Hello Readers! And thank you so much, all of you, for encouraging, reviewing, inspiring and sticking with me to the end of this story. This one was such a challenge, and so heartbreaking and emotional in places. And of course, we knew Killian would find his way back.

So we're ending this story, but as David would say, fear not! I have another Captain Swan mega-adventure simmering in my brain and this one is...WHOA. I actually jumped off the couch and squealed when it came to me. It's just going to be epic. And so very, very much fun. Expect that one to break sometime next week, probably toward week's end, because I'm spending the early part of the week finishing off book 3 of my Seeder Trilogy (yay!). Thanks so much to all of you who've bought the first two books and I really appreciate your patience waiting for book three.

Not many of you know my back story, but I'm a single Mom, I work a day job and I also blog professionally (PM me if you want the blog address), and in addition to my daughter, I also have a son on the autism spectrum. Life is chaos on a daily basis, and writing is my escape and my joy. All of you make me want to be better on a daily basis, and I can't thank you enough for it.

But enough about me. Let's wind this up and get back to our story...

"The Hard-a-Lee," Killian said, shaking his head. "My God." He held the bottle up carefully to the light, and shook his head again. "You're telling me that I survived one of the most dastardly curses ever cast?"

"And I didn't?" David interjected.

Emma leaned back in the booth. "It was...well, it was really something, let me tell you."

Snow reached out, squeezing Emma's hand across the table. "It sounds terrible." She turned to look at Killian. "I mean, I never realized just how many lives you affected by simply turning your ship around and doing the right thing."

"You can't imagine," Emma said, catching Killian's eye. She'd made the decision to keep some of those details to herself, but she wasn't fooling Killian. He could see the toll this latest adventure had taken on her. His hand closed over hers, resting there gently, warm and alive and just letting her know he was there.

"As if Blackbeard didn't have enough to answer for," David said. "What are we going to do with him? I don't want him here, but we can't let him go."

"I was all for dumping him overboard," Emma said, "But I guess it's a moot point now."

"Maybe not..." Snow mused.

"Snow! We can't just kill the man, no matter how vile he is," David said firmly.

"I agree," she said, "But why can't we throw him overboard? We've got a bean, right?"

"You want to use the bean to send that bastard back to the Enchanted Forest?" Emma asked, outraged. "He'll just start over again. Who knows how many kids he'll round up."

"Unless we don't send him back there," Killian suggested, rubbing his beard thoughtfully. "What if we send him someplace else?"

"He'll go wherever he's focusing on," Emma reminded him. She raised a hand, waving to Belle and Gold as they walked through Granny's door. They approached the table.

"Is everything all right?" Belle asked. "You sounded...odd when you called, Emma."

"That's because she's had quite the morning. Isn't that right, Miss Swan?" Gold said, giving her a look of cool consideration.

Emma met his eyes. "You know what happened?"

"Not exactly," he said. "But I experienced something of a ripple effect - like a reshuffling of echoes."

"Killian got hit with the Hard-a-Lee," she explained.

Emma held up the bottle, and Gold's eyes widened slightly. "Well, well, well...now it all makes sense," he said. "Am I to infer that our latest villain is responsible for that?"

"Blackbeard threw it at Killian this morning," Emma answered. "I just spent several days with a man who sailed away with a magic bean and never came back."

Gold's eyes clearly showed his surprise. "He broke the curse himself?"

"Yeah," Emma answered. "How else did you think I got here?"

Gold flushed a bit. "Forgive me. I had assumed you'd found another way around." His eyes shifted from Emma to Killian.

"I wish I could feel accomplished," Killian answered him. "I've no memory of any of it."

"How is it you do?" Snow asked Emma curously. "Why weren't you affected?"

"According to Gold - the other one - it's because I was playing the Savior card again," Emma answered. "Only this time, my mission was Killian."

"So you saved me?" Killian said quietly.

"You saved yourself," Emma said adamantly. "I was just...moral support."

Killian twined his fingers with hers. "'Thank you' hardly seems sufficient."

"Don't mention it," she smirked. "Really. Don't mention it. It's done and I'm really glad that it is. In the meantime...back to our problem."

"Blackbeard." David said, grimly.

"And while we're on the subject," Emma said, holding the bottle out to Gold. "You should take this. Keep it safe and out of anyone else's hands."

Gold took the bottle. "I can lock it away - and I'll seal it with a protection spell for added safety. A curse this unpredictable is a menace to everyone."

"Just like Blackbeard," Snow said, raising her eyebrows. "Can you lock him away and seal him up, too?"

"I suppose killing him didn't cross your minds?" Gold remarked. "No, I suppose not."

"We have a magic bean," Emma said, keeping her voice low. "I know we ought to offer it to the townspeople - to anyone who wants to go home, but we can also use it to drop Blackbeard and his crew somewhere far away from us."

Killian leaned forward. "If we could find a way to choose his location for him, we'd have a solution to our problem," he said. "We could send him to Neverland."

Snow's eyes widened. "Neverland?"

"That's brilliant!" Bella exclaimed. "They'll never be able to get off the island, especially without a ship!"

"The place is deserted now. He can't hurt anyone there," David noted.

"We can manage that easily," Gold said quietly. "A simple controlling spell. I can tell him to choose Neverland. By the time the spell wears off, they'll all be relocated."

"But the townspeople..." Snow said. "A magic bean can take them home. It's not right to use it and not give them all a chance."

"We can plant it," David said. "Anton can have it growing soon enough. Then we harvest, and send the bastards away. We'll have beans left over for anyone who wants to go."

Snow smiled widely. "David! What a wonderful idea!"

"The crew is all locked up - they're not going anywhere," Emma noted.

"Very well, then," Gold said, nodding in agreement. "I'll leave you to your planting. Just let me know when you need my services." He turned to go, but stopped, looking back.

"My congratulations, Captain. I've never known anyone to come back from that curse. Once again, I've underestimated you."

Killian smiled, raising a brow. "People have a habit of doing that."

"Not anymore, we don't," Snow said, raising her glass. "To Hook."

"To Killian." Emma raised her glass as well.

David put his glass in the air, and he and Snow repeated: "To Killian!"

And Killian, the former dastardly and dashing villainous pirate captain, raised his mug, smiling at the woman he owed it all to.

###

"So now that we're all alone, Swan..."

"Yes...?

Emma looked up at him as he rested on one elbow on the bed. He'd led her over to it when they'd first gotten aboard, and pushed her down on her back. She was expecting her clothes to start flying off, but he seemed content to merely look at her.

"How did you do it?" he asked. "How did you get me to turn...good?"

She smiled slightly. "You were already good. You'd just lost your way for a little while."

"Swan..."

She pushed up on her elbows. "No, I mean it. Killian - you were still the same man you are now. The parts of you that made you fundamentally you - they were all still there. Your sense of honor. Your sense of humor. Your survival instincts - "

"My love for you." He said it quietly, his eyes holding hers with an intensity that stopped her breath. She swallowed hard.

"And my love for you reminded you."

His eyes blazed with emotion, and he took in a sharp breath.

"Emma..." his lips met hers, and he pulled her into him fiercely, his hand tangling in her hair as he kissed her and kissed her, not bothering to come up for air. At last, he slowed, gentled, pulling his lips away reluctantly.

"It feels like I've waited an eternity to hear that," he smiled.

"You've heard it twice in one day, believe it or not." She smiled back uncertainly.

He smiled in answer. "You are incredibly brave," he said.

"Because I love a pirate?"

He raised a brow. "Everyone loves a pirate," he answered cheekily. "But I'm talking about you, Swan. After the hand life has dealt you, you've found the courage to love again. And today, you admitted it." He brushed his lips across hers once, then again. "And I happen to know firsthand just what that admission cost you."

She swallowed hard.

"Killian. I'm afraid."

He rested his forehead against hers, his hand stroking the skin of her neck.

"So am I. Terrified." He kissed her forehead softly. "But maybe...maybe that's all right, love. We can be afraid together."

She held his eyes "And then what?"

He moved back to his elbow again, stroking his hand slowly down the curve of her waist. "Well...I suppose we just...go with it. Consider it an adventure, love."

"I've had entirely too much adventure since I came here," she said dryly.

"An investment, then."

"In what?"

He leaned down, punctuating each word with a kiss. "In Happily. Ever. After."

She looked slightly troubled. "Do you really think that's possible for us?"

"Possible? Emma, some of the happiest moments of my life have been spent with you. Climbing beanstalks, dancing at your first ball, the way you steamed my leather in the jungle..."

She punched him in the arm for that one. "I'm serious. You know I don't have the greatest track record with relationships."

"Ah, but none of them were me, love," he pointed out, raising a brow. "I'll have you ridiculously happy and that's an end to it." His face turned a bit more serious, and he continued quietly. "You brought me back to myself by reminding me of who I was and believing I could be that man. Allow me to return the favor." He reached up, cupping her face.

"You are Emma Swan, savior of Storybrooke and one completely undeserving, formerly villainous pirate. You've got a heart as big as a kingdom and the guts and smarts to use it wisely. The fact that it took so long to win you just proves to me that you were so very worth it, love. And today, right here, you're in my arms and tomorrow is wide open. You and I can be anything, choose anything, become anything we want - together."

She closed her eyes at the power of his words, and gave herself up to the power of his body on hers.