's proud of you, Killian. I don't just suspect he would be, I know he is. He told me. Liam truly loved you."

Killian lifted her head so she could see his love for her in his eyes and kissed her lips tenderly, then he responded, "You've given this old pirate back something I lost long ago. I'm happy you found your way home to me. I truly will always love you, Swan."

The End