Author's Note: I'm still working on Emotional Healing, but I couldn't get this out of my mind. This will be a two shot based on the double episode. I'm sure there will be lots of similar ideas going on out there, but here is mine. Part one tonight…

Disclaimer: Just a fan, not claiming to own anything but my emotions.

She walked quickly up the long hallway toward her mother's new office, face flushed from the exertion of her run. Her hair flailed behind her, tangled and knotted from the search through the woods. "Mom!" she called out. "Are you in there?"

Emma pounded at the door, her fists taking turns on the solid wood surface. When no answer came, she leaned her forehead against the surface and breathed in the scent of the wood. "Mom," she said again weakly. Her voice was faltering, as was her hope.

With one last pound of her fist, she wheeled herself around and ran back down the hall and down the stairs into the street. People milled about normally, their reactions to each other conciliatory and joyous, but she avoided them, keeping her eyes from making contact and her expression firm.

"Emma!" Ruby called from doorway to the diner. Her arms were raised and waving frantically. It was not a greeting of celebration. "In here!"

Using the last bit of strength in her legs, she ran through the crowd and past the friends who were embracing. The tight red lips of Ruby said everything to her, and fear began to once again creep over every inch of her body. "Where is he?" she asked, not bothering with names or reasons. Ruby would understand.

The woman in the doorway did know who she meant and with a sweeping arm, opened the door to the diner and allowed her inside. The tables usually so full and loud were empty and the lights off in the usual gathering spot. Windows were boarded and taped, as though they had expected a war to break out. Swallowing hard, Emma followed Ruby up the back stairs toward the guest quarters. She should have known he'd want to be alone. He'd never come to her if he felt it would upset her or disappoint her.

Ruby pointed to his door, her thick lashes fluttering shut as she bit back her own sob. "I didn't know who else…" she started. Emma's hand on her shoulder stopped her, forgiving her for not knowing the solution.

The time for tentativeness was over, Emma knew that. She had to act quickly if there was any chance to correct the wrongs that had been done. With her hands extended, she did not knock, pressing through the door with no trouble since it was not locked. Unsure what to expect, she gasped as she saw him sitting on the edge of the sagging bed. A photo of her in his hand, he seemed to be studying it carefully.

"Killian," she said, her voice barely holding steady. "You…"

"I didn't tell you," he finished. "I couldn't. He's been…"

"I don't care," Emma said, a bit harsher than she meant. "I mean I don't care about him. I just want to fix this."

He shook his head, reaching out with his one hand to lace his fingers with hers. "He's won," Killian told her with a sad expression of defeat. "He has the power he needs now and he'll be casting his spell. There isn't anyone or anything to stop him."

"And your heart?" she asked. "He needs it for the spell?"

Killian again nodded, his face looking paler in the low light of the room. "That was the point of him stealing it," he explained. "He got me to finish his dirty business and then he gets to kill me."

She knew that was the plan, as Ingrid had told her in those final moments before she was subdued. It was her final attempt to right the wrongs she had set in motion, confessing as though Emma was priest. With anguish she had told her of the Dark One's plans, interspersing with information for Elsa on where Anna and Kristoff were now. Emma had heard only enough to know that Killian was in danger before she had run, brushing off her father and mother in her desperation.

Now she sank to her knees, her head on his thighs, her hands both clutching his. "There has to be something," she said. "Belle! We'll call her!"

He did not protest as she ripped one of her hands back and pulled out her phone. There was no answer and again she felt the hot tears burn in her eyes. Muttering a few curse words, she looked up at him again, his calmness startling her. "Don't you give up," she said to him. "You are going to fight this with me."

"Of course," he said, leaning forward to drop a kiss atop her head. "Yet I have a strong need to tell you how much I…"

"Hush," she said quickly. "I am not taking your confessions right now. I can't. Not today. Not ever."

"Maybe Regina," she said, thumbing over her phone again, the bile rising in her throat as she felt his hand clench tighter. She wasn't one to panic, but she could not push back the fear that their moments were limited. A countdown clock was flashing in her mind, thoughts of unsaid words and undone tasks interspersed with the numbers growing smaller. "Regina," she said a bit too breathlessly into the small phone at her ear. "Oh thank God. You've got to help me. Please."

The other woman promised nothing, only that she would try. That was all that anyone could do, as this wasn't something that real people faced. If she ever found herself in the real world again how could she explain this? Who would believe or understand her? How could she explain it to herself?

Standing up, she pulled him up with her and buried herself against him, clinging to him and breathing in the scent of him as they embraced. Their joined hands pressed between them, his hook at the curve of her hip and her free hand rested at the nape of his neck. "Do you know how many times I imagined you bursting into my room and throwing yourself at me," he asked.

She pulled her face back, not breaking the embrace. "I should have done it sooner," she said to him. "I shouldn't have run."

He didn't bother to tell her that he had enjoyed the chase or that he would have continued it for the rest of his life. She simply nestled against him again, her mind scouring every memory of anything she had seen or experienced that might help. From science to magic, she could not interpret the riddle that was before her, the complexities of a missing heart and a lecherous villain too much for her.

"Emma," sounded her mother's voice from the hallway. Still holding him to her, she turned her head to see the brunette woman illuminated in the door way, her father behind her. "Ruby called."

Emma felt him loosen his grip, her body feeling weaker for it. "Good," she said, the only word she could think of to say at that moment.

Mary Margaret swooped over and touched both of their cheeks with her hand. "I'm glad that you're both here," she said, patting their faces with her hands. "We'll figure this out. I know you can. You're going to do this."

David stayed in the doorway, his eyes inspecting the scene. "Your mother and I were thinking that maybe someone could go after him," he suggested. "I've asked a few people already to go with me…"

Emma's instincts went back on point, her mind racing with the idea of tracking down the older man. She could take him on, she thought, imagining the feeling of his bones breaking beneath her hands. It would be easy enough, she thought. Her knee would rest on his throat, watching the life leave his face. But Killian was the voice of reason.

"I don't think that provoking a crocodile does much to dissuade it," he said, shifting Emma from their embrace to tuck her into his side. "With the addition of that last bit of magic today, I'm afraid that his plan is nearing its completion."

David looked between them, his face losing color. "And when he's done, he'll no longer need you," he said, finishing the thought.

"Aye."

"Then we need to get your heart back," Mary Margaret said. "Do we know where he is keeping it?" She was the picture of practicality, her simple black pants and white top and fashionable flats accentuating that persona. "We could find it and distract him."

"He keeps it under a magical lock and key," Killian said, gratefully smiling at the woman. "I fear that if something were to happen to him that he would take the secret of how to obtain it with him."

Emma looked back at her phone, frowning. "I tried to call Belle," she said a bit flatly. "I thought if anyone could help, she could."

David lurched forward as Regina stormed into the room, her heels tapping in a staccato beat on the wood floors. "I think that we should quit this discussion of defense and go on the offense," she said, offering a sardonic smile at Emma. "Miss Swan, I'm afraid there is not much I can do on my end. Any spell of protection would require me to be possession of the heart. And, the pirate's right. If we somehow kill or stop Rumpelstiltskin, he'll surely do something to prevent us from accessing it."

The woman paced in short strides on the other side of the bed. "Now if he were to leave it in the safe and nobody at all could access it," she began. "Well, that would not be the worst thing. I have hearts in my vault that have been without their owners for years. They are no worse for the wear."

Emma swallowed again, her mind shuttling through the idea of what Regina had said. "But we'll always live with that fear. The fear that he might somehow be able to do something beyond the grave." Killian's grip tightened at the word we.

"But live is the operative word here," Regina said. "Though we're getting ahead of ourselves. We would have to defeat him. And after several centuries, I'm not sure that is possible. He's evil, ruthless, and dangerous, but he's not stupid. He would be ready for any attack."

Mary Margaret ran her finger along the edge of the dresser. "Is there any way to give him one of the hearts in your vault?" she asked, thinking aloud. "One that doesn't belong to someone."

Emma looked up hopefully. "Like a transplant?"

Regina frowned. "No, that's not a good solution," she said. "It must be a heart that belongs to him. I have no hearts that would fit that criteria. Otherwise the power of his own heart being crushed would still kill him." She fisted one hand and placed it under her chin. "The only other thing that could change this would be…"

"What?" Emma practically screamed.

Regina pointed a well-manicured finger at Mary Margaret. "She could try to do what you did," she said. When Mary Margaret didn't answer, she continued. "When you enacted the curse that brought us here. You…"

"Oh God," Mary Margaret said, looking at her husband. "It could work. It really could."

Emma lifted her head from Killian's shoulder, confusion marring her face. "What could work?" she asked. "Tell me."

Regina sighed, turning back to the couple. "In order to perform the necessary steps for the curse you must sacrifice the one you love the most. My sacrifice was my father. Your mother had to sacrifice your father."

The clouds of confusion darkened over Emma as she looked to her mother for explanation. "But if you…How is he here?"

"I had to crush his heart and he died," Mary Margaret said, the hitch in her voice from the memory evident. "I was devastated. And then it dawned on me. I could give him half of mine." She offered her husband a small smile, watching him take another step inside the room. "So now we share a heart – half in me and half in him."

Emma felt Killian pull back from her, his muttered negation of the idea already echoing. "Could it work?" Emma asked Regina, pleading back in her eyes. "Could I do that?"

"It's not something that I've seen other than that one time," Regina said doubtfully. "And I wasn't sure it would work. There are a lot of factors. But I suppose that if you are determined, we could try it." She pushed back her sleeves on her blazer, fingers splayed. "I don't think we would do it now though. We wait until Rumple has crushed the heart, then we do it. That way it can't override the new heart."

David coughed, his face reddening as all eyes were immediately on him. "I don't like the idea of this," he said finally. "Snow's action was one of true love. We have that bond so it worked for that reason. You're…"

Emma's eyes turned down, words failing her as she felt the weight of his words on her. She felt a connection to Killian, physical, emotional, friendship and now the beginning feelings of love. But true love was something that she still balked at existing. She had shaken so badly at the idea of asking him on a date just a few days ago. How could she compare whatever it was between them to the love her parents shared? It was impossible.

Regina shrugged. "It's complicated," she said. "I don't know if there are any black and white answers. Like I said, we can try. There are other issues though."

Killian released Emma's hand, pressing his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose. "What other issues?"

"Emma's heart is protected," she said flatly. "I don't know that I can even get to it. And if I do, will I be able to split it without…"

"Without killing her too," he finished with a shake of his head. "No, this isn't what we should even consider. I won't have Emma putting herself in danger because I was stupid. I can't take that risk."

Emma watched him stand and walk toward the door. His shoulders slumped as he pulled it open. "Wait," she said to him. "My heart is my decision. And let's be real for a second. If you're dead, my heart might as well be too. I already told you that I can't lose you. That wasn't an exaggeration. It's the truth."

Killian smiled at her through wavering lips. "Emma," he said. "I appreciate that you'll miss me. It is something that I've always wanted to hear, but you will be better off without me. You'll be here with your parents, your son, your friends. They'll make up for me being gone."

"No!" she protested, ignoring her parents pleading looks. "Don't act like that. Don't tell me that I'll be fine without you. I won't. You want to know the truth. Fine. We'll have this conversation now."

Mary Margaret grabbed her husband's arm. "Maybe we should go," she said to him in a loud whisper. He ignored her.

"No, Mom," Emma said, holding her head in Killian's direction. "You all have your doubts. I do too. So I'm going to shut them down now. Killian, I won't be fine without you because I need you. I need you to feel okay about being me. I need you telling me when I'm stupid. I need you to ask questions about my life before coming here. I need you let me cry sometimes because it is hard to go from being alone to having a family. I need you to tell me when I'm too strict with Henry. I need you to be there after a hard day to tell me that maybe tomorrow will be better. I need you to tell me that I'm not a monster because I have magic. I need you to believe in me and encourage me when I lack confidence. I need you to love me because I can't imagine how anyone like you could ever love me. And I need you to let me love you because I didn't think I ever could love anyone as much as I love you."

"Oh Emma," her mother gasped. She clung to her husband's arm harder, her tears falling freely.

Emma flushed as she realized what she had said, but she shook off the feeling of all eyes in the room on her. "And I need you to say something right now because otherwise I just made a fool out of myself in front of an audience," she said with the best smirk she could manage with the tears starting to spill down her cheeks. "Please just say something."

"Emma," he said, reaching her in three strides. "I love you." His arms encircled her, pulling her against him. His cheek grazed hers, both of their eyes closing. "I love you."

"You better," she said, laughing slightly.

Foreheads together, he opened his eyes to stare down at her. "Are you sure you want to try to do this? I don't like that you are going to be at risk."

Emma pressed her lips to his, a chaste kiss compared to what they had shared before. Breaking away before it became too much for her parents to see, she looked over her shoulder at Regina. "What if we go ahead and take my heart now," she said. "At least we can see if that works."

Regina nodded, blinking twice as though even she might have felt tears in her eyes. "Good idea," she said. "I think it might be best if you try to take out your own heart. The protection on it is much too strong for me to be successful."

Emma pivoted in Killian's arms, her back pressed to his chest. "And how do I do that?" she asked. "Mind you, I have trouble taking out a contact lens."

The laughter out of Regina's mouth was tight, but well received. "This will be easier than sticking a finger to your eye," she said. "I suggest making a claw with your hand and going for it. Don't twist or squeeze. Just straight in and out."

Taking a deep breath in and out, Emma lifted her arm and formed her hand into claw as suggested. She shot a smile to her parents, who flinched as she brought her hand to her chest. "Here goes nothing," she muttered, reaching in and feeling the warmness of her heart beating in her hand. Her eyes opened wide as she did just as Regina said and pulled out the crimson heart with her right hand.

"Impressive," Regina said, holding out her own cupped hands. "It can take most people a few tries."

Emma's paling face remained expressionless, unsure if she could take that compliment. "We're waiting," she said, placing the heart in Regina's hands. "Can you split it?"

Killian sucked in his breath behind her, his head tilted to rest against hers and his arms circling her waist. He'd seen his first love lose her heart in front of him so the sight of someone holding Emma's heart was a dreaded feeling to him.

"I can try," Regina said, inspecting the organ in her hand. "I'm not going to force it," she added. "Let's just see." Placing her hands at opposite ends of the beating heart, she pursed her lips and slowly rotated her grip. A slight grunt of exertion sounded from her mouth. Finally her hands came apart, each holding one half. She smiled.

"Wow," Emma said. "That is the strangest thing I've ever seen."

Killian chuckled, his breath warm on her ear. "I was standing here thinking that it was beautiful and romantic," he said. "And you are appalled by it?"

She smiled. "No," she said, searching for the right word. "I'm freaked out that I'm looking at my own heart. That's not normal." She ran one hand over Killian's arm, leaning back into his embrace. "This better be the only time you break my heart, pirate."

Regina held out one half. "Let's get this back in you before you make any more bad jokes," she said. Emma took it from her. "It'll pop into place. Easy."

She was right, it was easier to put it back than take it out. "That's a little better," she said. "What do we do the other half until we need it?"

Regina held it out to her again. "Just hold onto it," she said. "It's still protected, but you know that if Rumple finds out about this, he'll try something. This is your chance so guard it. So for now. Just guard it."

To Be Continued…