Remember Me

Part 5

Emma was curled up in an arm chair later that afternoon when Henry got home from school. When she heard the doorknob turning, she quickly wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks. But there was no hiding her puffy eyes.
Mother and son made eye contact for a second, and Henry was instantly by her side.
"Mom, what's wrong?" He asked anxiously, touching her hand. Seeing his mother cry was a very rare thing, so he knew it must be something serious.
Emma sniffed and shook her head. She felt so stupid for acting like this, especially in front of Henry. But he had the right to know.
"Mom, please tell me."
The blonde studied his eyes for a moment, then stated, "Hook lost his memories."
Henry's eyebrows drew closer together. "Lost his...? What do you mean? I saw him yesterday at Granny's and he seemed normal."
Emma rubbed her forehead. "He didn't loose all of them... Just the ones that's included me."
With that, Emma recounted all that had happened since they went after the Ice Queen a few days ago.
When she finished, she added, "I just don't know what to do. He made it very clear he's not interested, and I don't have any more ideas. It just seems... Hopeless."
Henry was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Do you love him?"
Emma was caught off-guard by his question. "What-?"
"Killian.. Do you love him?"
A small smile lit the corners of her mouth. "Yeah, kid... I think I do."
The preteen smiled. "Well maybe you should tell him that."
Emma's smile disappeared and she sighed. "It's not gonna help anything. Like I said, he doesn't care about me."
"That's your problem!" Henry announced. "You're not believing enough. Every curse is different, Mom. Maybe you and Hook just need to believe in the possibility of a happy ending... Because you and I both know that that's a powerful thing." He grinned.
"I wish it was that easy."
"Well, think about it, at least. Okay?"
Emma nodded and kissed his forehead. "Thanks Henry." She nodded towards his backpack. "You should get started on your homework. I'll make us something to eat."
***
Emma strolled down the walkway surrounding the marina, breathing in the crisp evening air. She stopped by a railing to watch a boat come into harbour as she shoved her hands into her jacket pockets.
This was just what she needed... Some time to clear her head and gather her thoughts. Her emotions had been so haywire the past few days. But now that she had calmed herself a bit, she was able to concentrate better.
The sheriff considered her son's words as she continued walking.
"You need to believe harder..."
Wasn't that what she had been doing? Believing that things were going to get better?

Emma glanced around briefly, only to spot none other than Killian sitting on a bench about 15 feet to the left of her. He was looking out over the water, so her presence hadn't been noticed. Emma was about to turn around and walk in the opposite direction, but something her father had once told her suddenly rang in her mind.
"True love should be fought for. Because once you find it, it can never be replaced."
Hesitant, she slowly made her way towards the pirate. She had to at least make amends with him.
Upon approaching the bench, she cleared her throat so he would acknowledge her presence. This startled him and he whipped his head around to meet her eyes.
"Oh, it's you again," he groaned. He held his ever-present rum flask in his hand.
"Look, I didn't come to nag you or anything. I didn't even know you would be here. But when I saw you, I thought that I should at least come apologize." Emma glanced at the bench. "Alright if I sit down?"
Hook shrugged. "Not like I have a say in the matter anyway."
The blonde sat, leaving plenty of space between the two of them. There was a moment of silence. She glanced at him, but he kept his eyes on the lake.
"Killian, I just want to apologize for the way I've been acting the past few days. And I understand if you don't want to see me, but I was hoping we could at least be..." She paused, swallowing. "We could at least be friends."
At this, Hook have her a quick glance before taking a swig of rum. "From you've been blabbing about lately," he said, "it sounds like we were more than friends in your memories."
Emma nodded. "But I need to accept that things are different now."
"Things may be different, but so are you." Killian turned his body so he was facing her. "Why else do you think I'd be out here by myself? I can't stop thinking." He turned back to face the water. "Your stories sound ridiculous, but the way you've described me... It's the man I've always wanted to be." He shook his head. "It's just not possible."
At this, Emma dared to slide a bit closer to him. "Sure it is. You just need to..." She looked away a bit, a corner of her mouth lifting. "you just need to believe."
"Like I said; not a possibility for me, Love. Being a pirate is the only thing that feels right in my life."
Emma remained silent for a while. Then, she placed her hand on his and slowly leaned toward him.
"Maybe there's something else that could feel right..."
And she kissed him. It wasn't much; just a light touch of the lips to see how he would react. When he didn't object, she deepened the kiss and he started returning the favour. All other thoughts were erased from Emma's mind; oh, how she had missed him!
They kissed for a while longer, and then suddenly there was a bright flash of light. A calm breeze washed over them once and was gone as soon as it had come. Killian immediately broke their connection, a very surprised look on his face. His breath came heavily.
"What's wrong?" Emma asked.
His breathing slowed, and it was then that Emma noticed the softness had returned to his sapphire eyes. He reached up to caress her face, and with a shaky voice, said, "I love you too."
Tears welled up in the sheriff's eyes. "K-Killian?"
"I... I remember. Everything. I remember you..." A tear escaped his eye, and it is soon followed by another. "Oh Emma, I'm so sorry."
Emma's lip quivered. She shook her head, unable to get the words past the lump in her throat. Finally she chokes them out.
"Just kiss me, Captain."
He does so, and after a whole she asks him what broke the curse.
"I suppose I needed someone to believe in me... Believe that I could be better than the man I was in the past." Hook grinned. "So yeah, I think I'll keep you around a bit longer."
Emma laughed, and the pirate becomes serious. "Thank you," he said.
"For what?"
"For not giving up on me. I know I can be a pain in the ass to deal with sometimes, but you always manage to stick by me."
"I'm just returning the favour," Emma answered. "I guess it was time I got a little test to see just how much I loved you... To see if I was willing to go to the lengths you went for me. At least to a certain extent."
"Oh, is that right?" Hook raised an eyebrow and scooted closer, pressing his forehead against hers and his hand slipping in amongst her hair. His lips were close enough enough that she could feel his gentle breath on her own lips. Emma gripped the front seams of his leather jacket, trying in vain to calm her racing heart.
"Well then, tell me Swan... Just how much do you love this dashing rapscallion?"
Emma let her actions answer his question as she closed the gap between their lips.

THE END❤️❤️