A/N: So this is the AU I've been talking about on tumblr. This story is going to be a multi-chapter fanfiction with about ten chapters and I hope you enjoy reading.

Disclaimer: None of this is mine, not the characters, not the storyline. When it would be Meghan would be on-screen like forever and Emma and Killian would already be canon.

Prologue

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She ran through the forest as fast as she could, occasionally throwing a haunted look over her shoulder. Branches were breaking underneath her rash steps, leaves were rustling as the seam of her light-blue dress brushed over them. Her breathing was ragged and sped up, her facial expression twisted in something between panic and desperation.

The blond woman almost fell as she tripped over a root which was partly on the surface, her dress got caught up in the wood, ripped, the silk and satin shredded, a large piece of fabric remained on the root, leaving her left shin bare and uncovered but even though she barely caught herself from colliding with the ground she didn't stop. Instead she ran faster, gathered the fabric of her dress, still running faster until the forest became thicker, until the trees stood closer to each other. The branches hitting her in the face, leaving a cut on her cheek and some more on her shins. The woman let the fabric fall and lifted one arm in front of her face to provide any further damage but she still didn't stop. Her free hand wrapped around the right side of her dress, lifting the skirt higher so the fabric wasn't in her way while she ran.

She shot another panicked glance over her shoulder and this one glance was her undoing. She stumbled again and this time she really fell. The only thing that stopped her face from crashing to the ground were her arms. Her hands broke her fall but while her right hand stopped her fall successfully her left hit the sharp edge of a stone which cut her skin. She rolled on her back, clasping her hand over her mouth to stifle the pained cry that escaped her throat. She clenched her wounded hand and in the moment of silence she heard the noise she was afraid to hear. Footsteps. Foreign footsteps - and they were coming closer fast. With her right hand still clasped over her mouth she scrambled backwards clumsily, her right hand her only support while she held the left one close to her chest, letting it stain the smooth fabric of her light blue corset in dark crimson. She only stopped when her back hit a tree and then she pressed herself against it. The woman tried to get her breathing under control while the steps came closer. Her heart beat in her chest so frantically she could barely hear what was happening in the forest because she the only thing she could hear was her heartbeat and her blood rushing through her veins.

She squeezed her eyes shut trying to do what her father taught her when she was about five years old. She had to focus, had to block out what she was feeling and had to concentrate on the stranger's footsteps. She took a deep breath and focused. The footsteps came closer and closer. The noise of a sword being drawn found its way into her consciousness and immediately she tensed even more. There was no way she could defend herself, she had nothing but her torn silk dress and - Her green eyes shot open and she lifted her right hand to her head, pulling a hairpin out of her golden curls that immediately spilled over her bare shoulders. Then, all of a sudden, a voice cut through the nightly silence of the forest.

"Princess!"

The blond shut her eyes again, tears welling up behind her closed eyelids. She knew the voice. Of course she did. How could she not? She has known this man for quite some time now. She clasped her left, bloody hand over her mouth again, muffling the cry that threatened to escape her throat and that surely would betray her whereabouts as the steps came closer.

"Princess?" the same voice yelled again, softer than before.

Even though her eyes were closed the tears slipped out of them and streamed down her face. Her right hand gripped the hairpin tighter, holding onto it like a lifeline and that was exactly what it felt like. His steps were now only a few feet away, if she made any sound now he would find her.

"Emma?"

He didn't yell anymore which meant he knew she was close. But the softness in his tone surprised her. She had thought that after she found out about his past he would become the man she heard about. But she saw nothing but him in him. The man who had vowed to protect her with his life in front of her parents and the whole kingdom. The man she trusted with all of her heart. The man she shouldn't trust at all.

The heart-breaking sob she had tried to hold back for what felt like an eternity finally escaped her throat. His footsteps immediately came closer and when she opened her eyes he stood in front of her, his sword in his hand, his ocean blue eyes fixed on hers.

"Emma," he whispered.

She could've sworn she saw relief in his eyes as he saw that she was well. At least as well as she could be in this moment. His eyes roamed over her, concern in his gaze as he checked her for any serious injuries.

"Don't come near me," she snapped and lifted the hand that still clutched the golden hairpin, ready to defend herself if she had to.

"Emma..." he sighed and reached out his hand.

Her eyes widened and when she looked up from his hand to his eyes again something inside her broke. Her knees gave out and she sunk against the tree trunk, her back scraping over the bark, leaving her skin red and grazed, her hands covered her face, her right hand still holding on to the golden hairpin. He crouched before her, his eyes still fixed on hers even though they were closed.

"Leave me alone, Hook," she sobbed.

The man in front of her flinched, his expression hurt.

"I can't," he whispered, his voice filled with pain and on the brink of breaking.

She opened her eyes, peeking through her fingers and meeting his eyes blue stare. Once upon a time she read in one of her favorite books that eyes were the mirrors to the human soul and in this moment she started to believe that it was true.

As she looked into his eyes she saw nothing but genuine concern and heartfelt pain. She knew she hurt him by calling him by his moniker. As a child she had heard thousand of stories about Neverland and Peter Pan - and about Captain Hook, the gruesome pirate captain. She would've never thought that her protector Killian Jones was the dreaded three-hundred-years-old pirate. After all Killian Jones was a knight, an honest man, her protector. She never knew him any differently. To her he has always been caring and kind. Of course he had an attitude her parents didn't fully approved - after all he was her bodyguard and not a suitor - but they had trusted him to protect her from any harm - from another heartbreak.

No one would have ever thought that the man who was going to protect her would be the one to break her heart. She had a hard time trusting someone and when she finally let someone behind her walls it was hard to get him out again. And Killian Jones had managed to get through to her. She had trusted him and she thought he had trusted her. She knew about his past - at least to some extent. She knew about Milah and that he wanted to kill the Dark One but she never knew about his past as a pirate. No one had thought it would be appropriate to tell her about this part of his past. Not even himself. And that was what had broken her heart.

"But I don't want to have you near me," she said brokenly.

"Emma, listen-"

He reached out to touch her and that was the moment she finally snapped. She lunged at him.

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