Remember Me:

I really hope the payoff of this chapter is as great to you readers as it is when it played out in my mind…..once again huge thanks to all.

x-x-x-

Emma's eyes lit up as she pulled her bug up to the valet parking stand per Kyle's request shaking her head as she looked out at the restaurant and then back toward her date.

"Kyle this is too much," Emma replied watching as his face fell watching as the valet opened the door for her in his stead causing her to repress a little laugh.

"Nothing is too much for you Emma," she listened to him reply as he joined her by her side on the curb, "You're a princess and you should be treated as such."

Emma couldn't help but feel a blush on her cheek as he spoke this. She was far from a princess but it was kind of nice to have a guy think of her as such and besides Kyle kind of did have that whole prince charming knight in shining armor vibe going on and she kind of loved it….loved him.

"Well then, how does my prince plan top this next time, a fancy place like this is sure setting the bar high for any future dates."

She couldn't help but watch as he chuckled letting that adorable smirk once more play across her lips.

"This place isn't THAT fancy," he replied as they entered the small Italian place, "though it is a step up from the arcade wouldn't you think?"

Emma simply nodded her head as she linked her arm with her dates as they made their way toward the hostess stand.

"Reservation for Ward," she watched him speak as the young woman behind the stand nodded as she nodded picking up a couple of menus and waving them over to follow her.

Emma took in the place as they made their way to their table thinking that perhaps Kyle was right in saying it really wasn't that fancy though it was as he said a step up from the arcade as well as some of the chain places she tended to flock to as a single mother. The lighting was fairly dim with candles on the tables providing an alluring ambiance to the place. There was a small dance floor tucked away in the corner and the sounds of old standards playing melodically in the background. Letting him pull her chair out for her she soon took her place at the small table for two before looking at the menu. 'And not too pricy either' she thought to herself pleased that she wasn't about to eat a $30 pasta dish.

-xx—xx—xx—

Killian made a mental note to thank Lena for the recommendation of this place. It was lovely not that his date wasn't already so and he began to take mental snapshots of everything so that he'd remember always…the way her hair glowed, her perfume smelled, her lip curled into a smile before she looked over toward the menu.

"So," he replied, 'should we start with some wine?" he asked causing him to watch Emma nod.

"Maybe something red," she suggested leading him to nod looking through the menu trying to make a selection before she piped up with a suggestion of her own. "If that's what the lady wants."

He watched as Emma nodded clearly wanting to order that particular bottle leading Killian to wave over the waiter and soon the bottle and two glasses were placed on the table. By then they had made a choice on what to order as well as shared in a bit of friendly banter about the mundane. Once the waiter poured their glasses and walked off Killian couldn't help but admire the way that Emma swirled her glass and took a sniff of her drink before she took her first sip causing him to do the same.

"I didn't know you were a connoisseur."

He watched as she let out a little laugh.

"I'm not, I just watch food network allot."

"Aye," he replied taking another sip of his wine. Seconds passed as he placed his glass gently back on the table as he began to look longingly into Emma's eyes….the way the candle reflected on them made them all the more alluring.

"Care for a dance love," he asked as he pulled back his chair standing up knowing that she wouldn't refuse his offer, she couldn't refuse it however he soon noticed she remained seated. With a raise of an eyebrow he added, "I assure you I'm much better when I don't have to follow the lead of blinking arrows."

Listening as Emma let out a little laugh presumably remembering their little game the night before he watched as she shook her head.

"But are you sure you can slow dance with one hand?'

He let a smirk play across his lips.

"I can do plenty of things with one hand," he spoke with a wink at his words, man he missed the innuendo laced banter between them, "now if I had a peg leg instead well then we'd have a problem."

He listened as a tinkering of laughter fell from her lips as she soon stood up taking his good hand as they walked to the dance floor.

Gimme a kiss to build a dream on
And my imagination
Will thrive upon that kiss
Sweetheart, I ask no more than this
A Kiss to build a dream on

Emma watched as Kyle gave her a slight bow before he placed his right hand on her shoulder and his hook gently on the small of her back as they began to slowly move to and fro to the music in silence. They kept their eyes locked onto one another and to Emma for a moment it was as if they were the only two people in the restaurant which was partially true as being during the week not allot of people went on date night. She couldn't help but keep her smile as he dipped her slightly letting a smile of his own play across his lips.

Give me a kiss before you leave me
and my imagination
will feed my hungry heart
Leave me one thing before we part
A kiss to build a dream on

"Kyle," he heard the blonde's voice speak breaking him from the spell she'd had him under as she silently moved across the floor lost in his embrace. Letting out a light sigh longing for the moment that she didn't refer to him by this makeshift moniker even if she insisted to continue to call him by his more colorful one as opposed to his given name. Giving her a nod to let her know he'd been listening he watched as she let a smile cross her lip. "I think I may be falling in love with you."

He felt his heart skip a beat for a moment as he watched as her gaze continued to lock onto his….her face moving closer toward his and this time he did not, he could not turn away. He knew this was the now or never moment he'd been longing for. If she remembered he'd know that it was real and not some illusion he'd been painting in his head, that Emma was his true love…if not well he'd have to find some way to make her believe that he was Captain Hook and that she was the Daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and the missing piece to saving a whole lot of lives.

When I'm alone with my fancies
I'll be with you
Weaving romances
Making believe they're true

Emma let the moment play out like a scene in slow motion as her lips crashed slowly into his. It felt as if a wave of electricity filled the air as her breath caught in her throat and images flashed through her mind. Images of beanstalks and flying ships and things in between. Pulling back from the moment, she kept her eyes trained on Kyle…no…not Kyle….Killian Jones better known by his more infamous nickname as….

"Hook," she simply muttered out in a whispery tone and from the look in her date's eyes she could tell the pirate was taken off guard.

"Swan," was his simple reply leading her to nod trying to hold back the tears she was surely thinking about letting fall from her eyes. Instead of tears of joy however she found her lips inching closer toward his before pulling back once more.

"So not a one-time thing," she spoke with a smile thinking of that first kiss back in Neverland causing a light laugh to escape her lips as that startling revelation hit her like a ton of bricks. Neverland was real, Peter Pan is a sociopath and she had strong feelings toward Captain Hook.

"Anyway," she replied as the music ended and she reached out to playfully mess with his tie, "I don't know if I told you before but you look…"

"Attractive, Striking, Fetching…."

"All of the above," she replied pondering giving him another kiss however while her walls had begun to crumble she really wasn't one for PDA and so instead she shrugged her shoulders back. "You should really dress like this more often…." She paused thinking about the foggy memories of the past week as glimpses of him in other cloths different from his usual leather attire danced through her brain, "more modern I mean."

-xx—xx—

He couldn't help but let a smile cross his face and a prayer of 'thank you' ring out in his mind as he heard his name fall from her lips. Granted he'd hoped she'd call him Killian though beggars couldn't be choosers and as her lips met his that second time sealing the fact that it wasn't a one-time thing well his heart skipped a beat and she could frankly call him anything for all he cared. He listened as she began to complement him leading him to flirt with her back as from the corner of his eyes he realized the waiter had placed their meals onto their table. As she'd been commenting that he should dress more modern he'd finished leading her to the table and after pulling her chair for her he took his seat once more.

"As much as I've become shockingly comfortable with this new attire I doubt it would fit in where we're going."

He watched as Emma shot him a blank expression and he wondered if she thought they'd be heading back to Storybrook before it finally hit her that they'd be heading back to his world.

"The Enchanted Forest, right?"

Killian nodded at Emma confirming that it was indeed their heading.

"Though when all is said and done perhaps you'd love to see me in my old Navel Uniform, I've always kept it tucked away as a memento of my past life."

He watched as a grin crept on her lips.

"I'd like that," Emma replied.

"And I can't wait to see you all dressed up like the princess you are, after the battle of corse."

"Of course, so who is the big bad this time around?"

"The Wicked Witch of the West."

-x-x-x-x-x

Emma knew she shouldn't have been surprised at her companion's answer considering who the man was however she still couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"The Wicked Witch of the West, have you tried dumping a bucket of water on her?"

She watched as his eyes bore into her as she made this comment and she wondered just what he was thinking as she began to twirl her fork around her plate of pasta before taking a bite.

"He suggested the same thing, Bae-Neil, I assume it has something to do with how the story is portrayed in this world?"

Emma smiled in his direction.

"Yea, she gets water tossed on her unintentionally and she melts into a puddle."

"If only that were the case in real life."

Emma simply nodded.

"So, have you figured out a plan of attack?' she began to ask as he reached across the table and placed his good hand on her cheek.

"Let's not talk of battle strategy tonight love, lets savor the moment because who knows when we'll have an opportunity to spend normal time together as a couple."

Emma was about to comment about how things were never normal since the moment that Henry appeared on her door on her twenty eighth birthday however instead she let her ears and mind focus on that last part. A couple? Was she and Hook a couple now? After all she HAD told 'Kyle' that she wished for him to be her boyfriend.

"Hook," she started however after a pause she corrected herself, 'Killian, I don't know if I can deal with the whole relationship thing, especially with my family in peril right now."

-x—x—

Killian's face lit up at the fact that she was calling him by his given name however at the words that followed his heart simply sank. He'd been getting used to the term of boyfriend and that he was hers however now…she seemed to be taking it back. He was about to question this stating that she'd been his true love so label or not they were in this together for better or worse however her voice picked up before he could speak.

"I mean someday, yea, I could see us being like my parents, all true love and all that but for now let's just table the gran romance and be well to coin a term from this world Friends With Benefits."

Killian nodded his head not wanting to pressure his Emma into anything that she didn't wish to do as he listened to the term she informed him of.

"And what would these benefits entail love," he asked with a raised brow and being met with a silent and simple blush of Emma's cheeks he knew he was going to like what they were very much.

After that, they seemed to finish their meal with mostly silence between them however while their mouths were preoccupied with food it was if their eyes were having a conversation of their own back and forth toward one another.

"So, he heard her speak as she placed her fork down beside her empty plate, "care for dessert or perhaps one more dance before we have to focus on…."

Shaking his head as he knew she'd been about to mention she who must not be named at least for the rest of the evening he placed a finger on her lips.

"I'd be honored to dance once more with a lovely lady such as yourself."

Standing up from his seat, Killian once more pulled Emma's chair out from the table before taking her hand and moving toward the dance floor.

Fly me to the moon and
Let me play among those stars
Let me see what spring is like on
Jupiter and Mars
In other words,
Hold my hand In other words,
Darlin kiss me

Emma felt a pleasant comfort in his embrace as if she was safe…as if she was home.

"Did you really keep your word and think of me every day?"

"That I did, weather it was in noting the family resemblance between you and your parents or smelling flowers in the garden and thinking of your perfume or simply thinking on the look on your face once we crossed paths again."

As he spoke she couldn't help but pull her lips toward his, so much for her stance against PDA she thought as she pulled back and flashed him a smile.

"So, did Lena know that you're…"

"Captain Hook, aye, in fact she's one of us."

At this Emma looked over toward him with wide eyes. One of them…as in…

"From the Enchanted Forest," she spoke the last two words with a whisper.

"Oz actually."

"You mean she's….she's Glinda?"

"Eglantina the Good Witch of the South actually."

Emma nodded wondering just how she'd managed to make it to New York and how she knew well everything though she supposed magic worked in mysterious ways and so she was just going to go with it as she instead pulled herself further into Killian's arms.

Fill my heart with song and
Let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for all I
Worship and adore
In other words,
Please be true
In other words,
I love you

The song ended and soon Killian was leading Emma back toward the table where they settled their bill, his treat, and made their ways back toward Emma's bug. He had to admit he was going to miss the car when he arrived back to the Enchanted Forest though he wasn't going to tell her that out loud least he come off as a sentimental fool. Oh who was he kidding, he'd already showed his softer side to the blonde and he knew that she loved it.

"So, do you think Henry will remember….everything?"

Killian shook his head as he honestly had no clue as to how the kiss would affect things. He supposed if the lad didn't remember what really happened he could as Kyle try to explain that his mother and him were taking the boy on a trip and then wing it from there….he just hoped he didn't inherit Emma's lie detector skills or he'd be screwed.

"I honestly don't know, I guess we'll have to cross that bridge when we get there."

Emma nodded.

"Speaking of bridges, how are we going to get to the Enchanted Forest? I doubt we can get there by interstate, what, do we click our heels together and will it so?"

He looked at Emma's expression and it was clear she was making some kind of reference however he didn't know what from. He wondered if perhaps he should of watched the film versions of everyone's story and not just his own and perhaps he'd better understand her 'inside jokes'.

"Actually, Charming managed to salvage some beans and so all we need to do is take the Jolly out on the Hudson and then …"

He watched as Emma nodded however biting her lip ever so slightly at the mention of her father's name.

"How does he feel about you…us…"

"Well, the two of us have become quite the chums in the time you've been away."

He watched as Emma stifled a laugh most likely at the thought of the two men becoming friends.

"Anyway despite that he's made it abundantly clear that if harm were to ever come to you by my hands….well I would no longer have any hands so to speak."

Waving his right hand for emphasis he watched as Emma shook her head.

"He wouldn't…okay maybe he would though I won't ever let that happen."

"Promise love."

"I Promise," she replied as he watched her pull her bug into the lot with a smile on her face.

Stepping out of the car, Killian went to open the door for her one last time before walking up to her doorstep.

-xx—

She didn't want to admit that she was going to miss him opening doors for her though she supposed there was some Enchanted Forest equivalent heck she was sure there were plenty of other acts of chivalry she'd yet to witness.

"I wish I had the power to freeze time so we could stay in this moment forever," She heard him speak in a whispered tone as he reached out to stroke her cheek.

"I know," she spoke with a nod, "but our family is in danger and we need to save them."

She paused for a moment while it hit her that she said our family instead of mine or simply Mary Margret and David as she didn't know if she'd ever get used to calling them Snow and Charming even if they were back in their world. There was a pause as she could tell in Killian's eyes that he'd caught her slip before she reached out to playfully pull at his tie and pulled him in for a kiss.

"It's about time mom," Henry's voice spoke up making Emma wonder just when someone turned the porch light on and opened the door and more important why her son wasn't at his friends like he should have been.

"I'm sorry Emma, he called saying he needed to come home. I checked his temperature and he wasn't sick."

Emma shook her head. He remembered that had to be it.

"Thank you Lena," Emma replied stepping over and giving the woman a hug, "for everything."

She paused for a moment.

"I should be the one to thank you, especially when you vanquish…."

"I may be the 'savior' but I assure you it's a team effort, anyway speaking of the team, coffee tomorrow before we ship out Jones?"

"As you wish Swan."

She couldn't keep the smile from fading off her face despite the dangers that were sure to lie ahead as she watched the two dark haired figures walk across to their own place before turning toward Henry.

"Okay kiddo, I'm sure you've got tons of questions, how about we talk over some cocoa since in case you didn't realize it's not a school night anymore."

-x-x-x

TBC

I easily could have ended it here though I want to do one or two follow up/epilogue chapters. Songs used A Kiss To Build A Dream on by Louis Armstrong and Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra