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Emma lets Henry go hug his other mother goodbye, imagining the pain they’re both in. She pities Regina a bit more, because Henry will have at least one mother, but Regina doesn’t have anyone to lean on. Then again, she knows her mother won’t let Regina fall down a dark path again.
Making her way to her bug, Neal stops her.
“Still have this old thing, huh?”
“It’s always been reliable. Plus, I could’ve sold it for a lot if I was in a pinch.”
“Oh yeah, this thing is ancient now. Like, Hook’s first car kind of ancient.”
Emma isn’t amused, and checks her trunk to make sure she didn’t forget anything.
“Bad joke?”
Apparently Neal doesn’t know when it’s his cue to leave.
“Y’know, I’m surprised Hook isn’t begging Regina to go with you two. But then again, he did say he’d back off.”
Back off? What the hell is he talking about?
“What?” Emma says, looking back at Neal.
“Oh, I guess you don’t know. Hook said to me earlier that he would back off, let Henry’s parents have a fair shot.”
“A fair shot at what?”
“Being together, I guess. He was just going to stop pursuing you or whatever.”
Emma mulls it over, Hook backing off. She wouldn’t even know what that would look like, he’s been flirting with her since the beanstalk.
“Huh. I guess that was useless.”
“Yeah, especially since you didn’t give us a chance.”
“Ugh, Neal... you left me in jail for your crime. It’ll take a while to even regain my trust let alone… whatever we used to have.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. We’ll never get that chance now.”
“Hey, I don’t want to sound like Mary Margaret, but don’t give up hope. Who knows? Maybe we’ll see each other again.”
“Crazier things have happened.”
He was right. And knowing her family, it’ll just take another crisis for them to be reunited. Emma took one last goodbye to everyone at the town line and left for New York, blissfully unaware of the pain she left behind.
~~~~~
Emma and Killian had been walking down the beach as they always do after date nights. It begun as a tradition from Emma trying to postpone going back to the house from which there will inevitably be a mess and kids not in bed. But over the years, it’s just been a way for them to bond.
“Killian?”
“Yes, love?”
“Neal said something to me when Pan’s curse was coming.”
“Go on.”
“He said that… before round 2 with Pan, you said you were going to back off from… pursuing me.”
“He told you that, did he? Interesting.”
“Yeah, he said that you wanted to give Henry’s parents a fair chance.”
“That I did.”
“Then what were you planning to do?”
Killian thinks it over, trying to get back into that headspace and determine what he would do if Pan hadn’t interfered.
“I wasn’t entirely sure. I honestly didn’t want to give up or even take a break but I didn’t want to be in the way of your boy having his parents together.”
“Hmm.”
“I knew I would still stay by your side, I never dared dream about leaving your village.”
“Town,” Emma corrects him.
“Right,” he chuckles, ”I just wanted to be with you in any way you needed me. And by gods did I wish you needed me.”
“Well, I did in New York.”
“Yes, you did, my love.”
They walk a little more as Emma thinks over this new information.
“So you were really just going to stick around? What if Neal and I did end up together and got married or something?”
Killian sighs, and then answers, “Then I would have simply supported you through it all. Even if it broke my heart.”
“Oh, Killian.”
“It’s true. I could never deny you, Swan.”
“Hmm. And what if I didn’t end up with Neal?”
Killian looks at Emma, and stares into those emerald eyes.
“Then I suppose we would be right where we are.”
“I suppose we would.”
There’s no way of knowing, but somehow Emma knows. They would always end up together, living happily ever after.