What Could've Been: A Captain Swan Story

Part 1/3

This is an AU I wrote in August 2015 for CS AU Week. It's 3 parts long.

Title: What Could've Been (Written for CS AU Week - Day 7: Free for all)

Author: Steph aka CaptainSwanLuver

Rating: PG

Pairing: Killian/Emma

Characters: Killian, Emma, David, Mary Margaret

Category: Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: What if Emma had walked away from Killian in New York instead of drinking the memory potion? Five years later, Emma's life is miserable. One night, she makes a wish to know what her life would have been like now if she had drunk the memory potion. What happens when she wakes up in a bedroom that is not hers and finds herself married to the crazy man with the magic memory potion?

...What Could've Been: Part 1/3...

Emma and Killian stood on the sidewalk in the middle of New York.

"Trust your gut, Swan. It'll tell you what to do," Killian pleaded with Emma.

"Henry always says that."

"Then if you won't listen to me, then listen to your boy."

Killian held the small, blue bottle up to her. She stared at him, conflicted emotions crossing her face and fear swimming in her eyes.

She finally shook her head and stepped away from him.

"I can't," she whispered.

Killian's hand dropped to his side. "Emma, please," he said.

"I'm sorry," she replied, then turned on her heel and hurried away from him.

"Swan!" Killian called after her. "Swan, please don't do this!"

She continued on without looking back, tears stinging her eyes.

Killian bowed his head as she disappeared from view.

~Five Years Later~

Emma entered her apartment and kicked off her shoes. It had been one of those days. She had been working for a high profile security firm for the last five years and she hated her job. She spent her days monitoring rich clients' extravagant summer homes and assigning bodyguards to spoiled celebrities. It was soul-sucking, crushing work.

She sighed heavily, as she plopped down onto the couch. Her eyes surveyed the stark apartment. She had moved there after Henry left for college a few months earlier since she no longer required as much space. Truthfully, it didn't feel like home, but, then again, nothing ever did. Without Henry, the place seemed empty, like it was just a space to sleep and store her clothes.

Her apartment mirrored her life perfectly. She felt empty. Sometimes, she felt so alone that she couldn't even sleep at night. Things were supposed to be different. She should have been married to Walsh now. Maybe they would have even had a kid of their own.

But things didn't work out that way. Nothing had ever been the same after the man with the elixir walked into her life and then she walked away from him. She never even knew his name, but she was certain he was crazy. He had to be. How could she have forgotten about an entirely different life? How could she have forgotten her family? How could she have forgotten him?

The last one, in particular, bothered her because, even after five years, she couldn't stop thinking about him. She couldn't stop wondering what could have been if she had drunk that elixir. She knew it was ridiculous to wonder about something impossible. There was no such thing as magic memory potion. Still, she couldn't stop herself from wondering how things could have been different.