Graphic here: tmblr . co/ZVRwvr1VbCL1D

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: And that's the end! There will probably be an epilogue. Please let me know what you think! :)

Her eyes droop shut again and she shakes her head to get rid of the heavy feeling. She squeezes Killian's hand harder, leaning some of her weight off him, trying to shock her body into staying awake.

Falling asleep had been the reason that this place had been able to take advantage of them to begin with and really, it made sense, they were after all, in the land of the Sleeping Curse. Why Rumplestiltskin hadn't warned them about this is something she is determined to bring up with him when they manage to get out of here.

After they had found one another, they had continued walking, making their way through the labyrinthine house, room after room, looking for Henry. But so far, their search had been fruitless. She has a suspicion that the house is continually changing its design as they move through it. Doors vanish behind them as they turn corners, stairs bring them back where they started. She is convinced that she's seen this particular room before. But then again, they're all on fire so it's pretty difficult to tell the difference.

Killian stumbles into her shoulder, his weight suddenly on her and then just as suddenly it's gone as he straightens himself. The exhaustion is getting to them but they can't stop. The thought of Henry stuck in this place that preys on your mind sends a jolt of fear up her spine.

He's strong, he's going to be ok.

She keeps repeating it to herself and even though every step is a challenge, they keep going.

"Perhaps he's not in the house. We could try getting out of here and- Emma? Emma, wake up love."

She wakes to the feeling of a warmth at her back and soft kisses pressed onto her shoulder.

"Emma, wake up love."

His hand snakes around her waist, stroking her stomach and ribs, back and forth, soft and slow.

"Mmm," she moves deeper into his embrace, "you're not giving me much incentive to leave this bed."

Her voice comes out muffled against the pillow and his breath fans out against her neck as he chuckles.

"I'm not asking you to leave this bed," he whispers, biting her earlobe gently,"I'm merely asking you to join me in being awake because this is our first quiet moment in weeks," he drops a kiss behind her ear, "and I'd like to enjoy it."

He's right. This was the first night in so long that she had slept all the way through and the first morning where she hadn't been woken up by a call to clean up some new mess that Maleficent had left. She feels like she is floating, surrounded by his warmth and his scent. She feels drunk on it all.

So when he coaxes her to turn around and catches her lips in his, she lets herself forget for a while.

Gods help him, but he's addicted to the taste of her.

His hand caresses the curve of her hip, his other arm supporting him as he moves so he's above her, kissing her still. Her hand comes up to tangle in his hair and the other goes up his back. He still hasn't reconciled himself to the fact that he can do this, that he's allowed to touch her in this way and have her hold him in return. His mouth wanders from hers as he begins to trail soft kisses down her throat, heat beginning to spread across his skin. She tilts her head giving him better access and he bites down on her collarbone gently, worrying the skin with his teeth. The sound that leaves her lips makes his blood sing.

He drops a final kiss between her breasts and though he is loath to leave them unattended, he needs to kiss her lips again.

"Far better than sleeping, isn't it?" He mumbles it just before his mouth touches hers.

Killian!

Fire. Fire and heat and Emma. She's screaming for him and he can't get to her. He needs to get to her, his body screaming out to move and find her now.

"Emma!"

And then suddenly, he's back, staring into her eyes.

"Hey, are you ok?"

She brings her hand around from his neck to his cheek, stroking it gently.

"You just spaced out on me there. Everything ok?"

He still hasn't said anything. He looks panicked, wide eyes darting about her face as if taking her in.

She feels the first pinpricks of worry and raises her head to kiss him, wondering if it is some memory, some ghost of his past that has gotten him so afraid. He's woken in the middle of the night before with this look on his face, the same fear and helplessness etched into it. Usually, after she holds him and assures him that she is here, she is alright, she is his, he presses his face into the crook of her neck, his arms tight around her waist and slowly falls back asleep. But now when she kisses him, he doesn't respond the way he usually does, all passion and desperation. Now, he only presses back gently, as if out of habit and continues to look at her.

"Hey Killian, it's alright. I'm here."

He shakes his head and seems to come back to himself but then abruptly, he's getting off the bed. She groans at the loss of his weight above her but before she can make her displeasure known, he is speaking.

"Emma, wake up! This isn't real!"

His voice sounds like it's echoing off the walls and her head begins to hurt.

"What?" She's sits up, staring at him as he comes to sit beside her taking her hand.

"Emma, I need you to wake up darling. This isn't really happening. We're not in Storybrooke. We're in the land of the Sleeping Curse. We've got to rescue Henry."

"Henry..."

Her voice trails off into nothing, her head feeling fuzzy, pain still there from before. A sudden flash of heat by her leg. The room looks different, orange and yellow and burning. She presses her fingers to her temples, the pain only getting worse.

"Killian, what's happening?" Her voice is shaky with fear. But before he can answer, she grabs at her hair and shouts out in pain.

He's there immediately, holding her close to his chest, whispering assurances in her ears, telling her that she needs to wake up , to remember and when she looks up at him, he is surrounded by a burning halo, his face lit orange from the flames.

But, just as suddenly it is gone, the room looking the way it was when she woke up this morning.

"Love, look at me. Just breathe, alright? Take a deep breath."

She obeys and begins to attempt calming down. The pounding in her head quiets down a touch, her surroundings beginning to stabilise.

"What do you remember about yesterday, Emma?"

She's looking into his eyes and casting her mind back to what had happened yesterday but there is nothing. The world flashes orange again, scorching heat creeping up her skin.

"I can't- I can't remember," she yells, a sudden roaring in her ears blocking out all sound. Her hands closing over her ears, trying to make it stop.

Killian pulls her closer, his face creased in concern, his hand cupping her cheek.

"Breathe, love. Try and wake up."

She looks up to meet his eyes, deep, deep blue and fixed on hers. She lets them center her, she lets him anchor her.

And just like that, she remembers.

He sees the room flash erratically between flames and normalcy at a pace that begins to make his head hurt but he ignores it all in favour of concentrating on his Swan, his heart constricting at the pain on her face as she blocks her ears against some phantom noise.

He knows he's mostly speaking nonsense, the same words again and again but he's hoping his voice will soothe her long enough for her to break whatever spell they seem to be under.

Suddenly, she gasps, looking about her in surprise. The world looks ordinary, flashing into it's true form for a second, only to turn back the next.

"Killian! Where are we?"

He lets out a sigh of relief.

"I'm not quite sure, love. Last I remember, you had all but toppled over in your slumber and I was kneeling beside you on the floor. Then, I woke up next to you. What do you remember?"

"Nothing really. We were walking and then we weren't."

She looks around again as she speaks.

"How does it know what my bedroom looks like?"

"I'm not sure. It appears as though this world has access to our minds when we fall asleep."

The thought sends chills through him. The fact that someone or something was rifling through his brain, looking for the perfect way to make him stay here makes his hackles rise. Emma seems to echo his sentiment as she shudders before looking up at him again.

"Let's get out of here."

"But we're awake now, shouldn't the spell be broken?" She says as they quickly make their way through the house, looking for a way out, avoiding the flames brought on by the sudden and unpredictable transitions in the world around them.

"I was hoping it would, once you woke."

"Maybe we need to leave the house?"

He doesn't answer, just squeezes her hand that's been in his since they had begun trying to leave.

They just can't seem to.

It's just like before, moving in circles in a house that is incessantly changing. She knows these rooms, she knows this place. She's been living here for a year now but whatever it is that's cast this spell on them is manipulating it in a way that they can't find the front door no matter how hard they try.

"Mom?"

She freezes in place.

"Henry?" Her voice is thin, his name coming out on a wispy breath as she tries to find him.

"Where are you guys-"

She's finally spotted him, standing by his bedroom door, one hand scratching his head as he stares at them bleary eyed. He doesn't finish his sentence because he's in her arms, his last few words muffled against her shoulder.

"Henry! You're ok, you're here," her eyes scan him, looking for injuries and when she finds none, her heart finally rests into it's usual steady beat. Her eyes still burn from unshed tears.

"Love, are you sure it's-"

She feels Killian's hand on her shoulder, gently pulling her away.

"No, it's him," she turns to look at him, her voice frantic, unwilling to let Henry go just after she had found him, "It's him. We just need to wake him up," she faces Henry once more.

"Guys? What are you talking about? Is everything okay?" Henry's frowning at her and she notices, not for the first time, just how tall he's gotten.

"What do you remember about yesterday, kid?"

She figures she'd try Killian's trick since it had seemed to work on her. Henry's face scrunches up in thought as he tries to recall and then, just like her, he clutches his head in pain, his mouth open on a wordless scream, his eyes screwed shut. She slowly removes his hands from his temples, urging him to look at her.

"Hey, it's ok. You're under a sleeping curse."

"Curse-"

He's repeating her words as if trying to recall something forgotten, his eyes staring straight through her.

"Yeah, but it's okay. We're here to get you. You're gonna be fine, okay?"

He screws his eyes shut again, his face falling forward, forehead resting on her shoulder.

"Mom, what's going on?" His voice is low and weak. She feels a sob rising up in her throat. He's in so much pain. Her baby. Her hands squeeze his gently, trying to reassure him as much as she can.

"Lad, look at your mother. Concentrate on her eyes. It will come back to you."

Killian's arm comes around her shoulder fully, in silent support as he speaks to Henry, who looks up at her on Killian's instruction. His face is still etched with pain but he looks resolutely at her eyes. His own flickering quickly to the left and right sometimes and she knows that he's seeing the truth of this place just like she had.

"That's it. Just look at me. You're okay, you're okay."

He looks like he's making progress from what she can tell but then without warning, he falls forward again, shouting out as he does. She loses her balance as his weight lands on her, both of them toppling down to the floor.

Killian immediately kneels beside her, helping them up. Henry's head rests on her shoulder, his body limp as she rests on her knees. She pushes him back a little to look at him but he doesn't move, his eyes closed, his face still.

"Henry? Henry, wake up!" She shakes him by his shoulders, desperate now, her voice breaking.

She lays him in her lap, one of her hands cradling his head, the other trembling as she brushes the hair off his forehead. Killian holds her close and she leans against him, letting him carry a bit of the weight, grateful for his unrelenting presence, his quiet strength. It is the only thing holding her up right now.

"Henry, please, come back to me."

He doesn't move and she buries her face in Killian's shoulder, her tears threatening to overwhelm her. The room around them continues to fluctuate between it's two forms, but resting longer on the flames now.

"Mom?"

His voice drifts up to her and she sits up straight, looking down to see his eyes, clear and conscious, that intelligent gleam in them that lets her know that he's ok, that he's back.

"Mom! What're you doing here?"

He hugs her, his arms around her neck and hers holding him as close to herself as she can. Finally, finally, she feels like she can breathe again.

"We're here to get you out of here," she mumbles into his hair.

"I knew you'd come for me."

She disentangles herself from their embrace and looks at him, a smile growing on her face.

"Good to see you again, lad," Killian says as his arms reaches to take her hand.

"Killian," Henry nods at him, looking more grown up than she has ever seen him, "thanks for coming for me."

"You can thank me when we get out of this blasted place. Let's make haste, shall we?"

She holds their hands in each of hers as they stand up, noticing for the first time that the room has shifted back to its fiery form, seemingly permanently this time.

Maybe they really had broken whatever it was that had created the illusion but she doesn't want to stick around longer than they need to. Now that they have found Henry, all that needs to be done is to cast the spell to get them out of here.

"You can do it, love."

She standing with her arms outstretched, her eyes shut in concentration. He whispers encouragements to her as much as he can when she wavers, her eyes opening to look at him standing behind her. Henry stands beside him, holding his hand. It's a strange feeling and he believes the boy would agree. Strange, but necessary in this world that would not hesitate in ripping them apart from one another given even the tiniest chance. He feels a protectiveness for this boy who is not his own. This spitting image of Baelfire, his last lost chance for a family.

He refuses to let anything happen to him.

"I can't do this!" Her voice is a frustrated growl as she drops her hands and stomps her feet. And despite it all, he feels a smile grown on his face.

Gods help him, he's so in love with her.

He begins to walk towards her, sneaking a look at Henry who gives him a nod of approval. But before he can reach her, she falls to her knees, her hands at her temples, a scream at her lips.

She doesn't know what's happening. It feels like something is clawing at the insides of her head. The pain overwhelms her, brings her to her knees. She tries to speak through it, to ask Killian and Henry to get away but all that comes out is an agonised shout.

He reaches her in two quick steps but before he can touch her shoulder, the pain hits him.

Her vision swims, the world twisting and changing.

His hook digs into the floor, he can dimly hear Henry's voice and feel him shake his body but he can't concentrate, the pain in his head far too strong.

And then all at once-

She is eleven and on a trip out of town from school. A girl in their group cries the entire bus ride over because she misses her mother.

Emma wonders what it would be like to have someone you miss so much that you cry when they're gone.

He is twenty, his brother is dying in his arms, his face going pale and still and he is powerless to stop it.

He is worthless.

She is eighteen, lying helpless in a hospital bed as they take her son away from her. She knows it's for the best but despair grips her all the same. Tears flow down her face, her knuckles turning white as she grips the railing of the bed to keep herself from lunging at the doctor.

He is ten, waking up alone on a ship. His father is gone, leaving him to the mercy of these strange men.

He feels like he is drowning. The feeling never really goes away.

She is four, and they're leaving her. Her mama is telling her she has to go. Her papa is crying and pressing a little stuffed bear into her hands. She tells them, she can stay, that she wants to meet her new brother but they only cry more, hugging her close.

And then, they're gone.

He's not sure how old he is, he's lost count at this point, and he's drinking himself to sleep. He's been doing this for so long, it has become his nightly ritual, a way for him to numb himself a little bit before his ghosts inevitably come to visit him.

It never really works.

She is twenty-eight, and her mother is afraid of her. Her eyes are wide as she takes a step back, her baby brother in her-

Mom!

The clawing in her head intensifies and she screams louder than before but she is aware of where she is now, Henry's hands wrapped around her own as he coaxes her face up to look at him.

"Mom, look at me. You're fine. I'm here."

She tries to escape from the nightmares that are chasing her. Every painful memory of her life playing on loop in her mind in perfect clarity, making her want to fall down and never get up. But, she focuses on her son, his face, his hands and tries to bring herself back, wrenches herself away from the hold that this place has on her.

She stands. It feels like she weighs twice as much, her movements slow and strained. Henry helps her and soon she is on her feet.

"Killian. Where's Killian?" She is slurring her words. She spots him before Henry can answer, dropping down to her knees beside him. Henry keeps a hold on her arm, helping her stay up.

"Killian! It's not real," her voice is weak, she isn't sure that he is going to be able to hear her, "Henry, tell him."

"I tried! It didn't work. I think it has to be you."

She takes his hand, squeezing as hard as she can. He's shouting her name now, an anguished cry of Emma, echoing in the chamber.

"Killian, please, I can't lose you. I'm here, I'm okay. Come back, " she keeps speaking, close to his ear, trying to sound as calm as possible, knowing that he needs something to anchor him here.

She is gone from him and just like that, it is like before. He is alone.

He feels like he needs to scream her name into the heavens in this land that she has never set foot upon. He needs it to help him remember. He needs to make sure that he never forgets a single detail about her. The way her hair looks in the sunlight, the way her mouth curves when she smiles, the way he hands feel on him.

So he does it, again and again.

"Killian!"

Is she answering him?

Come back.

His eyes snap open, locking on hers immediately and she almost sobs in relief.

"Emma, Emma! You're alright, love?"

She doesn't answer him, only pulls him closer. She raises her hand to take Henry's and begins to mutter the words that Gold had taught her, what feels like years ago.

She focusses on the two people she is trying to save, pours all her love into it, all the desperation she feels. She feels a wind on her face and Henry makes a gasping sound.

And when she looks up, the portal is open in front of them.

They reappear right where they had left, falling into a heap of bodies. They take a second to untangle themselves before they are engulfed in hugs.

They've made it home.

She looks at Killian, still holding her hand, fingers interlaced with hers. He's watching Henry speaking to his grandparents, a small, fond smile on his face.

There will be time for talking, for dealing with all they have experienced but for now, she lets herself relax, leaning on his shoulder.

They've made it home.