The striking thing to me about Emma's confession about loving Killian is that, yes, it came about after she watched him die. But it was so pure, so ... I don't know how to word out. All I can do is compare it. With Neal, she told him she loved him when he was about to leave her. Both times. It rings hollow cuz it feels like some last ditch effort to keep someone with you. With Killian, there was none of that. Emma plays her cards close to her chest, she doesn't admit to feeling things easily. So for her to tearfully beg Regina to get her happy ending, just so she could have a CHANCE to tell Killian, to see what they might become ... that's huge. It wasn't about saying goodbye with Killian. When she told Regina, it was because she wanted him BACK, she wanted to see what the FUTURE held for them. She wanted the next step, that's what she said. When she finally told him, even as the darkness consumed her, it was to give him the most important thing you can give someone - hope. She WANTS him to fight for her, and for them. She wasn't telling him goodbye, she was solidifying his status as the keeper of her heart. This is the first time Emma has told someone she loves them with the intent behind the words not being "goodbye", but simply the actual meaning of the words. "I love you."
