As Killian and Aria approached the palace Killian suddenly turned away. Aria spun around after him catching him by the hand and pulling him forward. "No, no, no, no…" She said to him.

He looked at her all the hurt and pain from the day he arrived after Liam's death shinning in his eyes. It was too much He couldn't go back in there. "It's not true love. It can't be. I can't go in there." He spoke to the girl.

Aria took his hands in hers and looked at him straight in the eye and said "Papa. You have to. You have to save my mother. You are the only who can do it."

He wanted to help her, his daughter. He wanted to be the hero she so desperately thought he could be. The truth was he didn't know if he was Emma's true love or not. It was such a short romance followed by him leaving her. He walked out and turned his back on the woman he loved and the child she announced they would have together. He didn't think he could be a father. He never thought he could love a child but he did. He loved his daughter his Aria. She was a brimming spitfire of twelve, who also looked like a miniature version of her mother. He looked down at Aria and again her steady green eyes were pushing him on. He bowed his head then looked up at her and nodded.

Her smile told him everything would be okay. He wasn't sure about that.

Aria walked into her grandparents private study where she knew her grandfather would be. Killian had decided to wait in the hall. She opened the door and saw the king sitting at his desk and she cleared her throat. David looked up and the relief, Joy and love he felt for he is granddaughter was absolutely evident on his face.

"Aria, I'm glad you're safe. I'm glad you're home don't ever leave us like that again."

"I found my father. I found him, he's here. I brought him, to wake up Mama." Aria grabbed David's hand and pulled him toward the heavy ornate doors that separated his private area to the public.

"Aria, sweetie, You know your Grandmother and I want nothing more than for your mother to wake up but I don't think this pirate is your mother's true love I told you that ."

"Grandmother agrees with me. My mother was still wearing his ring. He's my father. He loves me. He still loves her. You'll see." Aria was sobbing with him now openly pleading for him to believe her and he wanted to, God how he wanted to trust that she was right that this sailor was his daughter's true love. He wanted to believe it for himself and for her but he didn't have the type of belief she did, she was special. She was the believer.

David followed Aria to the grand hall where Killian stood. He was staring at the doors to the ballroom with an expression David recognized. Maybe he did still love Emma. That did not mean he could break the curse. He knew Killian was a good man when Emma fell in love with him he couldn't have hand picked a finer mate for her. Killian Jones had brought himself out of the ashes of his former life like a phoenix. And then the death of his brother brought it all back down again. David cleared his throat and Killian jumped.

Killian turned to see the king. He may think the king murderous and know that he was the grandfather of his daughter but he was still deep down a sailor that lived by a code. He bowed.

Aria stepped closer and took Killian's hand in hers and glared at David. "He needs to see Mama so he can wake her up." She stuck her quivering chin out in defiance and maybe a little defiance. She was after all a pirate captain's daughter…

David looked at her as much as he hated to ever tell her no. He was going to have to put the reunion on hold until he could talk with Killian. "Aria, Your grandmother is going to be waiting to talk to you, she's in her study." Aria looked at David then up at Killian and with his nod of insistence she left. David invited Killian into his study and poured two snifters full of Rum.

"I think you already know you and I have to talk before you get anywhere near my daughter." David spoke at last.

"Aye, Figured as much."

David ran a hand over his face and sighed. "Killian, look I am very sorry about Liam, he was an honorable man. I didn't order him to bring back dream shade I gave him an important mission but it wasn't for some poisonous plant. The sultan of Agrabah's visor must've given me the wrong plant name. I'm sure it was all a mistake. I want to believe it was all a mistake but that man is shifty and he makes The Dark One seem light as a unicorn."

"I remember him." Killian said as this information settled in his brain. He stared into his glass as he swirled the liquid inside untouched.

Aria ran up the stairs as fast as she could to her grandmother's study there was her grandmother this is Snow White. She thought watching her grandmother lift a hand and a bluebird landed on it. Aria smiled. Her grandmother always loved her birds. She remembered the tails growing up (Because almost 11 was grown up.) Aria wiped away the tears and ran to hug her grandmother.

Snow was knocked back at the fierceness of Aria's hug. She had not even heard the girl come in then she was all but throwing the both of them out the window. She smiled and wrapped Aria in a tight hug. After raising four children of her own and then raising Aria to the beautiful young woman she was becoming, Snow was not unaccustomed to strange outbursts both affectionate and in temper, she hugged Aria back as fiercely as she could.

"I found him, I found my dad, "Aria whispered. "I brought him here."

"Oh Honey, Do you think that will work?"

"It has to!" Aria cried." I miss my mom, I just want her back."

"I know Sweetie, I know."

Later that evening Killian walked Aria to her room and gave her a goodnight hug then turned to leave.

"She's in her room." Aria spoke to his back before opening her door and disappearing inside.

Killian stared at the closed door for a long time before he made his decision.

She was laid out in her bed in a glorious blue gown her blonde hair was spread all about her as if she had just brushed it.

"Aria." Snow White stood at the door behind him." Aria comes in every night and brushes her mother's hair and talks to her she tells her all about her day and life without her mother. She didn't want Emma to miss her." Snow's voice broke on the last few words and Killian turned to look at her.

"I have only begun to get to know my daughter I can't imagine life without her. I can only imagine what you are going through right now, your majesty. And I can't even begin to understand how Aria is coping with this."

"Aria found you. She brought you back because she thinks you can save her mother and God help her I fear she has her father's determination. I never got to know you as well I did Liam but I saw Emma fall in love with you. I knew she loved you before she did. She may be her father's daughter but she is also mine. And I will do anything to protect her as I will that little girl down the hall. "Snow turned on her heel and left the room with Killian looking over Emma's sleeping form. He moved to the side of her bed and sat in the chair. He glanced down at her hands folded on her chest his ring sat proudly against the pale skin of her hand. He reached out and ran a finger over the ruby stone.

"It's been a long time. I met Aria. She's a great kid. I think you will agree. She brought me here you know." He told her. He scooped one of her small hands up in his and clasped it tight then spoke to her. I don't know if you can hear me or not but I still loved you that day. I loved you more than I've ever loved anyone in my life, It scared me how much you meant to me." He felt tears fill his eyes at the overwhelming feeling of lost love. "I screwed up Emma. I screwed up. And because of that we both lost the first ten years of our daughter's life. I don't want to lose her again. I don't want to lose you again. But I'm not sure I trust my heart. Liam was the greatest man I've ever know and he was gone in a second without warning and I threw away a damn good life in my grief and now look at me..."

He stood and shook his head he didn't know that he was watched by Aria who was hiding in the shadow of a tall fern by the door. He turned back to Emma and gazed at her longingly. He wanted to be the one to break the curse but he didn't want to be the one to not break the curse.