AN: Someone on tumblr had the idea that in the finale, Killian would have been written out of the story at Rumple's request; and that because of this, it would be up to him and Henry to find a way to save Emma in the EF. I liked the concept, so here it is. Thanks for reading!
He has eyes like the ocean after a storm, and she can't shake the feeling that she has looked into them before.
"Swan," he says gently, and she doesn't understand the moniker, can't comprehend the gentle, endearing way he lets it fall from his lips. He raises his hand to her before halting, fingers curling into a fist as he seems to think better of touching her, dropping his arm back to his side. "We haven't much time. Your fath- your guard may come to at any moment."
She stares at him in wonder. She recognizes him from somewhere, she's certain of it, straining for a memory that is just out of reach. And then there's the young boy at his side whom she can barely stand to look at, because she knows him. He has a softness in his eyes -so familiar, just as the man he's accompanied by- that she has seen before. The two of them are as if from a dream which desperately wants to be remembered.
But she can't make sense of this, can't fathom why they are here, trying to save her. Time has passed so slowly, for so long, that she's lost faith in the idea that she could be saved. She tilts her head at them, wanting to trust the pain in their eyes, the quiet desperation, the something else that she doesn't have a name for, has never seen in her life. (It is burning and gentle all at once, and it makes her want to believe).
In her hesitance, the boy steps forward with a quiet courage. A flash of something runs through her head- another memory she can't quite grasp. "Emma," he says. She hasn't a clue as to how he knows this is her name. It had been too many years without anyone addressing her, and the word sounds foreign as it hangs in the air. "You can trust us, okay?" The boy offers out a hand, silently assuring that they aren't here to harm her. She shifts her gaze between them again, working to decipher the truth behind their actions.
They stand before her tensely, their apprehension tangible. She is able to see that, if nothing else, their desire to get her out of the tower is genuine. After a moment of deliberation, she nods. She takes solace in the fact that if they are here to harm her, the powerful magic she wields can become her weapon. (It certainly wouldn't be the first time).
Both the man and the boy give relieved smiles at her assent. The former crouches in front of her, indicating the chains clasped tightly around her wrists.
"We'll have to cut these off, love." he murmurs, making careful eye contact, his movements slow and measured. She realizes he is trying not the startle her further. He raises his sword, cutting away at the chains until they fall away. She hisses as her wounds sting sharply.
He raises his hand carefully, palm up. Understanding, she timidly places one wrist down, and he takes a light hold of it. He retrieves something from his satchel -a small bottle- and pours it over the cuts, one wrist at a time. She gasps at the burning sensation, gritting her teeth, but his lips turn up in a wry smile. "Apologies, darling." he says, wrapping bandages around each wrist, soothing a hand over the injuries.
She looks up at him, stunned, and he gives a tender smile in return.
She doesn't know why she does it. She just knows that his eyes are as kind as his touch, both of which are so familiar that she's certain they've met before (perhaps in another life, in another time).
She brings their lips together and is overcome with a sense of having done so before. The kiss is cautious for a moment, long enough for her mind to clear, a rush of memory coming back. And then she is clinging to him, because not only does she know him- she loves him. She feels the wave of magic as it passes over them, filling the room with a faint light. When it fades out, she pulls back, her smile uncontainable.
"Killian."
His answering smile is just as wide, his eyes a mixture of disbelieving and comprehending that makes her laugh. Emma raises her eyes past his shoulder, looking at her son, smiling just like the two of them. She rushes to her feet to hug him, closing her eyes in relief. "Hey, kid." she breathes, "Sorry you didn't get to break the curse this time around."
Henry laughs as he pulls away. He nods his chin as a certain pirate comes up behind them, locking his fingers with Emma's. "That's okay. I thought it was time to let Killian have the glory."