Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time

AN: So here it is. . . the sequel to The Beauty of the Rain. A big thanks to everyone who is continuing on this journey with us. And an even bigger thanks to my awesome beta who seriously worked her ass off today shelling out updates for us! Thank you, GranddaughterOfCaskettAndTivia. You're amazing! ~ XOXO MAS

The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight

Storybrooke, Maine

"The dagger can't just be gone." Mary Margaret continued to throw open cabinets behind the counter of Granny's.

"Well how on earth do you think it would've gotten back here?" Granny snapped. "Now, get, no one is allowed back here unless they work here and-"

"We have to find that dagger, Granny!" Mary Margaret protested. "It could be back here!"

"Mary Margaret," David soothingly cooed out his wife's name. She glared at him in response. "Look, Snow, it's not back there. It's probably not even in Storybrooke anymore. It's probably wherever Emma is and-"

"And if that's not here, then where the hell is she?" Mary Margaret cried out. "How are we going to find her if we're stuck here and-"

"Snow, we'll find her." David ducked behind the counter, ignoring Granny's glare, to pull his wife into his arms. "We'll find her and bring her home," he promised.

"Charming's right." Regina sighed. "It does no good to turn this place upside down. The dagger magically dropped from the sky, it's likely magically vanished and there's nothing we can do to get ahold of it again."

"We shouldn't be focused on the bloody dagger anyhow," Killian interrupted. All eyes turned to where he was sitting on a bar stool, his shoulders slumped, his flask held loosely in his hand. "We need to find Emma first. Besides, if she truly is a Dark One now, we find Emma and we find the sodding dagger."

"Killian!" Mary Margaret started to protest.

"He's right," Regina responded. "We find Emma and we find the dagger, and finding her is a better use of our time. So, I'd say it's time we hit the books. We've all moped over losing Emma long enough. It's time to find her and get her back to us." Regina stood. "Let's head over to the library."

"Regina, why don't you come with me to the shop? Perhaps there's something in there that you could use to locate Emma?" Belle suggested softly. She felt guilty over what happened to Emma. Even though she realistically had nothing to do with it, it was her Rumple's darkness that caused all of this pain. And now Henry was left without one of his mothers. Killian was left without his true love. Mary Margaret and David had lost their daughter all over again. Looking around at the mournful faces of the townspeople, she was hit with just how loved Emma truly was. She'd saved everyone in Storybrooke at one time or another. She'd saved everyone from Rumple at some point. She owed it to them to help find Emma and bring her home.

Regina nodded. "That's a good idea. Come on Jones, you're with me. I want to make sure you're not off sulking in some dark corner drinking from that damn flask," she muttered the end under her breath as she latched onto the collar of his leather jacket.

OUAT

In Another Realm

Emma chuckled as she circled the tree once more. No one was around at this time of night save for the guards, which she'd handled rather easily.

"Imagine what will happen once we get him out of there," Gold's voice whispered in her ear. "So much!"

Emma turned, scowling. "You realize you sound insane, right?"

"Says the woman hearing voices." He laughed at her.

Emma turned back to the tree, it'd taken her longer than she cared to admit to find the damn tree to begin with. They'd hidden it quite well, keeping it away from where many people trekked, and hidden densely in a forest. She held up her hands and frowned. It was also protected by magic so that no one could chop it down.

Or move it, she thought wryly.

"When I get him out, won't he just stop me?" She muttered. "He won't help me..." Emma paused.

"Unless..." Rumple prompted.

Emma grinned. "Oh, he'll help me." She chuckled quietly to herself, stepping closer to analyze the unusual bark on the tree. "Now to get him out of here." She raised her hands, whisking herself back to the large home near the port that she'd taken over.

OUAT

Storybrooke, Maine

"There's nothing in these books," David muttered, dropping another to the floor with an unsatisfied thud. He dropped his head to his hands and took a few deep breaths. "There has to be another way to find her."

"Maybe Regina and Belle will find something in Gold's shop to help," Mary Margaret murmured. Her eyes flicked across the room to where Henry was sitting on the floor. Roland was asleep next to him. He had his storybook splayed out in front of him and the broken quill in his hands. He was regretting breaking it, thinking he could write Emma back here. And maybe he could, but he'd broken the quill specifically to keep the Author from being able to control others. "I wish we could make this easier on Henry," she whispered.

Robin and David both looked over to where he sat. Swallowing hard, Robin murmured, "He's far too young to know how cruel life is."

"He's seen some of the worst of it. He's made it through some of the worst." David sighed, running a hand through his hair before absently reaching over and rocking Neal's carrier. Their son was sleeping soundly, unaware of the danger and chaos that surrounded him. "We lost her again, Snow," he stated absently. "First to the curse. Then to Pan. Then to the Author. Now to the Dark One. We just keep losing her."

Snow choked back a sob. "I know, David."

Standing, David moved to his wife's side, cradling her against him. "We'll find her again, Snow." He felt tears brimming in his own eyes at losing Emma again. It seemed like every time they found her they had to let her go. And she was so strong in spite of being alone all the time. And now she'd even managed to let someone in. She had Killian. David pressed a kiss to the top of his wife's head. Killian's loss was probably worse than his own. To lose a child is excruciating, but to lose your true love? Your other half? Your soul mate? David wasn't sure which hurt worse.

OUAT

"What exactly are we looking for?" Killian asked as he ducked his head into another cabinet in the shop. He knew Gold had a lot of things from his dealings, but he had no idea truly how much there was until he was sifting through it looking for one particular magical item.

"Something that can connect us to Emma," Belle replied. "Or something that would allow us to see her."

Regina's eyes went wide, snapping her fingers she held up her hand. "I'll be right back." Raising her hands above her head, she was gone in a cloud of purple smoke.

"Well where the bloody hell did she go?" Killian grunted, his eyebrows knit in confusion. He was only confused for a moment. She returned just seconds later, a crystal ball in her hands.

"I'm so dense sometimes," Regina grumbled, slamming the ball down on the countertop. "With this we can find Emma." Closing her eyes, she held up her hands, trying to focus on Emma. After a moment, nothing happened.

"I thought you said this would help us find Emma," Killian snapped.

"I'm trying, pirate, it's just not working," Regina yelled back.

Belle stepped between them. "Why don't you have Killian try? Crystal balls are all based on emotion." She took Killian's hands and held them up so they were just hovering over the globe. "I want you to think of Emma. Not a place where she may be, but of your Emma. Of how you feel about her, how she makes you feel," Belle murmured softly.

Killian nodded and closed his eyes, thinking of his Swan and her sharp green eyes, her wit, her passion, her voice when she told him she loved him, how she feels underneath his hands. A moment later an image of her popped up. "There she is."

Killian's eyes slid open. He was greeted with the image of Emma in black leather, her hair slicked back and white, her skin nearly translucent, a feral smile on her lips and the dagger on her hip as she stared at a tree. "Where is she?" He asked hoarsely, his throat tight now that it was confirmed she was indeed the Dark One.

"Arendelle," Regina murmured.

OUAT

XOXO

MAS