"Okay," Emma stated, pinching her fingertips between her brows, wondering what the hell had possessed her to even give him any chance at all. "You get one chance, Jones."

This man, this perfect stranger to her and her son, whom only a few days ago had shown up at her doorstep and had the audacity to kiss her before she could even register what was happening. This man that she promptly threw out with a knee to the groin and slammed her apartment door in his face, wondering to herself afterwards if the event even had happened at all, still leaving her lips to burn with memory after a single kiss. This infuriating man whom then lurked about, following her around, the entire next few days until she found him waiting at the bus stop where she usually saw Henry off in the mornings, had pushed her far past her limits. She'd finally called the cops, as she'd promised him what seemed a thousand times and had him arrested. Emma had stumbled over the phone when they'd asked her just why she needed this man arrested, why she felt threatened. She'd told them that she'd feared for her and her son's safety and that's all they needed to hear.

Lies, Emma scolded herself mentally mere minutes later after they'd dragged him off in handcuffs. He'd merely looked disappointed and allowed the police to cuff him without any restraint, as he simply watched her with those blue eyes of his. She had a sneaking suspicion he saw right through the lie of words she'd told the police, only making her feel all the more guilty. After several hours passed as the guilt ate at her and pleas from Henry to release the man (as he'd apparently spoke with Henry a few times in the hallway or at the park without her knowing it and befriended him and thought he was a 'good guy just a little mixed up in the head, Mom'), she suddenly found herself wandering to the police station, retracting her statement and having this stranger released.

This man. This man whom called himself Killian Jones had the audacity to smirk at her and wink when he was uncuffed and released into her custody.

"Finally come to your senses now, Swan, or did you just miss this devilishly handsome face?" he asked her with an all too familiar tone to his voice as he rubbed his wrist with his hand.

Emma merely rolled her eyes at the man. He had to of been in his 30s or so and went gallivanting around in a pirate costume for crying outloud. If he seriously thought that was a turn on, he had another thing coming. Although, he did look good in those tight leather –

"No," Emma said outloud, accidentally, as she brought her thoughts and her walking to a halt at the foot of the station steps.

"No…you didn't come to your senses or no, you don't believe me to be devilishly handsome, love?" he asked, confused a bit by her sudden outburst, but still resigned to toying with her all the same.

Emma closed her eyes and took a deep breath before pointing her finger into his chest, "Look—"

He grinned again and stopped rubbing his wrist to take her hand and place it flat against his chest, over his heart…a move that rendered Emma from speaking. His teasing had altogether come to a halt as he gave her a more serious expression, a look that seemed somehow familiar to Emma.

Familiar? Who the hell are you, Killian Jones?

She snatched her hand back quickly and took a step back from him.

"Emma," he pleaded this time, but made no move towards her, afraid she'd bolt. "Just a chance, love. Let me help you remember. There are lives at stake—"

"You keep saying that," she cut him off. "You keep going on and on about how you know who I am. Know who Henry is, for fuck's sake, and yet you continue with this line about how my family is in danger. Henry is my family, so what am I supposed to think when you keep telling me these things? That he's in some sort of danger? And from what, from you? From some unseen person you have yet to name."

"Emma," he started again, his eyes darting around at the onlookers as she'd raised her voice and garnered them attention…a kind of attention that they didn't need right now. "Emma, please, come here."

Killian grabbed her hand and led her away from the station steps over to the yellow Volkswagen Bug that he knew to be hers. He spun her around so her back was to the car and then pinned her there between his arms on either side of her, in order to gain her full attention.

"Emma, look at me," he commanded her in a hushed authoritative tone as she looked up at him, to surprised by his actions to second guess herself.

Emma, look at me. Have I told you a lie?

Some flicker of recognition swept across her face before she schooled herself against it, throwing her walls back up. Killian watched as he could almost visibly see her reconstruct them without her even saying a word. Emma…even in this version of your life you've had so much hurt, so much pain, my love. It hurt him to see that it was him that she was now placing walls between them again, that she mistrusted him still at this point. Of course, she did not know him, he reminded himself. There was no beanstalk in this Emma's memories, no Enchanted Forest, no sailing on the Jolly Roger, no Neverland, no Captain Hook… This was Emma Swan, after all, and even before the second curse had happened and ripped her and Henry from their lives, he wasn't even sure if she fully trusted him then. He was just a pirate after all, an unworthy villain. He was the nefarious Captain Hook and Captain Hook had no right in calling Emma Swan, the Savoir, the princess, his love. However, when he thought he was going to lose her forever, she chose that moment (of course she did, bloody stubborn siren) to give him hope.

Not a day will go by that I won't think of you…

Good.

Emma Swan, daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White, knew that hope was something not to be given lightly. He knew as much as she had in that moment that was exactly what she was giving to him. Giving him hope…and so that was exactly what Killian Jones did over the last year as he used every waking moment thinking of her, remembering ever bit of her, hoping to see her once again.

"I swear to you, Emma Swan, that I would never harm your lad. Furthermore, I would go so far as to say to you that I would give my life to protect, not only him, but you as well from anything and anyone that tried to harm you."

So dramatic, this man was, she thought to herself as she tore her eyes from him, unable to look into his blue ones with that much emotion pouring out of them.

"Emma, have I told you a lie?"

Those words, I've heard them before, she thought.

She looked back up at him to see sympathy passed across his features as her eyes locked with his, "No. You're not lying and maybe that's why I'm here. Maybe that's why I had them release you. I…I'm beginning to wonder…"

Emma trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. She didn't know how to. She was beginning to question her own sanity, let alone her own memories.

"Wonder what, love?" he prompted her, not letting her slip away from this train of conversation, as he felt she was just so very close to the edge of her past memories, if he only prodded her…

"I'm beginning to wonder what's real anymore," she voiced out loud before she'd really meant to. "I know you."

With her last words she placed her hand on the side of his face before continuing, repeating her last words, this time emphasizing each one, "I. Know. You….but why is it that I can't remember you?"

Killian exhaled audibly, a grin splitting his face wide, "I can help you remember, Swan. You and Henry both. I can help you remember your family, whom misses you dearly. I can help you remember the land they are from, the good people they are, the curse that ripped you from us, and I can tell you of what has happened while you were away, the threat that has invaded their land."

Emma smiled sadly at his madness, the poor man believed in what sounded like fairy tales, "Killian…"

"No," he started, reading the look on her face. "I know it all sounds ridiculous, believe me. I can only imagine knowing memories of only this realm and how the other one I speak of sounds fantastical to this place, but Emma, I need to help you remember, as much as it will pain me in doing so."

"Pain you?"

Killian visibly flinched. He'd not meant to say that. Perhaps it was the nearness of her with his pinning her to the car or the fact that he felt she was on the verge of remembering, that allowed him to get carried away with himself. The one thing he'd feared in all of this, even in the time before he found a way to this realm to even begin to try to find her, was when she did get her memories back, how it would effect her…knowing that her entire life she'd remembered with Henry, was a lie. Deep down, Killian knew Emma, the Emma from before, would never have wanted a fake life. To be living a lie, wasn't living, he thought. The captain still dreaded the day the false life that Regina had granted Emma, came crashing down around her. He dreaded the end to this dream…for her.

He licked his lips and closed his eyes, knowing he couldn't lie to her, not about this.

"Yes, pains me to tell you this, as it will undo memories that you may have been granted falsely, memories you know now to be true."

"How would that be a bad thing? Killian, if what you say is true, that I've been living a lie, and if you know me the way you say you do, you'd know I'd never want that…never want a false existence."

Killian was silent. He didn't know what to say to that. Her words only further reiterating his belief in her and her need to know the truth, but what she didn't know would be the painful, real memories that would follow. He took in a deep, shaky breath and placed his forehead against hers before continuing to speak.

"If this is your wish, my lady, than let me help you remember. Let me show you who you really are, my Swan."

Emma was mortified at herself that she didn't' pull away from him. She should have been running away screaming from this guy at this point, but his sincerity and the fact that she felt she knew this man before her, kept her in place. Against her own judgment, she felt herself lean into him. Killian took a step back with her and pulled her into his arms, embracing her. Initially, she'd stiffened when he'd wrapped his arms around her, but then she found her arms coming up and returning the hug. Traitorous arms, Emma mused to herself.

They stood like that for a few minutes. Emma felt like she was committing this moment to memory, like somehow this, like the memories that Killian had described to her that she was missing, could also be pulled from her. Killian also relished in the moment. He had his Swan in his arms again, a moment that he could have never had again after the curse had taken her from him. Eventually, Killian was the one to pull away, the reality of what was to happen next getting to him.

"We need to get Henry, Emma. Once we get him, then I'll help you both remember."

"With this?" Emma asked as she pulled the vial out of her pocket.

Killian's eyebrows went up to his hairline. He'd thought she'd thrown the potion away when he'd previously given it to her prior to her having the law take him to jail.

"Yeah, so I may have believed you a bit more than I let on when I pretended to throw this away."

He grinned, such a pirate, Swan. "Yes, that will be part of it. I had tried the kiss, and after that didn't seem to work, well…"

"The kiss? How would that have brought back my memories?"

"Doesn't matter," Killian fidgeted, not wanting to have this discussion. "What matters is you and Henry will remember and then I can take you back."

"Back? Back where?"

"Back to your family."

"And where is this family of mine at?"

"The Enchanted Forest, of course, love."

Emma's mouth fell open. What the hell have you gotten yourself into, Emma?