Disclaimer: I still do not own Once Upon a Time or any of its wonderful characters.

Killian awoke suddenly from a nightmare.

He had a terrible dream. He dreamed that Emma, Amelia, and Henry did not recognize him, his own family. He had wound up in jail, and had to deal with the constant pain of Emma's blank expression towards him, her husband.

Killian opened his eyes and looked around him.

He was sitting up on a cot in none other than the jail cell from his dream.

What he saw made him want to cry.

He was a grown man, but he had been so relieved when he thought this all a dream, but it was real. His family, along with the rest of the town, was cursed, again. All but for him. He had missed it by less than a week.

He now wished that he had never left.

But then he remembers that he would have been cursed, just like the rest of this bloody town. At least in this position, he could maybe find the source of the curse, and maybe attempt to break it.

Killian tried to be brave, for her sake. He had made her remember once, in New York. Though his True Love's Kiss had not worked then, he had convinced her to drink the mysterious contents of the bottle of memory potion. He had done it once, he could do it again.

Or so he thought.

There was still the problem of him being trapped in this forsaken cell. He had been stuck in here for at least ten days now. His two weeks were almost at a close. He was running out of time. Precious time.

Later that day, Killian tried to make small talk with his father-in-law, David.

"Mate, is this really necessary?" he asked, hands on the bars that kept him in.

"It is. Breaking an entry is a serious matter." David replied.

"But David-" Killian started, but then stopped when David glared at him. "I mean Sheriff." David stopped glaring. Killian continued: "It is not considered breaking an entry if you live and reside there. Look mate, this is a strange town, I am sure you can see that already. The residents of this town are not-normal. There is a dark and dangerous villain out there that needs to be found and stopped."

David stared at him. "and how do you know this?" he asked out of curiosity.

Killian did not know how to answer him. He stared at the ground in defeat.

David smiled and nodded his head in amusement. "Anyway, I have to get going. I have a family to go home to. I bet you wish you could say the same." David said, taking his coat off the back of his chair and heading for the door. "Good night."

Killian laid down on the cot. He did wish he could say the same.

Emma awoke with a start. She had successfully done it again. She had dreamed of him again. Killian.

She dreamed of his misery of being all alone. It was a lot more dramatic and real in her dream then it was in real life.

She had to be free of this. Of him. Of the constant feeling of guilt, of the strange dreams and nightmares, of everything to do with the man she felt she actually had a connection to.

Emma had always blocked out the ones she loved or felt she could love. She was afraid of emotions, and the costs that came with them.

She had decided what to do.

The bail had to be paid by the end of the week or he would be moved to the state prison. She somehow couldn't let that happen. She was too curious.

She had a bit of money saved up.

She stopped and thought. "I am crazy".

She couldn't believe that she was about to spend $500 on a man who had broken into her home, scared herself and her kids, and scarred Henry for life.

Yep. She was definitely going insane.

Killian was pacing back and forth in his cell when David enters the station early in the morning.

"Did you sleep well?" David asks him.

Killian laughs.

"How was your evening with your family?" Killian asks earnestly.

"Nice." David answers with a curious look, wondering why Killian was so interested.

"Do you have a daughter?" Killian asks, referring to Emma.

"No. I have a young son." David replies. He then wonders why he is revealing so much about his personal life to this man. He returns to his mounds of paperwork.

Killian continues to pace.

So Snow and David had been deprived of their daughter once again. Thats why Emma was so casual towards her own father all those days ago.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

David looks up from his work, hesitates, then walks towards the door.

He unlocks it, and Emma steps inside.

"Emma Swan. What are you doing here?" David asks, concerned.

Emma hesitates and looks at Killian.

Killian longs for her to recognize him.

Emma then glances back at David.

"I am here to pay Killian's bail." Emma says, somewhat questioning herself.

"What?!" Killian thinks. He is confused. What made her change her mind about him. Nevermind, it doesn't matter right now.

David looks even more confused than Killian.

"Emma, are you feeling alright?" David asks Emma.

"Yes, I am. Here's a check for $500." Emma says, handing David the check. "Please let's just get this over with" she adds to herself.

David shakes his head, but nevertheless walks towards the cell and unlocks it. Killian steps out, a free man.

David has both him and Emma sign a million things, but it was worth every minute to Killian.

"Thank you." Killian says earnestly to Emma. "and I am so sorry. I must have been a bit out of sorts that night. Please let me make it up to you." he adds, thinking the best tactic is to pretend he does not know her, or have any relation to her. He pretends that he was drunk that night, and that the things he claimed were silly and thoughtless of him.

Emma nods in recognition.

She may actually be warming up to him.

When they finish signing documents, Emma heads for the door.

Killian runs after her. "May I take you to dinner in reparation?" he asks her.

Emma turns around in disbelief. "I have two children at home, and I need to relieve the sitter of her duties for tonight. Also, just because I paid the bail doesn't mean that you can just "invite me to dinner!" she said quite rudely. Despite what she portrayed, she almost wanted to take him up on the offer. She was curious. Why had her curiosity always led to disasters such as this?

She looks at him once more before turning on her heel and walking down the street away from Killian.

Killian looks down at the ground. He thought that maybe something had changed.

But it hadn't.

But he would not give up on her. He would keep trying, always, as long as it took.

He reluctantly turned away from the retreating blonde in the distance, and headed down the street in the opposite direction, towards Granny's to find lodgings for the night.

Emma had refused him, which she thought was best, but she could not help seeing the look on his face. The sadness in his blue, blue eyes.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!

Let me know your thoughts?

~readinglover120