It was a surprise to everyone the day Leroy came barreling down the street, waving his arms in the air and shouting about beans. Killian didn't have a clue what the dwarf was going on about, but he kept his mouth shut because he'd promised Emma he'd try to do better about shooting off crude remarks in public. He was whipped as Henry had jokingly called it one day, even if he hadn't quite understood the term at first and thought the boy was alluding to something violent.

But apparently, after scouring the seemingly desolate stalks, the dwarves had discovered that one bean had gone untouched, unbeknownst to the Queen, of course, who thought that she'd succeeded in destroying them all. And now they were planting it in an attempt to get back the crop of them that they'd had before because apparently, everyone wanted to go home.

Home was not a place for Killian, however. Home was a person. Emma. Wherever she was, he would be there, and if she wanted to go back to the Enchanted Forest, then he was going to go with her. Once they'd returned from Neverland some months before, she'd taken her sweet time in letting him know how she felt, but the important thing was that she did tell him. She chose him, and suddenly, his whole world was filled with hope again.

It was three and a half weeks ago to the day that she told him she loved him for the first time, and damn, did it take him by surprise. He couldn't have been happier to hear it, though, and every day since then he'd said it to her at least a dozen times because he liked hearing her say it back. It had been far too long since anyone had told him they loved him, and he was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that the one who was doing it now was Emma Swan.

She'd come clean with everything, too. Told him about growing up in foster care, being sent back when families didn't want her, and eventually about how she met Neal and what exactly happened between them. He told her about his childhood, his time spent in the Navy, Liam's death and how that was the start of his life as a pirate, and even about Milah. He'd never been more honest with anyone in his life, but it didn't scare him anymore because Emma could always soothe any fear he had, reassuring him that what they had was real and that she wasn't going anywhere.

Charming was thrilled to hear about the beans being grown again, as he was still eager to get back to their realm as soon as they possibly could, especially given their recent trip to Neverland. The town rallied behind his decision, packing bags and making plans, and even Henry was excited, but Emma still wasn't convinced it was the best choice. She didn't see how they could live there in the state it was in or how they could feasibly rebuild everything to the way it once was, but as usual, her parents just kept spitting out their optimistic mantras at her.

Killian knew it irritated her, and though the topic of going back was being avoided between the two of them, he couldn't help but bring it up one night.

"You know the boy wants to go, darling."

"I know, but he's expecting a lot more than he's going to get right away."

"Henry's got quite an imagination. He'll be fine, Emma. The question is will you be fine?"

"I can't just let my family go off without me. I can't lose them again."

"They wouldn't go without you, and you know that."

"I won't be the reason they don't go home." Emma couldn't think of the Enchanted Forest as her home. Not yet.

"So you'll go with them?" He needed her to finally admit it to herself.

"I…I mean, you'll come, too, right?"

She looked so afraid that he wouldn't that he blurted out his answer right away. "Of course I'm coming with you. What the bloody hell would I do here by myself?"

Emma rolled her eyes but cracked a smile in the end, and that was that. She'd finally made her decision.

Now, here they were, everyone standing in groups, one person in each holding a bean. Should they ever want or need to return, Storybrooke was being protected from the outside world again and would continue to be there.

The only hitch in this otherwise happy occasion was Regina. She was none too happy about the fact that the Charmings would once again be in power and ruling the kingdom. Despite how far she'd appeared to have come after Neverland, she still wanted the title of Queen for herself. David suggested that they keep a close eye on her, and Emma reasoned that they would have to do so without locking her up because Henry believed in her and believed that she was going to leave them all alone.

That was her mistake.

Killian stood there in between Henry and Emma, waiting for Charming to throw the bean into the water so that they could jump, and it never even occurred to him that something could go wrong. Emma was finally at peace with leaving this world behind, and things between them were better than ever. This was going to be good for them - for all of them.

And then the next thing he knew, Emma was grabbing his hand, and they were falling forward, down into the portal. In a split second, it was over. He was standing on solid ground again, and Henry was on his knees beside him.

"You okay, lad?" Killian asked, reaching down to help him up.

"Yeah, but where's my mom?"

The question sent a pang of alarm through the pirate as he realized that Emma was no longer holding his hand…or even standing anywhere near him. Charming and Snow stood a few feet away, looking around as well when they realized their daughter was no where in sight.

"She must have ended up somewhere else?" Snow hoped.

"But she was holding my hand." Maybe she let go?

"Well, we'll find her. Snow will come with me, and Henry, you go with Hook," Charming instructed, wasting no time because they had a lot of ground to cover.

Except they never found her. They searched for hours, but there was not even an inkling that Emma had ever made it through the portal. So there was only one thing to do now: find Rumpelstiltskin.

No doubt he and Belle had made their way to his castle, and Charming didn't even bother knocking when they arrived, just barged right in, yelling to announce their arrival until Gold appeared in front of them.

"Trouble already?" he asked, sounding far from surprised.

"We don't know where Emma is or if she made it through the portal. We just want you to help us figure out where is." Snow had held it together rather well so far, but she was close to her breaking point. She couldn't lose her daughter again.

Surprisingly, he didn't protest or make any deals with them this time, just pulled out the globe, pricked his finger, and watched as it lit up red with the location of the Swan girl.

"Well, it seems that Emma has found herself back in Boston."

"How is that possible?" Henry asked, eyes widening, head shaking in disbelief.

Killian only knew what Boston was because Emma had told him she lived there before coming to Storybrooke. Which meant she was still back in that world and something had gone wrong.

"I suggest you speak with Regina if you want an answer to that question," Gold said with a shrug, for once completely oblivious to the unfortunate event that had fallen upon them.

Charming could feel his blood boil at the name, knowing without a doubt that she had to be behind it. Who else could it be if it wasn't Gold?

"Let's go then." Killian was the first to speak up, knowing that every second they just stood there was another second that Emma was alone and away from them, and he needed to get her back.

Per Charming's request, Snow took Henry and left the men to deal with Regina because it was hard enough for the boy to not have Emma without having to be there to listen to Regina talk about what she did to her.

"Oh, it's you two," Regina sneered in greeting, rolling her eyes and fully expecting them to berate her because she was well aware of what she did.

"I am only going to ask this once, and you better give me the truth. Did you send Emma back to Boston?" Charming asked, maintaining a calm demeanor for the time being, but if she so much as tried to deny it, he was going to lose it.

"Emma? What? No, I thought you were going to ask me about…" she trailed off, lips parted in surprise when she realized what happened. "Wait, Emma's gone? And Snow is here?"

"Yes, Emma is bloody gone, and you better-"

"Hush, pirate. I didn't mean for Emma to go back to Boston, but if she's there, I can assure you that she does not remember you."

"What are you talking about?" Killian asked, fist clenched at his sides, hook behind his back to keep him from doing anything with it that he'd regret. Not that he'd regret it, but Emma wouldn't be happy with him. Emma. Who was a million miles away from him.

"I cursed the bean you used to keep Snow in Storybrooke, but I tried something new and mixed it with a memory loss spell. I guess it didn't go quite as I had planned since Emma was the victim instead of her mother." Regina sounded very bored with the explanation and like she cared more about the fact that her spell had gone awry than that it had sent Emma away.

"Well, we'll go and get her and bring her back, and when we do-"

Once again, Regina cut Killian off, holding her hand up to silence him momentarily.

"You can't bring her back unless she retrieves her memories. She'll take one look at you and think it's Halloween." Her snicker made him bring the hook out.

"So how do we get her memories back?" Charming asked, once again trying that whole calm thing that he wasn't fond of. Oh, he'd be sure to flip out on her later for her intentions with his wife, but right now, they had to focus on Emma.

"I'm sure you'll find a way. After all, I think you of all people know how to break a curse." Cryptic enough to Killian, but Charming knew exactly what she was talking about. Without another word, Regina was gone, leaving the two of them standing there, feeling dejected and irritated.

Charming didn't say anything for a while as they walked back, and Killian tried to respect that he was thinking or whatever he was doing, but it was driving him mad.

"Would you just tell me what's going on, mate?"

"You have to go."

"Of course I'm going to go, but what do I use to break the curse?"

"You can't use anything, Hook. True love's kiss is what will break the curse and get Emma's memories back, and as much as I hate to admit it…" He trailed off, his point made clear. It was certainly not his favorite moment when Emma came to him and told him that she'd chosen Hook. Not that he liked Neal much after hearing the story of what happened between them, but still. It was obvious that Killian was the better choice, and Charming had even come to like him somewhat after Neverland, though that didn't mean he was good enough for his little girl. No one would ever be good enough, but Emma was fully capable of deciding who was good for her, and if she wanted Killian, then he would respect that.

Now it was Killian's turn to be quiet for several moments as he thought it over. True love? What if he wasn't Emma's true love and kissing her did nothing? What if he couldn't save her?

"But what if I'm not?" he finally asked, his voice quieter and more sullen than Charming had ever heard it before.

"You are. I see the way she looks at you and the way you look at her. She chose you, and now you have to go and save her."

"And you think that I can?" It was actually humbling to have the support of Emma's father for once, to know that he trusted him to get his daughter back.

"You can do it. Trust me, mate."

They shared the smallest of smiles between them before it was back to business. They had to tell Snow and Henry.

Needless to say, Snow did not take it well. Henry, however, had all the faith in the world that Hook would bring his mom back to him because if there was one person who believed in their love more than they did, it was Henry.

In preparation for his trip, which Killian was admittedly nervous about, Henry drew him a picture of the Equestrian Statue of George Washington in the Boston Public Garden, telling him he should picture this while thinking about Boston so he wouldn't end up somewhere crazy. He also tried his best to tell Killian where Emma's apartment was and wrote down instructions, figuring that if she really did go right back to how she was before, that's where she'd be.

They also went to Gold, who was now doing things without expecting a favor in return because Belle wouldn't hear of him not helping them get Emma back, so that he could procure some normal clothes for Killian. He was not thrilled at first, but if it was what he needed to do, he would do it. After insisting that he couldn't wait anymore, he had to find Emma now before his heart permanently split in two, they shoved some money in his pocket and began to say goodbye.

"Bring her back to us," Snow said, giving his shoulder a squeeze, tears welling in her eyes.

"Don't doubt yourself. You're the only one who can do this," were Charming's parting words.

The last person to see him off was Henry, and Killian crouched down to the boy's level. He was already overwhelmed with all the support he was receiving, all the kind words, and he knew whatever Henry said was just going to be the icing on the cake.

"She loves you, you know. It doesn't matter that she doesn't remember you right now. She'll fall in love with you again, just like David and Mary Margaret fell in love before they even remembered they were married." Henry had absolutely no doubt that Killian would succeed, and his optimism was contagious.

"I hope so, lad."

"Don't hope, know."

Killian nodded, ruffling Henry's hair as he stood up. "You're right. I won't let you down. Promise."

"I know you won't."

Killian had no idea what he was in for as Gold opened a portal for him, and he jumped into it. He figured he'd find her, kiss her, and just like that, she'd come back to him.

He didn't know that it wasn't quite that simple.

He didn't know the ride that he was in for.