(It's been floating around in my head ever since the finale that I wanted to write several scenes dealing with what Killian and Henry will feel being left behind after Emma's disappearance, and what will happen once she is found again. This took a little longer than I had hoped, but it's what I came up with. I've divided it into two parts; one taking place immediately after the season four finale, and the second one later on.

Enjoy, and of course the characters, the show, and the lyrics used at the beginning of the chapters, do not belong to me.

"Nothing Stands Between"

1. you never said goodbye

"and in between the soul and the sky…

I know we can make through the night,

'cause you never said goodbye…"

The metallic clang of the heavy silver dagger striking concrete still rings in his ears like the door of a prison cell slamming shut around his heart. Killian Jones feels his legs give – his muscles water as all the strength drains from him – and he falls to his knees in the middle of Main Street mere feet from where his Swan has vanished. He is unable to turn his eyes from the empty space where she last stood, nor from the curved edge of the infernal blade now bearing her name on its cursed surface, and all that now appears in the place she has vacated. At first, the stricken pirate doesn't even realize that a guttural noise akin to the cry of a wounded animal is escaping from his own throat; then, Killian senses a presence near him. He feels a strong hand that must be the Prince – her father's – clamp firmly on his shoulder. Killian's mouth snaps closed in surprise at the gesture of comfort from this man who has now lost his cherished daughter a third time, and when his teeth clack against each other and the keening ceases, he realizes the wail must have belonged to him.

His head bows, and shame momentarily stains his face, before he raises his visage, and glances over his shoulder to gaze into his friend's pained royal face. Only 300 years of struggle and accustoming to hurt allow Killian to bring his features under control and to nod at Dave in assurance that he has mastered himself again.

Oh, it will be a fleeting calm; he knows this all too well. Torment still churns and surges just beneath the surface, under his skin. He may be a fearless captain, intrepid adventurer, and survivor; he may have an image to uphold and a reputation to maintain, but he has never felt pain, fear, or anger equal to this. In his long, long life and all his loss and brushes with death, nothing has rocked him to the core and left him as helpless as he feels in this moment. His love, his true anchor, is gone, and what is more, Emma has taken on a curse that may do gods know what to her before they can reach her. That she did it to save them all is as selfless and brave as he has always known her to be, but it leaves him feeling even more impotent in his inability to aid or support her in her sacrifice. It is only realizing he is not alone, that others have lost her too and are also grieving, that enables him to shoulder his agony and stand again on shaking limbs, at least until he can indulge his agony again in private. He has a duty now – to her family as well as Emma herself. Gods help him, she has made him part of something as she offered to do when he took them to Neverland and began his ascent out of villainy following his golden-headed angel. He will stand by her parents and her boy (Henry, his heart squeezes at the thought of what this will do to Henry) and together they will find her in the darkness and bring her back.

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As he had feared and yet anticipated, the lad he has grown to care for as he once did his father too, is crushed by her loss. Killian can see the creases of pain and undeserved guilt on Regina's face as the boy leans into her embrace at the end of her labored, halting explanation. He, the Charmings, Robin and Regina, staggered wearily back into Granny's dining establishment where they had left Henry regaling Roland, Archie, Marco, August, Leroy, Ruby, and Belle, who is holding his gurgling young uncle, with the tale of his time within a story – a hero in his own right – with success and pride, and a twinkle of mischief that is all Emma. None of them want to ruin his happiness, but neither can they keep him in the dark, nor lie to him.

As Henry finishes recounting his tale, he looks up at the group who have re-entered the diner and spares them having to find a way to broach the difficult topic by asking, "Where's Mom?" curiously.

Snow's pretty face falls and she buries her face in David's shoulder, trying to hide her tears. Regina's eyes fall to her feet, unable to meet her son's until Robin places a gentle, steadying hand on her arm and she steps forward and finds a way to begin.

Killian never lets his gaze stray from the lad, watching the emotions flicker over Henry's face: the hurt, the confusion, the bitterness over the fact that his mom is once again caught up in a fight she did not begin or deserve to weather. Then Killian sees something take over Henry's face, an expression he did not know he had needed to draw on until it had appeared. Steely determination, and the unwavering hope which has carried them all this far, takes over the boy's features, and the lad speaks firmly after clearing his throat and setting his shoulders. "Then we'll find her," Henry says simply, looking up at each of them in turn, as if swearing them to his quest. "That's what this family does."

Dave lets out a choked sounding bark of a laugh, but then nods, letting Henry know that of course he is right.

Killian hates to overstep his bounds, but he knows that Henry has included him with his words, both in his family and in this venture. "Aye, Lad," he affirms, speaking gruffly past the lump in his own throat. "That is exactly what we will do."

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The next morning finds Killian and Henry bent over the desk in his captain's cabin, studying the numerous maps of the realms that he has collected in his centuries of travel and exploration, realizing what a frustrating and daunting task they have set for themselves. Killian brushes an agitated hand through his already disheveled dark hair, staring down at the particular aged piece of parchment currently holding their interest. The map is of Camelot, which seems the most practical place to search for the famed sorcerer Merlin; however, there is no guarantee that it will lead them any closer to Emma. Granted, she had admonished them to free her from the darkness just before she vanished, and according to the Apprentice, Merlin is the key to them doing so, but doing anything that does not directly bring them closer to her is the opposite of what either he or her boy want.

Nevertheless, he is diligently attempting to show Henry how to map a course, and finding with a pleased sense of pride that Emma's boy is proving to be a natural. The lad is sharp, inquisitive, and has an excellent memory for all that Killian has previously shown him. They are presently embroiled in finding the best way to reach King Arthur's legendary castle once docking in his kingdom, and seeing that it may take much more time than either of them would wish, when Henry suddenly clutches the map in his hands, as if to rip it in two.

The young man's shoulders shake silently as he leans forward to brace himself on the desk, head bowed as if hiding his emotion from the pirate. Though the tears that must be falling make no sound, the lad is obviously trying to hold onto his control for all he is worth. Killian wants to reach forward, to gather him into a masculine embrace and offer comfort of some sort, but he does not know if it will cause the lad more pain or if it will do any good at all, when his comfort is certainly not what the boy truly needs.

Finally, Henry draws in a heaving breath, and the words coming rasping from his throat in great gasps, "She's gone….Killian…My mom…she's just gone! She brought…all of you…all the way…to Neverland…to save me…when I was taken. …And we…we're just waiting! …Not going after her…she could be hurt…she could be dying! ...We need to find her!"

Unable to stop himself, Killian pulls Henry in and holds on tight, clutching the lad against his chest awkwardly, but in a hopeful attempt to soothe, rubs his good hand over the boy's shoulders. "We will, Lad. I swear it. She will not be lost from us forever – no matter where she is, we will reach her."