I'm back with an all new AU fic! Thank you all for the reception to In the Midst! I'm very excited to start this new journey. Please let me know what you think! Also, make sure to check out my new Story Red Rose. I am hoping to add a new chapter soon!

Chapter 1: Backwards Motion

"Hello? Is this Emma Swan?"

Emma hesitated to respond. The voice over the phone sounded familiar, but the calling number was unknown.

"Yes." Emma finally said, prompting a sigh of relief from the other end of the line.

"Emma, it's Robin." She smiled a bit when she heard his name. Emma had known Robin since her freshman year in college at Misthaven University. He was the same year as her in school. He had been roommates with Killian, despite their differing years. Killian had been a sophomore and Robin a freshman, but the two hit it off quite well. She had not spoken with Robin much over the past few months, sporadically here and there, when she saw him passing in the halls, or at lunch, or when he was with Regina, a newfound friend of Emma's. There were no hard feelings with him, just an awkward tension.

"Robin. What's up?" Emma looked at her phone again, inspecting the number. She had never deleted Robin's number from her phone, so he must be using another person's phone to reach her.

"It's Killian." His voice dripped with desperation.

"What about Killian?" Emma asked, walking out of the commons area and into her dorm room to have a bit more privacy.

"He had an accident." Robin said.

She had barely closed the door when she exclaimed, "What?!" She locked the door and hushed her tone so no one would come in thinking there was a problem. "What do you mean there was an accident."

"Emma, it was a car acc-"

"Is he okay?" Emma cut him off before he could even finish answering her question.

Emma could hear some commotion in the background and could only assume that Robin was in the hospital, most likely the waiting room since he was not next of kin. "They are cleaning him up now."

Emma let out a low breath. "He hurt?"

"Some scrapes and bruises-" Robin's voice caught, not out of emotion, but out of hesitation. "Em, he hurt his head."

Emma closed her eyes tightly and sat down on her bed. This could not be happening. "How bad? Is there bleeding? Can he-"

"Emma, he has amnesia." Robin stopped her. "The Doctor says its retrograde."

Retrograde Amnesia. Emma had taken a general psychology class her freshman year and knew enough about the subject to know what retrograde amnesia was. He could not remember anything before the injury, but would be able to make new memories. With the exception of a few facts, people and concepts, Killian would know nothing of his life. Memories could come back, and sometimes they did, but it was a gradual process.

When Emma hadn't spoken for a while, Robin talked again. "He doesn't remember Will or me."

"Robin, I'm so sorr-"

"That's not why I am calling you, Emma."

"Why?"

"He remembers you."

"What?" Emma asked, pure shock in her voice. She and Killian had not spoken in close to six months. Why in the world did he remember her.

"I don't know what he remembers of you, but when I saw him he just kept mumbling your name."

"Are you sure?" Emma rationalized. "He could be saying something else. Maybe he is calling out for Milah and he can't pronounce it clearly."

"Emma." She could picture Robin shaking his head. "He was saying your name."

Emma stood up and started pacing, in an effort to calm herself down. "What do you want from me, Robin?"

"Come see him. Maybe seeing you will help him."

"If he remembers me, that is the last thing that will help him." Emma stated in an almost mocking tone.

"I think he remembers the concept of you more than everything that happened." Robin assured her. "Besides, you are the only one he remembers so far."

Emma knew what Robin was getting at. She was not stupid. It was a bad idea though and they both knew it. "Robin, I can't fix him."

"Emma-"

"No. Whatever you are asking me to do, it is a no. I can't help him." She could barely help herself.

"Emma, I am just asking you to come see him. Anything after that is your need to make things as familiar as possible though."

"Robin, I-"

"He would do it for you if it was reverse."

Emma gripped the phone. "Don't try and guilt me into this."

Robin sighed. "I'm not. I am merely stating the obvious. He misses you, Emma."

Emma chuckled to herself. "He's got a funny way of showing it."

"Emma, please."

Emma shook her head, not that Robin could actually see that. She rolled her eyes before asking, "What hospital room?"

216. Grimm Hall. Emma looked up at down but could not seem to find the right dorm. Great, it was only her first day and she was already lost. Good going, Emma.

Emma was a freshman at Misthaven University. This was her shot to make it in the real world. Growing up in the foster system, college was not a guarantee, so the fact she was able to swing it, threw busting her butt during high school, was a dream come true.

"Excuse me?" Emma approached a brunette in a blouse and short skirt, accompanied with tall heels. "Do you know where Grimm dorm is?"

The girl laughed. "Yes. That is my dorm, actually. I'm Belle, one of the RA's there. Would you like me to show you? It's not far."

"Yes, thank you." Emma let out a sigh of relief.

Belle led Emma to the right, showing her that she had been completely off of where the dorm actually was. "So, what's your name?"

"Emma Swan."

Belle just nodded. "Freshman, I'm presuming?"

"Yeah." Emma laughed a bit despite herself. "What year are you?"

"Sophomore in the literature department." Belle stated proudly. They walked for a few more moments before Belle pointed and exclaimed. "There. You weren't that far off."

"Thank you. I think I have it from here."

"I look forward to getting to know you, Emma." She smiled.

"You too." Emma said before disappearing inside the large building. She was in suite 216-so she must be on the second floor, right?She slowly made her way up the stairs, her small amount of luggage in tow. The floor was a buzz with different girls moving in, taking pictures of their rooms and their parents saying goodbye. Emma ignored the chaos and moved to look at the numbers. She worked her way upwards until she found suite 216. She took a large breath. There was no going back now.

She opened the door slowly, peering in to see if anyone was there. Voices filled the rooms and she moved to go to the rooms, but not looking where she was going until she hit something. Or more accurately someone.

Five seconds in her new dorm and she already managed to plow someone over. Strike two for Emma.

She looked up, surprised that she was met with the face of a guy instead of a fellow dorm mate. He was tall, with dark hair and blue eyes, a bit of scruff accenting his face.

"Okay, so one of us has the wrong dorm." Really, Emma? That's the best you could do? This guy probably thinks you are insane.

"Aye, lass. I was wondering why everyone in here was female." He joked. Emma smiled, resulting in him smiling too. "I was helping my friend, Dave move his girlfriend in."

"How nice."

"More like he forced me. But let's go with what you said." Emma laughed again.

"Killian Jones." He stuck out his hand, before realizing hers were full. "Here, why don't I help you instead. I think Dave has everything under control."

"Thank you." Emma whispered as he took one of her bags.

"How about instead of thanks you give me your name?" He rose an eyebrow and she pointed which room to go in.

"Emma. Emma Swan."

"Swan." He repeated. "I like it. I take it we will be seeing a lot of each other, Swan."

"Yeah." She nodded. "I guess we will."

"I look forward to it."

Me too, Emma thought. Me too.

Emma did not have the greatest associations with hospitals. She showed up here to many times as a kid-for reasons no one could ever explain. They believed she broke her arm (her foster brother really pushed her down the stairs), they said she hurt her ankle playing soccer (she hurt it while running from an abusive father). And then there were all the bruises. But she was just clumsy, right?

This was not the way Emma imagined seeing Killian again. They had not spoken in close to six months and their last conversation was not pretty. Emma always thought, if they were to speak again for some strange reason, it would be tense and most likely end in an argument.

Not knowing what Killian remembered of her was scary all he remembered was how things ended, she would be of no help to him. But was the alternative any better? If he did not remember how things ended between them, why they stopped being friends, would that help either of them? Any help she provided him by trying to prompt some old memories-would it be right? He would think that they were still friends. He would be believing a lie.

Emma shook the thoughts out of her head as she walked into the waiting room, where she found Will Scarlet waiting for her. Will was-well Will. Will was Killian's year in college, a grade level above Emma and the rest of the group. He had been a suite mate of Killian's and nothing short of a trouble maker. He had an obsession with alcohol, girls and trash talk. Emma had no clue how him and Killian ever hit it off, or how they managed not to kill the other, but somehow they did.

"Nice to see you, Emma." His accented voice greeted her.

"Wish I could say the same." She answered truthfully.

Will nodded solemnly. "He's awake. You should go see him."

Might as well get this over with, Emma thought. She motioned for Will to lead the way to Killian's hospital room. They were silent on the walk up. She had had more contact with Will over the past few months than Robin, but that was mostly from Will's fancying Belle, who was still at university pursuing her masters. Emma only interaction with either Robin or Will was both through their girls.

Will stopped outside room 108. "He's been in and out of sleep all day." Emma knew what Will was saying. If Killian was asleep, she should stay and wait for him to wake up.

"Thanks, Will." Emma opened the door slowly, making sure to be as quiet as possible, and then carefully shut it. Killian was lying in a hospital bed, eyes close, hooked up to monitors and wires. When the door fully shut, his eyes opened, revealing he had not been asleep.

"Swan." He whispered, voice gruff with sleep.

"Hey, you remember." She responded softly, moving to stand by his bed.

He gave her a lopsided smile. "How could I forget?." His voice was sing-songy, probably from the amount of drugs he was on to help with the pain.

Emma smiled, not sure what to say next. She scanned him, his body hidden by the white sheets of the hospital bed. His arms lay on the blankets, his left hand, or what should have been his left hand, completely wrapped up in medical tape. She turned her eyes away from it, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that she had noticed when he himself still probably did not know.

"What's the last thing you remember?" She asked him. His response was a small shrug. Emma sighed to herself, stepping a bit closer. "Okay, what do you remember?" She tried to keep her voice soft, in case he did not remember much of them, she did not want to scare him off.

"You."

Emma nodded. "What about me?"

He shook his head. "Not like that. I remember who you are, but that is about it. Your name was the only one I could remember when I woke up." He sounded disappointed. "If I try harder, maybe-"

"It's okay. You've been through a lot." The opening of a door stopped Emma from saying more. A nurse stood there, a clipboard in hand and a solemn look upon her face. "I'm sorry, miss, I need to ask you to leave."

Emma did not put up a fight, knowing it would do no good, instead turning and saying a quick goodbye to Killian, assuring him she would see him soon. To that he gave her a large smile.

Oh, how she had missed that smile.

Oh, how she missed him.

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