Chapter 3

One thing that he had to admit was he didn't sleep the night before, he simply changed into jeans, a t-shirt and a leather jacket. He sat on the pier looking out over the ocean, his mind was racing on what he should do as he sipped rum from his flask. Smee walked up and sat beside Hook, he knew there was a lot on his captain's mind but he wasn't sure how to approach him about it.

"Sir, may I ask what it is you plan on doing exactly?" Smee looked at Hook concerned.

"No, Smee I don't. All I know is that I have a lad that really needs me in his life, but the crimes that we have committed are also unforgivable." As Hook looked off he remembered the day he went from soldier to pirate.

It was a year before he had met Emma, things went south with the Royal Navy and he chose to take over the ship. He changed the name from Jewel of the Realm to the Jolly Rodger as he took command and Smee became his right hand man. His first year is when he met Emma, he had to admit he had never met a woman like her but he, being a pirate, continued to court multiple women for the past five years. Hook suddenly stood up and began to leave.

"Where are you going Captain?" Smee looks absolutely confused.

"I have to fix this Smee."

Killian showed up at Emma's door, conflicted yet ready to do what was right. He admitted he had done plenty of things wrong in the past five years, being a pirate wasn't exactly what everyone was use to these days. If what Emma said was right and it was his little boy in here, he wasn't going to abandon him like his father had him. He hoped that Emma was still at her apartment and not at work about to send out a search party for him. Slowly he raised his hand and knocked on the door, he heard fast footstep as some one, he guessed Henry, ran towards the door.

"Hi!" Henry opened the door, he barely came up to the door handle.

"Hello lad, is your mum home?" Killian kneeled to the boy's height.

"She's in the shower." Henry ran back into the apartment and towards the living room as he heard his show return from commercial break.

"Alright." Killian let himself in and went to sit with the boy, he had no clue what the show was that the boy was watching. Or wasn't watching, Henry had his back to the TV and played with his Legos and dinosaur toys. Hook decided to join Henry on the floor and played as best as he could with him, he noticed the boy stare at his hook from time to time but never said anything.

"Henry, you better not have opened the door again" Emma came out with a towel wrapped around her body, obviously ready to scold the little boy but stopped in her tracks when she seen Killian. "Oh… um what are you doing here?"

"I came to do the right thing, love." He was in shock at how beautiful she was, he also noticed her embarrassment of only being in a towel in front of a total stranger.

"Um, give me a moment." Emma went back into her room and shut the door, Henry took advantage of hook not paying attention to throw a couple Legos at Killian.

"Hey now lad, don't make me hang you by your toes." Killian tried to seem threatening but had to laugh as that was all Henry was doing. "Don't believe me?"

He grabbed Henry and grabbed him by his ankles and held his towards the ceiling, Henry screamed in delight and laughed obviously not finding this at all like a punishment. Emma once again came running out at the sound of her child's screams, the sight in front of her warmed her heart after the small heart attack. Killian laid Henry on the couch only to have the kid bounce off and run at Emma, he had a lot of energy Killian had to give him that.

"Hey kid, are you giving Killian a hard time." Emma picked up Henry giving him a smile happy to see that he was truly okay.

"He hung me by my toes, it was fun." Henry giggles and laughed as he laid his head on Emma's shoulder looking at Killian.

"Well more like just his ankles." Killian gave a nervous laugh as he showed his hook, he couldn't really grab toes with a hook.

"I see. Hey Henry, how about you go play in your room while we talk okay?" Emma kissed Henry's cheek as she set him down, he nodded and ran to his room. Emma motioned for Killian to sit with her at the counter which he did as she said.

"I want to fix this, everything." He tried to start only to be shushed.

"Look, I appreciate that you want to be in his life but you have done some awful things and I have to think about what is best for Henry." Emma stared at Killian waiting for any sign.

"I know, that's why I want to fix this. He should go without a father and I know you know what I am talking about. You have that same look in your eyes as I do Emma, I see that exact look every time I see my reflection. Lonesome, afraid, rejection."

"You don't know anything about me, all I know is I have a job to do and you're my assignment." Emma fought the fact he was right, she felt alone and afraid but that all came with being an orphan.

"Damn it Swan, why are you so scared of my staying this time? Is it because for just a moment you could see a future here?"

"Let me guess with you?"

That phrase hurt more than he thought it should have but what could he do to change her mind. He honestly couldn't think of anything that would help.

"Is there anything that I can do to get my name off your record, Swan?" Killian was desperate, now that he has gotten to see the boy more, he knew he had to stay and be in that boy's life.

"How do I know that once I help you get your name cleared you won't just leave again?"

"You're going to have to learn how to trust, Swan. I am a man of my word." Killian turned and faced her. Emma was speechless, she had never trusted anyone in years and for good reason. Everyone she ever trusted always left her and abandoned her, she wasn't sure she was going to be able to trust him again the same way she did 5 years ago.

"Fine. I need to call a sitter then we will go." Emma stood and headed for her phone on the other counter.

"I'll meet you outside, love." Killian got up and gave Emma a deep kiss before leaving, she stood in absolute shock. She forgot the rush that it gave her until Henry ran back in and hugged her legs.

"So, is he my dad? He is really cool" Emma looked down at Henry only to see features of Killian looking back at her, she ruffled his hair and knelt by him.

"You really like him?" Emma smiled, she to was growing quite fond of the pirate.

"Yeah, he's pretty cool." Henry ran back to play with his toys by the TV as Emma called the babysitter. Now she had even more on her mind than she ever did before.

Hook seen the babysitter enter the building a few minutes after he took a seat on the stairwell, he figured that Emma would be coming back down shortly after. He was lost deep in thought and lost track of when Emma had appeared in front of him, he quickly stood and gave her a smile. She stared at him for a moment before she grabbed the collar of his coat and pulled him into a deep kiss, she didn't pull away till he began to get into it.

"We need to go." She left the building with a mission to get him to the station, Killian stood there for a moment with his fingers touching his lips before he began to follow her. Emma was moving at a good clip down the sidewalk causing Killian to have to job to catch up to her.

"Wait up love, I don't see the big hurry. I was quite enjoying our time together." He smiled as he walked next to her.

"The quicker we get this figured out the quicker I can quit seeing you as a criminal." Emma glanced over to look at him, she couldn't help what her feelings were telling her about him. She kept thinking back to how he was playing with Henry, it was almost the picture of perfection. Emma was too deep in though to notice she almost walked out into traffic till Killian grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Careful love, I can't have the mother of my child offing herself now can I?" His smile was once again melting her heart, but she wiggled out of his grasp.

"I'm fine." She knew that was a lie once it exited her mouth. She quickly crossed the street when they could and entered the station, Killian followed her in. Emma talked to a deputy that seemed to have an eye for her himself but Killian could just be telling himself some tall tales. Emma gave him a look and let the Deputy take Killian to another room, the pirate figured this was so they could discuss anything that they needed to about how he could pay off his debt. He watched Emma take a seat as the door shut behind him, his coat and hook were taken from him as he was set in front of the Sheriff.

"So Killian Jones, you want to pay for your fines I see? You really think that we can be bought off that easily? You are a pirate and you are never going to change, we have men in the jail that will eat you for breakfast." A fatter man with what appeared to be a Sheriff or Captains uniform on, Killian was only guessing since he had only been at sea since the Royal Navy.

"Aye, Sir, I do. I will do whatever it takes so that I am able to raise my son." Killian leaned forward and rested his arms on the table in front of him. "If you want my ship then take it, I won't be needing it. Everything you could ever want is on that ship and she is all yours for my freedom."

"I see that you still have your dignity from the Royal Navy. If only that was enough to save you from your crimes" The Sheriff gave a smile as the deputy began putting handcuffs on Hook and reading him his rights. The Sheriff got up and left the room to go see Emma.

"Well what was the result?" Emma stood with her arms crossed.

"His efforts were pointless, he has been wanted for 6 years, and his plea to be able to raise his son was really heart touching. Guess he should have thought about that back before he became a pirate." The sheriff smiled and made the word 'pirate' sound venomous.

"Wait so you mean he is still going to jail?" Emma knew the system but she had never seen them be this judgmental before. Usually, most of the people she brought in were let go if they pled some sob story, but now they were being quick to judge someone based on their choice of work.

"You bet. He will be there for a long time."

"I request to see him one last time."

"Fine." He let Emma go see Hook who happened to be in the middle of changing into his new jail attire.

"Well I see orange is really your color." Emma leaned against the wall next to his holding cell. Killian turned around and looked at her with a smile.

"Well love, if you really think so."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten your hopes up about this." Emma looked down.

"Love, I promise I will find a way to get out of here and when I do I will find you. I promise." Killian smiled at her trying to make her feel better in anyway.

"Just don't do it illegally." She walked up to the cell and gave him a kiss before she left.

"As you wish" was the last thing she heard as she exited the holding area and walked over to the Sheriff's desk.

"How much is his bail?" She slammed her hands on the desk.

"Life, Swan. You knew that."