A/N: This part was freely inspired by "Mirrors" by Justin Timberlake, there are some enticements but generally this is Emma POV on her falling head over feet for Killian. There might be another update but I'm not so sure right now.
After New York and after breaking Emma's memory curse. Cheers to character developement!

Emma Swan was contemplating her life while sitting on her bed, recent events had it turn out like a Pollok's painting, random, messy and equally beautiful and scary.

She had been alone for 28 years, and after Henry found her, in less than two years she found herself to be part of one of the most crowded and messy family tree in the history of time. She had found people who waited for her to save her, people grateful to her for breaking the curse, but most of all she found her parents love, her kid's love and most unexpectedly her ex's love. She might have dreamt for this to happen since she was able to remember of, but it had been too much, too late and too rushed when it actually did. She was scared of all those unknown feelings, and new habits. She couldn't handle them, she wanted to run away from them, but no one ever let her, everyone needed her, she had to save them, then she was cornered by the people standing beside her, they would make her feelings exposed, they would push her to talk when she needed a break, they would hug her when she felt like being on her own and be alienated from the real world.

It took time but she grew used of it, she felt more and more comfortable with time passing and she was able to forgive her parents pushy behaviour, she got past having Neal back in her life, she felt more and more close to her kid and she was getting used to madness to surround her.

But Killian Jones, well that had been a whole world apart.

He didn't have to figure her out, he read her from the very first moment, he reflected her, she remembered avoiding his eyes in the early days because they were firm as a mirror and observing like a microscope. What made her left him behind that first time had been exactly this, she felt vulnerable again after a very long time and she couldn't let that getting in the way of putting her family life back together. She was used to disgustingly flirty and cocky man, she was so used to them she didn't even struggled to offhandedly blow them off, laugh in their faces and walk past them. She almost instantly felt that he was no cup of tea, but she decided to denying it to the point of exasperating her behaviour. And then all of a sudden he choose her, came back for her sake, offered his help, blatantly courted her and evidently vied for her dad's approval ALL whilst guiding them, keeping them safe, rescuing first her father, than her ex and finally her son.

She was way above to being able to process all this things all at once, not slightly prepared to face this reality, not to mention the feeling of being completely unable to thank him enough. Sure he might have done wrong in his past but he was way past in amending it, he only known her for a couple of months at best and he still did more things for her than anyone ever had.

When Pan was unleashing the curse she had been on the very end of her path of denial, she felt ready to confess her feelings for him, to thank him for his braveness, his selflessness and generosity, she intended to say it lots of time before, but she never could find her words, the truth she was trying to hide threatening to destroy her.

The first time Emma Swan said "I love you" to her pirate had been then, after he brought her back, when she was clinging to him, hugging him senselessly, in an unidentified alley in New York city, and when she finally did, she realized how much she felt that before and how strongly, silently cursing her cold feet.

They were still there, in that dark alley in New York, people in the near street passing by without noticing nor paying attention to the two of them. Emma was the first to break the silence between them: "Killian, you brought me back" she repeated, " Oh my God, everything felt wrong and I didn't know what was happening, and even if I felt like I needed to stick with you something was trying to tear me away, I felt so scared.. I.. I.. " Killian, with tears streaming on his face, was finally letting out all those breaths he didn't know he had been keeping and, while stroking Emma's hair slowly found his voice to say "Shh Emma, it's okay now... shh don't be afraid, I'm right here, Gods I'm just so happy you're you again.." Emma slightly pull herself back from his arms, looked at him and said ".. I love you" a shy smile growing on her face as he untangled her arm from their hug and slowly caressed his check with her free hand "I intended to say it before but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I realized this long ago. Sorry for being so awfully late. I love you Killian, and I love that you made me able to love again. I never thought this could ever happen "

His hands mirrored hers, his thumbs brushing away the last tears her eyes released and they just stood there, contemplating one another until withdrawal got the best of them and they were kissing softly and without rush, breathing the other in, losing their selves in the feeling of it.
When they got back to Neal and Henry they were both proudly and unashamedly flushed, his arm on her shoulder and one of hers on his waist while the other was gripping his coat as if she was afraid he could slip away from her grasp and disappear into the thin air.

After her reunion with Henry and her ex she remembered cornering Neal, then talking face to face with him, breaking the news of her and Killian and lashing out on him for leaving again. Her closure with him was a bit harsh, but she also felt a bit sorry for him, even if he probably didn't deserved it fully.
She then returned back to Storybrooke ready to try to get back to her parents so that her family would be one again.

Emma smiled noiselessly shaking her head while remembering how her life transformed itself in the last year, and now there she was, back at reality, her left hand on the column of her canopy bed, her right one nervously fixing her hair and adjusting her veil, almost back to her old habits, asking herself why she was really doing this.
When her mother and Ruby entered her room she jumped on her feet saying "I'm almost ready, I was just thinking, sorry".
Ruby hardly held back a laugh and put her hand on her mouth to hide it, quite unsuccessfully moreover, but Emma didn't mind and after a brief look at her mother she started giggling herself, letting the two woman finish to fix her hair and makeup, and finally she put on her shoes.

When she walked down the stairs of her parents castle she tried not to look too concentrated in not falling all the way down the steps, self aware of her scarce heels- walking skills, but when she reached the middle section of it she finally felt more safe and she looked on the room, without being able to look at the one person she was really looking for. At the end of the stairs her father and Henry were both waiting for her, the prince putting her left hand and arm over his and started to lead her down the aisle with Henry opening the path shortly before them bearing the rings. That ten feet walk, never felt so long to Emma. She wanted to rush to him but she was being held captive by her father's arm and by Ruby's hand at the bottom of her dress. Besides the weirdness of it he looked dashing in a handmade dress both prince-ish and Killian-ish but she didn't really pay attention to the clothing, she felt his eyes on her body and she searched for his eyes, finding them, while walking the last few steps toward him, completely unaware of the world.
She saw her look of surprise in his eyes, like looking into a mirror, and she could feel he did the same. Now they were here, their lonely lives about to take the biggest change, the vacancies in their respective hearts held tightly by one another now. The fear was gone now, long forgotten.
She felt her father's hand slipping hers onto Killian's and she finally she felt it.
She was home.