Here it is! After so long! Thank you all so much for your patience/feedback/reviews i'm so glad you love that story and I love your reactions! For those who keep asking about Regina and Gold, they aren't on the ship because when I started that story, the final hadn't aired yet, but still they will make an appearance really soon!

I hope you enjoy!

It was either early in the morning or late in the evening, but Emma found herself quite lost in time, and for the first time since she had landed in Neverland, she didn't care.

Henry was back.

They hadn't talked much, the boy had been quite tired since the shadow had freed him from its hold, and sleep was all he wished for, curled under the covers Emma had found in an old wardrobe in her cabin. Her son was now sleeping peacefully and, she hoped, without dreams, next to her.

It was quite shocking how one could change in such a little time; Henry's hair had grown longer, and the dark circles under his eyes made him look older than he was. Brushing dark strands away from his forehead, Emma lost herself in the contemplation, finding her heart beating almost regularly again now that her lost boy had been brought home.

Home.

The word rang in her mind, making her joy fade away. Home tasted bitter on her tongue as she remembered the pirate who had sacrificed his life so she'd be able to hold her son tonight. Swallowing the lump stuck at the back of her throat, Emma shifted in her bed, careful not to wake up Henry as she sat up.

Her father had carried the pirate on the ship, his lifeless body heavy in David's arms as he took the pirate to his cabins, and now she was waiting for her father to come and tell her he was gone.

He had given her everything; his life, and his heart, a mean voice inside her head added in a whisper.

Henry's arms around her waist tightened, breaking her out of her reverie, her son shifting and turning around in bed; when someone knocked on the door, Emma didn't give herself time to think, only telling the person to come on in.

"I'm sorry to wake you up", Snow said, walking on her tiptoes toward the bed.

"You didn't wake me; I couldn't sleep anyway."

"Nightmares?" Her mother asked as she sat across the bed, tilting her head to meet Emma's eyes, her hand finding her daughter's cold one and squeezing her fingers gently.

"You should light a candle; that's what your father used to do for me when I had them."

Emma rolled her eyes, "Does that trick even work?"

"Does it matter? What's important is that I believe it works", Snow let her eyes fall on Henry's sleeping form, her hand tangling in his fluffy hair tenderly. "Henry believes it."

Unable to find something to say, Emma smiled at her mother, holding onto her hand.

"Why are you here? Is everything alright?" She finally asked in a low voice, not voicing her worries for the pirate.

"He's got a fever, or we think it's a fever; it's hard to tell what it is, but we need to get him out of his clothes."

Emma's throat went dry.

"I think your father would rather jab himself with his own sword than undress the pirate", her mother chuckled but quickly turned serious when she continued. "Can you help?"

Not answering, Emma looked at Henry, curled against her side, torn between staying here in bed with her son, and helping the pirate recover.

You owe him at least that.

"I will stay with him", Snow promised her, taking off her coat and sitting down next to Henry. "Don't worry. You can go."

Sighting heavily, not seeing any way out of this but to go because she had made her choice the moment she had sneaked into his room, Emma got up and put on her boots, reached for her jacket and turned around one last time to look at Henry and her mother, to see her giving Emma an encouraging smile.

God helped her.

David was waiting for her upon the deck, leaning against the door of the captain's cabin, hands on his hips, "I don't like it."

"Do you want to do it?" Emma attempted a joke, cocking a brow at her horrified father.

"Doesn't mean I don't like it", the tall man shook his head, coming to stand in front of her. "I still can do it."

"You want to see a naked pirate?"

He didn't laugh, his eyes narrowing, "Do you?"

Emma's eyes widened, not expecting that kind of question coming from her father, no matter his age. Burying her hands in her backside pockets, she shifted her weight on one feet and then the other before she shrugged.

"Someone has to do it."

David turned around, clearly pissed off, and let out an annoyed sigh.

"If he gives you any problems, just call me."

Nodding, Emma bit her tongue to prevent herself from saying that she had already seen the pirate naked more than once, and that she was perfectly able to handle him.

"How bad is he?"

"He's not good", David's expression smoothed into something more tender. "But hey, at least he's alive. Hook was lucky, that thing looked nasty."

"Yeah he was", Emma breathed out, the awkwardness of the moment weighting on her shoulders as she looked at the man who was her father.

"I wish…" David took a step forward, "that once we get home, we spend some time together. Just to get to know each other."

"Sounds like a great plan to me", Emma cut off his babbling, her words having an instant effect.

"Great, then."

Resting a hand on her shoulder, David opened the door of the cabin, squeezing her arm gently.

"Your cooked pirate is waiting."

"Cooked?" Emma rose a brow at him and stepped into the cabin, the heat of the room hitting her pleasantly, until she caught sight of Killian's trembling form on the heavy bed.

"David?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you", Emma whispered, noticing that she had held her breath all along, before she closed the door on her father who was grinning back at her.

Xxx

The room was dark despite a candle burning on the desk next to the bed when Emma came in, Killian's form appearing slowly as her eyes got used to the dim light. She took a hesitant step toward the bed, realizing that Killian seemed to be having a nightmare, his body arching off the mattress.

"Killian", Emma called him once, twice, her hand resting on his shoulder and shaking the pirate, trying to wake him up.

A complain escaped his lips, his body shivering and trembling, and Emma framed his head between her palms and kneeled in front of the bed. She gripped his bicep and shook him again.

"Bloody Hell", Killian opened his eyes suddenly, the white of his orbs reddened by the pain and the fever. "Came to check out your favorite pirate?" He said with a rough accent, painted with pain.

"Don't be a smartass", Emma shook her head, looking him over and trying to figure out how to get him out of all this leather.

"Love what you see? Please, Swan, touch for yourself."

Emma arched a brow, "Really? We're back to pet names?"

It was not fair coming from her, but still, in the warmth and safety of his cabin, those names made them strangers, widening the gap between them, the one Emma herself had created growing bigger and deeper.

She didn't want that.

"Are you going to call me Hook again?" There was such pain in his voice when he spoke, and it wasn't just the curse that had hit him; it was something deeper, something she had known since they had climbed the beanstalk but chose to ignore.

He was alone without anyone looking at him.

Killian Jones.

"Not if you call me Emma", she allowed herself a smile, returning to her original task, which was getting him out of those sweaty clothes.

"Emma, what are you doing here?" He pronounced her name like a caress, like she was something precious, like she mattered.

"We have to get you out of those clothes."

"Missed me?" Killian gave her a crooked smile, or half of it, wincing with pain. "Can't say I'm surprised."

There was no bitterness in his words, but also no hope; he was just filling the silence the best he could with all he had left.

"Better me than my dad", her attempt at a joke made Killian laugh without humor.

"Aye, I guess better you than the prince", he arched a brow, craning his neck to meet her eyes as his tongue flickered over his bottom lip. "Besides, there's nothing you haven't seen before."

"Just help me get the coat off", Emma rolled her eyes at him, working the stiff fabric off of his shoulders, Killian gasping in pain when she made him half sit up. Emma apologized meekly and started unbuttoning his vest, biting her lip as she focused on her task.

"Are you mad at me?" Killian broke the silence, and Emma lifted her gaze to meet his, her head tilted to the side.

"I'm not", she answered, looking away from him and working the buttons on his shirt open. "But it was a stupid move; you could have died."

"I'm very alive; can't you feel it?" He offered her his best cocky smile, trying to arch his back, but the motion made him squirm in pain. Putting her hands on his chest, she pushed him back down on his bed.

"You won't be alive for long if you keep acting like that; my father is more than ready to kick your ass", Emma said with a playful smile, finally opening the shirt and staring for longer than necessary at his bare chest, her brows coming together in a frown. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting; maybe scars, or blood, or something else like that, but definitely not nothing. That thing had hit him pretty violently, and things like that should leave marks.

"It's not visible", Killian answered her silent question with a voice empty of innuendo but full of seriousness, his hand taking hers and placing it above the place where his heart was beating. "They are in here, the scars you're looking for."

His eyes were intense, looking at her in that way, making her shiver, her fingers burning at his touch. No words came to her mind because even though she knew he was in pain, nothing she could say would ease it, or, rather, she wasn't ready to say what he needed to hear because no matter how she felt right now, the realization she got on the beaches of Neverland felt out of place. Besides, Emma wouldn't take the risk of saying something that he might forget the next day because of whatever fever he was suffering.

The knot in her throat didn't go away though, not when Killian's fingers were gently brushing over hers, not when the beats of his heart were hammering under her palm; he looked so vulnerable at that moment, sweat rolling down his temple as he unsuccessfully tried to control his trembling.

Killian might think she couldn't see it, but Emma could definitely feel the way his body tensed.

There was a muted question lingering in the depths of his blue eyes, a proposition, still unspoken and devoid of words, but still meaningful and taking her breath away.

Will you stay with me?

Smiling faintly, Emma took back her hand and pulled the shirt off his shoulders and arms, letting Killian lay back in his bed. Emma was careful not to meet his eyes, not now when she was examining the contraption holding his hook in place, which her father had already taken off, much to Emma's surprise. David had probably done it when Killian was unconscious because knowing the pirate, he would have knocked out the prince, fever and all.

"Do you really have to take it off?" Killian asked, shifting in the bed and trying to get away from her hand. "Your father already took my hook."

"Did you want to stab yourself in the eye?" Emma pulled him to her, her hands reaching for the straps, Killian's hand covering her fingers to stop her.

"Please. Leave it on."

Narrowing her eyes at him, Emma decided to do as he wished, and Killian sighed in relief when she let go of the straps, her hand still wandering over his arm. There was nothing sensual about it; she was just incredibly curious, because during sex she hadn't really had the time to figure out what was holding his hook in place. Tracing the ridge of his bicep, Emma noticed that he had some kind of marks on his arms, like old scars or burns.

"What happened?"

Blowing away the hair falling into his eyes, Killian let out a long sigh.

"You don't want to know, boring story." His hand joined hers on his arm, trying to get her to change the subject. "You still have to help me take off my pants."

"What happened?" Emma repeated. "I can still call David to help you get out of those."

At least, she managed to make him laugh, even if the motion had him gasping in pain. His ribs probably, remembering their meeting with a car.

"That's my lass. They are only burns."

"That I can tell."

Shooting him a pointed look, Emma encouraged him to continue, which he did, after swearing against insufferable lasses. Her fingers leaving his arm, Emma crossed her hands in her lap, waiting for him to tell her how he got the burns.

"A few of them are from the time when I still had my crew, the rest happened on the beanstalk, and the most recent ones must be the result of an encounter with a lost shadowy boy."

The surprise of his revelation made her gasp, "When?"

"Climbing a beanstalk with a hook isn't really the best idea one has."

"But how-"

Killian cut her off, trying to sit straighter in his bed, finally leaning against the headboard.

"The more you force on the straps, the more they burn the skin", his tone implied he was annoyed with the whole conversation, his gaze wandering around the room as he clenched his jaw hard. "Can't you just take care of my pants?"

"This is barbaric."

"Aye, aye, pirate, love."

"How could I have missed those?" She questioned more herself than him, her brows forming a line, her eyes fixed on the scars.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, love… the few times I was naked you were quite busy, if you know what I mean", Killian chuckled pausing only because Emma lifted up her chin and met his eyes.

Their gazes locked for a long minute, both remained silent, challenging the other to dare break it. Shaking her head, Emma tried to breathe, remembering that the pirate was hurt and in pain, and what the original motive of her presence here was. Plus, he was just faking he was alright so they could play this little ping pong game they so loved a little longer.

"Since you seem to be okay, I'm sure you can take your pants off yourself."

"Don't give me the cold shoulder, love", Killian said, settling heavily against the pillow, his face paler than before. "There's nothing you haven't seen before."

"Who said I want to see it again?" Emma said rapidly to shut him up before she realized what she had implied. Killian's face fell before his expression turned into something darker and he put distance between them.

"Point taken", he whispered, his voice barely audible in the dimly lit room, the candle almost burned to its end. There was an uncomfortable gap between them that Emma had created with her reckless words; Killian's hand closed into a fist and she saw him swallowing hard. Emma leaned closer to the bed, worrying her bottom lip between her lips, grateful that the pirate had decided to remain silent as she removed his boots and pants, ignoring the wave of heat forming in her belly at the sight of him naked.

Jumping to her feet abruptly, Emma turned in the direction of the door, fully aware of Killian's eyes on her back, her breathing coming in little gasps; her hand was already on the knob when she blinked rapidly and turned back, her shoulders shaking.

"Thank you, for bringing my son back."

"I made you a promise once", the pirate said, shifting in his bed as if he was uncomfortable, not looking at her as he spoke.

"I know. But thank you, for everything", Emma said with an awkward smile, her hands buried in her back pockets, her weight shifting from one feet to the other. "Thank you, Killian."

"You're welcome, Emma."

It was only when she closed the door that Emma made the connection.

David had lighted a candle for Killian to chase his nightmares away, just like he used to do with her mother and Henry.

If her own father, despite every resentment he had for the pirate, could do that for him, why couldn't she?

xxx

"Little bit to the right, yeah, just like that", Emma gestured to Henry, who was feeling much better and bad joined her upon the deck to steer the ship.

It turned out that her few lessons with Killian combined with Henry's experience from that time they headed back home from Manhattan, they could do just fine.

And besides, it wasn't as if they could run into a wall or something like that. Seeing Henry having the ghost of a smile was warming her heart; since she got him back, Emma hadn't seen him this happy, or at least not as sad as he was before the whole mess started.

Fluffing his hair tenderly, Emma let him stay at the helm of the Jolly Roger, admiring how good he looked sailing the ship and not fighting the sudden feeling of pride invading her.

"You look like a real pirate."

Henry turned his head to her, smiling, "Just like dad."

"Your dad was no pirate, kid. A thief, yes, but not a pirate."

"But he knew how to steer a ship", Henry protested, his smile fading at the use of the past. "Pirate."

"I thought pirates wore eyeliner, kid?" David interrupted them, walking up the stairs. "If I recall your father wasn't a fan of it."

"I could ask Hook", Henry said tentatively, seeking his mother's approval. "I'm sure not all pirates wear eyeliner."

"Let the pirate rest, kiddo", Emma rolled her eyes. "He needs it, but I'm sure you can ask him when he feels okay again."

There was a pregnant pause, during which Emma and David exchanged a long look, not sure what to say to Henry, how to comfort him concerning his father; it was like walking on eggshells and Emma hated how the sadness lingered in his eyes, erasing the innocence Henry used to carry.

Maybe Neverland had made one more lost boy.

"I miss him."

"I know", Emma wrapped her arms around him, her chin resting on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Do you miss him too?"

Her embrace loosened a little bit at his question.

"I… I do", it wasn't a lie; it was hard to tell did she miss the man who used to be her lover even if after that confession Emma wasn't sure of her feelings for him. Killian wasn't exactly helping her decide.

"It's unfair, we were just so close to finally being happy, to being a real family, you, dad and me, and mom", Henry protested, pushing her gently away before jumping down the stairs. "I just wish he was up there with me, just like the last time."

Henry shrugged helplessly and ran to the other point of the ship.

"Give him time", David grasped her by the arm before she could follow Henry. "He will come around. He didn't just loose his father. He also lost his dream."

The deck of the ship suddenly looked really interesting to Emma, "I… I told Neal I loved him. Right before he died."

Stepping closer, David made a move to hug her but then he stopped himself, probably not sure whether Emma would accept it or not; as if he didn't trust himself not to reach for her, her father crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Wait, I thought you liked the pirate."

"I… I do, but it was before, I don't know wh-"

"Do you love Neal?"

"I don't know, he fell, and then he was about to let go… I don't know, it was all sudden", Emma said in a rush. "I don't know how I feel about him, but it doesn't matter now. He's dead."

"Emma…"

"No", she cut him off, waving her hand. "I don't want to talk about it, Neal is gone, Killian is hurt and we're finally going home; there's nothing to talk about."

"You can't keep up like that, honey", David said in a patronizing tone, making her blood boil.

"What do you want me to say?" Emma pulled away from his grip, her hands resting on her hips. "I'm on a pirate ship, with a sick captain, my parents and son, we're coming back from Neverland, and heading to Storybrooke where the Evil Queen and other mom of my son is going to throttle me for leaving without telling her. Oh, and I lost Neal in a freaking magical portal!"

It was only once she was done that Emma realized how she was trembling, her eyes prickling with unshed tears as she brushed away her hair from her eyes. Something within her threatened to break at any moment, her knees starting to give up of her; the lack of sleep wasn't doing her any good because Emma hadn't been able to close an eye last night, too worried about Henry and also about Killian's state.

"Shhh", David pulled her in his arms, wrapping her in a reassuring embrace and kissing her temple tenderly, his fingers sifting through her hair. "It's okay, let go, Emma, let go."

Gripping the back of David's jacket, Emma held onto him as she breathed out, trying to steady the hammering of her heart.

Let go.

She wasn't ready.

Xxx

Back in bed with Henry next to her, Emma couldn't stop her thoughts from wander to Killian, trying to figure out what they would do once they arrived in Storybrooke. She knew there was something between them that wasn't just sex, nor simple friendship. Something about him made her blood rush faster in her veins, goosebumps appearing on her forearms at the very mention of the pirate.

But looking at her son, Emma also remembered the other man she had said she loved before he let go of her hand. Closing her eyes, Emma could still hear the "I love you" Neal had said after years of her thinking she hadn't been worth loving. Henry's presence didn't help her gathering her thoughts; she kept being torn between what she felt for a dead and lost man, and what she was feeling with Killian. He had made her his priority, putting everything else behind, even giving up on his revenge to help her find Henry.

Killian was the man that had held her when it was hard to breathe, when she felt herself drowning in the guilt and the fears of losing Henry. He was the one who was with her at night, never interrupting her in her story, but always, always listening to her carefully and holding her hand.

The man who waited; he was waiting for her to meet him halfway.

Pushing the covers off of her body and pulling them back over Henry, Emma grabbed her boots and zipped them on, and taking her coat from the chair she quickly arranged it on her shoulders, pulling out the hair trapped under the lapels and heading toward the captain's cabin; she was pretty sure that her parents were asleep by now, although her mother had spent quite a long time looking over the pirate to make sure he was okay.

The rain was falling outside, making her jog; she tried to cover herself as best as she could with the small lapels of her coat, holding her breath all the way to her destination. Pushing the door open, Emma sneaked into his cabin; just like old times, she thought to herself, not fighting the smile on her lips, not quite knowing the reason behind it.

The typical scent of him, the hot candle and of rum made her smile widen; Killian was asleep, nightmares still haunting him judging by the way he was shaking. Emma quickly took off her coat and walked around the bed, grabbing the chair near the desk and sitting down next to him. With a tentative hand, she tried to stroke his cheek to wake him up, loving the feeling of his scruff on her fingertips way too much considering the circumstances.

"Killian, wake up."

Nothing she did seemed to get the pirate out of his reverie, sweat rolling down his temple as his lips parted, a cry getting muffled by his pillow. Trying to get him on his back, Emma bent down and laid her hand on his shoulder; the task wasn't easy because the pirate kept arching his back no matter how she tried to shake him.

Her face was only a few inches away from his, her hair caressing his cheeks.

She didn't know exactly how she felt about him but she definitely cared; it was the first time in her life that a man she had no relationship with except the incredible sex, fought for her and waited for her.

He's still waiting.

For her.

So, Emma leaned in, closing her eyes and hoping she wouldn't make a fool of herself, pressing her lips delicately against his, her thumb stroking his cheek gently; she only pulled away when she felt him breathe a sigh of relief, his demons seeming to leave him alone.

Killian fell heavily against the pillow, his features relaxing, and Emma straightened, staring at him longingly; she tried to make sense of it, a tiny voice in her head whispering things she wasn't really ready to hear even though it meant denying herself the answers to her questions. Making sure the pirate wasn't too cold or too hot with two fingers, she put a lock of hair behind her ear and laughed at her own nervousness; it wasn't their first kiss, but there was something about the warmth of his lips she still felt ghosting over hers that made her heart beat a little bit faster.

Taking her coat and preparing herself to leave, Emma shot one last look at the pirate, who was now peacefully sleeping, and she would have sworn that he wore a smile that wasn't there before.

What she didn't know, was that Killian opened his eyes as soon as she left, smiling to himself.

Maybe they would meet halfway in Storybrooke after all.

Xxx

The tall watchtower of Storybrooke appeared on the horizon early in the morning, making the whole crew ecstatic to finally reach home; there were hugs, hopeful smiles and relieved stares exchanged, and Snow embraced Emma, whispering in her ear that they had made it. Even Henry, whose mood hadn't been quite joyful until then smiled at the sight of the harbor.

"I can't wait to see mom."

Emma tried to put on her brave face because even if her relationship with the so called Evil Queen was slightly better, the mayor wasn't going to welcome her with open arms. It was probable that she would hold against her that she left for an express mission to rescue Henry without including her.

"I'm sure she's waiting for us", Snow said, her nails tapping against the rail nervously, probably sharing Emma's thoughts.

"I hope she prepared lasagna."

"Well, kid, I'm dying for a good cocoa once we reach home; as much as I like rum, if I see one more bottle of it, I swear I'm going to be sick", Snow rolled her eyes, her hand in front of her expressing how done she was with that drink.

"Oi! No one insults my rum aboard my ship", Killian surprised them, coming from below deck; Emma was carefully avoiding his eyes, not sure if he had any idea of what had happened last night.

"You look better, Hook", David commented, arching a brow at how easily the pirate walked toward them when he had been stuck in his bed, almost unable to feed himself on his own.

"Aye, thanks to your lovely daughter and wife."

"Don't push it, pirate."

"Maybe I'll go back on my decision not to force you to call me majesty after all, mate", Killian said with a devilish smile, Snow and Emma watching the exchange with amused expressions, knowing that under that talk, both men respected the other.

"Found your hook?" Her father shot back with pride, savoring the twisted smile on the pirate's face.

"Next time you take my hook without my permission, mate, I will-"

"Home!" Henry interrupted them. "I can see mom!"

"Alright mates, get ready to moor", Killian said with a commanding voice, his eyes wandering to Emma as if he was trying to give her a message, message she didn't understand, too distracted by both the arrival home and what had happened last night.

The captain gave the orders to everyone so the Jolly Roger reached the port swiftly and safely, David following them with a groan, Killian having way too much fun poking the prince. Emma loosened the right knots so the sails folded and their speed lessened. Her mother grabbed Henry's hand and stayed with him as the rest of them worked around the ship until they finally reached home.

"Mom!" Henry gasped with an amazed expression. "Mom! It's dad! He's waiting for us!"

Emma's heart stopped and she let go of the ropes, going to the bow of the ship and standing behind Henry.

At the dock, waiting for them, were standing Regina, Archie right behind her, Ruby, Belle and Mr. Gold.

And Neal, standing on his own two feet, somehow not dying anymore, a smile on his face as he waited for them to come back home.

Neal was alive.

Worrying her bottom lip, Emma looked over her shoulder at Killian whose eyes had turned darker, his grip on the helm tightening.

What now? His eyes seemed to say as they sought hers, his expression as puzzled as the one she must've been wearing.

"Mom! Look, it's dad! He's waiting for us!" Henry shook her hand. "He's alive! He's alive!"

"I can… I can see that, kid", Emma whispered breathlessly, patting her son's shoulder, not quite knowing what to say. "He's… he's definitely alive."

She couldn't help but look around, trying to find support in her parents, but they looked as confused as Emma felt, and everybody on board the ship but Henry had the same look on their face.

What are you going to do now?

Review? Tissues? A sword to jab me with?