A/N Killian and Emma interaction time, yay! P.S. I'm pretty sure the great twitter incident of 2013 will go down in history. Never laughed so hard! As for your questions:

Captain: Yes Bailey sort of knew his mother – he was quite young when she left and I would hazard a guess that he doesn't remember all too much. He was also mainly asking Killian what she was like from an adult's perspective because when we're kids we don't process the multiple facets of an individual's personality. Thanks for asking though!

Since no one else asked questions I'll take that as I'm explaining the story in enough depth that you guys know what's going on. Feel free at any time to ask questions to clear up stuff.

Enjoy chapter 26, things get pretty hectic after this! (I was listening to 'For The First Time' by The Script as I wrote this. Mainly at the end where I hope you guys get Captain Swan feels.)

Chapter 26: Calm Before the Storm

He had just gotten onto the side-walk when he bumped into someone. He grabbed the mystery woman's arms – it was definitely a woman – and steadied her politely. Looking down, Killian immediately recognised the blonde curls and embraced her tightly against him.

"Hey Beautiful," he said suavely, smirking as she tried to push herself away. Emma pried his arms off her and stepped back a little, trying to hide the faint smile by narrowing her eyes, "I see you're back. I think I just met the reason you left in the first place."

Her eyebrows joined, "You met Bailey?" Killian nodded satisfactorily, "You didn't say anything that would maybe cause Gold to want to kill you, because he's still pissed about what you did to Belle."

His delight at seeing her diminished at the reminder of that failed revenge attempt. Apparently her good humour diminished too because her expression morphed into one of dread and irritation, but Killian could see the hurt behind it as well and he stepped forward.

"What's wrong, love?" he asked worriedly, grasping her shoulders and looking down at her eyes. She was looking past him and, after jerking away from his touch, crossed her arms defensively across her chest. Killian turned to watch a guy with brown unruly hair advance on them.

"What do you want Neal?" Emma asked, ignoring the pirate next to her completely. He looked between the two as the man named Neal stopped a metre from her.

"To be honest, I want you but I know you've always been stubborn so at the moment all I really want is to see my son!" Neal said, frustrated. Killian remembered back to Henry's recount of a dead fire-fighter; this guy was not dead and he didn't have the build to be a fire-fighter, he was shorter than the pirate but still taller than Emma.

"I'm still deciding, Neal. I told you to stay away from me until I decide," she replied angrily, hissing the words. Neal shook his head.

"Since when did you get to make the decisions for our son?" he asked indignantly.

"Since I gave birth to him and you didn't know about him until twenty-four hours ago!" Emma replied, just as ardent.

"As I hear it, you didn't hear about him until he found you! So don't get all high and mighty on me, you were the one who abandoned him in the first place!" he replied and the saviour seemed to shake with a combination of hurt and fury.

"After you abandoned me to take the fall for your crime, you asswhole! I don't care how much shit August told you about the greater good, you could have tried harder but you didn't. How do I know you won't just leave Henry once he's attached to you?"

"Because he's not you!" Neal spat. The words hung in the air, stinging Emma as she realised what he'd said.

The man realised the impact of his statement and opened his mouth to backpedal. She shook her head and was about to speak when the pirate beside her interrupted, his voice low and threateningly like a snake.

"Listen, Neal," he said, emphasising the man's name, "the lady has requested you sod off. Now, I'm a gentleman so I'm going to give you the opportunity to turn around and leave before I lodge this lovely appendage I possess into your knee cap. Savvy?"

Neal looked at the hook attached to Killian's wrist as he studied it. The sun was glinting off the metal in a way that obviously made it look more dangerous than it probably was – it hadn't been sharpened in weeks. The pirate made an effort to stare daggers at the man opposite him, further prompting him to his next actions.

"This isn't done, Emma." He looked at her one final time before heading back the way he came, angrily muttering about how stupid guy liner was. Emma turned and looked up into Killian's icy blue eyes, which had returned to the warmth they usually contained.

"Why did you do that? I can handle myself!" she said angrily. The pirate cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. Her demeanour suggested she was insulted by his defending her which in turn made him angry. He was only trying to help.

"I was under the impression you wanted him to leave and I didn't get the feeling he was going to take your request to heart. So I interceded," he explained simply. Emma looked around her in an attempt to convey her frustration.

"I don't need your help, Hook! I'm not some idiot damsel!"

His stance became defensive as his brows rose, the prior excitement at having her home disappearing in only a moment. She was being ridiculous; she was taking out her frustration on him and for no apparent reason. If what she wanted was to attack Neal than she should have run after him, not stay behind and aggravate the pirate.

"I never said you were! I just thought you could use back up," he said, trying to stifle his own temper. The more rational side of Emma began to rear its head, scolding her for such behaviour. He noticed the change in her demeanour, the aggravated posture slouching.

She shuffled awkwardly, shifting her weight, before she spoke. "I… I know. I'm… sorry," she said, raising a hand to smooth her brow, "I'm just on edge. He… It wasn't a great trip with Gold." Killian managed to keep his expression neutral at the mention of his foe and nodded in response; a silent acceptance of her apology.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, looking into his eyes. Before he could respond, the woman turned around to walk home. The pirate smiled, jogging to catch up with her. As he fell into step, Emma turned to him and raised a brow incredulously.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm walking a lady home. Wouldn't want that bastard heckling you again," he replied casually. Emma was about to respond with something about chivalry being old and out-dated but something stopped her. Something invisible but tangible in her mind made her bite her lip on the retort. Rather than tell him to go away, she allowed him to do as he had proclaimed. They walked in silence the rest of the way home, Killian opening the door to her apartment elegantly before she reached it.

"Do you… want to come in?" Emma asked lightly, she actually didn't feel like being alone tonight. The sun had just set and the moon was rising slowly. The pirate nodded, stepping into her apartment and looking around curiously. These modern residences were so strange – the image boxes and food machines. Killian much preferred his spitfire and books. She walked over to her kitchen, pulling out a glass and a bottle of wine. The pirate sat on one of the stools opposite to her, smirking as she poured herself a rather excessive amount.

"You aren't trying to get drunk for the both of us, are you?" he asked, raising his eyebrow questioningly. Emma chuckled and put away the bottle, taking a sip from the glass before leaning against the counter opposite Killian.

"I've just had a… really long week," she said and started tracing the rim of her glass.

"How was the outside world?" he asked politely, watching as she cocked her head to the side.

"New York was nice. Until we ran into some people." He watched her closely, her eyes flitting down to her hands and flinching slightly before taking another longer sip.

"I'm guessing Henry doesn't know about him?" Killian asked, trying not to overstep his boundary. Her walls were only just starting to dissolve; he could tell by the way she had allowed him to come in for the first time since his arrival. She didn't even wonder how he figured out Neal's true identity, this pirate was as observant as she was. She remembered back to Fairy-tale Land where he'd been able to deduce her every thought and move. It felt like a lifetime ago.

She sighed heavily, "No. He doesn't know… he thinks his father died in a fire-fighting accident; he thinks he died a hero…" The shame in her voice was evident and his eyebrows lowered in thought.

"He won't hate you when you tell him, you know. He'll be dismayed and rightly so but… he loves you Emma and he won't be mad for long. You're still a good mother," he said, the gravity in his voice making Emma pause and look up at him. Their eyes locked for a good minute before she looked down at her glass again.

"How do you know so much about him?" she asked jokingly, trying to ignore the feelings of warmth he had just ignited in her. Killian laughed nervously.

"Promise you won't skin me, lass?" he asked, biting his lip as she looked up at him through her eyelashes, "I might have been teaching him to sail." Emma raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"How did you get Mary Margaret and David to agree to that? Hell, how did you get Regina to agree to that?" she asked, almost impressed. The sheepish look on the pirates face made her rethink.

"They may or may not have been under the impression that he was spending time with a female acquaintance named Grace," Killian said, looking at Emma with a guilty smirk. She sighed, too exhausted to feel anger at this. If anything she was worried about how Regina would react when she found out. Also, the idea of her son sneaking around to hang out with a pirate had her slightly entertained – David would not be happy.

"Have fun telling them… I trust you with him - I know you'd never hurt him." The words came as a surprise to Emma but they were the truth; she did trust the pirate with Henry. They had an unspoken bond that no one really understood. Killian seemed just as surprised by her praise.

"Thank you, I'll ensure that I take my sword when I do… and you're right. I'll always keep the young lad safe," he replied, playing idly with his hook. There was silence before Emma spoke again, barely audible.

"We met when I stole a car; he was in the back seat. He stole it and I was trying to steal it from him and he saved my ass when a cop pulled us over," she said. The man opposite her immediately knew what she was talking about, the tone of her voice alerting him to the importance of her words.

"You were a thief? Gods, Emma. It's like you were made to be a pirate," Killian said, an attempt at humour despite the stifling intensity of the atmosphere. She cracked a smile but it only lasted a second because she continued the story – she knew he was just trying to lighten the mood.

"We were together for a long time… stealing things together, always moving from place to place. One day he suggested we settle down and I… I agreed. Before we could get going though, he told me the cops were looking for him – he'd stolen a lot of expensive watches. He was planning to go to Canada until it died down but I told him I loved him and we made a plan to take them out from where he'd hidden them and sell them… I got them for him and he gave me one, we were supposed to meet up after he got the money from the dealer. When I showed up at the spot waiting for him, it turned out that he'd taken off with the watches and tipped off the cops. I was sentenced to jail and found out I was pregnant with Henry in there… I never even got to hold him – he just went straight into the system…" Emma's voice trailed off as the hot angry tears stung her eyes. She poured the rest of the wine down the sink roughly and turned around, blinking to try and hold it in.

Killian burned with anger towards Neal, but the more pressing feeling was one of sympathy for his swan. That night, so long ago, when she'd picked him up from his lowest point and told him to move on and he'd retaliated, she had told him that at least Milah didn't choose to leave him. Now, he understood the facets of her personality with greater clarity.

Emma had been abandoned by her parents, not intentionally but all the same abandoned, eventually she'd found someone to trust and right when she'd let him in he'd abandoned her too. The death of Graham would have been a mortal blow and Killian could only imagine the scars she harboured underneath the cool façade. All this time he thought he could read her so well and now she was open to him and he felt like he'd only scratched the surface.

Killian walked quickly around the bench top and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest. It wasn't romantic or sexual; it was just a sign to show her that he cared. And he felt the warm dampness of her face as she began to cry silently. For once Emma didn't feel the need to push away, she just wanted to be held. More importantly though, she wanted to be held by him and no one else.

Turning her face to the side so she could talk, she said, "When I saw him in New York… he said that August, a guy who had been sent to protect me here, told him about all this that night after he left to sell the watches; the curse and everything. August told him he had to leave me because I wouldn't fulfil my destiny if I continued down the path we were on… it was apparently for the greater good… so he just let me go."

Killian pulled her tighter to him as the sobs began to wrack her small frame. In that moment he had never seen Emma Swan so desolate and helpless. Lowering his head, he whispered something in her ear that he had once said to a man who ended up taking everything from him.

"A man, who doesn't fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets."

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Emma let herself fall into the embrace, breathing in his scent of the ocean, rum and spice. It was oddly comforting as the tears unwillingly spilled out and she sobbed against his broad chest. When she had invited him in, she hadn't really known why. She just did it and she was glad she did. All this pent up emotion was killing her inside and, even if it was just for a little while, Emma let herself be dragged under so she could eradicate some of it. She let him in.

Killian's arms tightened once more before he pulled back to look at her.

She hastily wiped her eyes, glad she hadn't been bothered to put on make-up that morning. Looking back up into his impossibly blue irises, Emma smiled tightly before turning around. It was getting late and she couldn't have him stay any later, let alone stay over. It wasn't ethical.

"Thank you, Killian," she said, it was the second time his given name had come out of her mouth. He loved the sound of it when she said it and smiled his trademark pirate smile.

"No problem, lass. I'll take my leave now, until tomorrow," he said, taking his cue to depart.

As the door shut behind him, Emma walked straight to her bed. Pulling off her clothes so she was just in her undergarments, she got into bed. I bet he'd enjoy the view if he was still keeping tabs on me, she thought absent-mindedly. She laughed as she realised what she'd just said, the bloody pirate was starting to get into her head.

Emma's mind started to mull over what had happened that afternoon. Neal was hostile, much more desperate to see Henry than before. That worried her; because if he got to her son before she did he would risk scarring the relationship she had with her son. Henry needed to know, and soon.

And Killian had defended her; he'd threatened Neal and walked her home like the perfect gentleman. She had let her guard down, she had let him see her fragility as she cried over the difficulty and pain she'd been burdened with. And he'd comforted her, when everything became overwhelming he had embraced her. Not in return for anything, not to woo her but because he cared. And that sentiment – the fact that she knew he cared about her – as small as it was, made a monumental difference to her.

Exhaustion washed over Emma and she was soon taken under by sleep. For the second night in a row, she slept peacefully; dreaming of pirate ships and sailing sons.

Reviews are admissions of feels! The next chapter is where things get… interesting. I really hope you guys are loving this as much as I enjoy writing it and reading your reviews. Next chapter is called The Catalyst for obvious reasons: it's where something big sets off an irreversible event that no one will have foreseen. Can you guys guess what's the big thing that happens? I'll give you a clue: it involves a heart. GUESS AWAY!