a/n- Aaannnnddd...we're back! My story is now officially an AU. Oh well, s'est la vie.

I thank you all again for the very lovely reviews and all the new faves and follows. As always, I'm very curious to hear what you think of this story and what you think might happen next.

This is the one you've been waiting for... dun dun duh...

CHAPTER 4

It was a strange sort of false calm that had covered the town. Hardly any of Storybrooke's citizens were out, everyone still afraid that the creature that had attacked them earlier would return, and the streets were quiet. Henry and Regina were locked away with Mary Margaret and David in their loft, directing calls, scouring maps as to where Emma might have gone, organizing search parties, and basically just trying to keep themselves from falling to pieces. Belle stayed at the library, figuring she could be of more use there searching for answers. A few Merry Men and other brave souls patrolled the outskirts of the town, always keeping an eye to the skies. And the dwarves, Anton, and a few others formed their own scouting parties for the lost Savior, but with no clear leads, looking for Emma was proving to be fruitless.

Killian was unaware of it all. Ever since Emma had disappeared, he had been growing increasingly more desperate to find her. It felt like there was a deep void in his chest where long ago, Emma had staked her claim. For reasons he couldn't begin to explain, he was overcome with an impending sense of doom. Her absence was weighing heavier on him by the minute.

He paced the loft, unresponsive to the others. Furiously, he had been trying to focus completely on the bond he shared with Emma to see if he could get an image, a feeling, or even a direct thought from her. So far, all he knew for certain was that she was still alive. If it were otherwise, he knew he would have felt it, for surely his own heart would be dead as well. That knowledge, that tiny sliver of hope he allowed himself, was the only thing keeping him together.

"Hook," David said quietly, taking the man aside, out of earshot of the other occupants of the loft. "Don't worry, we'll find her."

Killian met Dave's eye with such a blaze of agony, the Prince actually took a step back. Suddenly, the fire dimmed and all that was left was a dim mask of sadness. David had known for a long time that the pirate had strong feelings for his daughter, but he hadn't realized the full extent of those feelings until now. David reminded himself not to keep underestimating this man.

"Aye," Killian replied, but there was no real conviction in it. He returned to staring out the window, watching the sun slowly sink down through the trees, casting long shadows over the town below, the dark hollows under his eyes becoming increasingly deeper.

David couldn't stand to see Killian this broken. He was a pirate, he had lived a long, hard life, and now he was breaking. He couldn't let that happen. "We have to trust her to take care of herself. She knows what she's doing."

"Don't you think I know that, Dave?" Killian seethed, while managing to keep it low enough that he didn't alert the others. "But that doesn't mean she can control everything."

"She's been in dangerous situations before—"

"Not like this," Killian said suddenly, clenching the window sill until his knuckles turned white. "This time is different, mate. I can't explain how I know it is, but I assure you, I'm telling the truth."

David studied the man before him, how his blue eyes had changed in the purple glow of the evening to a luminous silver. At that moment, David was reminded of the images of the ancient kings that had once graced the halls of Snow's castle. It was times like these when he was reminded that Killian was a captain of men and he knew what it meant to hold true to your word. Killian wasn't lying about what he said and he was so firm in his belief, that David immediately took him seriously. "Okay, tell me what you know."

This seemed to catch the pirate off guard. "You…you believe me?"

Offering him a slight grin and a wink, David replied, "I do, mate."

For the first time, the hopelessness left Killian's eyes, and he nodded in response. "I'm not sure how to explain it, and I fear you may not like the specifics of the ordeal…" He trailed off, looking up and David gave him a 'just get on with it' shrug. Killian braced himself and continued. "Your daughter was convinced my heart needed protection. She insisted upon using her magic to ensure that my heart could no longer leave my chest without my consent, as it were. However, something went… amiss with her spell."

David frowned, "Amiss how?"

Suddenly, a bright red flush came over the man's cheeks. He scratched nervously behind his ear, "You might not appreciate this part."

"What I don't appreciate is not being told when something is wrong." David huffed, squaring his shoulders and crossing his arms.

"Aye, mate." Killian sighed, looking exactly like he did in the Echo Cave before he revealed his darkest secret. In the same manner, he breathed and blurted out, "Emma bound us together somehow and now we are connected. For the particulars of the matter, you will have to ask Her Majesty."

"Bound?" What did that mean? David grumbled inwardly. And how come Regina knew of this but he and Mary Margaret hadn't been told?

Sensing the prince's rising irritation, Killian hastened to explain, "I believe she called it a soul bond. I…uh, well, that is…we—Emma and I-share a certain kind of unusual intimacy with each other." He quickly averted his gaze, but not before seeing the heat take over David's face.

"You what?" David yelled, loud enough that Mary Margaret and Regina jumped at the noise. Luckily, Neal was already awake and being kept occupied by Henry or else he no doubt would have started crying.

Forget what I said before of the man, he's a pirate and I'm going to kill him, David thought furiously.

Normally, Killian never floundered for words, but at this moment, his mouth seemed to not be able to operate. (Which was probably a good thing, as David looked like he was getting ready to kill the pirate.)

Surprisingly, it was Regina who rescued him from David's wrath. "Is this about his bond thingy with Emma?" Reading the fire in David's eyes correctly and the sheepish way the pirate was behaving, Regina scoffed at the two men. "You really know how to stick your foot in it, don't you, Hook?"

If he hadn't been so distraught over losing Emma, Killian might have had several sharp come-backs for the Queen, but as it was, all he could do was imagine Emma standing there, with her cool green eyes and tight lipped frown, admonishing him for setting off her dad. Gods, he needed to get her back!

Regina clearly wasn't expecting him to answer anyway, so she turned to the prince and began to explain exactly what it was that Emma had done. However, it didn't really seem to alleviate any of David's outrage.

Mary Margaret joined the conversation halfway through, a worried expression on her brow the entire time. "So, Regina, what you are saying is that not only is Killian linked to her physically, but mentally as well?"

"Yes, it would seem so," Regina sighed. She was exhausted already from fighting off that bat out of hell and her guilt at losing track of Emma was beginning to get to her. She tried to ignore it, tried to tell herself that she didn't care about the Swan woman's well-being, but she knew she was just as worried as the rest of them for her safety. For Henry's sake, mind you.

Mary Margaret studied the pirate, who had returned to the window once more, a nervous energy coming off his skin in waves. It wasn't like him to not be out trying to do something to help, and clearly this self-imposed isolation was starting to wear his nerves thin. "Killian," she asked, noticing how the use of his real name always seemed to startle him, as though he wasn't quite used to people saying it, "You are alright, physically, I mean. Does that mean Emma is, too?"

He nodded at her, fully turning to see where she might be going with her questioning.

"And have you been able to connect with her at all?"

"No, milady," he replied, his voice cracking on the last syllable. "If I didn't know better, I would say she was asleep. However, I don't believe it is any sort of natural slumber, as if it were, I would still be able to read her dreams." He didn't want to explain how he had often shared in her most intimate of dreams, or how he felt like there was like an invisible string somewhere around the area of his heart that made him feel tethered to her, no matter where she was. It was like he just knew where she was at any given time, not unlike a gull knowing its way back to land.

But right now, that tether felt as though it was disconnected. Not quite severed completely. He was pretty sure that might just kill him. But it was like how the talking phone would go black after a call would end. Their connection was simply broken, and he couldn't get her end to pick up. It was becoming increasingly frustrating.

Mary Margaret and David sighed in unison as they walked away, and Killian looked to the Queen, who also seemed more upset than she was letting on. "Keep trying," was all she said, before returning to their previous duties with the Charmings.

Turning back towards the window, Killian once again cleared his mind and thought, "Emma, love. Please answer me."

….

Emma heard a voice. It sounded as if it was a long ways away, but she knew she needed to go towards that voice. That voice meant safety, it meant happiness, it meant love. Frowning, she tried to swim out of her darkness, but it was so thick, it surrounded her and kept her brain feeling like mush.

"Emma, love. Please answer me," the voice called again. Desperately, she tried to respond, to move towards it, to do anything but stay in this dark limbo.

Then a new voice began calling her. A cold, callous voice that she wanted to run not to, but from. That voice meant danger. She tried to fight, tried to get away, but the voice was too loud, too close, and it was pulling her towards it. Gradually, everything began swimming into focus, the darkness clearing.

She was waking up.

The second she regained full consciousness, her entire body went on alert. The last thing she could remember was that winged creature stalking closer, its red eyes fixed on her and pinning her in place. Then, everything exploded into bright, white light and she had slipped away into oblivion.

Where ever she was now was not a safe place. That much she knew.

"Miss Swan?" A voice asked. An uncomfortably familiar, nails-on-the-chalkboard kind of voice.

No…no!

Her eyes fluttered open, and she blinked in the torch lit darkness. It was nighttime, she was outside, tied fast to a tree trunk, and the last person she ever wanted to see again was standing in front of her. There were other shapes, other people off farther out, but they didn't matter. All that mattered was… "Gold."

He grinned, his eyes semi-yellow in the fire light. "Ah, you are awake. That's good. We wouldn't want you to miss the party, after all."

"What party? Where am I, Gold?" She tugged at her binds, feeling the rough cord with the tips of her fingers. They were completely secure, not even the smallest amount of give. If Gold had bound her to a thicker tree, her shoulders would be aching right now. However, he was at least considerate enough to secure her where she wouldn't be terribly uncomfortable.

When she broke free, she'd be sure to thank him for that as she kicked his lying, heart-stealing ass.

Suddenly, she became quite aware of how precarious her situation was, and for the first time, she took an interest in Gold's other accomplices. There were three, all women, judging by the hair and clothes, but the details of their features were too hard for her to see. Never mind, didn't matter who they were, she'd figure it out eventually, and right now, Gold, with his maniacal little schemes, was her main problem.

"Well, Miss Swan. You are still within Storybrooke's borders, somewhere in the northwest woods, I'd say. And you are the honored guest at our little soiree." Gold expounded, giving her a little mock bow.

"If I'm your guest, why am I tied up? Couldn't you have just sent out an RSVP like a normal person," She sneered.

He chuckled. "Would you really have come if I had sent you an invitation?"

She glared and worked her hands against the ropes even harder. "I'm sure if you just asked nicely, I would have been happy to come and arrest you for attempted murder. Or maybe you should stop playing these games and go apologize to Belle, and Killian, and who knows who else that you've used and manipulated."

His eyes flashed with barely concealed anger for a second before he regained his always cool composure. "Now, now, Miss Swan, where's the fun in that?" His chuckle had taken on the tone of an angry hyena. "Before the festivities begin, how about I introduce you to the other guests?" He waved a hand and three females strolled from the edge of the forest to join him at his side.

"Miss Swan, I would like to introduce you to Cruella, Ursula, and…" here he broke off with a little chuckle "…well, I believe Maleficent you have already met." With each name the lady in question gave Emma a slight head tilt accompanied by a smirk.

Nope, that wasn't creepy. Not at all. Three famous villainesses all working together with Dark One. No, she wasn't worried one bit. "What is this? Are you guys forming a band? Is Gold gonna sing, 'cause I'm pretty sure there's not much of a market for aging crocodiles in Storybrooke," Emma gave Gold a death stare, and he continued as before, trying to appear completely unfazed.

"I've gathered you all together, because, as is befitting any good party, the Queens of Darkness would like to bestow a gift upon our guest of honor."

Emma knit her brow and wished more than anything that her magic was working. It seemed as if it was being contained somehow. Even her connection with Killian felt suppressed. All she had was her lie detector, and that was pinging away like crazy. "A gift? I'll let you know I don't take presents from strangers. Or crazy people." In her usual way, she fought off the rise of panic by making stupid jokes, trying to piss off her assailants enough to cause them to make a mistake. "The Queens of Darkness, by the way, is a terrible name for a band, just so you know."

But this wasn't any old perp, this was Gold. And Gold was very nearly unshakable. And she had no idea what these Queens of Darkness were capable of either. Perhaps she had best keep the taunts to a minimum and focus on finding a way out of here. Her wrist were rubbed raw already, and she was nearly positive they were cut and bloody by the way the cool night breeze was making them sting and burn. Right now, though, nothing mattered to her except getting free.

"Tsk, tsk. That isn't very polite. Especially with what I'm offering you," Gold continued. The women behind her had started watching her like she was an interesting specimen of bug and it was really starting to give her the creeps.

"I'm not interested in anything from you," she spat. Looking up, she could see the thin sliver of the moon behind the trees and she couldn't stop herself from wandering about those she loved. Was Henry okay? Her parents? Killian? Were they worried about her? Looking for her?

A year ago, she would have convinced herself that nobody would ever come, that she wasn't worthy of anyone caring about her. But now, basking in her newly accepted love, she knew better. They were looking. They would come, they would find her. And just like in the fairy tales, they would stop Gold before he got away with whatever crazy idea was in his head this time. She just had to believe it, right?

"Oh, perhaps I should explain, then." Gold flourished his hand, and into the air in front of him appeared some sort of glass bubble. It floated lazily, bobbing slightly with the breeze, but never straying far.

Unable to stop herself, Emma asked, "What is that?"

Gold chuckled, a keening high-pitched sound she hadn't heard him make since she saw the real Rumpelstiltskin back in the Enchanted Forest. Even though they were the same person, she wasn't aware the pawn broker had ever sounded like that. It made him sound deranged. Well, more noticeably deranged than usual. Was this something to do with losing Belle?

"This, dearie, is merely a vessel for collecting dark magic. As you can see, it is perfectly empty. That is because it is waiting to be filled," and then, looking her straight in the eye, the madness far more evident now, he added, "by you."

Emma was confused. Was she supposed to go around and collect magic for him, like he had Killian do with the hat? He couldn't steal her heart to control her, so was he going to make her some sort of offer? Besides, everyone she knew with dark magic (and she wasn't about to include Regina in that mix) was standing right there in front of her.

He quickly noticed her confusion, and smiled. With another sweep of his hand, he produced one more object in thin air, holding it aloft between the pinched fingers of his left hand. In the flickering light of the torches, Emma could just barely make out a long slender, metallic shape. One that had wicked looking point on the end. A needle.

A moment later, quicker than she could blink, he pricked her lightly in the arm with it, again fighting back a little giggle as he did so. She was too shocked to register the sting, and all she could do was watch in fascination as he touched a drop of her blood to the surface of the globe.

Suddenly, the floating orb flashed with a brilliant white light, and the interior clouded over with a murky fog of red and white smoke, before settling into a pearlescent ivory color. She could see the wax and wane of the smoke, as if it was being stirred by an invisible breeze. If she hadn't been so terrified, it would have been mesmerizing.

"What you are seeing, Miss Swan, is a representation of the magic you possess. Beautiful, lovely, light magic." He ran a hand around the surface, as if caressing it. "But unfortunately for us, not suitable for our purposes."

"And what would that be?" She asked, tearing her eyes away from the globe and redoubling her efforts at the rope. That's right, Emma. Keep him talking, give them a chance to find you.

His answering chuckle was echoed by the ladies behind him. "Why, dearie… our happy ending, of course!"

"Wait! You're after the author, too?" She said incredulously. How had they found out about him?

Gold tapped his chin with a finger and said, "Not exactly, no. Let's just say that as soon as we're done here tonight, we'll have what we need to side-step that little obstacle. After all, why would we need the author, when we could simply write our own story?"

Picturing exactly whatever twisted scenario Gold envisioned for his happy ending left Emma shuddering. No doubt the other witches would have a few fun ideas of their own as well. "You're awfully sure of yourself, Crocodile," she spat, again using Killian's favorite nickname deliberately.

It definitely produced the reaction she was looking for. Gold's entire body grew rigid and his face changed into something not entirely human. "Laugh all you want, dearie, but soon enough, you'll feel differently. Soon, you'll be right here with us, on our side. It'll be like you are our Savior." His jaw clenched and for the first time, he turned away from her, stepping back to speak with the trio of ladies.

Emma shouted, "I will never help you, Gold! You are a selfish coward and a totally worthless asshole! Do you think this is what will win Belle over? How would Neal feel about what you've done? He gave his life for you, and what have you done to repay him? You're more the thing he hated now than ever!" She could tell her words were hitting home by the way his body jerked with each new accusation.

Suddenly, he spun around, striding right up to her, his eyes dark with fury. "Don't you dare talk to me about my son. I am doing this for him, and for Belle. I am writing the story the way I want it to be and that doesn't include losing my son to a witch with jealousy issues and my wife to—"

"Your selfish love of power?" Emma finished.

Gold seethed, breathing heavily. "Enough of this. I don't need to explain myself or my reason to you, Miss Swan. I never have. Now," he turned around once more, beckoning the witches forward, "are you ready to get the party started?"

As one, the woman answered him with a resounding "Yes!" and Gold stepped out of the way.

Emma felt the rise of panic flood over her. This was really happening, and no one had come to stop them. No one had come to rescue her. Sure, she claimed that the only one who saved her was herself, but that didn't mean she couldn't use a little help from time to time.

Her heart sank, the hope that she had been stoking and feeding flickering into ash. She watched with dawning horror as the woman joined hands, looking upwards to the dark sky, and began chanting something powerful in a language she couldn't understand.

Her body certainly felt whatever they were doing though. The magic in her veins thumped erratically, as if it were trying to break lose and escape through her skin. All she could do was continue to tug and rub against the ropes, determined to keep fighting until her last breath if need be, as the air around her swirled and pulsed with dark magic.

Suddenly, her whole body convulsed painfully, as the witches raised their hands, directing their fingers straight at her heart. She felt as if they were drawing something out of her, and her body arched against the tree, her back scraping against the bark. Biting back the scream that wanted to tear loose from her throat, she held on to whatever images of goodness she could clutch at: Henry smiling at her over hot cocoa. Her mother and father hugging her after the curse broke. The kiss with Killian outside of Granny's. And a dozens more, each one becoming as elusive as vapor as the pain increased.

Then, just as she thought the pain couldn't get any worse, the force of the magic seemed to reverse itself. Instead of feeling like it was being sucked out of her, it felt like something was being pushed in. Something dark, and cold, and terrifyingly electric. It started at her toes, winding its way up her calves, covering her thighs and torso. She could feel the thick ooze of something unpleasant working its way through her blood, her veins running rich with black ice. She tried to fight back, but a piece of her, a very small part of the farthest corner of her heart, welcomed the feeling it created. Still, as it approached her heart, she couldn't hold back her screams any longer.

Mercifully, as the darkness took hold within her and nestled itself around her heart, as the inky black began to churn together with the bright red, her mind gave up the fight and unconsciousness found her once more.

The spell completed, the Queens of Darkness stumbled back, weak from the exertion it took to enact the curse. But the deed was done. And soon enough, every bit of light magic that was in Emma would turn to darkness and there would be no return for the savior.

From a pocket in his jacket, Gold produced a small blue stone, the very same that the Snow Queen had used to extract Emma's memories once before. With a little wave of his hand, the rock glowed pink and a stream of purple magic slipped from Emma's sleeping form. "Sorry, dearie, can't have you spoiling our plans."

He turned back to the women, who were still slowly recovering their strength and announced, "And now, ladies, it is up to you to do your part. If all goes well, Emma's magic will be ours within the week."

Maleficent groaned and pulled herself up on her staff. "And where will you be, imp?"

Gold grinned maliciously. "Why, every hero needs a villain to fight," he replied cryptically. "Our deal still stands. I have the orb, and as long as you help me fill it, we shall all share in the magic."

Ursula flicked back her hair and growled. "You know what would happen to you, Gold, if you try to betray us again, right?"

"Of course, dearie. Once I make a deal, I never break it." He bowed mockingly at them and the grin slid from his face. "I will honor my pledge. As long as you… honor… yours." He answered, punctuating his words by pointing to each one individually.

Cruella pulled up the fur coat tighter on her shoulder. "Darling, as much as I'd dearly love to turn you into kibble, we would much rather win for once. We'll have no trouble helping the Savior join the right team, never fear."

With a slight head nod, Gold replied, "Never do," and vanished.

…

When Killian awoke, it was like someone was pounding a drum inside his head. What the bloody devil -had happened to him? Had he gone on another all day bender? If so, he was having possibly the worst hangover he had ever had. He ran a hand over his face and tried to push himself up off the ground.

"Whoa there, mate!" A too loud voice called out, and suddenly a pair of strong arms were pulling him to his feet.

Killian frowned, and barked, "Get your bloody hands off me, maggot!" He tried to swing loose from the steadying hold but felt himself start to pitch forward.

"Stop it, Hook! Let me help you," the voice commanded.

Killian growled, but didn't try to pull away, as the arms led him backwards to a waiting chair. Whoever had a hold of him, slipped his arm out and came to stand just in front of him, a worried look on the man's face. "What happened?"

Blinking, trying to clear the fog away from his mind, his thoughts slowly swam back into focus. "Dave?"

"Yeah. Man, you had us all really worried there for a moment. One minute we were talking about a possible lead on Emma, and the next, you were convulsing on the floor." David looked him up and down, a frown taking over his features. "Does this have something to do with that bond you mentioned? Did something happen to Emma?"

Swallowing hard with a tongue that felt like sandpaper, Killian gritted his teeth and forced himself to try to search out for the other end of his tether once more. This time, it snapped into place, like a fish on a hook. "Aye, something's happened, but I've no idea what. However, I do believe that I can now locate your daughter."

Mary Margaret rushed back from the kitchen where she had been fetching Killian a glass of water. "Really? Where is she?"

Groaning, Killian forced himself to his feet, taking the glass from Mary Margaret gratefully and downing it in one gulp. With a new-found determination flaring behind his eyes, he turned to the gathered group and said, "She's in the forest. I can take you there."

A moment later, David and Regina followed after him, Mary Margaret staying behind with Neal and Henry, whose silent anxiety of his mother's welfare was starting to show. They took David's truck to the outskirts of the forest, proceeding on foot the rest of the way. Regina, despite numerous opportunities, never once complained about traipsing through a damp, cold forest, only the silence between them punctuating the air.

Killian was far too focused on finding Emma to think about what he had felt right before he collapsed. It would do her no good if he let that memory cloud his judgment. There would be time after she was once again safe and at home to figure out what had happened, but right now, finding her was paramount.

David watched Killian's determined stride as he guided them to where he believed Emma to be. He still didn't fully understand this bond they supposedly shared, but if it was enough to locate his daughter, he wasn't about to question the method. As he walked, his mind drifted back to what had occurred only a short while ago at the loft.

One minute, Hook was fine, listening intently to the report of a strange light over the northwest corner of the forest, and the next he had fallen to the floor, face clenched in pain, holding back screams as his body arched painfully. He quickly understood that what he was seeing wasn't Hook's pain, it was Emma's, and the thought of his precious daughter being tortured in that manner almost made him snap. Thankfully, whatever happened had lasted only seconds, and seemingly Hook was now fully back to normal.

He could only hope it meant the same for his daughter.

…

Emma awoke to the frantic, hushed whispers of her family circling around her. But her thoughts were a jumble of contradictory thoughts and feelings.

They left me. They didn't come back.

They found me! I'm home!

How could they leave me again?

I'm safe.

They don't love me.

They do love me!

It was driving her crazy. She squinted and opened her eyes, noticing first the piercing blue of Killian's relieved gaze and her fears melted away. Then, she tilted her head to see Henry, her parents, and even Regina circling around her on the sofa in her parent's loft. It made her want to cry. And, oddly, it made her want to run.

"Emma, honey! We were so worried," her mother cried, cradling her hand in her own. Emma fought off the urge to pull it back out of her grip like she was burned, and instead slipped her hand out slowly as she sat up.

"Do you know what happened to you?" David asked, his clear blue eyes shadowed with concern.

God, did he ever stop being a damn prince for one second?

Wait. Where had that thought come from?

She shook her head, not quite trusting her mouth to speak at the moment. Her eyes flitted over Killian who was watching her quite curiously, and instead she forced a smile for her son.

Henry let out a little whimper and fell into her arms. For a second, it felt as if everything was fine, it was all normal. And then, the sudden urge to just push the kid aside in revulsion, like he were some sort of leech trying to feed, welled up within in her. She shuddered under Henry's touch and fought against the thought. In her peripheral vision, she saw Killian's eyes flash darkly in sudden fear.

Before she could stop herself, she said, "Hey, um. Thanks for finding me, everybody. But I don't really have any idea what happened."

Regina jumped in, explaining about her vanishing after the fight with the monster. Emma shrugged her shoulders, "Sorry. Don't remember much about it. I recall fighting it with you, then a light, then…well, waking up here."

"Honey, you've been gone for hours," Mary Margaret replied. "We only just found you in the woods, slumped against a tree, about twenty minutes ago."

Emma frowned. Hours? There was no way she could have been out for that long and not noticed. Right? "Maybe the beast just knocked me out and left me there. Maybe it wanted me out of the fight," she offered, but the words sounded lame.

"Aye, but that wouldn't explain the nice pair of bracelets you're sporting," Killian said with a nod at her wrists.

Emma looked down and frowned. Her wrist were encircled in bright red marks, no doubt a rope burn, and there were places were here flesh had been torn and bloodied. "What the hell?" She muttered.

"I'd say you were tied up at some point, and unless that creature we saw has the most dexterous hands in the world, I doubt it was the culprit," Regina commented.

"And I'm willing to bet you were awake for at least part of your detainment, or how else would you explain the way it looks as if you were trying to free yourself from the ropes," David added. Then as an afterthought, he said, "And then there's Hook."

Emma looked up, catching the man in question's eye and frowning before turning back to her father. "What about him?"

David hesitated, unsure how much she was ready to hear. Regina seemed to have no such problem, "Your pirate had a fit about an hour ago, and we think it had something to do with your special connection."

"You told them?" She cried in embarrassment, not sure whether to blame Killian or Regina. She decided she liked the idea of blaming Regina better.

This was too much right now. She just needed space to think, she needed calm to clear her head and reassess. She needed… "I'm going for a walk," she stated, startling everyone except Killian.

"Emma! It's the middle of the night! You've been kidnapped, that… thing is still out there, and so is whoever did that to you," she motioned to Emma's wrists, "do you really think leaving is a good idea right now?"

Gritting her teeth, Emma tried to fight back the wave of defensive anger she felt at her mother's words. "Yes," was all she managed, as she sat up and began looking for her coat.

Emma found her jacket, hanging off of Hook's hook, as he stood guard by the door. 'You going to stop me, pirate?' She thought angrily.

Instead, he merely looked her over, his brow furrowed as if trying to piece together a particularly difficult puzzle, and said, "Love, if you don't mind, I'll be joining you. It's time for me to take my leave anyway," he added, a curt nod towards the still flabbergasted group on the other side of the room, silently indicating he would keep an eye on her.

"Fine," she said, grabbing his arm and leading him out, much to the chagrin of her parents and son. "I'll walk you home."

The second she left the loft, it felt as if she could breathe again. Even Killian beside her seemed to loosen up a bit, no doubt feeling her emotions as well. She looked up at him and offered him a genuine smile. "Thank you for not making this a big deal," she said, slipping her arm around his as they made their way into the cool night air.

"Swan, you forget, I can feel what you do now." He sighed, running his good hand through his hair. "Something happened to you out there in the woods. I've no idea what it was, but there is something different about you."

Pulling slightly away, she frowned up at him, "What do you mean?"

He sighed, shaking his head as if to clear it and pulled her back tightly. "I don't know, love. And that frightens me terribly."

She wondered why his clingy, morose nature wasn't bothering her more. She knew with certainty that if it were Mary Margaret or David walking with her now, she would be itching to get away. But with Killian, she almost felt the exact opposite. Being back in his arms made her feel better than she had all night. Her heart felt light again and her thoughts were less confusing. "Killian, look, I'm back, I'm safe. I'm also way more tired than I realized. I think for now, we should leave it. If there is something wrong, I trust you to fix it."

Immediately his whole body changed. It was if she had doused him with liquid calm. He smiled down at her warmly, and pulled her in closer to his heat. Placing a small kiss on top of her head, he tangled his hand in her hair and let out a deep, shuddering breath, finally releasing all the emotions of the day.

As they approached his room, he encircled her in his arms, bending down for a needy, desperate kiss. She kissed him back with equal measure, letting their shared emotions vibrate between them. In his arms, like this, everything else just went away. The way he licked and suckled at her lips drove away all the nagging fears she hadn't even realized she had been holding onto.

All too soon, however, he pulled back, and with a final, quick peck on her nose, he said, "Go home, love. Be with your family. They need to know you're alright, too."

She nodded. Now, she could quite clearly see just how she had hurt them by running away earlier, and she knew he was right. "Okay, but I'm meeting up with you for coffee first thing tomorrow morning and then, we are going to find out what the hell happened to me," she declared with confident determination. The kind that was only brought out in his presence.

Killian chuckled, and the inky cold feeling that had been nipping at her skin all night was driven away. "I do like the sound of that, my fiery lass," he kissed her again, this time full of reassurance and care, and whispered, "G'night, my love."

...

Next: What's a Dark!Savior to do? And can Killian keep Hook at bay? Also, isn't having magic simply intoxicating. I wonder why Emma hasn't used it far more often...