Disclaimer: As usual, not mine.

This is a belated birthday gift for Navigator101. The prompt was Captain Swan and Neverland, sometime after Good Form (3x05), with the stipulation of no character deaths and not totally angst. So this happened. This is totally AU, but canon compliant up to the end of 3x06, at which point it diverges. The title comes from Never Say Never by The Fray, which is a little bit of what inspired this oneshot. Anyway, I'd love to hear what y'all think!

He hates that bloody jungle. He hates the island. He hates the dreamshade. He hates Neverland. Neverland will forever be the place that took his brother from him. It will be the place where he gained a friend – perhaps even an adoptive son, had everything not fallen apart – and lost him again. Neverland has cost him so much, but here he is again, trying not to fall over the roots and stumps that litter the ground.

Killian is here for one reason and one reason alone. (He will never admit it to anyone save, perhaps, for Emma.) If it wasn't for Henry, he would never have set foot on the island again. He never wanted to. He still does not. The only reason he is there is for Emma.

It has been hundreds of years since Killian felt anything but sorrow, anger, and a thirst for revenge. Yet, when Emma Swan had waltzed into his life, she had brought light and life and beauty back to the world. If he is honest, the moment he first saw her was the moment he began to change.

You chose her and the consequences of that choice.

Cora's words rise unbidden in his mind, reminding him of that moment at the base of the beanstalk. He had chosen her. He had not realized it then, but he had. He chose Emma Swan and she has brought him back to life – she put the pieces of his shattered heart back together. He never thought anyone could do that.

Then there was Pan. Killian hates Pan, too. Not as much as the Crocodile does and certainly not as much as Emma does, but he does hate the immortal.

When they bolt from Pan's camp, they scatter. They do not mean to, but they do – all of them are running pell-mell through the jungle towards the beach. If only they can get there in time. Charming has Henry and Bae is close on Emma's tail. She is not far ahead of Killian.

The three of them all skid onto the beach close to the same time. They look at each other, then back at the jungle, then back at each other. There is a clatter behind them and voices that tell him that the others have made it to the Jolly Roger. It makes Killian's stomach uneasy because he knows what he must do next. This is what he has meant to do since he heard Bae's – Neal's – confession to Emma after Echo Cave. This is the boy's best chance. He cannot take that away from Henry. Emma needs Henry more than anything and this is what Henry needs. That is why Killian knows he must do this.

The trees begin to rustle. "Run!" he shouts at the top of his lungs. Emma and Neal glance at each other and start towards the ship as Killian turns to face the Lost Boys and Pan. This is where he will make his stand. He draws his sword and takes a breath. He laughs inwardly to himself. Captain Killian Jones – Captain Hook – sacrificing himself for love. He never thought this was how it would end.

An instant later, he is spun around and not by his own doing.

"What do you think you're doing?" Emma demands. "We have to go!"

Killian smiled sadly at her. "No, love. You have to go. Give your boy his best chance. You've got Neal. He can sail the Jolly Roger. He can get you home."

"Not without you," Emma says, pulling on his coat. She is begging him with her eyes, begging him to come with her, to fight, to live. But this is where he is to make his stand.

"Without me. I'll hold them off as long as I can. Save Henry. That is what you came here to do," he tells her.

Emma stares at him. "No. You're coming with us," she insists.

He can tell by her voice that she is close to tears. Emma Swan, the Savior, is trying desperately not to cry, for him. "You've got Neal," he insists. "Henry needs him. You need him."

"You stupid pirate!" she hisses at him. "You don't get to decide! I am tired of everyone else deciding what is best for me and for my son. You are coming with us."

"Emma, love-" He doesn't get any more words out before her mouth is on his again and the world stops.

"You don't get to decide," she repeats when she pulls away. "I am choosing you, Jones. And don't you forget it."

They look at each other for a long moment before the rustle in the trees reminds them that it is time to go.

Killian grabs his sword and runs after her.

This will be his life, he realizes. Emma will always be in the lead, racing ahead without thinking, and he will be right there behind her every step of the way.