All Copyrights still apply. Before anyone sends a mammoth-sized wall of flame my way, just a word of warning: this chapter is going to get violent. Characters will be injured in various ways. But no, there will be no character death in this story, so just...whoo-sah. Ok, peoples...it's about to get real.
The time has come.
Cora knew now that she had spent more than enough time pruning and planning. She had amassed all the knowlege she would need to launch an effective strike. She knew exactly which pieces to move on her human chessboard in order to force Storybrooke into check and mate.
Every piece except one.
Regina.
Cora had observed her daughter with a very keen eye in the days since she'd arrived in this 'realm without magic', and one thing, she believed, was for certain: her errant child most definitely needed an attitude adjustment.
She simply did not understand how Regina could have forgotten herself so completely, especially now that there was the advantage of magic being introduced to this world. She had every opportunity to reasert control, to remind the pathetic rabble of this town that the Queen was still, very much, in.
Unfortunately, it seemed as though her daughter had shifted her priorities elsewhere.
It was more than obvious that Regina had put the welfare and happiness of that insufferable little whelp above all else.
Once again, she had let her heart lead her. Once again, she had let love cloud her judgement.
It was infuriating.
She'd come all this way, through an untold number of worlds...and for what? To find that the daughter she'd sacrificed everything for had squandered the power she'd been given and thrown it away like so much garbage?
If Cora still had a heart, she would've felt as though it had just been crushed. But that was why she'd had it removed so very long ago. So that it would never be touched by such...emotion.
This was a betrayal of the worst kind. An absolute slap in the face.
No...Regina wasn't going to be convinced. Cora knew that now. She might not give a damn what the rest of the town thought of her, but the boy...his opinion was the only thing that mattered. She would not do anything to tarnish that, even for her own mother.
And here, Cora had thought that the savior-the Swan girl-was the head of her beast of burden. The glue that united them.
Cut her down, and they'd all topple like a piteous house of cards.
How wrong she was.
It was the boy.
A beast can reform a severed limb, but it only had one heart.
That's what Henry was.
The heart.
The touchstone.
The one thing that had united good and evil. And all for the love of a child...
Cora now knew what she had to do. She'd destroyed Regina once before in order to save her from herself.
It appeared she was going to have to do it again.
Henry Mills was going to die.
Making her way towards Regina's house, Cora readied herself. She knew that her daughter would not go down without a fight. Still, as much as she despised what her daughter had become, Cora had no desire to kill her. At least, not unless it was absolutely necessary. However, Regina was going to have to be taken out of play. That much was for certain. Her time was far too valuable to be hampered by Regina's desperate attempts at a backlash.
Coming up to the house, Cora swiftly walked up the front porch steps, raised her hands outwards, called forth her magic...and promptly blew the front door off its hinges. Without a second's hesitation, she sauntered in as if she owned the place.
Stopping in the middle of the foyer, she called out with pure wickedness in her voice, "Regina, darling! Mummy's home!"
Just then, Regina came running in from the kitchen like a bat out of hell. When mother and daughter finally laid eyes on each other, Regina stood frozen, in a state of abject shock. Her face contorted into mixture of fear and overwhelming disbelief.
"Mother?! But...how?!"
In reality, though, Regina already had her answer. She'd suspected this was coming. Had warned Gold as much.
"Oh, sweetheart...surely you didn't think a little ol' mirror was going to keep me away, did you?" Cora answered, sickly sweet. "You should know me better than that."
"Mom!? What's going on?! What's happening?!" Henry had chosen that moment to come flying out of his room and barreling down the staircase, but he stopped midway down as realization began to sink in.
Both women simultaneously turned their heads to look up at him, but it was Regina who reacted first, terrified for her son's life.
"No! Henry, don't! Get out of here! Now!" She yelled to him, calling forth her own magic to try and blast Cora back. But it wasn't enough. Her mother merely absorbed the force and threw it back at her, sending Regina hurtling into the parlor.
Cora turned towards Henry, who was standing at the foot of the stairs, frozen in fear. She pierced him with a glare that was ice cold, and quipped, "well, well...if it isn't the little one who's been stealing mommy's thunder? Children these days..."
Suddenly, there was a noise from further inside the house, and out of the corner of his eye, Henry recognized that it was Regina, trying to quiety shuffle back in the room behind Cora, while her back was turned. There was a stream of blood dripping from a gash on her forehead, and she was holding her right arm to her chest tightly, as if it might've been dislocated. Her left hand was pulsing with purple energy, and the look in her eyes was nothing short of furious.
"Mother! Take another step near my son, and I swear to God, I will kill you!" She roared, flinging her hand out to release her power.
But Cora was quicker. "Not this time, darling. Not ever again."
She put her hand up, creating some kind of vise-like grip around Regina's wrist to keep her from utilizing it.
Regina's heart sunk. With both arms immobilized, she had absolutely no way of accessing her magic. So, she followed the only recourse left to her.
She screamed.
"HENRY!" For a split second, terror-filled eyes locked onto eachother. "RUN!"
Henry didn't even stop to think. He just turned and bolted up the staircase as fast as his legs could carry him. He wasn't sure where he was gonna go, but knew he had to as least try and get to a phone. Call Emma. Or his grandparents. Call somebody...
The house didn't have a back door, but if he could make it to his bedroom window and crawl outside, he might be able to shimmy down the drain pipe. He'd done stuff like that before, to sneak away when Regina wouldn't let him see Emma.
But Cora was not one to be deterred. While one hand was holding Regina in place, she used her other one to send her magic out and forcefully lift Henry off his feet, propelling him into the nearest wall. Within seconds, wooden beams burst forth from the sheetrock and wrapped around his body, paralyzing his movement and effectively trapping him.
He jerked and bucked wildly, in an attempt to free himself. But it was of no use. He was at Cora's mercy now.
"NO!" Regina screamed, trying everything in her power to get loose. But Cora's strength was unyielding.
Cora walked calmly up to her daughter and said, her tone dripping with malice, "I told you once before, dear daughter...love is weakness. Such a pity it had to come to this, but you'll thank me...in the end."
And with that, she pursed her lips into an 'O' shape and blew a fine, sparkling mist straight into Regina's face.
She tried not to inhale, but it was too late. As soon as she tried to cough the vapor away, it was already doing it's job. Regina's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she sank to the ground like a stone.
Cora then glided up the stairs and approached the wall where Henry was pinned. They locked gazes for a silent moment, and even though she knew the boy was afraid, his eyes showed nothing but bitter contempt.
He was, without doubt, Regina's son.
"Goodnight, sweet prince..." she drawled, giving him the same treatment as she had Regina. He was unconscious within seconds. Cora then released him from his bonds and gathered him up into her arms as he dropped.
And in a swirl of purple smoke, they disappeared.
The Jolly Roger sat quietly in its slip, bobbing ever-so-slightly with the current's ebb and flow. Warm rays of sunlight shone down upon the ship, burning off the last dregs of early morning fog, leaving the vessel with a hauntingly ethereal quality, were anyone able to actually see it.
Below decks, the passageways were silent, save for the ever-present creaking and rocking. In the Captain's Cabin, the candles had burned down low, casting the room into a miasma of soft light and shadow.
Clothing was scattered carelessly about the floor, a testament to the previous evening's...activities. Two figures lay huddled together in the bed, their bodies a massive tangle of limbs and sheets. Killian was laid on his back, his arms wrapped securely around Emma as she lay peacefully, curled into his side, her head pillowed on his chest. Her arm was locked snuggly around his torso, as if she was determined to hold onto him, even in sleep. No sound could be heard but the steady rhythm of their breathing as they slumbered on.
Killian, for his part, had been restless most of the night. In fact, he'd managed to fall asleep only a few scant hours before, just as the burden of exhaustion became too much to bear. He just couldn't seem to stop the torrent of thoughts his mind was being bombarded with. He was sure that his passion-filled admission would've sent her running, knowing what loving someone had done to her in the past, but instead, Emma suprised him. She said nothing, but rather, gave him the sweetest, most loving kiss he'd ever had. It was, as if, she was trying to convey, without words, that she understood.
And then she initiated round two. The woman was utterly insaciable.
It was the most intense sexual experience of his life.
But when he finally came down from the rush and was able to actually sit back and relax-to think for a moment-he found himself plagued with a dozen different emotions all at once. Guilt that he had somehow betrayed Milah's memory; frustration that he had let this one woman distract him so completely from his mission; amazement that, even if she hadn't said it, she felt something for him, too.
Emma Swan had come to mean so much to him in so short a time, that he'd begun to wonder if, in her, he might have found something more important to him than his revenge. Could he set his grudges aside? Look at Rumplestiltskin now and simply just...walk away? He wasn't sure. He could still remember the exact moment in his mind, when the beast crushed her heart to dust, and she collapsed in his arms, as a last strangled 'I love you' died on her lips. There was no way he could just let that go. Milah's spirit was crying out for justice. No matter how much he may...love Emma, and he absolutely could not deny that he did, he had sworn an end to his Crocodile.
And an end there would be.
Only then would he be able to close this chapter in his long life and start a new story with Emma. Only then would he know peace.
They were still asleep when, out of nowhere, the cabin door opened with a defined whoosh, and Smee came stumbling in. He was barely across the threshold, when he was brought up short by the sight before him.
Killian, who was a light sleeper by nature, awoke immediately at the foreign sound. He sat up carefully, trying his best not to disturb Emma, and blindly reached to the floor with his good hand, grabbing for his hook. He brought the weapon up, ready to launch it at the unknown intruder, but then realized after a few seconds of letting his eyesight adjust, that there was no danger.
Sodding wanker! Didn't anyone ever teach him how to knock?!
Killian sent Smee a withering glare and then turned to put the hook under his pillow. At the same time, he did as much as possible to shield Emma's body and protect her modesty. He could see the cur's eyes wandering, even only sligtly, but clearly enjoying the view.
"What is it?!" Killian whispered through gritted teeth.
"Apologies, Cap'n! Didn't mean to disturb, but...it's just that...I've got important information, sir!" Smee whispered back, sounding very sure of himself.
He can't be serious...
Killian reached down for his leather pants and put them on in exasperation, not even bothering to do up the ties and straps. This movement caused Emma to stir slightly, and he leaned over, using the soothing sound of his voice to lull her back to sleep. He then got up off the bed, adjusted her covers, and softly padded over to the cabin door. His mood had soured considerably, and if Smee's supposed revelation didn't involve the words 'Rumplestiltskin' and 'dead' in the same sentence, the git was going to be sorry.
Killian poked his head out the door, along with his hooked arm, which he used to grab Smee by the buttonhole of his jacket and thrust him forward.
"What in the hell could be so bloody important that you couldn't even bother to use common courtesy?!" He spat, still trying to keep his voice down.
"I'm sorry, sir! But this is somethin' you're gonna wanna hear. About killin' the Crocodile, Cap'n. It's what we've been waiting for!" Smee explained, with no shortage of twisted glee.
Killian looked back at Emma's sleeping form for a moment, as if trying to force himself to come to a final decision. Then he turned back to Smee and said, "Hmm...very well, then. Now take your wretched arse up on deck, and I'll met you up there in five minutes." As Smee nodded and made to leave, Killian added, "and bloody well be quiet!"
Killian finished dressing in record time, but decided to carry his boots out with him so that Emma would not be awoken by the noise of him lugging about. Once he made it back up onto the main deck, he fairly shouted to Smee, who was sitting patiently on one of the bits.
"Oi! Now, what is this all about then, eh? And it better be worth my time, you nonce!"
"It is! I swear!" Smee assured him, and then continued, "listen...someone came to see me this mornin'. Said he was wantin' to talk to ya. I told him it wasn't gonna happen without goin' through me first. Told him I needed to know what his story was cause you ain't gonna come out for just anybody, after all. He tells me that his name is George. Guess he used ta be some big, fat king or some such. I don't really know for sure. Then he says that you and he's got the same enemy, and he's got somethin' that could help you. Not sure what it was. He wouldn't say too much, just that it was guaranteed to get the job done."
Killian's eyes darkened. If this...George spoke the truth, this could be the answer he'd spent three hundred years searching for. Granted, he only had the man's word to go on, but...he'd worked with less before. Even if this lead took him to a dead end, he had to at least try.
"Alright, then. How am I to contact him?" he asked, arms crossed, and looking as if his patience was being very tried.
Smee handed him a small card, on which was written an address and a time. Judging by that and the position of the sun, Killian estimated he only had about an hour to prepare.
"Fine...and...well done, Smee. Good form," he complemented, but somehow it didn't seem like very much of one. "And Smee," Killian stopped him once again from leaving and beckoned him over with a finger. Before the man could blink, Killian's hand shot out and wrapped itself around his first mate's throat. He yanked the man forward so that they were almost nose to nose, and with a dangerous calm, warned, "if you ever look at that woman with such lecherousness again, I will rip your eyes from their sockets and feed them to the gulls. Am I understood?"
"Y-yes sir! I'm sorry! I never meant no harm, Cap'n!" Smee croaked.
"No...you never do. Now get off my ship!" He bellowed, and Smee took off like a shot.
Killian wasted no time in heading back down to his cabin. He didn't want Emma to awaken without him there and make the assumption that he'd disappeared on her as though she were some common bangtail. Unfortunately, by the time he reentered the room, he was disheartened to find that she was already awake and getting dressed.
"Emma...?" he said gently, walking over and sitting down next to her on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry to have woken you, love. It wasn't my intention."
"Hmm?" She said, her attention focused on getting her denim-clad legs into her boots. "Oh...no...it's alright. I have to get going anyways. Mary-Margaret and David are probably wondering what happened to me, and I really need to talk to Henry...I mean, to make sure he knows that nothing's wrong."
"Well..." he responded, his voice gaining that low and sultry tone he seemed to reserve only for her. He ran his fingers slowly through her hair and then softly down her back. He brought his lips close to her ear and whispered, "there's no need to be in such a rush, darling..."
She shivered as his breath ghosted over her neck, and then closed her eyes, allowing his heady scent to overwhelm her senses. As if on autopilot, she tilted her neck to offer him better access, and he did not hesitate. He rained a hot trail of nips and kisses down her neck to her shoulder, his hand slowly cascading down her arm and stopping just at the underside of her breast. She moaned with pleasure as he massaged her nipple through her tank top between thumb and forefinger.
He knew if they weren't careful, they'd soon be heading towards round three. Not that he minded in the least...
Once his hand started dipping lower however, eventually reaching the apex of her thighs, Emma's demeanor visibly changed. She stiffened in his arms and put her hand over his in an effort to move it away. Then, she adjusted herself and sat up straight, forcing Killian to disengage himself from her or risk falling off the bed.
"Emma...please don't do this..." he sighed, knowing full well what was coming. He just didn't expect it to hurt so damn much.
"Killian, I...I'm sorry. I...I can't..." she trailed off, and it was like deja-vu in the worst way possible.
I can't do this...
It was the beanstalk all over again.
She stood up from the bed quickly and made her way over to the desk to grab her leather jacket.
She went to the door, but only managed to open it a crack, when Killian's hand appeared out of nowhere and slammed it shut. He was not going to let her do this to him again-run away and leave him hanging-because she was too afraid to believe someone could actually love her.
Not this time.
"Emma! I'm not him..." he intoned, angry but sincere. "You can't spend your entire life running away..."
She rounded on him so quickly, he was forced to back up or she'd be almost on top of him.
"Says the pirate who spent three hundred years running! You have absolutely no room to talk!" She fumed.
"You think I don't know that?! I never wanted this! Any of it! My soul has become so black, that sometimes I don't even know who I am anymore! But you know something? In all these centuries, the only time I've ever been able to feel anything...to remember the man I once was...is when I'm with you!" He roared back, his face inches from hers.
They stood, staring into eachother, an unnatural silence permeating the room, except for the sound of their ragged breathing. All of a sudden, without warning, Emma grabbed fistfulls of his shirt with both hands and thrust him toward her, crushing his lips with her own. KIllian's reaction was immediate; he grabbed her around the waist and roughly walked her backwards, slamming her into the door.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him for all she was worth, because honestly, she wasn't sure if they would ever be this way with eachother again.
When they finally had to come up for air, he rested his forehead on her shoulder and held her so tightly in his arms, it was as though he wanted her to crawl inside of him and never leave.
"Emma...I won't let you walk away from me again. I can't..." he breathed into her shoulder. "Last night...I meant every word. You know I did..."
And she did. When she looked into his eyes as he said the words, it was probably the most honest he'd been his entire life.
She brought his head up until their eyes met and cupped his face in her hands. "I know...I just..." she tailed off with a mournful sigh. How was she to explain this so that she could make him understand? "I want to try. I swear, I do. It's just...I've got parts of my life-my past-that I need to close first. I can't give anyone, not even you, my whole heart until that's done. If anyone can understand that, it should be you, right? You didn't come here for me, remember? Your revenge is your whole life. I wish that wasn't true, but it is. I don't want us to wind up at odds, but that's what's gonna happen if we don't make things right with ourselves first. Otherwise, we'll push and pull eachother until we-"
"Until we break." He cut her off, because she was right.
He was running his fingertips slowly down her cheeks when, out of the blue, her cell phone went off. And just like that, the moment was broken.
His shoulders slumped a little, and his face fell as she quickly maneuvered herself away from him to take the call.
/"Hello? Oh...Mary-Margaret."/ This was the last thing she needed right now. /"Umm...I'm fine. Thanks. Yeah, I just needed some time to myself, that's all. No...I don't want to deal with either of them right now. I know...I'll have to eventually. And I will. Just not right at this moment...wait...what? Henry isn't in school today? Did Regina call him out? No?"/ All of a sudden, the hairs on the back of Emma's neck started to stand up.
Something wasn't right. Killian noticed her worry immediately, but when he made to take her free hand in his own, she waved him off.
/"You don't think something happened, do you? Cora? I don't know..."/ As she said this, she leveled a heated gaze right at Killian. He at least had the decency to look appropriately guilt-ridden. /"It's possible. Look...call David and tell him to meet me at Regina's, alright? And tell him to bring Mulan's sword. No! You stay at the school in case Henry shows up. I don't need the whole town going into mass hysterics."/
With that, Emma quickly hung up and turned back to Killian. She was beyond livid.
"You brought her here-"
But he interjected before she could even finish the thought, his hand and hook held up in surrender, "Emma...on my life, I swear I had nothing to do with her plans!She was just my way through, nothing more! I had no idea what she was going to do! Please...I would never do anything to hurt your lad! You have to believe, I...I could never cause you that kind of pain!" He implored, hoping against hope she would see that he spoke the truth.
"I...I believe you," she relented a fraction, yet it made her no less resolute. "But know this: if anything happens to my son, I will deliver you to Gold myself."
As soon as they entered Regina's house, their worst suspicions were confirmed.
Cora was in Storybrooke. And she had taken Henry.
David immediately went to check on Regina's condition, gathering her unconscious body into his arms and placing her carefully on a nearby couch. At the same time, Emma took out her phone and started calling in reinforcements. She knew exactly what Cora was capable of, and if she was going to have any chance of getting Henry back-alive-she was going to need as much help as she could get. She contacted the dwarves, the fairies, Granny and Ruby-anyone who had some sort of magical ability or skill with a sword. She then rang Mary-Margaret to bring her up to speed and have her send all the children home. If the situation was about to turn ugly, Emma did not want innocent people getting caught in the crossfire.
Mary-Margaret agreed and promised she'd be on her way as soon as possible.
At this point, she only had one phone call left to make, and it was this one that would prove to be the most difficult. She had to ask for help from the most dangerous and unpredictable person she knew: Gold. Initially, she was extremely hesitant to bring him in on any of this-the last thing she needed was to owe that man another favor-but she had to admit, Rumplestiltskin was most powerful and skilled wielder of magic she had at her disposal. She might not like him-definitely didn't trust him-but at the moment, he was the best advantage she had.
The problem was, she was unsure how Hook and Gold would react to seeing one another. If they wound up having some sort of confrontation, well...she simply had neither the time nor the inclination to play referee.
Her son's life was on the line, and that had to come first. Rivalries be damned.
Coming to a decision, Emma dialed Gold and did her best to explain the situation. She wisely chose to refrain from metioning Killian during the conversation because she couldn't take the chance that Gold would become uncooperative due to the pirate's presence. He was suprisingly agreeable, provided that Emma give him full autonomy to use whatever means necessary to take Cora out.
Though Emma knew that giving into his demands was begging for trouble, the fact was, she was desperate.
If using Gold was the best chance she had at saving Henry's life, then she really had no choice.
She instructed Gold to meet her at the sheriff's office, where the rest of her defacto 'army' would be awaiting her arrival. She figured it was as good a place as any to set up a base of operations. David had just rejoined her in the foyer when she disconnected the call.
"Despite her injuries, Regina's stable, for now," he explained. "I called an ambulance to come and bring her to the hospital. You should know, though...I found this," and he held up his fingers that were coated in a fine, sparkling dust, "on her face. I think it's-"
"Sleeping powder. I know...I've seen it before," Emma sighed, wearily. "Well, at least she's alright. I just wish I had an idea where Cora might've taken him. Some place to start..."
"Remember...Cora's not familliar with this realm. Whatever she's doing, you can be sure sure she'll press every available advantage she's got," Killian informed her, having thus far kept mostly to himself.
"Fair point," David agreed, but then realized he was talking to a complete stranger. "And who the hell are you exactly?"
"Killian Jones," he replied with a two-fingered salute and his usual swagger, "but you can call me-"
"Hook," David finished for him. "Yeah...my wife decribed you in intimate detail when she told me about what happened in the Enchanted Forest." David was not at all pleased to notice that Emma and the pirate had come to the house together.
"Ah...so nice to finally meet Emma's father in the flesh! She's told me absolutely...nothing about you, I'm afraid. More's the pity..." Killian responded, his tone laced with obvious sarcasm.
David was not amused. Giving Killian what could've amounted to a death glare, he turned to Emma and asked, "is there a reason for him to be here?"
"David...he knows Cora better than any of us, except maybe Mary-Margaret and Regina. At this point, I can't afford to turn away an offer of help, no matter who it comes from. Henry's life depends on it!" she intoned, hoping he'd understand.
"If it wasn't for him, Cora wouldn't even be here in the first place, and Henry would still be safe!" David threw back, pointing right at Killian, unappeased.
"Look...we do not have the time to stand here and argue about this! He's here because he doesn't want to see Henry get hurt anymore than we do! You don't want to trust him, that's fine. Then trust me," she implored.
Apparently, Emma's heartfelt plea seemed to work enough to cause David to finally back down. He glanced between his daughter and the pirate, stating, "fine. But he's your responsibility. Now, let's go. We don't have any time to waste!"
Just as they exited the house, Mary-Margaret pulled up in her own car. She had her bow and sword ready for bear. David motioned for her to hop into his truck, and they all burned rubber for town. Along the way, Emma divulged to Killian the phone call she made to Gold. His eyes filled with a feral kind of bloodlust at the thought of his Crocodile being so close, but she put her foot down that, in no uncertain terms, was he to touch the man. If he so much as twitched in Gold's general direction, she'd toss him in jail and throw away the key. Grudgingly, he aquiesced.
By the time they reached the sheriff's office, there was a mass of people already inside, impatiently awaiting their arrival.
The four marched inside and were met by a barage of questions and anxious only person that Emma was paying any attention to, though, was Neal. He and August were still in the jail cell, recuperating from Emma's onslaught. August seemed worn out and completely stressed. Neal appeared utterly clueless, but relieved to see her, nonetheless.
A sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that she wasn't going to be able to get out of telling Neal the truth about this. Neal wasn't any kind of father- whatsoever-but Henry was still his son. He had a right to know what was going on. She beckoned him over, and he along with August, shuffled out to where she was standing.
She cast a guarded look over at Killian, but he seemed to be making good on his promise. He was over by the front door, leaning casually against the frame, but Emma could tell that his gaze was locked firmly on the pawnshop owner, who himself, had decided to maintain a healthy distance the instant they spotted eachother.
Turning back to Neal, she got straight to the point, "Ok. Listen up. First of all, don't ask me to apologize for what I did to you yesterday. Because I'm not going to. Secondly...you have a son. He's ten years old, and his name is Henry."
Neal looked floored. "Wait...what? I have a kid?! Jesus...Emma, if I had known, I swear to God, I never would've-"
She put a hand up to stop him. She didn't have time for him to feel guilty. "Neal, none of that is important right now. What is, is the fact that an evil witch named Cora has him, and she's gonna kill him if we don't find a way to stop her. Are you with me so far?"
"Yeah...I think so. Evil bitch wants to kill my kid. Got it, but...Christ, this is nuts!" He replied, beside himself.
"No...she's a witch. The real thing. A sorceress, with magic and everything. Think Snow White's stepmother...on crack," Emma clarified, aggravation starting to set in.
"Holy shit..." he choked out, at a loss for words.
"Yeah. Now, you listen to me, and you listen good. Both of you," she looked to August then, to make sure he was paying attention. "I don't know how this is all gonna go down in the end. We may not make it out of this, so...I need you to promise me, Neal," she grasped his shoulders hard to make sure he really was hearing her, "promise me that if something horrible happens, you'll take Henry, and you'll get him the hell out of here. I don't care how much he protests. This is your one chance to make good, understand? You. Keep. Him. Safe."
Neal nodded silently and dropped heavily into a nearby chair.
Without further comment, Emma turned to the group at hand, that David was presently trying to bring to some semblance of organization. He was having a difficult time of it because everyone seemed to have one personal opinion or another that they felt needed to be heard.
"ALRIGHT EVERYONE! LISTEN UP!" She fairly shouted, banging her hand down on the desk for emphasis. That seemed to do the trick, as silence blanketed the room, and all eyes fell on her.
"Thank you. Now...we all know what Cora is capable of. That makes magic our primary defense. But...we also know that those powers are unpredicatable here, maybe even for her. We can't forget that, here in Storybrooke, we have the advantage. She's knows very little about this realm, which means, she'll likely go to familliar ground," she explained, as murmurs of agreement began to spread through the crowd.
"The forest," Mary-Margaret said, matter-of-factly. "It's large and dense...the one place that she can easily hide."
"That's what I was thinking, too. She won't come into town. It's too much out of her comfort zone," Emma replied, leaning down to dig through her desk drawers until she managed to pull out a map and slap it down on top.
"Now, I figure, if we set out in groups and each take a good-sized section, then we should be able to..." and her voice trailed off into the din as everyone clamored around her to better hear the plan.
While Emma's attention was diverted with the townspeople, Killian had spied a lone figure across the street, huddled in the alleyway and doing his best to remain unseen. The man gave him a curt wave, as if trying to beckon him over. Suddenly, Killian realized that this must be the mysterious George that he was supposed to meet. He'd been so wrapped up with Emma and her son, that he'd almost completely forgotten about it. Giving one last look around to make sure that no one would notice his absence, he stealthily dipped out and made his way to his appointment.
The old man saw him coming and ducked back behind the building, Killian following closely behind. Once they were out of sight of any onlookers, the man stopped and pulled something out of his pocket. Killian was instantly wary, and his hand dropping to settle on the hilt of his cutlass on instinct.
"So...you would be George, then?" He asked. The man nodded curtly.
"I've been told you have something to tell me about my Crocodile? Well, go on then...let's have it," he asked, with no small amount of force. He wanted to get this over with before Emma noticed he was missing and there were questions he wasn't able to answer.
"This," George held the object out, but still out of range of Killian's grasp, "it's a weapon that can put the Dark One down for good." He then unwrapped the prize and allowed the pirate to have a closer look. The blade was serpentine shaped and quite long for a dagger. It was old, obviously, but untarnished. On one side the balde was embossed with the name, Rumplestiltskin.
"This blade is the only thing in existence that can kill the Dark One. Whoever wields it has absolute power over him, and he will be forced to sumbit to their bidding," he continued his explanation, as Killian practically salivated at the thought. "Control him first...then destroy him."
With that, he thrust the dagger into the pirate's hand and made to take off, but Hook called out to him before he could get away, "wait! How did you know about me? About this?"
"Let's just say, Cora has at least one friend she can still count on." And then, he was gone.
Killian stared at the weapon for a long moment, wondering at his luck and offering up a prayer to the Gods that this miracle was real. He then tucked the blade into the inside pocket of his long leather jacket and quickly made his way back to the sheriff's office. As he came up to the door, he could see that numerous people were already beginning to filter out and hop into vehicles, assuredly heading out to their respective search areas. Killian caught up with Emma and her parents just as they were about to leave.
"Hey...I was wondering where you'd gone off to. I didn't see you in the crowd after a while," Emma asked him, unease in her tone.
"Not to worry, darling. I just stepped out for a spot of fresh air, is all. Too much of a crowd in there for my liking...and the company wasn't very pleasant," he replied, referring to Gold. It was the most plausible excuse he could give her that she would believe, though he hated having to lie to her at all. But he couldn't tell her the truth. She'd never let him do what needed to be done.
"Alright. I suppose I should be glad the two of you managed to refrain from killing eachother," she said, with an exasperated huff, but he knew there was no real malice behind it. She then motioned for David to bring her the sword he was carrying. He walked it over and placed it, hilt first, in her hands.
He face had a 'I still don't like this' look, but at the defiant gleam in her eyes, he said nothing.
"Killian...this is Mulan's sword. My mother kept it when we went through the portal," she told him.
"Yes...I recognize it. The warrior woman was quite good with it, as I recall."
"It's the most powerful blade in all the realms...and it can deflect Cora's magic," she continued without really hearing him, "and I want you to use it." At this, his gaze snapped to hers, completely taken aback by the offer. He was going to say something to the contrary, but she pushed onward, "no...don't. Your cutlass is a good weapon, but nowhere near good enough. We each have capable weapons of our own, so...it's only fair that you should have one, too."
Holding the sword in his hand with true reverance, he replied, "I'd be honored, lass. Thank you."
Within minutes, they were packed into their respective cars and headed over to the site they'd chosen to start their search. Emma was unsuprised to notice that Gold's car was following them closely, but discreetly. He obviously wanted a front row seat for this throw down, and believed that she was just the person to ensure that happening. Right as they were nearing a long stretch of backroad that would take them into the forest proper, Emma was suddenly beset with the strangest feeling. Call it sixth sense; call it intuition, but the sensation seemed only to increase in intensity the further away they went from the main road.
She remembered watching some doumentary or other about how mothers could sometimes sense when their children were in grave danger. Usually it meant that parent and child had a very strong bond, but...could she really say she had that with Henry? She wasn't sure, but her gut had never steered her wrong before. She absolutely knew she had to follow it.
Abruptly, she slammed on the brakes and threw the car into reverse. David had to stop behind her so quickly, he came within a hair's breadth of smashing into her car. She turned around and headed back in the direction of the main road, her parents hastily trying to catch up. Within seconds, her cell phone started to chirp, and she answered it gruffly, knowing it was probably Mary-Margaret.
/"Hey...yeah, I know! I'm sorry! I just had this strangest feeling that we were going the wrong way. No, I can't explain it...but you come from a fairytale realm. Are you really going to question this? I'm not entirely sure...just keep following, alright?"/
Emma continued to drive, with Killian throwing her puzzled looks every so often. She ignored him and continued to focus on her task.
Eventually, a very familliar sight came into view just up ahead: the Storybrooke welcome sign and the spray painted boundary line. She didn't really understand what had led her to this spot, but she just knew, without doubt, that this was where she needed to be.
After the rest of the party managed to catch up, everyone parked a few feet from the welcome sign and got out of their cars.
David was the first to comment, confused. "Emma...why here? Are you sure?"
"I don't know why, but I just..." she paused for a moment, running a hand through her hair in frustration, "...this is where she'll be. I'm certain of it."
"It makes sense, dearie," Gold's eerily accented voice floated up, seemingly from out of thin air. Everyone turned at once in the direction the sound came from, and eventually he could be seen coming out of the woodwork, the tip of his cane clicking faintly against the concrete. The tensed group visibly relaxed, all save for Killian, who turned his back swiftly and went to lean against the side of Emma's car, facing away from the odious creature.
Gold pretended not to take notice, but a smirk could clearly be seen at the corner of his mouth.
"What do you mean?" Emma asked pointedly, refusing to give into his little mind games.
"I mean...that this is the spot I would've chosen, if I was her. And let's not forget, I did teach her everything she knows..." he admitted, with a slightly crazed cackle.
"Ok, but...why here? Why this place?" Emma kept on, a cold dread starting to settle into the pit of her stomach.
"The boundary, dearie," he revealed, pointing to the line with his cane. "It's her best defense. None of us can step beyond it without risking losing our memories, except for someone untouched by the curse. Someone...like her. And like Henry. She's going to make it impossible for you to get to him without losing everything you hold dear as a result. And don't think she won't have a back-up plan in place. Cora was always one to have all of her bases covered."
It was actually quite brilliant, and if Gold didn't detest the shrew so much, he'd almost be impressed. Almost.
Before he could say anything else on the matter, however, there was a loud crackle of energy in the air and then a defined pop, as large plumes of purple smoke appeared around them from all sides. When it evaporated, they were greeted with a gut-wrenching sight: Cora was standing, mere inches from the boundary, holding a very sluggish-looking Henry with an arm at his back. By the sheen on his face, it looked as though he was still partially under the effects of the sleeping powder.
Just enough to keep him docile, of course.
"Why, hello everyone! I do hope you didn't mind my borrowing young Henry for a little while? It's been so very long since I've had the company of family, and well...I thought we could use a little...visit," she drawled, icily.
"Let him go, Cora! We both know he's not what you're after," Emma responded with every ounce of conviction she could muster.
"On the contrary, my dear...the child is very much what I'm after," she corrected, dripping maliciousness.
Just then, the sound of an arrow splitting the air caused enough of a distraction, that those with swords drawn were able to take a few steps closer. Unfortunately, Cora was skilled enough to see it coming, and simply raised her hand outward, her magic batting away the offending object like a fly.
"Snow...haven't we been through this before? You know this is pointless..." she trailed off with a twisted smile on her face, just as Charming made a lunge for her.
Again, she brought up her hand, trapping him in some kind of magical energy field. "Ah, ah, ah. You've got to be more careful, James. You wouldn't want to make a mistake and risk," and with this she made her hand into a fist and roughly yanked him forward a few feet, putting him dangerously close to the boundary, "crossing over, now would you?"
He tried to plant his feet to keep from sliding, but it was no use. Her magic, even in this world, was too strong.
She then sent him hurtling backwards, and he came to rest with a resounding thud a good twenty feet down the road.
"DAVID!" Snow screamed, fearing she may have killed him. Looking behind her, though, she could see slight movement coming from him, so at least she could be sure he was alive.
Emma didn't even hesitate. She came at Cora with everything she had, but this time, the witch actually caught the blade in the palm of her hand. In. Her. Hand. There was no slice; no cut. There wasn't even any blood. She just held it there resolutely, between herself and Emma. The two women were almost face to face when Cora calmly taunted, "is this really what you want? Your son's blood on your hands? I would think long and hard on your next move, my dear. Trust me..."
Emma stared her down, hard, determined to make some impact, but Cora was immovable. A minute that felt like an hour ticked by, and then the sword Emma held simply...vanished. She reeled backwards a bit, nearly losing her footing, due to the fact the they were no longer gripping it together.
Emma was at a loss as to what else to do, when out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Killian trying to sneak up out of the field of Cora's peripheral vision. She kept her features schooled so as not to alert the woman to his presence. At this point, Killian was at a decent enough angle to her, that he was the only one to have a view from not only the front, but also behind.
What he saw left him utterly horrifed.
Cora's hand was not resting at Henry's back, as everyone had assumed. Her fist was impaled in it. And her hand, more than likely wrapped around his heart, was probably the only thing keeping the poor child standing.
Fortunately, Rumplestiltskin knew the stance all too well from centuries worth of experience. Without so much as a word, he stepped forward and sent a surge of magic outward, straight at Henry. He now had the boy firmly in his magical grip. The only thing left to do was push Cora out.
"Here's a thought, dearie. Are you sure this is really what you want?"
And that was when Killian knew he had his opening. "Emma!" He yelled to her, and she immediately locked eyes with him. "Her hand! It's through his back! She's got his heart!"
No... Please, God, no...
For one split second, Emma could feel her own heart drop into her stomach. She was not going to lose her son this way. She was not going to let somone else she loved slip away again. Not this time. She knew what she had to do. She had to access her magic. What ever the hell it was she did at Lake Nostos, she had to do it again. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, allowing the energy to build up within her, until she was fairly certain she was radiating with it. She turned to Killian and gave him a slight nod, silently letting him know that whatever he was going to do, he needed to do it now. Killian received her message loud and clear.
In a flash, he rushed Cora, and before she had a chance to react, brought his blade down on her wrist, almost slicing it nearly off. She let out an angry scream of agony and shock, and had no choice but to let go of Henry before she lost her hand completely. Gold pulled on Henry's weightless body, yanking him away.
Once Emma knew that her son was safe, she let loose. A wall of intense, pure magic flew from her body and slammed into Cora with so much force, that it blew them both apart at the same time. Cora was flung over the boundary and slammed bodily into a nearby tree trunk. Emma was propelled backwards, her momentum bulldozing whoever was in her path. Unfortunately, that happened to be Mary-Margaret and David. They fell like a set of dominoes.
A few moments passed where absolutely nothing happened. Then, slowly, action started taking place again. Emma picked herself up off the ground, with the help of her stunned parents, while Gold laid Henry down in the back seat of his mother's car. Apparently, the effects of the sleeping powder managed to keep him blissfully unware of what was going on around him.
When everyone finally got to standing again, Killian noticed movement coming from Cora's body. He signaled to everyone to bring their attention, and then tried to step forward to finish her off, but Emma grabbed him by the shirt sleeve, wordlessly keeping him in place. She forced him to look down, and when his gaze followed hers and he saw the orange line, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
A sound in the distance caught their attention, and their heads snapped up to see Cora struggling to a standing position. She was clutching her wrist, seemingly in a great deal of pain, and it looked as though she was having trouble walking. Nonetheless, with a final murderous glare, she vanished in a thick, purple haze.
She's not done. Not by a long shot.
Emma turned around and ran back to her car, as quickly as her pained body would allow. She had to see Henry.
The Charmings joined her to give eachother some much needed comfort.
While everyone's attention was diverted, Gold quietly made his way back to his own vehicle, anxious to return to town and Belle. The dark, penetrating glare that Hook was firing his way didn't escape his notice either.
Killian knew that now was the time. Cora was out of the way. Emma and her son were safe. He'd kept his word.
The weapon was in his hand, and the Crocodile was in his grasp. Finally...he could be done with this grotesque vermin.
Killian calmly made his way over to Gold's car, and as he was leaning forward to climb into the seat, stuck the tip of the dagger into the pawnbroker's back.
"Looks like you can't hide behind your magic anymore...dearie," the pirate said caustically. He allowed Gold to stand up and turn around to face him properly. He was, after all, gentleman enough not to stab a man in the back.
When Gold laid eyes on the dagger, he visibly stiffened. Killian did not at all miss the tremulous look on his face. Hook had him, and Gold knew it.
"I own your arse, Crocodile. What do you think I should do with you now, eh?" He asked sharply, thrusting the blade up under Gold's chin.
"You do know there are repercussions to using that dagger, don't you?" Gold asked, and at the flicker of confusion in Killian's eyes, he grinned nastily. "Oh...I suppose Cora neglected to tell you that little tidbit of information. I wonder why?"
Killian regained his composure quickly and ground out, "it doesn't matter, you putrid stain. You'll still be dead, and Milah will be avenged."
At that moment, he brought his arm back, ready to strike and end three centuries worth of misery.
At that moment, Emma stood up from inside her car, while her parents were walking back to theirs. She was looking for him, so that they could get out of there and get Henry to the hospital.
Within an instant, she saw him, his hand reared back, ready to plunge a knife into Gold's chest.
He promised he wouldn't. He swore.
Why did he have to lie?
She knew she couldn't let him do it. If he did this, he'd be lost to her forever, either in death or to the darkness.
She had to stop him because...she...loved him. She loved him.
Without even thinking, Emma took off like a shot and made it to Gold in just barely enough time to shove him out of the way.
But she couldn't stop Killian's momentum. He wasn't seeing anything but bright red rage when she wound up squarely in his path.
He continued forward and drove the blade deep into her gut.
She was in such shock, that no air could be pushed from her lungs. Instead of a scream, she could only make a strained gurgling sound as the blood rushed up into the back of her throat.
Instantaneously, Killian's haze of fury melted away, and he looked down down to see the dagger lodged in her stomach, his hand still firmly gripping the hilt.
He was so horrified, that at first, he couldn't even speak. And then-
"EMMA!" He cried out as her legs buckled and she collapsed to the ground in his arms. He wasted no time pulling the blade out and tossing it away.
"Emma, no! No, no, no!" he yelled out with a stangled sob, cradling her in his arms, as her blood began to pool around them.
She looked up into his eyes, her hand softly caressing his face with the last bit of strength she had left.
"Why, Emma?! Why?!"
"C-can't l-lose y-you t-too..." she whispered, her voice fading away.
And then, she was still.
Whew! Thought I was never gonna finish this chapter! I say again, no flames. There will be no character death in this story, just lots and lots of drama. Don't forget to review. I love to hear from you guys!