The thunders roared behind them, in the middle of that green cloud filled with the evil magic that would take them… wherever it would take them. He didn't care. It could have been hell itself, and it was the same. No destiny could be worse than this.

Emma, tightly held in her parents' embrace, eyes closed, was aware of nothing else. He couldn't stop staring at her, barely believing what was about to happen. Silently, he remained a little separated from the rest of the group. He didn't belong with them. There was nothing there for him. But Emma… He followed her with his eyes when she moved to Baelfire, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. And, as he stared from afar, he regretted his promise of backing off. It was to give them a chance, after all. The chance of being a family all together, united, for the sake of their son. But that chance was never going to happen now.

She walked away from Neal, and he rushed to reach her. He never saw her so pale before, or so tearful. But he was not going to tell her not to cry… Not when he could feel the breaking his own heart inside his chest. He looked at her and noticed that, even with her eyes brimming with tears and her broken expression, she was still so beautiful… There was so much he would have liked to say, so many things he always thought but never mentioned… And even so, he still could come up with a little tease that brought a slight, if sad, smile to her lips. At least, they could part friends, with the chance of one last smile.

"There's not a day will go by that I won't think of you", he said, but the honesty in his voice didn't fully express the feeling that was painfully digging its claws in his soul.

"Good", she simply said, and smiled, almost shyly.

His smile, then, was one the truest in all his centuries of life. He had to back off, to let her go now, but he needed to at least take her hand, caress her cheek, for the last time. Nevertheless, he didn't, though he unmistakably read in her eyes the same eagerness he felt. But no. No! He couldn't. He couldn't go beyond the promise he had made. Reluctantly, he turned away, with his heart breaking in deafening silence inside his chest…

As Emma talked to Regina, he didn't take his eyes of her, staring, trying to fully appreciate her every feature before being ripped from her forever… And what he heard next made him felt dismayed.

"When the curse washes over us, it will send us all back. Nothing will be left behind… including your memories. It's just what the curse does. Storybrooke will no longer exist. It won't ever have existed. So these last years will be gone from both your memories".

He froze for a moment in his spot, understanding the magnitude of the punishment the curse would throw over them. He would have to live with the pain of remembering each day, each instant, knowing that she would be forever oblivious to what they had lived together, that had changed him so deeply, and reminded him of what happiness truly meant. He felt anger boiling inside of him, as he clenched his teeth, his hand turning into a fist… He barely noticed when Regina hugged her son for the last time, and kissed his forehead goodbye. All he was aware of was Emma's face, the tears rolling down her cheeks, and that broken expression he would have given anything to turn it into a smile, even when he was fighting tears of his own… This wasn't fair. It shouldn't be happening…

But then, he made his choice. She was about to turn away and get into her car, when he took a step ahead, hesitation quickly turning into certainty. As he closed the gap between them he saw his own broken expression reflected in her face… And all the sounds around them seemed to fade, as the world simply became her. Them. His hand found her wet cheek, and though he stared, for a brief second, to those emerald eyes he would effortlessly remember to the end of his days, he pressed his lips to hers in a tenderly passionate kiss.

He didn't think of those who, behind him, stared at them, or how they would feel. He wasn't about to look back. Not now. Not when he would have the rest of his days to do it, when his life would have turned again into mere existence, after believing, for a brief but intense moment, that there was hope, that he –they– could have been happy. Not now, that they were only one step away from forever. Because, as well as he could and would always think of her and remember all those moments they shared, she simply couldn't. Emma could never look back again. He would be less than stranger to her, less than a memory, even. Only now existed, teetering on the edge of a forever that would leave a scar that would never fade. Both in his heart, and in her mind.

His lips caressed hers with a tenderness he didn't bestow upon anyone in more than two centuries. She didn't pull away, and he felt her hand on his cheek, briefly, before moving to his lapels, and grabbing them tightly. Tentatively, he rested his forehead on hers, pressing then a kiss on her temple, as he whispered something destined only to her ears:

"I will love you until my last breath".

She shuddered as she wrapped his arms around him. And in the eternity of the instant, they relished in each other's presence, not even bothering on pretending anymore. What was the point? As he held her tight, he thought at least she would be happy. And for a short moment, he wished the curse would take away his own memories, saving him from the numbing pain that was slowly taking over his heart. His hand softly cradled her head, as he buried his face on her hair… He loved her so much, and he wanted her to know that, until the very last moment, she was cherished. Treasured. But he wouldn't force her to say that she loved him too. He already knew she did, deep inside. Whether she understood it or not, he knew they were destined to each other, as hard as it was to believe it right now… But the proof was right there, in his arms, in her stillness, and silence; in the embrace she didn't let go.

A sudden thunder brought them back to reality.

"We need to go", she said, her voice slightly broken. He nodded, in silence, but taking her hand, and brushing his lips to it.

Their fingers untangled, and she finally turned away, towards the car. But he remained where he was. For the first time, he wasn't able keep a promise. He tried, and failed. But he wouldn't just let the love of his life go without a chance to a proper farewell. Not again.

The softness of her touch still lingered on his lips, as he watched her getting into her car and preparing to leave. Regina raised her hands towards the green cloud, ready to… stop it? No. The true curse, the one no one could stop, would be the days ahead of him, ripped from the only happiness that could truly fill the emptiness that would haunt him.

And as the thick purple cloud came around them, engulfing them completely, and taking them away from the first realm he wasn't eager to leave, he hoped she could find the joy she so much deserved, and be happy for both of them. Because even separated by realms and magic, he would be hers. For now, and forever.

Thoughts?