When Your Walls Come Crashing Down

Chapter 12 - Finale

A/N: Hey everyone! I know it's been a long time since I've updated again. I am pleased yet disappointed to say that this is the end of the story. I'm not sure when I'll write something new, but I'll try my best to do it soon. I hope you all are doing alright. I know I am. Just a reminder that I don't own OUAT or anything related to it; just this plot. Now, without further ado (yes I know I say that a lot):

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After walking for days on end (,it was only an hour or so, but Emma was being quite whiny and dramatic in David's opinion), Emma and David made their way through a clearing in the trees. Pausing for only a second to take in the sight before her, Emma's feet pounded across the jungle floor before her body collided with another's. Her mother.

Tears streamed down both their faces, and Emma let out a small laugh of joy. Mary Margaret gripped Emma tighter to her in an embrace, neither one of them quite ready to let go.

"I missed you so much, Mom." That did it for Mary Margaret. Tears became sobs, and, if possible, Emma was engulfed in an even tighter hug.

"I missed you too. I'm so glad you're alright."

A tap on Emma's back had her turning her head to look over her shoulder. There he was, smiling up at her, dopey brown eyes bright in excitement.

"Mom! You're okay!"

Emma let go of her mother and swiveled around, being careful of her wounds, to face Henry. She pulled her son into her side, grateful for the chance to do this again.

She stared at him, taking in the disheveled chocolate mop on his head, the small scar on his cheek, the huge grin he wore as he buried his face in her side. She was so caught up in the moment she almost missed it.

"Swan."

At his voice, her head snapped up. She scanned his face, trying to read his expression, but she wasn't quite sure what she saw. Stepping closer hesitantly, she stopped a foot away from him, their shoes almost touching.

"Hey."

"Hey."

They both gazed at each other, the tension thick enough to choke on. Neither one knew what to say, many words left unspoken. Yet they didn't need to be said.

Eye contact intensified, and Emma saw Killian's eyes flash with something new, yet familiar. Without thinking about her parents, her son, or even Neal, Rumple, or Regina, Emma grabbed Killian by the lapels of his jacket and pulled him in for a kiss.

The kiss was tender and sweet, yet passionate all the same. It spoke a promise for the blossoming of a relationship, and was exactly the words Emma had been looking for all along. Their first kiss had been Killian's realization of the depth of his feelings. This one was hers.

All too soon, Emma pulled back. Killian's crystal blue eyes searched her face for an explanation. He must've found it, because his lips formed into a small smile.

The rest of the group had different reactions. While Mary Margaret was mentally planning their wedding, David stood, his arms crossed, running through his protective dad speech to give to Hook later. Regina and Rumple stood to the side, smirking mischievously at each other, and Henry was silently cheering. He had always wanted to be a pirate prince anyway.

Neal, however, was gobsmacked. Worse than that, he was furious. How dare this pirate show up and steal his Emma from him. He was fuming.

Neal started to move towards Hook go give him a piece of his mind, or fist, for that matter, but couldn't make it more than two steps. Something was holding him back. Emma watched as he searched for the source keeping him away, when Rumple simply said, "Son."

Neal came to realize, it seemed, that his father and his magic were interfering. Slowly, he calmed down and Rumple released him. This time, more delicately, Neal glided across the jungle towards Emma and Hook. Killian wrapped his arm around Emma, his fingers drumming on her shoulder, protecting her.

Ignoring Killian's gesture, Neal hesitantly stated, as if choking on his words, "I'm happy for you, Ems." And with that, he turned on his heel and walked onto the ship.

The rest of the group started to trickle onto the deck, getting ready to set sail, but Emma and Killian stayed behind.

All her life, Emma had just wanted a sense of normalcy. She had been kicked, tossed, and pushed around through life. She felt as if she was choking on air itself. Life had too tight a grip to give her space to breathe. Standing there now, Killian at her side, the grip seemed to loosen. She inhaled the air around her, relieved. Emma was glad to be, well, free. It was quite the relief.

Killian gazed at her, and Emma found herself gazing back. How could someone who had been so callous, so conniving, so malicious for centuries lift her spirits in such a way she felt she was flying? She wouldn't say it was love, not yet, but soon. Very soon. She could fall in love with him. She would fall in love with him. She just knew it. Captain Hook may have been a villain, but Killian Jones had the heart of a good man and a soul Emma knew she was attached to. They were kindred spirits, maybe even soulmates, in a way. Killian gave her life purpose, and she couldn't have been happier.

"Ready Swan?"

"Yeah. Let's go home."

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A/N: That concludes When Your Walls Come Crashing Down! I hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. As I said in the beginning, I don't I'm going to publish another story. I plan on branching out and writing some Stranger Things, Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and Julie and the Phantoms fanfics too, so my next Once Upon A Time one might not be for awhile. I love you all 3

Also, if you have a request for a fanfic, be sure to DM me on Instagram: swan_and_guyliner

-Mads