"So what? He just walked out of the hospital?" Emma asked.

"It seems so, Deputy Swan." Whale was absolutely useless.

"Any idea what would have made this happen?"

"Yeah, let's just get into the head of a man who we've known as John Doe for years, with no information on him." Regina, being as hostile and full of snark as always.

Unfortunately, Emma wasn't in a mood to deal with it.

"I'm sorry, are you helpful? No? Then don't speak. Just because you're his emergency contact and found him doesn't make you useful." Just because Graham was apparently her whipping boy doesn't mean she was going to be too. Not when there was a life at stake.

"Deputy Swan, why don't you and Jones go look outside for any sign of him. I'll check the security tapes." God damnit Graham.

Emma and James took their leave.

"You don't happen to have any experience with tracking, do you?"

"No, Swan, unfortunately not. Besides, the woods around the hospital are popular walking grounds. Do you happen to?"

"I do, but it was just enough to survive. Some of my men were better at it than me, but for the most part we hired local trackers if we could."

Think, Emma, think. John Doe was remembering. And if he was remembering he was going to try to find Snow White. But he can't find her in a town he doesn't know.

That's it!

She could get him before Regina could.

Henry.

Spinning around, Emma ran back inside with a confused James following her only to find Henry and Mary Margaret coming toward the exit.

Mary Margaret addressed her, "Emma, we were just coming to find you. We want to help."

Emma, however, ignored her and focused on Henry who she leaned down in front of. She had only one idea. "Henry, is there anywhere in this town that is like something from the Enchanted Forest? Something that might be important to Prince Charming and Snow White?" James was watching with interest from the side and in the back of her mind Emma realized that she hadn't heard him talk about Henry's curse idea. What does he think? That her son is crazy too?

"Uhmmmm," Henry was looking at the ground when his eyes lit up, "The troll bridge!" He was trying his best to be quiet, to not draw any attention from people, but he was too excited. "There's an old toll bridge. Toll, troll. We have to try there!"

"Okay, good. You've done good kid." She wasn't so sure, but it was the closest thing they had.

"What are you all doing? I told you to look for clues." It was Graham, he was marching up to them with a look of disbelief on his face. Turning to Mary Margaret and Henry, "Are you all helping too?"

"Yes." They said in unison.

"Alright then. Seems my department is expanding."

James broke in then, "We're going to the old toll bridge, it isn't far."

"Why the toll bridge?"

James' eyes glanced briefly to Henry. Emma could see his hand twitching, wanting to reach for his ear, but for some reason, this time, he didn't let it come up to its nervous resting place. "It's a well known local landmark, if he's wandered off somewhere into the woods that's one of the places he'd be likely to go."

Graham nodded, "That's a fair point, and it's a good starting place. Once we get further away from the popular hiking trails around the hospital we should start to see some tells that he's gone that way. If not, we'll need to expand our search."

"Hey!" All four looked up to find Regina storming at them.

In a small voice Henry said, "Uh oh."

"Henry I told you to stay inside."

"But–"

"Inside." And turning to Emma she said, "Since I clearly can't keep you away from my son, I'm going to have to keep him from you. Enjoy your job, because that's all your getting street rat."

Emma knew that she shouldn't rise to Regina's anger, that Henry and the entire town needed her to stay calm and keep her if not complacent at least distantly hostile, but fuck her.

"Listen here la–"

"Madam Mayor, with all due respect, do not speak to my deputy like that." What? Emma had not expected Graham to step in to stand up for her, and she didn't know how to feel about it. She could have handled it, he didn't have to interfere… but she had lost her temper when Henry needed her so badly to keep herself together.

"What, sheriff?"

"I said don't speak to my deputy like. She is serving to protect and serve this city and she deserves respect for that, despite your best illegal attempts at discrediting her."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Mayor. The records you had published were illegally obtained. I can't prove it, but I know it. They were juvenile records, Regina."

"Oh," Regina leaned back on her hip, one hand flicked in the air. "I guess you better talk to Sydney Glass, the newspaper editor."

"We will."

"Yeah? Well right now you need to find our John Doe. Clock's ticking, sheriff." She stormed away, back inside the hospital. Back to Henry.

Emma turned and marched into the woods. It was the only thing she could do for Henry right now. She can't take him from Regina, and if she followed her in the hospital to confront her everything would just be made worse.

"Swan!" James was calling after her, she ignored him but he only kept calling after her, eventually grabbing her elbow to turn her around.

"What Killian?" Whatever was on his tongue died as he stared at her in confusion. Emma snapped on unaware of her fumble, "I'm trying to do my job. Just let me go."

He shook his head slightly, as if to dispel some foggy dream, and told her, "The toll bridge is that way." He pointed after Graham.

"Oh, right. Let's go."

Graham turned out to be surprisingly good at tracking, though Emma really shouldn't be surprised since he's the huntsman and all. Mary Margaret too was not half bad, she found John Doe the Coma Patient in the river bed that ran underneath the toll bridge.

"You found me."

I will always find you.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Graham and Mary Margaret hovered over him, asking him questions and checking for injuries, while James called in for medical personnel on his radio. Aside from being disoriented, there really wasn't any other obvious injuries on him.

Emma didn't know what to do other than watch.

"Can you tell us your name?"

"Uh… yeah… it's David."

Graham nodded, "Pleasure to meet you David, my name is Graham and this is Mary Margaret. We're going to take care of you until the paramedics arrive."

David laid with his head on Mary Margaret's lap, her hands stroking his face and running through his hair. To Emma, it looked like she couldn't stop herself.

And he could not stop looking at her.

Twenty-eight years is a long time to wait to see someone.

Emma glanced at James, he was also standing back as if he could tell that this was important moment for them, even if none of the people involved in this situation could pinpoint why.

Watching her parents reunite, despite the fact that they could not really remember each other in this moment, made Emma miss Killian terribly. It isn't about romance and how there was an ache in her chest without him. She's lived with that for nearly ten years now. No, she misses his friendship and companionship the most. She wanted to talk to him about what was going on, to tell him everything that had happened.

To tell him why she didn't go with him.

But how much of James is Killian?

When the curse is finally lifted, what will their reunion be like?

Will he even want to see her?

Would he want to see Henry once he realized her son is the reason she didn't go with him?

The boy she knew had been kind and gentle, shy and modest, but she didn't know the pirate. Emma could only hope that the boy she knew all those years ago was still there, underneath all the anger.

Deputy James Jones caught her looking at him and smiled. It was gentle and open.

She gave him a small one back.

—-

[Enchanted Forest Captain Killian Jones]

Time passed for Captain Killian "Hook" Jones. A year went by, then another. A decade, then another, and another. His time in Neverland, researching, plotting, planning against that demon, the crocodile, Rumplestiltskin, kept him young. Over the years his trips to the Enchanted Forest had slowly aged him, but the passage of time hardly affected his appearance.

People whispered in the ports that he had sold his soul to a devil in exchange for youth.

In a way, he had. His soul for revenge. His youth for time to plan it.

Over the years and decade, Killian Jones would pull out an old portrait, a "photo," and gaze at his youthful face against another's. A young woman in a camouflaged hat with freckles splattered across her cheeks and nose that rested beneath emerald eyes that stared back at him from the photo. It was old now, nearly sixty years since it had been taken. The colors were faded and the edges of the portrait were torn, but the passage of time could not wipe away the happiness on their faces.

Nor the love just beneath the surface.

The day that photo had been taken the village they were staying in had had a festival. They danced and laughed and played games until tears ran down their cheeks.

Killian had said that he wished there was a way to capture the moments.

Emma pulled out something called a polaroid camera and asked a friend of hers to take two photos. One for him, one for her.

Emma.

When he was younger he had dreamed of finding her again, of her meeting his brother, of telling her he loved her. Then Liam died, and losing her had truly set in. Hope went with Liam.

Goodness too.

He could do nothing without his brother.

He stopped fantasizing of ever meeting her again, but he could not stop his dreams.

He could never see her again. She was in another realm and another time.

It was impossible.

Until it wasn't.

Years passed, then decades, then a century. Once he surpassed the 100 year mark of surviving in Neverland a seed of hope planted itself in the back of his mind.

Emma.

If he could survive another hundred years his timeline would catch up to hers, and all he would need to do was cross realms. He refused to entertain the thought at first, pushing it away for a few decades until talk of the Evil Queen caught his attention.

A curse, not unlike the one that had moved the Pride Lands centuries earlier, was being whispered of in the kingdom. A Dark Curse that would separate them from everyone they loved and knew. Rumor had it that they wouldn't even know themselves anymore.

Killian already forgot who he was, the only remnant he had of his past self was contained in that portrait.

But there were other whispers if you got close to Snow White's castle. Whispers of a baby that would be their salvation, their savior.

Savior.

A memory tried to surface. One of an old man with a grey beard and knobby fingers who spoke of another child in another land.

When they found Rafiki to help them return Killian home, he had also told them about a savior in their kingdom. A young boy whose name was Simba, and as he told them this he looked at Emma with a particular interest.

"All kingdoms need a savior from time to time, born to save them in their darkest times. I suspect, Emma, that you will learn more intimately about this in the future."

They ended up brushing it off then, focused instead on helping him back to his brother.

"I've told you about my brother. What about your family?"

"There isn't one to talk about. Never has been."

Emma was an orphan who had never met her parents.

Snow White's child was going to grow up parentless.

It isn't possible.

Captain Killian "Hook" Jones, fearsome pirate and scrooge of the seven seas, broke into the royal's castle to ask them their child's name. With the prince's sword pressed to his neck he told them that he might know the unborn princess's future, or at least a part of it. He explained to them briefly how he had fallen into a time and realm portal and into the lap of a young woman.

He would tell them more if they would tell him her name.

With a sword pressed to his neck Killian Jones learned why Emma Swan never found her parents.

"Her name is Emma."

And a seed of hope began to grow. If he let the curse take him, and it moved him to Emma's realm, then when it broke he could find her.

Well, he supposed, she would actually find him.

He just had to wait.

His hope bloomed.

—

Back at the hospital they found Regina and Henry with a blonde haired woman who was nervously tugging on her necklace talking to Dr. Whale.

"Who is this?"

"This, sheriff, is David Nolan's wife, Kathryn. I found her. She is the one who will be taking care of him." Regina glared past her police force to the small school teacher behind them.

Wife? Looking at Mary Margaret behind her, Emma saw shock and despair. "If your his wife how come you haven't come forward before? He's been lying here for years."

Kathryn nodded, "I understand your suspicion deputy, but you have to understand. The last time I saw my husband we had a fight. Our marriage was never easy. We had been trying to have a baby but that just made it worse, and he left. I thought this entire time that he was in Boston. That is, until Regina found me. I'm so happy that you found him. Now I get to bring him home."

Emma smiled at her, but it was empty. The point of the curse was to keep people separated and alone. Regina conveniently "finding" Kathryn just adds another obstacle.

One Emma was determined to overcome.

Mary Margaret stepped forward and held out her hand, "Well, I'm happy that we could help." Her voice was airy and tight, like she was trying not to cry. She turned away when Kathryn embraced her husband, but Emma could see the utter confusion both on his face and in his body. He did not automatically respond to her, and his eyes never left Mary Margaret as he hugged his wife back.

Mary Margaret didn't look back, instead she walked away. She threw over her shoulder, "I better go. I have homework to grade."

She had just started to believe Emma and Henry about the curse, will this make her change her mind?

She stared at Regina, Emma wanted to confront her. It was ridiculous to think that they would buy this. Kathryn's husband goes missing for years and no one recognizes him in the hospital? No one puts it in the newspaper? The town isn't large. He hasn't been missing. Regina has been hiding him and she needed a cover up now that he was out. Her bones must have been rattling with fear when he went missing from his bed. It was a sure sign that things weren't going her way and Kathryn was a way to compensate for it.

Regina must think she was an idiot and was comfortable enough in her curse that others wouldn't start suspecting.

Emma thought it was best not to make her question herself.

She looked down at Henry who slightly shook his head "no" at her.

She nodded back.

—

Mary Margaret wasn't at the loft when she got back. She tried to text her, and called her once, but all Emma got was radio silence.

The last message she sent her friend was, "You don't have to go through this alone" before calling it quits and going to bed.

—-

She woke up the next morning to Mary Margaret in the kitchen, her things from Boston on their doorstep, and flowers on the counter.

Gesturing at the flowers, "What are these for?"

Mary Margaret turned red and her face looked ashamed. "I, um, I did something stupid last night."

Emma's stomach dropped but she kept her face passive, "What did you do?"

"You know how you sent that text message that said 'You don't have to do this alone' or something? Well, I did that. Just. Not the way you meant."

Emma understood her meaning, "Who are the flowers from?"

Mary Margaret dropped her light demeanor and laid her entire upper body on the counter in despair as she said, "Whale."

"Dr. Whale?"

Mary Margaret started shaking her head up and down fervently, "Yes. It was stupid and I feel guilty and I never should have done it. I was just so upset over David and angry at you because I believed you about the curse and I thought that if I could sleep with Whale all my problems would go away."

"And did they?" If Emma's life had played out uninterrupted by the Dark Curse this is not a conversation they would ever be having. She would never be giving her mother advice and comfort.

She hated Regina because of it.

"No. They didn't. And now I know you're right."

"How?"

"Emma, I feel so incredibly guilty over what I did. Why should I feel this bad? There's nothing wrong with a woman expressing her sexuality, unless the entire affair is wrong. And Emma, it felt wrong. Like it was dirty, like I was dirty. And all I could think about, the only person I could see in my head the entire time, was David.

Emma, I believe you. Whale was wrong, and so is David and Kathryn."

"So what are you going to do?"

"You said that the curse is designed to take away our happy endings and to make us lonely, which means I need to do the exact opposite of what the curse wants. I need to spend time with David. So, I've picked up more volunteer hours at the hospital."

Emma smiled at her, "Good. But remember, we can't let Regina know what we know."

"I know, and I thought of something that might help." Mary Margaret pulled out the storybook. "I haven't read all of it, but I noticed something," flipping it open she closed in on a lock. "Look familiar?" Emma shook her head no, "It's the same design as the lock on our door. It might be crazy, but I went ahead and called Marco to come change the locks and to add a deadbolt on the inside."

Emma thought she was going to vomit. Regina has had access to their apartment the entire time and she didn't realize it. "Good call." Reaching across her to Mary Margaret, she took the book and pulled out her cell phone. Emma planned to take a picture of every symbol in the whole book. This was not slipping by her again.

They passed the rest of the morning quietly, Emma reading through the book and Mary Margaret contently plotting to spend time with a married man.

They made quite the pair.

Emma realized that if Mary Margaret hadn't read all of the storybook then she doesn't know that she was her daughter. She thought that might be for the best.

There is only so much a person can believe, after all.

When Mary Margaret went to get ready in the bathroom she tore the ending pages out of the book. She didn't know what to do with them, but she knew she couldn't stomach a conversation about it with her mother who doesn't even remember having to let her go.

It turned out the be a smart choice.

Regina came knocking on their door, demanding Henry's book.

"It belongs to my son and he needs it back." Emma didn't believe her, but she didn't argue and handed it over in silence. If Regina had the last few pages of the book she would learn the truth about Emma's purpose in Storybrooke. She decided to burn the pages rather than risk the Evil Queen getting her hands on them

Regina started to make another comment, and Emma relished slamming the door in her face before she could get it out.

She couldn't wait for Marco to arrive.

—-

Emma arrived at Granny's to find only James in the booth, "Graham ended up having a meeting with the mayor, but I promise that I'm more than enough company for the both of us."

"Yeah, you and your ego."

He barked a laugh at her, "Aye Swan, me and my ego. If it bothers you, me and my ego can take ourselves elsewhere."

She grinned at him, "I think I can handle the both of you."

They ordered their food, James fish and chips, and Emma grilled cheese and onion rings.

Through a mouthful of fish James garbled, "Crazy about that bloke David and his wife."

Emma could not help but laugh at the picture. Killian had been nothing but manners, insisting that his brother would murder him if he wasn't a perfect gentleman. She wondered if Killian would be ashamed of himself right now, or if he embraced his inner filth mongrel.

"'Convenient' I think is the word you're looking for."

"How do you mean?"

"Come on Jones. The man wakes up and suddenly he has a wife? That Regina just happened to find within hours of him missing? How come she couldn't find her years ago when he went missing?"

He was thoughtful for moment before saying, "I can't explain it Swan, but it's what happened. Just because something doesn't make sense doesn't mean it isn't true. It's what Henry's theory about the curse is, isn't it? That our lives here don't make sense if you dig to deep, so we must be cursed."

That's exactly the point, but he wasn't supposed to be using it against her.

This brought Emma to point she hadn't been sure of, what does James think about Henry's curse? "And what do you think about that, deputy Jones?"

"I think that Kathryn is David's wife."

"That isn't what I asked you."

"But it is, isn't it?"

"Okay then, what do you believe?"

"I believe… that Regina isn't as squeaky clean as she makes herself out to be."

"You're avoiding my question."

"I haven't really had the chance to ponder it."

"Haven't had the chance or refuse to?"

"I'm not sure."

Emma leaned forward and told him quietly, "Maybe you should figure it out."

He responded in coconspirator fashion, leaning dangerous close to her across the table top. "Maybe I'm just waiting for you to give me a push in the right direction."

She blinked at him as he gave themselves some space, asking for the check from Ruby.

"Now that I've asked your questions, I have one of my own. Who is Killian?"

"What?"

"Yesterday, when you stormed off after Regina told you she'd keep your boy from you. You called me Killian. Who is he?"

—

[Deployment 2002]

Emma wanted to fight someone. She wanted to scream and roar until thunder clapped and threatened everything around her.

The test had been cruel and her most basic instincts wanted to retaliate.

She had to relive every horrible thing that had happened to her in her life.

Everything she refused to remember came to the surface in that cave.

The seemingly endless line of foster parents who had abused her.

The kids in school who saw her as a token of charity or piece of meat they could eat to vent their own problems.

Lily who sent her back into the system she spent years trying to get away from.

Ingrid who told her she was the only one who understood her. Who's love was on the condition that she hit Emma with a car.

Ingrid who she never stopped running from.

Neal who fed every trauma and fear of abandonment, leaving her alone and pregnant in prison for a crime she didn't commit.

Giving her son his best chance.

Not being his best chance.

The sacks of oranges and soap they used to beat her body with during training.

Her first dead comrade.

Then the second.

And third.

The starving children.

The war ravaged communities.

The bullet wounds.

She had to relive all of it to get a fucking amulet Killian needed for the portal to take him home.

Emma threw it at him as she stormed out of the cave. She should have let him do it. Let him take care of his own damn problem instead of insisting that it was her responsibility.

But even in her anger, she knew that she didn't mean that.

"Swan!" He chased after her, "Swan, hold on!" His hand grabbed her elbow, spinning her around. "What happened?"

"Let me go, Killian! I don't want to deal with you right now."

"Deal with me? What the bloody hell happened in there?"

She turned away from him and tried to leave him behind, but he moved to block her path.

"Emma!... Emma, talk to me." His hands were on her shoulders and suddenly it hit her.

Everything hit her.

All the bad that had happened.

All the bad that she just had to relive.

All the loneliness that has been her life.

All the people that never chased after her.

The fact that this boy, this Killian Jones, this kindred spirit, who has become her dearest friend, was the first person who has ever chased after her.

And that she knew he had to leave her behind.

She couldn't stop the overflowing emotions.

She started to cry and Killian pulled her into his arms. It was instinct, really, to hold someone while they cry. It's the thing to do.

But this meant so much more to both of them.

He didn't force her to talk, but he listened to what she had to say about the cave.

—

[Storybrooke 2011]

Emma stared at the man across from her, she smiled softly and sadly at him. "He was someone that I knew a long time ago. He was my best friend and the first person who was really there for me. Not many people have done that for me. I guess in the moment you reminded me of him."

"Oh. Well, where is he now?" He was hitting the corner of his wallet against the table. Emma got the feeling that he was fishing for something.

She watched the man in front of her, his eyes the same brilliant blue, his nervous tick the same obvious tell, but Emma felt as though Killian Jones was far away. As if he on another side of a valley and she could only hear his echoes.

"He's gone."

He laid his wallet down, shame on his face. Was he jealous? "Oh." He stretched his hand out like he wanted to touch her, but after a moment of uncertainty he pulled it back. "I'm sorry."

"Me too."

I'll see you again, Killian.