I know I haven't posted in forever (I've been trying to keep up to speed with school and all) but alas! Here we are, closely nearing the end of our story. Only two more chapters left.

Keep in mind that this is an AU of what should've been S1 but of course, Killian was present and he had known Emma in the past. So I did twist some characters around in this chapter too. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

By the way, if you'd like to know: I was listening to Salvation by Gabrielle Aplin while writing a particularly emotional scene in this chapter (hint: it's CS) You can listen to the song here: ( watch?v=wWttGChn5ZE ) to set the mood.

I do not own Once Upon a Time, or any of its characters. However, I adore them as if they were my own.

Emma found herself in front of Scott or Killian's, or whatever his name really was, house. She ran up to the door and knocked twice. No answer.

She knocked again and called out,

"Hello? It's me, Emma. Can we talk? Please?"

No answer.

Emma grew frustrated and went around the house to check if he had already left to the pier or if he was just hiding from her. Hair flipping about everywhere, still wet from her dip in the ocean, she searched for him. Just when she was going to give up the search, Emma saw a figure heading out toward the docks. Her eyes lit up in recognition.

"Scott!" she yelled. "Scott, come back here!"

At this, he whipped his head around and found Emma, still wearing his plaid shirt and looking as beautiful as ever. It was his turn for his eyes to light up at her.

Emma had come back.

"Scott or whatever your real name is, I'm sorry that I panicked and left. I'm just… terrified of trusting people. Because I know I'll get hurt. I hope you forgive me."

The sun's rays were touching the first bits of earth in the town while clouds were growing darker with oncoming rain.

"Emma Swan," he spoke while taking a step closer to her. "I forgive you, lass. As long as you promise never to do that again and to trust me when I say that everything I told you back at the house is the truth. You are our savior. For everyone in this town and myself, Swan. Especially me. If you don't trust me, we'll never leave this town. We'll never have our true lives back. So what do you say? Trust me?"

She took a deep breath and nodded once, walking closer to him. The two of them closing up the space between them as the rain started coming down harder and harder by the second. They stared at each other until he gave up and put both arms around her waist, pulling her close to him and planting a passionate kiss on her lips. The electricity ran through the two of them more and more than ever before. A burst of magic reached out of the two of them and spread across the town.

In that moment, Emma remembered. Everything came rushing back to her. The two kids in a castle, the colorful ballgowns, the pirate she loved, the countless kisses stolen underneath the countless stars, the mermaid ring, the wedding preparations, the curse, all of it came back to her all at once. She pulled away from the kiss, gasping in surprise,

"Killian…" she rubbed her thumb against his scruffy cheek, his grin becoming wider. "It really is you. You really did keep your promise. The dream I had, what you said, all of it," she fought back tears. "Oh, why didn't I believe in you before?"

He chuckled softly, a single tear escaping his eye, pressing his forehead to hers, "Because you were cursed, princess." They kissed again.

"Do me a favor, Emma."

"Anything."

"Marry me the moment we get back to our world."

"I've been waiting to do that since I was eighteen years old, babe."

He laughed at her response and took her hand.

"What do you say we get back to your parents and tell them we're all back to normal?"

She didn't have time to reply because he was already pulling her along behind him until they reached his car. They drove straight to Mary Margaret's house, bursting through the door.

David was the first to look at them. He smiled in relief at seeing Emma's real smile back on her face.

"Emma, is it really you?"

She let go of Killian's hand and ran over to David, hugging him tight.

"Yes, Daddy."

Charming laughed and hugged her tighter, almost lifting her off the ground. "Go say hi to your mother!"

Emma called out for her, "Mom? Mom!"

Snow White hurried out of her room and found her daughter in the hallway. Even if she had seen her not half an hour ago, it was like seeing her daughter for the first time in five years, even without any physical aging. Snow teared up, hugging her as well,

"Emma, honey. You did it. You saved us."

"I wouldn't have done without you, believe me."

They both laughed walking back to the kitchen where the men were waiting for them, chattering among themselves. Emma couldn't help but smile because they were back to being almost a family. They were an "I do" away from being just that. Emma walked over to Killian, sliding her arm around his waist and as if by habit, he put his arm around her shoulders pulling her closer to him. She breathed in his salty sea scent as he placed a kiss on the top of her blonde curls.

"What do we do now?" Snow asked. "I mean, do we stay here or…?"

Just then the kitchen window shattered and lightning struck outside. Thunder made the house rumble and Emma tensed against Killian's side. They thought it was just a storm but that was clearly not the issue. In the heart of Storybrooke, Regina had just realized the curse had been broken and she unleashed her wrath in the form of a storm.

"This wasn't supposed to happen! Killian was never supposed to remember! Nor was Belle nor Snow nor her precious Charming."

A shadow appeared, "Did you really expect this to last, dearie?"

Regina stayed quiet.

"Exactly. All good things must come to an end," Rumple told her.

She generated a fireball in her hand and threw it across the room at him, which he dodged successfully. She threw another at her already destroyed tree and aimed one at the town square. The ball came in contact with the library tower and it burst into flames. Regina cackled as the wind howled, causing the fire to begin to spread.

"This town doesn't have much time left, Rumplestiltskin."

"Funny how you wanted it to have all the time in the world. Goodbye, Regina."

She blinked twice at him, unsure of what to say. He paused after opening the door and looked back at her, solemnly telling her,

"Long live the Queen."

Then he left Regina and her dwindling wrath behind. Regina realized at that moment that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance at redemption. Maybe she had been blowing this out of proportion. Who was she kidding? Of course she had. Looking down at her hands, Regina clasped them into fists, extinguishing the flames. This was her last minute escape, her one-way ticket out of the mess she had created. Without a second thought, she ran out of her twisted happy ending.

As Rumple walked back to his shop, he found Belle with a horrified stare at the library. Her precious building, her safe haven, up in flames.

"Rumple what happened to it?" she asked with watery eyes.

"Regina is going mad. Come, we haven't got much time. Team up with Snow White and rally up everyone from all over Storybrooke, we're going back."

"Back where?"

"Well back home of course, dearie! Home! To our castles and lands! Now go and find them and bring them back here. I'll be waiting here."

Belle trusted him completely so without protesting, she nodded once and ran to find Snow and her family. It didn't take long to find them as they were actually running toward her from the opposite side of the street. She tried to hide a smile as she saw Emma and Killian holding hands, deep down realizing how long she had been waiting to see that sight. The five of them came to a halt. Panting and gasping for breath, Belle told them,

"You… I need your help… to get everyone… from all over town… back to Rumple's," she coughed once. "We're going home."

"Home?" Emma asked, shooting a glance at Killian, which he returned. He grinned, knowing full well what would happen once they would go back.

"What's going on, Belle?" Charming asked her.

"Well Regina figured out that the curse was broken so she's kind of angry right now," she said pointing at the ruins of the library, shrugging. "And Storybrooke will be either up in flames or completely destroyed by the setting of the sun, judging by the fire patterns and the speed of the wind and the smell of an oncoming storm. So I need all of you to help. Please."

"Count us all in," Snow told her. "Belle, go to the small shops and tell everyone to leave. Charming and I will go to Granny's. Emma, Killian?"

"Yeah?" they replied in unison.

"Go to the school. Get the children. Trust me on this. Meet us back in front of Granny's in an hour or so," the queen instructed.

Emma and Killian took off running toward the school as fast as they could, whilst Belle ran for the shops and Snow and Charming sprinted to the diner. Everyone's safety was crucial right now.

Killian knocked down the door of the elementary school and Emma trailed behind him. She stopped in the middle of the hallway,

"Killian! You take the younger kids. I'll find the older ones. Once you get them, run out. Run out and meet me in front of the school. Got it?"

"Oh I do love when you take charge, love." He pecked her quickly on the lips for good luck and left in a flash down the left hallway. Killian reached the first few doors and opened each of them; he never realized how many children lived in Storybrooke. How alone they must have been these past few years.

Slowly, he opens the door in front of him, peering in. Scared looks were shot at him and he smiled at them, seeing the kids relax a bit. The young teacher was standing at the front of the classroom and he recognized her immediately: Tiana.

"Killian Jones, what are you doing in my classroom?" she asked him, waving a finger at him. What a temper that one had.

"Tiana, listen. Madam Mayo—I mean, Regina is destroying the town because the curse is broken. I need you to get the kids out of here and warn the other teachers, please."

She looked terrified. "Oh son, you better not be cryin' wolf or I swear…" she trailed off and instructed the children to leave. A little hazel-eyed boy stared at Killian, petrified, then ran over and hugged his leg. Killian looked at the boy and picked him up, resting him on his hip.

"What's your name, boy?"

"Alexander. But my parents call me Alex." he replied quietly.

"Who are your parents, Alexander?"

"Aurora and Phillip."

Killian smiled at the boy, "So that's why your eyes look so familiar. They look like your mother's. Come, Alex. Let's get you back safely."

Alex clung his little arms around Killian's neck. There were kids running out of the school everywhere, looking scared, horrified; some crying and others putting a brave face for the rest of their classmates. In the middle of the mess, Killian spotted a plaid shirt and blonde hair: Emma. She looked too frantic to find him so he followed the crowd outside the school.

By the time they were outside, some kids were well on their way to the town square and their parents. Emma looked around and spotted Killian holding a little boy. Killian was rubbing the boy's back gently and for a second in all the mess, Emma smiled and realized how amazing of a father he'd be someday.

"Killian!" she called out. His eyes met hers.

"Emma, love!" he rushed over to her. "Emma, meet Alexander. Alexander, Emma. This is Aurora and Phillip's son."

The boy waved at Emma and smiled shyly. Emma waved back and pointed to a girl, a bit older than Alexander, standing next to her.

"Killian, Alexander, this is Grace. Grace, this is Killian and Alexander. She's Jefferson's daughter." The Mad Hatter's daughter, Killian corrected.

Alexander yawned and then buried his face in Killian's neck. He chuckled and Emma pecked Killian's cheek. Before he could even register the moment, the four of them were following the crowd.

When they arrived at the main street, almost everything they had ever loved; the shops, the diners, the sheriff's office, their homes, was in flames. Screams and cries were heard everywhere and the smell of smoke choking each breath they took.

Children found their parents, families were reunited and they all headed to the same place: Gold's shop. Killian looked frantically for Alexander's parents and he found an auburn haired woman sobbing in front of Granny's.

"Aurora! Phillip! I have Alexander. He's safe," he passed the boy from his own arms to his mother's. Aurora sighed in relief, smiling.

"Thank you so, so, so much, Jones." Phillip told him.

"It's no problem at all," Killian replied, nodding once. Looking back, he saw Emma taking Grace back to her father.

"See you back home, the lot of you." Killian yelled over the roaring fire that approached them and then ran to Emma. He took her hand and they made their way to Mr. Gold's. When they arrived, Snow and Charming met them with relief. There was something strange about all of this though.

"Where's Regina?" Emma asked.

Gold appeared with his cane, "I'm afraid she was consumed by her own fury. Or at least, that's what it seems."

Killian and Emma's eyes met. No matter what had actually transpired in the town at that moment, they were free of any more interruptions in their lives. They were going home; their dreams were becoming a reality. The smallest of smiles spread across Killian's face and he squeezed Emma's hand.

"So where do we go, Rumple?" Snow asked.

"Dearie, if you go into my shop, there's a massive portal on the floor. You can't miss it. Just jump through and I'll see you on the other side!" Gold exclaimed gleefully, which was rather unusual.

The four members of the royal family headed into the shop. Person after person jumped into the portal, hopefully heading home. Looking at each other, Emma gripped Killian's hand tighter while taking her father's other hand. Snow and Charming held onto each other and with a nod…

"Three!" Killian screamed.

"Two!" Emma retorted.

"One!" Snow and Charming yelled in unison.

Jump.