Because Emma Swan is the main protagonist of the first six seasons of Once Upon a Time, she has multiple relationships with multiple characters, all friends, family, allies and enemies alike.
Romance[]
Neal Cassidy[]
- “I love you, Emma. I always have, and I always will. ”
- ―Neal to Emma before he disappears in "Souls of the Departed"
Neal was Emma's first boyfriend.
They first met when they were both stealing the same car. Soon, they started a life of crime like Bonnie and Clyde. She started stealing things with him. Soon, Neal was wanted by the police For theft. Emma and him come up with a plan: they'll runaway together to Talahassee, Florida. Later, August ruins everything by saying that if Neal does not leave Emma, then she will not fulfull her destiny to become the Savior everyone wants her to be. Neal is forced to leave the woman he loves behind by blaming her for the theft of watches on her person. Emma is hurt by her lover, and ends up pregnant with their son, Henry. She swears to never fall in love again.
In season 2, it is heavily implied that Emma still has feelings for Neal, and denies the fact she still has feelings for him. Henry eventually learns that Neal is the father and Emma lied to him about it. At first Emma is angry and upset that Neal left herAND DOES not want him engaged with Tamara. It is hinted that Neal is still in love with Emma in Selfless, Brave, and True. Even Henry wants his mom and dad to get back together, but Emma doubts that will ever happen. Gold mentions Neal's relationship with Emma when his father (off screen) refused to meet Tamara, saying Neal still "[carries] a torch for Emma." She is also determined to shwo that Tamara is nothing but a liar. Neal denies this and knows she is trying to deny it. Later, Tamara shoots Neal in cold blood and throws the magic bean to show a portal to another world. Neal refuses for Emma to go down with him, saying Henry needs a mother. Before he falls through a portal, Emma and Neal admit they love each other still before he falls into the portal for the Enchanted Froest.
In season 3 Emma remains unaware that Neal is still alive while he worries for Emma and Henry in Neverland after seeing her in the globe using his magic. After Snow tells Emma that Neal is alive, she is in shock at first hoping Neal is dead because she can not live with the pain of him still alive. Later she finds herself in a love triangle between Neal and Killian. She says she only loves Henry and will do anything to save him. They later have a tearful goodbye when he says that he'll see her again soon. A year later, Emma returns to Storybrooke and worries if Neal is hurt. Neal shows up, unexpectedly and Emma is relieved he is alive. Unfortunately, Emma has to use her magic to separate Mr. Gold and Neal apart. This also caused her to be very wary of losing her next lover [1].
They briefly reunite in Season Five, where Neal warns Emma on her way to hers and her friends journey to The Underworld. Neal is aware that she is traveling there to rescue Hook. He warns her that everything will not turn out as she hopes for. Even though Neil tries to convince her to not go through with it, he gives up when she refuses to leave. Before he departs, Neil tells Emma that he never stopped loving her, and a Part of him always will. He kisses her on the forehead and then on the lips before departing.
Despite all the heartbreak they have gone through and moving on with Hook, a small part of Emma will always love Neal, remembering him for his sacrifices.
Captain Hook[]
- “When I win your heart, Emma... and I will win it... it will not be because of any trickery. It will be because you want me.”
- ―Killian Jones to Emma Swan in "Dark Hollow"
Emma first meets Killian when they hold Hook hostage and plan to abandon him. Emma is anything but starstruck meeting the villain from Peter Pan. She doesn't fully trust him and that she abandons her companion to the Giant, but she still lets Anton free him from the chain in ten hours later to give a head start. Later they fight. Hook tries to flirt with her again, but Emma refuses to listen to him. She later warns him to stay away from Rumplestiltskin. He attacks her in Manhattan but Emma knocks him out in retaliation. Emma is later given Baelfire's sword and she is comforted by what he gives her. Hook also asks her who she really is, but EMma ignored his advances. She also kisses Killian for saving her father's life, but denies it as a one time thing. Later on, Killian reveals that he has moved on from Milah, but has started falling in love with Emma. But she still is in love with Bae. Later she gets angry that they are fighting over her. They later escape and Emma just says goodbye to Hook and for him to stay out of trouble.
In Season 3b, Killian and Emma are reunited and Killian gives her a potion that makes her remember who she really is and takes them to Storybrooke again. Hook does whatever he takes to prevent Emma from kissing his cursed lips. Killian had trietd to avoid it. Later Emma becomes distrustful of him and refuses his help, but her father recommends that she goes and takes Killian. After Rumple rowns him, Emma gives him mouth to mouth resuscitation, causing Emma to lose all her magic. Later they get caught in another time and magically make it back to their own time. When Hook reveals that he gave up his ship ofr her and then they share a kiss, making themselves boyfriend and girlfriend.
In season four, Emma becomes protective of Hook and orders him to go to the Sheriff's station. Luckly she followed them and saves Hook from being killed as well as her father. She later says she can't lose them like her pastr lovers and Hook is at peace with that. They later go on their first date, and Emma gets pissed at Will Scarlett for ruining her date.
In season 5 Killian is desperate to save Emma from the Darkness like Belle and Remplestiltskin were. Emma is in love with Killian, rpoving she is his true love. They also travel to a secluded area filled with flowers. Emma is also desperate to save Killian that she turns him into a dark one but later realizes that the man she loved died in Camelot. Even as two Dark Ones, Hook is determined to enact hsi revenge and make Emma pay for what he did to her. Now Emma must face off her old boyfriend again to save herself and her family.
Hook tricks Emma by pretending to be Henry and steals the dagger from her. He tells her to kill him to destroy the darkness once and for all, which Emma refuses to do but must by his consent. However, Emma refuses to give up and forces Gold to open a portal to the underworld. The woman vows to find Killian using her parents' motto, "I will always find you." They eventually married in season six and had a daughter sometime in season two.
Usually, in times of hardship, Emma and Killian would drink rum.
Walsh[]
Emma dated Walsh, who was secretly a flying monkey spying on her by Zelena, Emma's great-aunt and Regina's half sister. She went on a date on him in the beginning of New York City Serenade, first episode of the second half of season 3 and revealed to be dating for eight months. He asks her if she will marry him, but Emma says she needs times to think about it. The night she breaks up with Walsh, he attacks her in his monkey form. Emma manages to make him fall off the building with a pipe, killing Walsh before turning to dust.
- ↑ "Rocky Road"
Family[]
Despite the fact Emma grew up resenting her parents and her other family members, Emma loves her family, and does anything to protect them and anyone else she loves.
Snow White[]
Emma and her mother, Snow White
- “No, I do. We have to believe that she'll come back for us. We have to giver her her best chance.”
- ―Snow to Charming
Before Emma breaks the curse, Emma and Mary Margaret were friends and unaware of their relationship as mother and daughter. Before the curse, all Snow wants
to be is a mother. She fears that she will not fit to be one because her mother
died when she was still young. She is later happy to learn she is pregnant with
her daughter and does anything to keep her from becoming a villain. She also
cries when Emma is taken from her arms and into the wardrobe, never to see her again for another twenty-eight years. Later they meet but
Emma and Mary Margaret have a strange connection, unaware they are both mother
and daughter. After the curse is almost broken, Mary partially awakes and
realizes her other connections. They beocom friends and "family" even
though they are unknowingly reunited. After the Curse is broken, Snow hugs her
daughter after many years. hey also
love each other but Emma does not call her "Mom" until the season 2
finale before they were about to die and she later calls Snow "Mom" in season three finale and foreword on.
When she learns that her mother had sent Lily the daughter of Maleficent to the real world, Emma grows hurt and betrayed that both her parents lied to her. Snow as well is who she is hurt at the most. However, Emma realized that she had to stop blaming her mother, who said that she will never stop protecting her. Emma makes up with her mother and they resume their mother-daughter relationship.
David Nolan[]
David Nolan is Emma's birth father. He loved Emma before she was even born, and was actively proud and happy at the idea of being a father for her. Neal's father, who had wanted a son, but loved his daughter, no matter what. Before her birth, David would do anything to protect her, worrying for his unborn child's safety when she had the potential to grow up to be an evil witch. At the start of the curse, they were unaware of their relationship as father and daughter untilt heir memories were restored. Even when she is an adult, David still parents Emma, acting as a father protecting his teenage daughter. Initially, Emma was on first name terms with both her parents, but eventually continued calling him "Dad." David disapproved of Hook's relationship with Emma, by threatening Hook to stay away from her, but David slowly accepts their relationship in season four. However, when Emma went on her first date with Hook, David and Snow treated Emma like a teenage girl going on her first date. Though she loved her parents, Emma thought of buying her own house after feeling slightly embarrassed from them from time to time.
In the second half of season four, Emma learns how her parents rid of her darkness and sent Lily, the daughter of Maleficent to the real world. She grows hurt and betrayed that the two parents she opened herself to lied to her. However, seeing them as villains in the alternate reality scared her and made Emma regret the grudge she had on them for a long time.
Neal Nolan[]
Emma loves her younger brother, and even before he was born, she wishes to protect him and their mother from the Wicked Witch of the West before she can get her hands on her baby brother. She later rescues him from the said witch with Regina, Robin, and Prince Charming. Emma later is touched that Neal was named after her ex-lover, Neal Cassidy and touches the baby's hand.
In the fourth season when Emma has magic, the Evil Snow Queen gets to Emma, getting her to believe that her parents had Neal to replace her as a normal child. If something should happen to her parents, Emma would become Neal's guardian.
Regina Mills[]
Regina is her enemy-turned-ally-turned-close-friend. At first, Regina and Emma are against each other and can not stand each other.
Regina wants Emma dead even before she could walk or talk. Later Emma is saved by the others and then she In season 2, Emma believes that Regina can go down the path of redemption. They are later enemies again. Regina then tries to save the town from destruction. She and Regina are forced to join forces to save their son from dying. Later n season 3, they both decide to go one. Once, Regina tres to teach Emma magic, but Emma proves to be a terrible student and seperates from them. They later start to grow to friends. In season four, Regina has started to slip back into the darkness and her relationship with Emma is strained because she brought Marian (Zelena in disguise) back from the dead.
Emma promises to bring Regina's happy ending no matter what. They join up together again against the snow Queen. Together they use their magic, but are no match for Ingrid. After what they were through, Emma says that she hoped for them to be friends, which touches Regina. Later under the curse, Regina wants to kill Emma for what the savior did to her, and they eventually break the spell. After Elsa leaves, Emma decides to have a toast with Regina. Regina and Emma both drink to having shots with a friend. Emma later is determined to bring Regina her happy ending, joining Opperation Mongoose. Later Rumple threatens Regina with two things: either save the savior from turning dark or Robin Hood, her beloved. Emma doesn't only consider Regina her friend, but also family.
In the fifth series, Regina has Emma's dagger. Regina was protective over Emma, to stop her from using Dark Magic by posing as the savior.
In season six, Regina tells Emma to kill her if the Evil Queen gets too much out of hand.
Later, in season seven, Regina and Emma affectionately address each other as "Miss Swan" and Emma "Madam Mayor" in their earlier days and congratulates Regina on what they call a "beginning."
Zelena[]
Zelena and Emma are former enemies, Technically, since Regina is the step-mother of Snow White and Zelena is Regina's sister, this would make Zelena Emma's step-great-aunt. Their animosity began when it was revealed Zelena was responsible for Neal's death, as evident in season four when she told Lily that Neal was killed because of her. Emma also sped up Zelena's pregnancy to kill her (without harming baby Robin).
However, after recent events, they appear to have forgotten their animosity for each other. In season six, Emma promises, along with Regina, that she will look after Robin for Zelena, who was touched by their commitment to look after her daughter. Zelena later attended Emma's and Hook's wedding and helped her win the final battle with the Black Fairy.
Friends[]
Lily Page[]
Emma first met Lily when the girl saw the former stealing food from the market and pretends to be her sister. They promise to be best friends no matter what. However, after learning that Lily is not like her and kept lying to her, Emma never wanted anything to do with herand just walked away. Eventually, Emma sees through her lies and refuses to be friends with her. Later, Lily deliberately has a fall in with Emma's foster parents and siblings by stealing some of their vacation money. However, Emma yelled that she was better off alone and told lily she never wanted to see her again. However, as an adult, Emma regretted pushing Lily away. The two eventually forgive each other.
Elsa[]
During Elsa's time in Storybrooke, she and Emma grew very close together of the course of the first half of season four.
Elsa and Emma first meet in the ice cave where she offers to find her sister, but Emma is stuck with the Ice Queen. At first, Elsa is very threatening towards Emma and threatens to freeze everyone in Storybrooke. Emma asks for Elsa to break down the ice but hten realizes that both woman have a lot in common: they both have title sthey don't understand, they can't control their maigc. Elsa then starts to care for Emma, wanting tro break her out. She then is abl e to break them out and Emma is saved. Then a friendship is formed between them ("White Out"). Later, when the people are realizing that Elsa is to blame, Emma tries to hid e her friend and Hook. Elsa then wants Emma to go out on her date with Hook, cause it is not worth the trouble for someone to put their life out on hold.
Elsa still hopes to find Anna in town and Emma continues to help her. Later on Emma and Elsa defeat the Snow Queen once more and then she tells Emma on how to rebuild her friendship with Regina. .Belle, Emma and Els a later discover the true part of the Snow Queen's evil plot, that they will be the perfect family together. They both practice in how to capture Ingrid, which they succeed in doing. Later Emma flees fearing she'll hurt someone else and Elsa knows she needs time to herself. Elsa later tracks Emma down and says that her powers is what makes Emma special and that their sisterly love is enough to help the savior get her magic back on track. Elsa later says to her sister that she trusts Emma with her life. After Elsa and Anna and Kristoff leave for home, Emma and Els ashare a hug before Elsa departs for her home ("Heroes and Villains").
Aquaintances[]
Belle[]
Rumplestiltskin[]
Before Emma's birth, Rumplestltskin predicted her brith and did everything he could to get Emma's parents to hook up together. It varies throughout the series.