As Killian was steering his ship he started thinking back to a time where he had no enemies. No rivals, back to when he had his brother. Back to when he knew Emma as someone who wasn't a pirate. When he knew her, as a princess, his princess. Like he was her lieutenant.

Back to when he knew her, when she was just a little girl, and he her best friend.

25 years ago...

Young, Emma Charming, Daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White, ran around the Palace gardens giggling as Killian Jones, her best friend chased after her.

She screamed as he finally tackled her and smirked. "I win!"

"That's not fair I'm just a little girl!" She complained. She was five years old, and she was complaining. She was also a drama queen. Or rather drama princess.

He rolled his eyes, "you're not that little Emma, you just can't beat me!" He said.

"Can too."

"Can't."

"Can too."

"Can't."

"Can't."

"Can too... Wait what?"

"Ha I got you." Emma said, "now who's being a spoiled sport."

"You literally said you couldn't before I said it." Killian said.

"Doesn't mean I meant it, it meant I tricked you!"

Killian rolled his eyes, even at seven years old, he always smirked.

"You're mean!" Emma said, stomping her foot.

"Emma you're not three years old, you're becoming a young lady."

"I'm five and you're seven, I'm not a young woman." Emma said.

"Do you not want to be a queen?" He asked.

"Well yes but-" she was cut off by him.

"Then stop acting so damn annoying and act like a young girl." Killian said.

"Only you could tell me that." Emma said.

"Of course."

Then her parents called her in.

"I need to go." She pouted, looking at him sadly.

"We'll carry on the game tomorrow. I'll go check on Liam." Killian replied.

Emma looked sad and Killian sighed defeated, he hugged her to which she responded to.

Killian then pulled away as Emma ran inside and he went to look for his brother, the lieutenant of the navy.

Liam was seventeen years old, making him ten years older than him, and the only father figure he had. Unless you count the one who left him when he was about five and soon after replaced one of his sons by calling him Liam. Though he didn't know it at the time.

"Come on Killian, we need to go." Liam said, ruffling his little brothers hair. Younger Killian always thought.

It wasn't until five years later Killian and Emma became closer and closer and ten years later when something happened that changed both of their lives...

Killian, finally stopped his ship at the next village.

Then he suddenly saw a red figure coming towards him. "Ruby?" He asked.

Ruby was breathless. "Killian, we need your help, it's Emma, I couldn't do anything, he just took her and-and-" she was panicking she couldn't stop, and suddenly she was hyperventilating.

"Hey, hey it's okay, alright?" He said, "what do you mean 'he took her' who took her Ruby?"

She took a deep breath, finally breathing normally, she swallowed, and the next word that came out of her mouth, made him mad beyond words.

"Blackbeard." She said.

"Do you know where he took her?" He asked.

"No, but you'll find her Killian, you always find her, like you did when-" she started but was cut off when they were interuoted by someone else they didn't want to see.

Regina, the Evil Queen.

But she wasn't alone.

"Rumplestiltskin." Killian muttered, and then he heard a giggle.

"Well done dearie, now where is the Swan Girl?" He asked.

"I don't know!" Killian exclaimed, "Why the Bloody Hell do you think I'd know?"

"because of your history dearie, wherever you go she goes. You don't think it was an original idea, when she became a pirate now do you?"

It couldn't be true.

The whole reason she became a pirate was because of what happened to her parents.

She hated him by that point.

She didn't it to avenge her parents. He said to himself.

Life was never that simple.

There was always another explanation. Always.

He needed to find Emma and fast, otherwise he was never going get her back.

He'd find her, despite everything, he always found her, and never left her side.

Even if she wanted him to leave. He couldn't, because he didn't want to. Though she'd say she wanted him to leave, she didn't. Not really.

He needed to find her before everything went wrong and all the wrong people went looking for her instead.

He needed to save her.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Snow White had once said it's the best way, to know where your enemies are, so you can be able to rescue your loved ones, if need be. Remember that Killian, you might need to know it one day.

And he did, he needed to know it. He always needed to know it, because though they were enemies and rivals now, there wasn't one day that went by he didn't regret what he did. They were friends once, ridiculous or not it was the truth.

That's why he needed to save her, or at least that was the reason he was telling himself he needed to save her for.

Whether or not it was the truth or it was something more, he had no idea, at least not yet.

It wasn't until Regina threatened him that made him stop and think.

"Find her and bring her to me, or I will find her and kill her myself!" Regina said, strangling him with her magic.

Rumplestiltskin, just watched her have her fun with the pirate, he wanted to see him suffer, just like he did with Milah.

Now he was going to lose one more person that he cared about whether he liked it or not, and there was nothing that could be done.

A/N: hope you enjoyed, if you did, be sure to leave a vote/comment and I'll see you in the next chapter bye guys!