So this is it. The final part. Not only did it take forever for me to finish it, but it was actually quite difficult for me to write it. To be honest, I am not entirely happy with it.

A huge thank you to zengoalie and the-lady-of-misthaven for looking over this! You ladies rock!

Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT or its characters

Day 93

He hated this place. It seemed like every time something went wrong it had some tie to this damn place. Gold's Pawn Shop. A chuckle escaped his throat. It was only fitting that they bring her back here, after all it was the crocodile's actions that led to her disappearance.

The room felt small with all of the people in it. It was as if every person in the town wanted to bare witness to the return of the savior. It had been days since Henry had found him with a solution. Days of preparing. Days of trying to keep the hope that had settled in his chest at bay.

He wanted more than anything to have her returned, to hold her in his arms and never let her go. The only problem was… he didn't know what would be returning to them. Would she be his Emma or… something else? It was a thought that kept him up at night.

Still unsure of the specifics,and not really trusting magic, Killian casually leaned against the wall as the spell was performed. His arms crossed at his chest, eyebrow lifted in a perfect arch. Regina stood in the middle of the room with the dagger in her hands. It was over in seconds and as the smoke cleared, Killian could see a figure standing in the middle of the room.

For a moment, everyone in the room held their breath. His chest became tight. It was the moment of truth, the one he had waited three months for.

Cerulean eyes met her emerald ones and he knew. It was Emma. Whatever that bloody dagger had done to her, she was still his Emma. His legs moved on their own accord until he was standing in front of her, close enough to touch. His hand reached for her involuntarily. A smile appeared on her face, causing him to let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. She looked...perfect, like she had never left. Like the last three months of agony had never existed. His hand returned to rest at his side, jaw clenching. She tilted her head to the side, questioning.

It had happened. All of it had. She had been gone and he was left to pick up the pieces, to pull himself together, to take care of Henry. He shook his head. He wasn't angry. He was happy, ecstatic even. It was her job, part of the reason he loved her. It was just… after so many months of hoping, of waiting, of wanting… he needed a moment.

When she had first disappeared he had been hopeful, knowing they would find her and return her to his side. As the months went on, his hope dwindled. Now that she was here, he couldn't help but wonder… If he hadn't been so weak, drowning himself in rum, would they have found the answer quicker. All of this time away from her...could it have been his fault?

Her family surrounded her. Each one of them pulling her into their arms. Her eyes never left his, brows furrowed in confusion. It was almost as if he could hear her thoughts. Why are you so far away? I've missed you. I lo-

Turning on his heel, Killian pressed his hand to the door and shoved it open. Without looking back, his boot clad feet hit the pavement and he moved as quickly as he could toward his ship.

His fault. The words swirled in his head even after he arrived to his ship, after he made it to his cabin. Where the bloody hell was his rum? If he had ever needed it, now was that time. He hadn't had a drink in weeks, not since that day Henry found him at the loft.

Yanking open the drawers to his clothing chest, he began pulling shirts out one by one throwing them behind him. Reaching the bottom, he found nothing. He almost fell over as he quickly turned toward his desk. He wasted no time jerking open the desk drawers. Running his hands throw the contents he still found nothing. Standing quickly, his eyes landed on a small table by the ladder. Yes. It had to be there. He strode swiftly across the cabin to the table. Reaching in, his hand curled around the neck of a bottle.

His fault. He took a long swig from his bottle of rum. It burned his throat as it went down. The amber liquid swayed in the bottle as he looked at it. What was this always his solution? Wasn't it rum that had kept him away from researching for all of those months, kept him from finding a way to bring her back.

Rage erupted throughout his body. Without thinking, he launched the bottle at the wall. With a crack, it shattered as soon as it made contact. He was a bloody fool. All the time that he had wasted. His heart clenched at the thought. If had had been a stronger man he would have found the way to bring her home months ago. If he had just continued to look, instead of giving up hope…

His body sank to the floor as his heart sank in his chest. It was his fault. His eyes scanned his cabin. What a mess. The cabin looked like a tornado had went through it. His hand came up to run through his hair. He was a mess. He should be happy. He should've been down at that bloody shop welcoming her back.

Instead he was sitting in his cabin, alone. It was what he deserved. He was a villain and villains don't get their happy endings. His hand slammed into the wall. His mind barely registered the pain. Slowly, the darkness that he had tried so hard to fight settled right back in. It was as if it had never left.

A knock pulled Killian from his nightmares. His vision swirled as he attempted to open his eyes. Where the bloody hell was he? Suddenly, memories of the last couple of hours flashed through his mind. Gold's shop. Regina's spell. Emerald eyes. Emma. She was back. His heart fluttered at the thought. Shifting to his side, he realized he was on the floor in his cabin. That's right...he had come back to his ship. Bloody hell, his head was pounding.

The knocks came again. This time louder, more insistent, and accompanied by a voice. A voice he thought he would never hear again.

"Killian, please open the door. I know you're in there." Emma. She was here, at his ship.

HIs heart began to beat rapidly, his palm started to sweat. He should have known she would find him here. She always found him.

He rose slowly, his legs stiff from sleeping on the wooden floor. Reaching the door he placed his hand on the wood before taking a deep breath in. He could do this. He was ready. Regardless of what he believed, he was happy she was back and he was ready to see her. He needed to see her.

His hand curled around the door handle as he pulled it open. Emma was standing there, fist poised to knock again. She was a vision. Golden tresses flowed down her back framing her face. She wore a simple sweatshirt and jeans. Her pale skin seemed to have a slight flush, from what he didn't know. Slowly, she dropped her hand back to her side and lifted her face so her eyes met his.

"Hi." She spoke softly, unsure, but made no move toward him.

His breathing quickened. Fingers itched to run through her hair, he slowly clenched and unclenched his fist to avoid the action. He wanted to pull her in his arms, capture her lips, and never stop kissing her. He forced his body to take a step back. A frown formed on her face causing Killian's heart to skip a beat.

"Hello, love." There was nothing else he could say. What do you say to a woman who has been missing for months, who you felt partially responsible for allowing her to stay missing for that long.

"Can we, um, can we talk?" Her hand reached up and tucked a stray lock behind her ear as he head tilted to the side.

"Aye." He moved back to allow her to walk into the cabin, closing the door behind him.

He forgot what a mess he had made and now, here she was standing in the middle of it. She wrung her hands in front of her as she turned to meet him.

"Lass, I.." Her holding up her hand stopped him from speaking.

"I wanted to thank you, for taking care of Henry. Mom and dad said you have been having a hard time and I appreciate that you put all of it aside to take care of my son." Her voice was flat, sterile even. It was as if she was trying to hide all of her emotions.

He wanted to run to her and beg her to yell at him, to tell him that he wasn't good enough, that he would never be good enough. It was what he deserved after all of those months of ignoring her boy.

"Emma, when you first disappeared I didn't take care of Henry. That was your mother and your father. They deserve your thanks, not me." He couldn't meet her eyes, too ashamed of his actions.

She stepped forward suddenly. Her hand cupping his stubbled cheek as she lifted his face to meet hers. Her eyes were full of sadness, of everything he hoped he would never have to see in them. She moved her forehead to rest against his. Her other hand came to rest on his hip. She was so close that he could feel the heat of her skin, of her lips.

"I get it now," she whispered, "I thought it was me, when you ran earlier. I thought you wanted nothing to do with me, but I was wrong."

His heart plummeted in his chest. How could she even think that. Her? He could never not want her, not in a thousand realms, a million lifetimes. If there was one thing he was absolutely certain of… it was that.

"Love, I want you. Gods above I want you. I just don't deserve…" Her finger came to rest on his lips, silencing him.

"I should've known," she shook her head, "That you would do this to yourself. Killian, listen to me. None of this was your fault. It was my decision to take the dagger, my decision to let the darkness in. And after? You did the best you could. From what I understand, as soon as you realized Henry needed you… you stepped in and were there."

He couldn't believe her words, that she actually believed none of the blame lay on him.

"But if I hadn't given up hope I could have found the solution to get you home months ago."

Laughter erupted from her at his words, shocking him. She moved her forehead off of his, staring at him directly in the eyes.

"We can't live in the past. By the same token, all of this is my fault because I let the author out of the book. In the end it doesn't matter when or how I got home, just that I did."

Staring at her in the eyes, he knew she was right. There were so many people that held part of the blame. So many mistakes on everyone, himself included. But none of that mattered right now. She was home, she was here in his cabin, and she was smiling the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. The one that lit up her eyes and made her cheeks glow. His heart felt like it were about to burst at the sight.

His hand found her waist quickly. His hook slid under the fabric of her shirt pulling her closer to his body. Spinning her, he began to slowly walk her backwards until her body hit his bunk toppling them over. Her hair splayed out on his pillow creating a halo around her head. Their bodies moved up and down from their quick breathing. He couldn't help the grin that took over his face.

"Hello, love." His eyes darkened as he continued to look at her. She laughed in return, happiness shining in her eyes.

He inched his way forward until his lips met hers in a gentle kiss. It was like coming home, like every moment of his life had led him to this one. He knew they still had much to figure out. Her name was still on that dagger, which couldn't have been a good thing. The town was always in some kind of peril and they would have to find a way to save it. But he had spent ninety-three days without her in his life, without her light to guide him.

Everything else could wait a least a day more.

Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you are up to it.