She chocked harder than she could ever remember, her body etching forward with the force of it.
She could feel the salty taste of the water after it left her mouth. She took a deep breath, the first in what seemed ages, and her throat burned as the oxygen made its way to her lungs. She felt herself being lowered down, just then realising there were arms holding her.
She looked up and saw her parents staring back at her. They were grinning, relief clear in their faces, even though a hint of worriedness still lingered in her mother's eyes.
A light breeze met her skin, sending shivers through her body. Looking at her father, she found out that he was wet and it finally dawned on her what had happened.
She remembered everyone had been fighting, causing the storm that surely would sink their ship and she had jumped into the sea to gather her parents' attention. She remembered the shock of the cold water meeting her skin and then... Nothing.
She looked past her mother's face, the stormy clouds giving way to a shining moon.
"I told you" she said weakly.
Her mother smiled again at her and pulled her into a bear hug. Emma didn't protest, her ragged and weak breaths still a testimony of how close they had been to losing her. Plus, her body felt like lead and her mother's arms were so warm...
She closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment; a moment that never, in her whole life, she imagined she would have: to be in her parents' arms, enjoying the happiness that things turned out right no matter how reckless and inconsequent her actions had been. In short, she felt like a teenager.
It didn't last long enough, though, as her body began to shiver uncontrollably.
"We need to get you dry and warm" her mother whispered to her.
As if on cue, David gathered her in his arms and took her inside. She saw Regina handing Snow a towel, obviously just conjured by magic.
Her father lowered her down on the bench of the chamber she had left her things in. A look at his wife and he left the room, but not before kissing Emma's forehead.
"We don't have any clothes in here so these wet ones will have to do..." Snow thought out loud "I'll dry them as much as possible until you've warmed up."
She knelt and took Emmas' boots and socks and, when she was done, helped her daughter taking of her shirt and jeans despite the death glares the blonde constantly threw at her.
Snow passed Emma the towel while she squeezed the water out of the soaked clothes. She waited until the shivers had subdued to take the towel from her daughters' shoulders and hand her back her shirt, pants and Emma's perfectly dry overcoat.
Emma sat back down, her body still tired from the day's efforts. Her mother crouched in front of her and ducked a stray hair behind her ear.
"What were you thinking?"
"I wasn't, I just didn't want everyone else do drown too." Emma whispered back "Besides, I couldn't let Gold look after Henry when this all is over."
Snow rolled her eyes but could not help the smile that formed in her lips. She knew quite well what that meant, her full grown daughter had hope that all would end well after all.
"Don't ever do that again" she stated looking deadly into Emmas' eyes. "Now come, we are almost there."
Emma nodded and lifted herself. She smiled; despite everything, it was good, for once, to know how it was like to have parents. She sighed, hesitating before opening the door and leave the warm chamber, but the perspective of finding Henry gave her a final amount of energy and determination.
Snow followed right behind. She wished with all her heart Emma didn't actually mean what she'd said earlier; it pained her that her daughter had had too many reasons to not hope for a happy ending.
Well, this was their chance to prove Emma wrong, to show her that good does win and that hope is the key for it. After all, their family always found each other.