I was blown away by the reception from last chapter! Thank you all so much for reading and sticking with this story. This chapter is dedicated to all you faithful followers and readers who bring me so much joy!

Hope you like it.

Chapter 15: Go, Going, Gone

For a girl who moved around so much, one would think that Emma would at least have a good suitcase. But, alas, that was not the case with her or many foster children. She had an old blue backpack and a garbage bag.

Emma did not remember the last time she really had to pack up because she did not remember the last time she unpacked. She normally lived out of her bags, waiting for the family to send her off. She did not want to waste her time settling into a home that she knew she would not stay in.

But this home had been different. She liked it here. Emma was not scared every moment, terrified of poking the beast and paying the consequences. She smiled more, laughed more, hoped more. Mrs. Abernathy gave her hope that maybe, just maybe, she could have a shot at a real future. That people would see her for more than her label of foster kid. She made Emma believe that she could be loved and show love.

Emma never got to say goodbye. The older woman passed to quickly for Emma and Killian to go in and get to see her like she requested. Emma never got to thank her for everything. To thank her for taking her in when she needed it the most. For making her feel special. For making her feel loved. For making her feel safe. For giving her a home.

Stuffing her stuff in her bag, Emma picked up the thick wool scarf that Mrs. Abernathy knitted for her all those months ago. It had been a gift on her first day of school, shortly after she had arrived. Her walls had been sky high at that point, but that did not stop Mrs. Abernathy from trying to break them down. Eventually the older woman started to succeed.

A knock at the door startled Emma, causing her to shove the scarf into her backpack. "Yeah?" She muttered, trying to hide the emotion in her voice.

Killian came in, red eyes and messy hair. It was obvious he was taking any of this well either.

"You still packing?" He played it safe, looking around the room as he talked.

"I'm just about done." Emma told him. "You?"

"Just finished." He stood awkwardly for a moment before saying. "I have something for you."

Emma moved over on her seat on her bed, non verbally telling him to join her. He did so, coming to sit next to her. He opened his hand to reveal a thin silver chain with a silver circle at the bottom. The circle was open, making somewhat of an o shape on it. The metal was lightly tapped, giving it a worn out look.

"This was in her room. I thought maybe you would want something to remember her by." He explained, tripping over his words slightly.

She smiled at him slightly. "I can't take-"

"She would want you to, Emma." The use of her real name always meant a serious, more genuine conversation. That fact was not lost on her.

Emma just nodded, not trusting her words at the moment. Killian placed it in her hand, but instead she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Thank you. For everything."

He smiled at her. "No goodbyes yet Swan."

"We'll have to do it sooner or later." She reminds him.

He nods. "Aye. But let's not focus on that until we have to.I have something for you."

"You already gave me something." She tells him. She is not used to gifts.

"This one if from me." He stands up and walks over to her desk, where he must have set a notebook while she was not looking. "Here." He hands it to her. "Meet me at our spot in ten minutes?"

Emma gave him a slight smile along with a chuckle. "Yeah."

With that, he walked to give her some time to finish packing. She put the remainder of her clothes in her bags before finally opening the little black bound book that he gave her.

The first page simply said. "To Emma." in a fancy manuscript. The pages lacked any lines and were somewhat of a beige color. She flipped a few more pages before finding drawings. Wonderful drawings of them, of hot chocolate and of old porch swings. A half drawn picture of a swan and a few drawings of pirates that made her laugh. All black and white, most likely done in just a simple pencil, but all beautiful just the same.

The entire notebook was not filled up. The last page used was not a picture, but a letter.

Dear Swan,

The past few days have been hard on us. I never wanted things to end this way, but it seems that, once again, life did not work in our favor. I will miss you. I can only hope that we have the pleasure of being in a home together once again.

Even if I cannot see you while we are in the system, I want to see you again. You are special to me, love. You understand me and you are an open book to me. I cannot lose that.

But even if we never see each other again, which I hope will not be the case, I will never forget you. You are so incredibly strong and will be able to take whatever this life throws at you. You are so deserving of a wonderful future and I wish on you only happiness. Hopefully, though, I will be there beside you to get to see and experience your happiness.

Love, your pirate, Killian Jones

Emma did not care how much time had passed. He grabbed her stuff, said goodbye to her only room, and ran to meet Killian.

...

Emma did not have to wait long at the swing for Killian to join her. Before he could even say anything, she enveloped him in a huge, whispering "Thank you." in his ear.

He pulled back from her a bit, so he could see her face. "You're welcome, love."

"I guess this is goodbye." She muttered, refusing to look him in the eye.

"We will see each other again. I know it."He gave her a hopeful smile.

She chuckled despite herself. "You sound sure."

He raised his eyebrow, making that face she knew too well. "Aye. I have faith in us. We are too special to be separated for long."

"Thank you for everything." He started to interrupt her, but she held up a hand. "You already got to say it all, so now it's my turn. I'm not good with words though, so bare with me. Thank you. I never trusted well… I never really believed I was worth much or able to be loved, but you made me see that I was wrong. You made it better."

He gave her the goofiest grin she had seen in awhile. "Thank you, love. I see that you read my note?" He hummed.

"Yes. It put anything I could say to shame so I am not even going to try." She laughed.

"The point was to remind you of your time here." His words seemed more serious then he was letting on.

"I could never forget." Emma said truthfully.

"Well, maybe," He whispered. "It's a reminder that you have a pirate here who loves you."

"I don't think I could forget that either. But thank you." She does not ask about the word love. The moment is not right for anything besides a goodbye.

Candice yelling for Emma could be heard throughout the house. It was time for her to get going to wherever she was going next.

Killian grabbed her hand before she could leave. "I'll think you every day."

"Good." She whispered.

"Goodbye, Emma."

"Bye, Killian."

I promise I have a plan. This is not the end! Review and let me know what you thought!