Romance was always in the air in Once Upon a Time, as the show existed in a world where love was powerful enough to stop any curse. Snow White and Prince Charming had the most solid relationship in the series and they served as a living example of what true love looks like.
Emma Swan is the protagonist, and it was only fair that she'd be given an epic love story like her parents. When Emma met Hook in what was left of the Enchanted Forest, they didn't get off on the best foot. But just like Snow and Charming, the two fell for each other. Their journey is incredible, and there are multiple quotes throughout the series that showcase how strong their love is.
"My Armor's Been On For Such A Long Time That Sometimes I Forget That I Don't Need It With You."
Emma doesn't scare easily. She'll charge headfirst into battle and go to the ends of the Earth for the people she cares about. Yet being vulnerable and opening herself up was a constant struggle. Getting past her emotional walls was no easy feat, and it took a very special person to do so.
That person ended up being Hook, and he saw Emma at her darkest point and loved her anyway. Their relationship only got deeper and more intimate, and Emma eventually realized that she wanted Hook to see her without her armor on.
"I'd Go To The End Of The World For Her. Or Time."
Hook was being quite literal when he told Charming about his devotion to Emma. When Emma fell into a portal with no idea where it led, Hook didn't hesitate to jump in after her. They ended up years in the past and had to set things right when they accidentally messed up the timeline.
Hook was unsure if Emma would do the same for him, but when Emma goes to the Underworld to bring him back from the dead, it was clear that their relationship was completely equal.
"I Swear On Emma Swan."
The quote might not seem like much, but it is extremely significant. When Hook is asked to swear on the name of the woman he loves, he swears on Emma. Little did he know that it was a trick, but it was verbal confirmation of how much Emma means to him.
A curse is placed on his lips preventing Hook and Emma from kissing, but Emma triggers it when she gives Hook CPR. Emma was well aware that she would lose her magic, but even before they were in a relationship, Emma didn't hesitate to give up her powers for him.
"You Traded Your Ship For Me?"
As Hook stated in his vows, they say that a captain's heart belongs to his ship. But when Hook traded away the Jolly Roger to go to New York City and rescue Emma, he proved that his heart belonged to her.
Even though Hook could have told Emma what he did, he kept it to himself. He was clearly acting in Emma's best interests, rather than his own. When Emma discovers the depth of his devotion to her, she kisses him in the Season 3 finale.
"I Love You, Emma Swan. No Matter What You've Done."
There was a time when it seemed as though the real Emma was gone for good and replaced by the Dark One. Hook struggled with battling the darkness within himself, and it was even worse when it consumed the woman he loved.
But Hook's love is unconditional, and he lets her know. He continues to love and fight for her despite all the horrible things she's responsible for. Hook ends up physically taking the darkness out of Emma and into himself, and dies to save her from it.
"I'll Never Stop Fighting For Us."
Hook stays true to his word and never gives up on his relationship with Emma. It's not easy, given how many times supernatural forces have pulled them apart, but Hook always fights to come home to her.
Emma does the same by never giving up on him either. Emma knows all about Hook's horrid past but loves him for the man that he became. When Hook hides that he unknowingly killed her grandfather decades ago, Emma is still able to forgive him.
"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."
Emma was surprised that Hook chose to save Neal, knowing that it could prevent him from being with her. But Hook has the best character development on the show, and he was already becoming a changed man by that time.
Hook doesn't want Emma to be with him because she has no other option. He wanted her to willingly choose him over Neal because she loves him. Hook does win Emma's heart in the end, and she falls so in love with him that it's difficult to believe they were once at odds.
"Don't You Know, Emma? It's You."
Hook had been miserable for decades, and because of his status as a villain, he believed he'd never get a happy ending. From what viewers had seen of Hook, it seemed safe to assume that his happy ending involved sailing the seas on the Jolly Roger and become the greatest pirate in existence.
When Hook confesses to already finding it, Emma is confused about what it could be. He reveals that his happy ending is her, and she's so touched that a tear falls from her eye. When she and Hook get married later in the show, she tells him that she found her happy beginning.
"I Never Thought I'd Be Capable Of Letting Go Of My First Love, Of My Mila. To Believe That I Could Find Someone Else. That Is Until I Met You."
Neither Hook nor Emma was someone who opened themselves up to love, so the fact that they found it with each other is nothing short of amazing. At the beginning of Season 3, it appeared as though Hook had a soft spot for Emma, but it was a theory rather than a fact.
After Emma kisses Hook to prove that she could, indeed, handle him, everything changes. Hook is visibly affected by the kiss and later admits that it revealed something he never thought possible. His confession is what took Captain Swan from a concept to reality.
"Just Because You Learn That You Come From True Love Doesn't Mean You Believe You'll Ever Find It. But, Thanks To You, Now I Have."
Happy endings didn't exist where Emma grew up, and even after she found out her parents were Snow White and Prince Charming, she never believed she could have what they did. The longer Emma and Hook were together, the more it felt like they could be soulmates.
When it's revealed that what Emma and Hook share is true love, they're both overcome with emotion. In her wedding vows, she thanks Hook for helping her find what she never thought was possible.