I do not own Once Upon a Time nor any of its characters. I do love to write stories about them and share them with you!

Thank you again for all the favorites and follows. Even for the years I'd not been writing, the continued love of this story has brought me back into writing stories and fanfiction once again.

And now, my dear readers…on with the show.

—Y&M—

Emma was annoyed.

She wished someone would turn off her alarm clock. It was keeping her awake and all she wanted to do was sleep. She was so very tired. She felt…

…she felt someone's hand on hers.

Emma's brows knitted together in confusion as she opened one of her eyes, expecting to be in her bedroom to only find she was in a hospital room. The alarm she'd thought she'd heard earlier was the sound of the heart monitor in her room.

What the hell?

Emma started to sit up when she felt a hand and a hook stop her from moving, "Ah, ah, ah. Nope, no you don't. Lie back, Swan, you shouldn't move too fast after what happened."

She looked up into the concerned face of Killian Jones as she was eased back into the hospital bed.

"Killian. Killian, how did I get here? What…what happened?" she asked, her latter question almost spoked to herself as she tried to recall the events that led her here of all places.

She watched him pause, visibly flinching both times she had used his real name before he spoke, "I'm—I'm not certain, Swan. You collapsed in my arms back at the diner. You had a seizure of some sort, based on what that doctor named after a fish told us, after."

"Named after a fish? Killian, who are you—" she began before her eyes widened and she started laughing, realizing who he was referring to. "Whale, oh my god, you mean Whale. Ha, ha! For a second, I didn't know who you were talking about, but oh Whale ha ha—wait, a seizure?"

Killian merely nodded grimly before sitting beside her on the bed and leaning over to hover in front of her, "Swan, just what did you do with my heart back in the Enchanted Forest."

He watched her blanch and try to dig herself as deeply into her pillow away from him as she could and he leveled her with a serious look. She'd seen that look before, she thought, as he further entered her personal space with one of his hands coming beside her on the pillow, trapping her a bit. He'd given her that look many times when he knew she'd bottled something away from him over the years. Emma sighed. Even with part of his memories were gone, the pirate still knew her entirely too well. He was so close to her face in this moment that Emma felt her fingers twitch, wanting to run them through his hair, wanting to pull his stupid pirate face down further so she could kiss him.

She let out a long sigh, "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay, I'll tell you what happened, but you have to promise me something. You can't be mad at me," she warned him, his expression unchanged as he knew she wouldn't have hidden this truth from him if it were a good thing.

"Swan," Killian began, his turn to let out a long sigh. "We may not have known each other long but I know you. I sized you up the first moment we met and you know it. Because of this I know whatever it is you're about to tell me is bad news, mostly for you. The only way I'm going to be angry with you is if you continue to think you can hide things from me. Now, if you would ever be so kind-the truth?"

He was still hovering in her face when she began to tell him what she had done, "Zelena, the Wicked Witch of the West or whatever, had your heart, Killian. She was crushing it and I was going to have to watch you die."

Killian Jones's eyebrows shot up on his forehead as he listened with creeping fear in his heart. His heart, he thought to himself as he placed his hand over his chest reflexively. He watched Emma closed her eyes before she continued, clearly upset at the memory of what had happened, as a single tear rolled down her cheek. He brushed it away, instinctively, and watched her open her eyes again to be staring into his. She had almost lost him in that moment. It nearly robbed her of breath just thinking about how terrified for him she had been for him at the time.

"I couldn't—" she stopped, choking a bit on her tears that now burned her cheeks.

Killian shifted even closer to her, holding the side of her face with his hand, imploring her to continue as he searched her face. She was upset for him! Killian Jones in all of his life had never thought he'd see Emma Swan, the bloody Savior, shed tears for him but here she was, as much as she fought them, crying over the thought of his heart being crushed by this witch.

"I couldn't lose you," she said brokenly.

"Swan—Emma," he breathed as she then continued, finishing her tale.

"So, I did the only thing I could think of…I used my magic to bring it back," Emma whispered with a shrug as she attempted to stifle another sob.

Stunned, Killian sat back a bit as she slowly collected herself. Emma furiously wiped at her face, brushing the tears away as she watched him out of the corner of her eye. His hand, once again, came to rest over where his heart beat within his chest. He knew she'd been telling the truth. Hook could always tell when she was hiding things or holding back. A dark shadow fell over his features as he considered for a moment just what it meant for her to have performed such a feat of magic. For many years in his past when he was known and feared as the great Captain Hook, Killian had sought out information on all sorts of magic so he could better prepare himself in order to defeat Rumpelstiltskin. Never in his findings had he ever heard of someone, without using their very hands to do so, using magic to grant someone back their heart.

And the price of such magic…

Killian looked up to Emma with a confused look on his face, a question forming in his mind before he asked simply one word, "Why?"

"Why? Killian, I couldn't let you die. I had to try, I had to do something," she stammered as he shook his head and once again leaned closer to her, brushing strands of hair that had fallen into her face away before further explaining his question.

"No, Emma, I meant why would you endanger yourself for someone like me—a villain? I don't deserve your risking—what, mayhap be your very life for me. What happened between us in the Enchanted Forest, Swan, to make you do such a thing? Why save me?" he asked her incredulously, unable to understand why a man such as he would have been saved by the woman before him.

The woman he'd admired and respected-a bloody hero.

The woman, if he was honest with himself, he'd loved since the moment he'd met her what seemed a lifetime ago when she tied him to a tree.

The woman, if he was still being honest, had been acting since he woke up in the road in the middle of Storybrooke like she'd…as if she…

That wasn't possible, he stopped himself before he went too far down this train of thought as he watched her smile as if understanding what was running through his head.

"It was before that," Emma said quietly as it was her turn to place her hand on the side of his face. "Killian, you came after me before we were both trapped in the Enchanted Forest. Again."

She shook her head, again wondering to herself about the mental and physical damage all this realm hopping and memory tampering that had happened to them all over the years really tolled. His hand came to rest atop her own and entwine their fingers, bringing her out of her thoughts to continue her tale.

"You came to New York to find me after Zelena had attacked my family back in the Enchanted Forest," she started and he interrupted her.

"I did that?" he asked.

"Yes, you did," she smiled with fond memory of it as his eyebrows shot up, yet again.

"Now, Swan, however did I pull that off? Was there a magic bean left? Or perhaps another curse that sent me across worlds…?" he asked in a jovial manner as her smiled faded. "What? What is it?"

"No, nothing like that. There aren't any magic beans left, Killian, and well this," she gestured a bit to the room and town they now found themselves in. "This is the only new curse that we've had since I'd first left."

"Then how, love? Am I now a wizard?" he asked her, again in a joking manner but why was it that he felt like he should be preparing himself for what she was going to say.

"You had them dismantle the Jolly Roger and use the enchanted wood to make a wardrobe to cross realms," Emma stated and watched him carefully for his reaction.

Killian froze beside her and his hand that was within her own, whose thumb had been caressing the top of her hand absentmindedly, stopped moving. It was only after that halt of movement did she watch the smile at his eyes fade. Killian's face took on a serious and altogether almost lost look upon his face. She squeezed his hand harder and it was her turn to lean closer to him as she used her other hand to caress the side of his face, once again.

"You tore your ship apart, crossed realms, saved Henry and I and almost got yourself killed for the first time, and got us both back to my family. You and you alone got us back to the Enchanted Forest, Killian. You risked everything and gave up so much just to get to us…to get to me," her words now falling out of her like a dam breaking. "My family and the entire kingdom were in trouble and I had no idea they even existed. I had been living in a life that wasn't real, save the moments that whole year that Henry and I had together. Everything else, all of our memories, weren't real. I didn't even remember that I'd given him up."

She stopped. The pain of that revelation still a bit raw as she swallowed it back down. If Emma Swan knew anything, she knew that her son loved her fiercely, even in knowing that truth about her giving him away what seemed a very long time ago. She pushed past that memory, Henry's belief in her allowing for it as she felt the pirate before her placed his hand upon hers, sensing her discomfort in the memory of what had happened in the past.

"Swan, you weren't giving up on your boy, remember? You were giving him his best chance," he said not unlike he had what seemed a lifetime ago in New York. "Don't forget that. Not ever."

"I know," she said through a teary smile. "You'd reminded me of that back then too, but you don't remember any of that, do you?"

Killian Jones looked into her eyes and found that it upset her that he couldn't remember the last, year, was it she said? He'd lost an entire year at the very least. He'd lost the Jolly Roger…

She was just a ship.

She was one hell of a ship.

He looked up into the face of Emma Swan and knew her words were true. Of course, he'd sacrificed his ship for her. Of course, he went after her to bring her back to her family…back to him. He'd go to the ends of the earth and realms for this woman before him. A shame, really, he'd thought cheekily, that he couldn't remember any of the noble deeds she'd described him doing. He searched her face and found only sadness there seemingly over his inability to remember.

"I'm sorry," he apologized and shook his head.

"Sorry? Why are you sorry? It's not your fault."

"And yet it clearly causes you pain that I don't remember," he began as he used his hook to pull hair once again out of her face. "For this, I am sorry. Tell me, Swan, how did you and the boy remember your real lives?"

"Henry took a part of the potion that Regina had given you to take with you when you brought us back," she started.

"Your story's credibility is beginning to wane, love. Me? Working with the Evil Queen?"

"Yes, you, pirate. You did it for Henry."

"Hmm," he considered her, the truth in her eyes shining, as he grinned. "Suspicious, but I suppose that might be true."

Emma rolled her eyes, knowing he was playing with her a bit, before he once again invaded her personal space and she leaned back into the pillow, a bit taken back. His lips were mere inches before hers when he spoke.

"So, what about you, Swan? Did you not take this potion as well?" he began and then quipped, joking again, "Maybe a handsome pirate awoke you from your dream with True Love's kiss, eh?

A look of surprise and almost hope appeared on Emma's face. In saying those words, though, it triggered something in his memory. He had a quick flash of Emma, standing in front of him, almost as close as he was to her in this moment her hand in the memory placed upon his face in surroundings he did not recognize.

Who are you?

Someone who loves you.

Hook shook his head, hearing his own voice say those last words. Had he said that to her? Damned if it wasn't just there on the edge of his mind.

"Killian," Emma began, a sly smile crossing her features as she continued, "True Love's kiss doesn't work on someone who doesn't remember you."

"Doesn't it? Oh well, yes, but of course," he said, a bit embarrassed, as he fiddled with his earring a bit before smiling like the cat that ate the canary. "I think I know myself well enough, though, Swan, that I would have still at least tried."

"I know," Emma said as her smile matched his before she moved forward to capture a surprised Killian Jones's lips in a kiss.

That was most unexpected, he thought, as he found his lips claimed by the woman before him. In all the hundreds of years he had lived, Captain Hook was fairly certain that he'd never been quite as taken by surprise as he was right this very moment. She'd felt him freeze at first, certain she'd maybe shut part of his brain down with the shock of being kissed (she'd known she was his type and knew Killian, with only the memories at hand, would have been completely caught off guard, a fact that was completely satisfying, she thought). After roughly three seconds, though, Emma found herself to be the surprised one as he kissed her back with everything he had, throwing all of his emotions into the kiss. There was a brief crackling in the air, like what you feel before lightning strikes within a storm and a push of air that flooded over and past them.

Emma heard several people outside her hospital room door drop things and there was a scream before folks happily cheering and laughing. Killian had continued to kiss her through it all and only stopped when the both of them needed to come up for air. He did not quite pull away from her though, as he touched their foreheads together and smiled warmly.

"Doesn't work, eh?" he asked her cheekily. "I'd say, my love, that a kiss like that worked wonders for the ol' memory."

Emma's grin matched his as she countered with his own words back at him, "I had to at least try."

Killian chuckled as he pulled back a bit to look into the eyes of the woman he loved. He remembered everything and by the commotion going on outside the room, he wasn't the only one that had regained their memories of what happened before. He marveled a bit at Emma, still, after all this time and everything that had happened between them, in a bit of disbelief that he had somehow won her heart after she had stolen his. His heart, he thought as his mind returned him to the concerning events at hand and his face fell. The beautiful woman before him had used her magic to get him back his heart from the clutches of the Wicked Witch of the West. Concern flooded him as his memories of then and now mixed and he remembered the horror of watching her collapse in the diner—her body convulsing wildly before she stilled in a moment he'd feared he'd lost her.

"Emma," he began as the worry threatened to eat him alive, "what have you done?"

Emma garnered him a confused look before she picked up on his train of thought, "I—I don't know, Killian. I honestly don't know."

He looked her over. Emma looked exhausted. Dark circles were under her green eyes and she was even paler than normal. The heart that she gave him back clenched within his chest at the thought that the price of this use of magic may be slowly taking its toll on the woman who he loved more than anything in the world. The very thought that he was the cause of her present condition killed him as he sighed and pulled her into his embrace.

"We'll figure this out, Emma," he began trying to convince not only her but also himself that they'd figure out what was going on with her and get past it. "You Charmings have a nasty habit of getting yourselves out of trouble. What's a spell gone awry to stop you from getting out of this one, eh?"

Emma laughed lightly, a frown though still upon her features as she held onto him even tighter. She buried her face in his neck before whispering, "Killian, I'm scared. What—what if I'm dy—"

"Stop," he commanded as he pulled away from her quickly before she was able to verbalize what he knew she was. He placed his hand upon her face and forced her to look him square in the eyes, "We will fix this, Emma, whatever this is we'll figure out, all right? Together."

She nodded and leaned into his welcoming embrace once again, "All right. Together."

Killian held her like that for a long time, neither of them speaking the fears that ebbed within their minds at the situation. Several minutes had passed before there was a knock at the door and Whale stood awkwardly trying to decide how to break the tender moment of the two within the room. He cleared his throat when neither of them responded initially, not wanting to break away from the other one's embrace. Reluctantly, Emma sighed and kissed at the nape of his throat before releasing the embrace to look to see who had interrupted their moment. She could have sworn Killian's eyes shot daggers at the doctor in the doorway.

"Doctor Whale?" Emma asked as he took a few tentative steps deeper into the room.

"Ah, yes, pardon the interruption, but I'd thought I'd check up on you since all the commotion outside was happening with the curse breaking and all," he laughed a bit as the couple in the room continued to glare rather impatiently at him.

Emma shook her head and put on a smile, after all, it wasn't Whale's fault for the interruption. He was just doing his job.

"With your being awake and Captain Leather here being with you, well, we all know who broke the curse now don't we?" he winked, believing himself to be clever.

Not that being a jerk was part of his job description, bedside manner and all, Emma thought with a sigh as she felt Killian tense under her hands at the man, "Yeah, well, here we are."

"Yes, indeed," Whale said, still chuckling to himself. "Well, I am surprised though that you're up and around, though, Emma. You sure you're feeling quiet all right? Based on the description, you had a nasty seizure before your family brought you here."

"Speaking of which," Emma began, looking a bit around, "Where is everybody? Where's Henry and Mom and Dad—oh god, wait—Killian, how long have I been out!?"

"Slow down, Emma," Killian began as he and the doctor exchanged concerned glances for her and he eased her back into the bed. "Your family is out searching Storybrooke for your brother. You, my love, have been unconscious for about a day. It's all right."

"It actually is," the doctor piped in and received a puzzled look from Emma. "All your bloodwork, all the scans we've done on you, Emma, you're in perfect health. Whatever it is that's causing what you're feeling, isn't affecting you, at least in a clinical or biological sense."

Killian shared a concerned look with Emma at that.

"How is that possible? It physically affected her. She collapsed and seized within my very arms and looks as white as a sail. How can all of that not show anything in your tests, doctor?" Killian asked Whale, but never losing eye contact with Emma as he spoke.

"Well, only thing I was able to surmise through deduction, is this must be some byproduct of the magic of your worlds. Since magic is a part of Emma, one I don't have the ability to decipher and detect the way I would as a physician; well, it seems her magic may be the culprit for what's happening to her," Whale began as he walked closer to the couple before finishing. "Emma, there was no cause for what was happening to you when you got here, I couldn't figure it out and ran ever test I knew on you. Based on what you've been experiencing, I think you need to be worried. Honestly, if I knew he was available, I'd probably send you to the Dark One for a second opinion. However…"

"How is any of this helping, Whale?" Killian asked, annoyed at the man.

"It narrows your window of how to figure this out," Whale glared at him and stated rather matter-of-factly. "Hook, Emma's magic could very well be killing her for all we know."

A collective gasp from both Killian and Emma caused the doctor to stop and consider improving his bedside manner before continuing.

"What I mean is, we don't know what it's doing to her and it seems bad at the moment. Maybe the Queen would have some idea or way to detect what's going on. Science," he said in a disappointed tone as he sighed, "well, science seems to have failed us with this one."

Emma and Killian locked eyes again, the both of them concerned with her welfare. Whale watched them both as they seemed to lose track of the fact that he was still in the room. He was suddenly reminded of how he had that same thing happen when he was around Mary-Margaret and David. Whale rolled his eyes and excused himself from the room.

"Ridiculous Charming family," he muttered to himself as he left the two of them alone.

Killian Jones was a man who liked to have a plan. As a captain, he'd learned to get all the information and weigh the odds in any situation that presented itself, any obstacle. He didn't like feeling helpless, but helpless was the feeling festering within his gut when it came to how to help the woman before him…the woman he loved more than anything. He guided Emma to lay back against the pillows quietly as he felt her eyes on him, trying to read whatever was going through his mind.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked in a small voice. "Or farthing or gold or doubloon or whatever currently you guys use in the Enchanted Forest. What do they use anyway?"

"I know what you're trying to do, Swan, and you're not going to distract me from what tis at hand," he said as he leveled her with another serious gaze.

"I wasn't—" she began before he tilted his head and raised his eyebrow in suspicion at her. "Fine. Yes, I was trying to avoid, well whatever this is. Killian, I made my choice when I decided to try magic to bring back your heart. I didn't know or think about the consequences that it might have had but I want you to know something."

"What, Swan?"

"I'd do it again. I'd always do it. Even if it would kill me."

Emma watched the muscle in his jaw pulse as he gritted his teeth, anger coming off of him in waves as every bit of his physical being tensed at her revelation. He didn't feel that all the years, all the lives that he'd ruined while being Captain Hook made him worthy of such a sacrifice from someone such as Emma Swan, the princess, the Savior. The stubborn streak in her got angry right back at him, reading his body language, as she tried to frame things a bit for him.

"You can't tell me you wouldn't do the same damn thing and you know it, Captain," she spat as she sat back away from him and crossed her arms in front of her in a slight huff. "Tell me, look me straight in the eyes, Killian, and tell me you wouldn't do the same for me."

"Swan, that's not the bloody point," he started as he stood and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "You cannot continue to just recklessly throw yourself into danger all the time when you're trying to save someone. You've done that multiple times for everyone around you. Its not—I'm not-"

"Worth it?" she asked as he glared at her. "That's what you were getting ready to say, right? You weren't worth it?"

"Yes," he said as his eyes fell to the floor. "You know this is true, Emma. I've ruined the lives of people, of families, my hatred for the crocodile consumed me body and soul, love. Someone like that doesn't deserve saving. Especially by someone such as yourself."

Emma Swan had enough. As carefully as she could, her anger fueling her, she removed the IV from her arm and threw the blankets off of her. Killian's eyes grew wide as he immediately came over and tried to sit her back down and she pushed him off.

"I am sick and tired of everyone telling me I'm this special something and worth so much more than everyone else just because I'm the goddamned Savior," she started, red flushing her cheeks with her fury as she poked him in the chest with her finger. "I used to steal from people, I lied to people, I took people away from their loved ones when I was a bailsbonds person—basically a glorified bounty hunter. I'm not perfect. I'm not perfect, Killian, and neither are you—neither is anyone and that's fucking OKAY."

She was shaking she was so angry, her anger not only at him but just over everything, over the whole entire situation that they all now found themselves in. She'd had it with curses. She'd had it with this constant feeling that everyone's happiness was just a second away from being taken away at any time. She felt his hand on her shoulder before sliding behind her and pulling her to him.

"Swan, please, calm down," he said as he tried to stop her from shaking and she wasn't having any of it.

"I will not calm down, Killian," she warned, though still staying within his arms. "I will not let you think you're not worth saving. I meant it when I said I'd do it all again. I'd do it for you, for Henry, for my Mom and Dad, for anyone I loved. That's what part of love is, Killian. It means you'd do anything and everything for those you love. No matter what."

She felt him sigh, rather resigned, as his body relaxed into her and he brought her even closer within his folded arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist and she felt his chin rest atop her head. They stayed like that for a few minutes in comfortable silence as he waited for her anger to calm, still worried for her with everything going on.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair before he placed a kiss atop her head.

"It's okay," she said into his chest, enjoying his warmth. "Just…just don't ask me not to do that, Killian. I can't stop protecting you."

"I understand," he said quietly. "I understand, but it doesn't mean I have to like it."

Emma huffed a bit at that, but after remained quiet for a few moments in his arms. Perhaps it was the adrenaline of her previous anger fueling her, but she felt like she had some of her energy back. Emma didn't know still what was really going on with her, but per what Whale said, staying here in the hospital wasn't really going to do her any good.

"C'mon, pirate," she started as she leaned back a bit and fixed his collar. "I need to find some warmer clothes than this stupid hospital gown and my phone. We need to check to see how the search is going and what that witch has screwed up more since we got here."

"Emma, you should rest," he began, the concern for her seething from him.

"I know and I will," she started as she leaned into him again, the chill of wearing merely a gown leaving her missing his warmth. "But we need to help them, however we can, Killian."

He nodded as he held her close, "What is it that you think the witch wants of your brother?"

Emma shook her head against his chest, "I don't know, but whatever it is, it's not good, Killian. It can't be good at all."