Here it is! The conclusion! Thanks you guys for the excellent feedback! Will Emma make it? Will anyone find a cure? You'll have to read and find out! ;)


Snow felt sick. How could this be happening now? Hadn't their family suffered enough?

Emma was slowing by the minute, her skin growing waxy and pale, her breath labored. Her eyes shifted back and forth, as if not sure what to look at…or what she was seeing.

She was silent though, stubbornly refusing to voice any of her discomforts or pains in typical Emma fashion. Denial was her best offense.

"I think we're close," Snow said. "I smell water."

She waited for Emma to question or quip about her ability to smell water, but she didn't, just plowed doggedly ahead.

She refused to let her daughter die. They'd been through so much together, overcame so much. And there was still so much for them to do. They'd just found each other, Emma Swan would not die because of a stupid bug bite.

Snow swallowed her tears, determined to stay strong for Emma's sake. She'd lost her baby once. She was damned it she would lose her again.

"If we had Mulan and Aurora with us, this would be just like old times!" Snow said brightly, glancing back at Emma.

"I liked that movie," Emma muttered. "Mushu is funny."

Snow frowned and pulled her along. Emma was rambling, and no longer appeared to be completely aware of what was going on, but followed Snow trustingly.

They reached the lake just as the sun was setting. There were obvious signs of habitation – but the camp didn't look like it had been used in some time. Snow's shoulders sagged in disappointment. She'd so been hoping that they would be there, would see Emma and know just what to do.

"I guess we'll just have to wait for the others," Snow said, leading Emma into the abandoned campsite. "I'm sure one of them will be along any moment with a cure. If the natives have survived this long, surely they have an antidote."

She was assuring herself more than Emma, but hoped that if Emma was still able to understand her, that it was helping at least a little. She helped her to sit against a large rock, and then took her empty water pouch to the lake to refill it.

When she returned, Emma was looking about a little more alertly, and took the water bottle from Snow's hands and drank.

"Feel a little better?"

"Yeah," Emma said, her voice tight. "I don't even remember the walk here."

"It was uneventful," Snow said, smiling wanly. "You just sit back and relax. Someone will be along with help soon."

Emma chuckled mirthlessly. "We both know that isn't true, Mary Margaret."

"Don't say that! There has to be a way! And one of the others will find it. You just have to hang on!"

"Oh I'm hangin'. I'll hang until I can't hang anymore. I won't stop fighting for Henry."

"That's right," Snow nodded. "Just keep thinking of Henry. He'll give you strength. You're that little boy's world, Emma. He needs you."

Emma nodded, looking up at her with glassy eyes. Snow felt her forehead again and was astonished by how hot she was. "Stay here, Em, I'll be right back," she didn't like the look of Emma's arm either. The wound was puffy and so dark a red it was almost purple, and pus leaked from the center. The rest of her arm was streaked with blue. It looked horribly painful, but luckily Emma seemed dazed enough not to feel it much.

She pulled a thin blanket out of her backpack and ran down to the lake to dunk it in. Maybe if she got Emma's fever down, it would buy her some time. On the way back up, she caught sight of a small canteen half buried in the sand. On a hunch, she grabbed it up and raced back to Emma.

She draped the soaked blanket over her, but it heated up in seconds. She opened up the canteen and took a whiff; her hunch had been right, there was some kind of alcohol inside. Rum by the smell of it. Perhaps pirates used this camp sometimes.

She poured a little of the rum on a corner of the blanket, hoping the alcohol might help cool her, and dabbed at her face.

"Hey, you're missing my mouth," Emma said, and Snow chuckled and raised the canteen up to her lips, thinking that it couldn't hurt.

Emma took a few sips and then leaned back, her body relaxing. She rolled her head towards her against the rock while Snow positioned herself beside her and met her eyes. "Mama?"

Snow's heart lurched at the slightly more affectionate term than Emma had used before, yet it hurt at the same time because she knew Emma wasn't herself. "Yes, Emma-honey?"

Emma quirked a slight smile. "I like it when you call me that."

Snow smiled too. "I know. That's why I call you that so much."

Emma's smiled faded. "Neal let go…of my hand…because he didn't want Henry to lose both of us…"

"I know," Snow said sadly.

"It isn't…fair…that he should lose us both anyway."

"He's not losing you," Snow said sharply.

Emma sighed and closed her eyes a moment. "Mom, my body hurts…my head…hurts…I think I see…my best friend from when I was eight over there by that tree but…I'm pretty certain…I'm hallucinating."

Despite herself, Snow glanced over at the tree, and of course there was no child standing there.

"Please…please let me…say this while I can."

A few tears escaped Snow's hold, and she latched on to Emma's hand. "Okay, Emma-honey, go ahead."

"It…isn't fair…but at least…at least he still has…Regina…right? But…I still don't trust her…I don't…I don't…I mean who knows what will…happen to her…"

"I think I know what you mean. Regina has a lot of enemies."

"Yeah…and I…I don't wanna leave Henry…but I know he'll be…okay…know how I know?"

Snow smiled, brushing a stray lock of hair out of Emma's face. "Because he still has family."

"Right…and he'll…he'll have…the best parents…anyone can ask for…you…you were always meant to be…a mother…"

Snow shook her head, crying in earnest now. "I promise, sweetheart, your father and I will love Henry like our own. We already do!"

Emma smiled back. "You were everything…I ever wanted…"

"Snow!"

Snow gasped and twisted around. "David! Over here!"

David loped into the clearing and straight for them.

"Did you find anything?"

David reached them and shook his head. "No, there was nothing there," he was gasping for breath. "I ran the whole way…no one else has gotten here yet?"

Snow shook her head. "She's getting worse, Charming."

David knelt beside them and stroked Emma's cheek. "Just hold on," he begged. "Just a little longer, Em."

Suddenly Emma reeled, recoiling from his hand as if it burned. "No! Get away!"

David jumped back, crushed, and looked at Snow.

"She's hallucinating," Snow explained. "Hook said she'd relive her worst memories!"

"What do we do?!"

"I don't know!" Snow sobbed, trying to reach out to Emma, but she hit her hands away, backing up against the rock, forming a fetal position.

"Please go away!" Emma cried, her voice high pitched and weak. "Please, I'm sorry! Don't!"

"We're not going to hurt you," Snow said as softly as she could. "Emma, love, it's us! Mary Margaret and David…Mom and Dad."

"Don't hit me!" Emma whimpered. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"What's happening to her?" David asked, tears on his own face. "What the hell is she reliving?"

"I'm not sure," Snow said, watching her daughter flinch and recoil as if being struck repeatedly. "I know that there was a foster home that she didn't like talking about. All she would say was she ran away from it."

"I can't watch this," David stood up, pacing in front of them. "We can't just sit here and do nothing!"

"Don't you think I know that?!" Snow snapped. "I don't know what to do, David!"

Emma quieted down, her body going limp. Snow rushed to her side and held her up, wrapping her arms around her. "It's okay," she whispered. "No one's going to hurt you, baby, it's okay."

"Where are they?" David growled.

Snow watched her husband pace, saw the shake in his shoulders. She held her daughter to her chest, feeling the life drain away from her.

"There's no cure, Charming," Snow said, her voice resigned and lifeless.

"No, I won't accept that!" he shouted. "We can't lose her!"

"I promised her we'd take care of Henry."

"We don't need to! She'll be there!"

"Maybe we need to say goodbye."

David turned to her, his eyes wide with disbelief. "I can't believe you're saying that."

Snow clutched Emma tighter, feeling her heart begin to accelerate and her body flinch. She was on the verge of another hallucination. She held on as if by doing so, Emma couldn't go anywhere. "She's suffering, Charming," she cried.

David dropped to his knees beside them. "Not her…anyone but her…" he said to no one in particular, or maybe he was praying, Snow wasn't sure.

"Henry!" Emma cried, but this time didn't push Snow away. "Henry!"

"Shhh," Snow rocked her. "We're going to find Henry, we're going to save him, Emma. I swear to you."

"I tried, Henry! I tried to save you! I'm so sorry!" sobs wracked her already weakened body, and she reached out in front of her. "I'm sorry! I should have believed you!"

"She's remembering when he went under the sleeping curse," David said.

Snow continued to rock Emma, humming tunelessly in her ear while they all cried. After a moment Emma subsided and blinked heavily. "Dad?"

David jumped slightly and leaned forward. "Right here, Em."

Emma's eyes cleared; she was no longer hallucinating, but Snow could feel her body continue to weaken. "Know what?"

David attempted a smile. "What?"

"I like…how you smell…"

David gave Snow a puzzled look then turned back to Emma, stroking her hair. "What?"

"I never…wanted…to tell you…cause…cause…it's weird…" both David and Snow chuckled. Everything about their relationship was weird. "But when you…hug me…I can smell you…and it…it…it smells familiar…like my blanket…"

David's mouth opened, but no sound came out.

"That…smell…always made…made me…feel better…when I was sad or…or scared…as a…as a kid…as a kid. You smell like that…"

David smiled weakly then held his hand over his mouth, shaking his head.

Emma snuggled against Snow, shivering, so Snow tightened her hold. "Don't go, Emma," Snow whispered, despite her earlier statement. "I don't know what I'll do without you. My life is you. You're my happy ending. What will we do without you?"

"Love…Henry…" Emma breathed, then gestured toward Snow's abdomen. "Start again…"

Snow shook her head. "No…no…not without you…"

Her eyes fluttered shut. "Love…you…"

Snow pressed her face against Emma's hair. "I love you, too, Emma, we both love you so…" she paused, then looked up at David, an idea forming in her head.

"Snow?"

She brushed away her tears, angry that she didn't think to at least try this earlier. Gold said that it wasn't just venom…but also magic. Magic meant curse…and all curses could be broken…

If not, well, if not she would kiss her baby girl goodbye for the second time.

"Emma!" she exclaimed, pushing Emma's shoulder to straighten her up and rouse her. "Emma-honey, look at me!"

Emma's head lolled but her eyes determinedly tried to train themselves on Snow.

Snow grabbed Emma's face in both hands then hurriedly pressed her lips to her daughter's.

From beside her she heard David's intake of breath as a warm pulse radiated from them. She pulled away, praying to anyone that might hear her for it to work, and thought she could pass out from happiness when Emma's eyes opened, more clear than before, and color began to seep its way back into her cheeks.

Emma furrowed her brow, her face still encased in Snow's hands. "I love you…I do…but can you explain to me why we're kissing?"

Snow sobbed and snatched Emma into her arms, kissing her again in the process, her heart singing in joy when she felt Emma's arms come up to encircle her.

"It worked!" David cried, leaning in to hold them both.

"Again, I love you, but you're suffocating me," Emma croaked and Snow and David immediately released her.

"How do you feel?" Snow asked.

"Crappy," she said, pressing the heel of her hand to her head. "But decidedly not dead," she pulled her hand away from her head to look at the bite. "Look! It's almost faded away!"

Snow and David exchanged watery smiles and David kissed both his wife's and his daughter's heads.

Emma shifted, clearly feeling a little awkward with the abundance of physical affection. "So…all it took was True Love's Kiss? It works that way?"

"You should know better than anyone," David said. "That there's no love truer than a mother's love for her child."

Emma peered over at Snow shyly, and Snow could tell that she was overwhelmed by the fact that she could be loved that much…as much as she loved Henry.

"Sorry it took me so long," was all Snow said. Emma chuckled, leaning in to allow herself to be embraced once more.

The rest of the clan returned eventually, with empty hands. At least Regina did find the natives at the beach, but came back with the news that there was no cure. She rolled her eyes at the explanation of Emma's miraculous recovery. Hook and Gold both nodded approvingly.

They didn't rest long, only long enough for Emma to recover, and then they were on their way.

To save Henry.