A/N: First things first; my wickedly awesome beta, Whiskets, is experiencing computer issues and was only able to beta like half of this chapter. I did my best to locate any potential grammar mistakes during my last read through, but I'm certain I probably missed some. So if you can bare with me on this, I would appreciate it. Now, this chapter is a lot shorter than the last couple, it's more at my more comfortable length. However, there is a whole lot of important information in this chapter. This is moving right along, and we are starting our slow trudge toward the end. I already have the end in mind, and my buddy Whiskets has helped me see the end in a slightly different light, and this chapter is really the turning point toward the end. So enjoy!

Emma glared at the place where Graham had disappeared, before turning her attention back to Nikolai. Sighing, she walked up to him. She felt like she was intruding, but she needed him to know that she was leaving. Placing a hand against his shoulder, Nikolai turned toward Emma. She sucked in a breath at the sheer amount of pain reflected at her from his eyes. Tears were still falling, stead-fast, down his cheeks.

"Y-yes?" He asked, as he swiped an arm over his red, puffy eyes.

"Graham took off... I need to go find him. He left his sword," Emma bent down and pointed at the sword that lay on the ground before continuing, "You need to be on guard, in case someone tries to attack. Can you do that?"

She felt cold, harsh, speaking to him that way. She knew he was more than capable of protecting himself, but she understood loss. It had a way of breaking you down, of making you vulnerable. It slowed the mind and the reflexes. It could get you killed.

Nikolai nodded, "You act as if I am incapable of completing tasks."

Emma sighed deeply. The longer she was here with Nikolai, the further away Graham got. However, she knew that she couldn't just leave Nikolai without some sort of explanation. Why she didn't fully trust leaving him alone?

"I've been there, Nikolai, with the grief and pain. It feels like it'll never end. It's almost like it will engulf you to the point where you will never be able to breathe correctly again. Trust me, I've been there-" Emma paused, her eyes going back to the spot where Graham disappeared again. "I was there when he died. I held him while he took his last breath. I watched the life drain from him, and I swear to you, Nikolai, it felt like my very soul was being drained at the same time. I never said anything to anyone else, but I never really ever felt the same again. It always felt like something was missing—or well, someone," she shrugged, an elegant lift of her shoulders. Her eyes bore into his. "I haven't felt whole again, not even now. Graham has filled the part of my heart, my soul that was crushed... empty... when he took his last breath, but I'm still not whole. I won't be whole again until we all return to Storybrooke."

Nikolai licked his lips for a moment, his tears were starting to cease their descent. "All?" His eyes widened slightly, as his voice held a hint of hope in it.

Emma noticed something in Nikolai that she had missed the moment that they had met. Maybe it was just that she didn't want to see it, or maybe it was just that Nikolai was good at hiding it. Whatever the reason, Emma saw it now, and it tore at her heart in an old, familiar way. Nikolai was much like Emma had been, like she still was on numerous occasions. He was just looking for a place to belong. For people he belonged with, and while he was good at acting like he did better on his own, the truth was much different. Being alone was just easier for people like her, Nikolai, even Graham, because when you're alone there is no one that you need to impress, there is no one to disappoint, and most importantly there is no one to lose.

"Yes, Nikolai, all of us. You are Graham's family, and as much as he might try to push you away, he doesn't mean it. You have earned the chance to come with us, and I am extending the offer. Will you come back to Storybrooke with me and Graham?"

Nikolai nodded in agreement, "Unless Graham doesn't want it. I won't force myself on him. It has to be a lot for him to take in. Actually having a family, one that cares for him."

Emma sighed, "Yeah. It's a hell of a shocker. Look, are you okay on your own for a minute? I have to go find him."

"Yeah, I'm good. I'll just..." He sighed, as he wiped under his with the sleeve of his shirt. "I'm going to gather some flowers or something. Just, so it shows that someone cared. Maybe look for something I can use to cover her up."

Emma placed a comforting hand on Nikolai's shoulder. "That is a good idea, Nikolai. I'm sure that you're mother would have appreciated that."

Nikolai offered Emma a watery smile. "Go. Find my brother."

Emma gave a curt nod, before rising back to her feet. She unsheathed her sword, before disappearing into the woods at the same exact point that Graham had disappeared.

An almost primal scream ripped itself from Graham, as he beat his good hand against the trunk of a tree. His hand throbbed in pain, as tears fell from his eyes. He let them fall unchecked. It felt like a hole had been punched straight into his soul. In one moment there was what he knew to be true of his life. He was garbage, he was useless and unwanted. A piece of trash that his parents had simply just dropped off in the woods because they had absolutely no use for him. For his entire life, that had been the truth. No one wanted him, and he had learned to be fine with that. People were inherently selfish creatures, and he was plenty happy with the small family he had created, the one that consisted of Graham and his wolf brother. He had no use for people and they had no use for him.

Until recently, there had only been one person in his life that made him have the slightest bit of hope in people. That perhaps not all of them were as selfish as he seemed to think that they were. Snow White had come into his life, and because of her selflessness, he had spared her life, effectively ending his own. He would never, ever come to regret his decision because in doing so would mean that there would be no Emma, and that thought caused his chest to ache in an unfamiliar way.

Now, however, it appeared that everything that he thought to be true of his life was actually wrong. He had been loved and wanted. He wasn't useless, and he did have a family. Albeit, one significantly screwed up family, but a family nonetheless. Now, it felt like Regina had ripped his heart out all over again. Watching the woman that claimed to be his mother die, it was the single most devastating thing he had ever witnessed, and that was what made him angry. He shouldn't feel bad that she was dead, he shouldn't feel anything toward her. She had abandoned him to the woods when he was a child, no matter the reason, it didn't make it right. He should be angry with her, he should hate her guts, and he didn't.

"Graham."

Her voice takes him by surprise, if only because his mind had been so stuck in the past that he hadn't heard her coming. He turns his blurry toward her, and lets his tears fall as she embraces him tightly.

"Why don't I hate her? I should hate her. I earned that right!"

Emma took a deep breath in an attempt to keep her own tears at bay. She had never truly understood just how much she and Graham had in common, but now it was all stacking up and it was hard to ignore. As selfish as it was, Emma prayed that the same fate didn't descend upon Snow. Not while Emma is stuck in this place, unable to help or at least say goodbye.

"You're right, Graham. You did earn that right. You are allowed to be angry, to hate her, but that doesn't mean that you have to. Trust me, I wanted to hate my parents too. In fact, I did. I hated them, and wanted nothing more than to find them so that I could tell them to their face just how much I hated them. Then I found out that David and Mary Margaret were my parents—that they-" Emma sighed and shook her head. "It doesn't matter who they are in this land, all that matters is that once I got to know them, even if at the time I didn't know they were my parents, I loved them. Not so much David, but that's a story for a different time. What matters most, is that I don't hate them. I may not entirely agree with their decision, but I don't hate them. How can I hate them for something that I might would have done myself? That I did practically do myself. I gave up my son because I couldn't care for him the way he needed to be cared for. He ended up being raised by a sociopathic bitch. So if I want to hate them for what they did to me, then I might as well go on and hate myself for what I did to Henry. I can't do that, because as awful as it sounds, if I hadn't given Henry up. If he hadn't been raised with that-" Emma took a breath and pinched the bridge of her nose before continuing. "I never would have ended up in Storybrooke, you all would still be cursed, and I never would have met you."

Graham smiled at Emma through his tears. "I guess if you can make sense out of your situation, then I can do that same."

Emma smiled sadly at Graham, her hand reaching up to caress his cheek. "It won't happen overnight, Graham, and that's okay. You are allowed to be confused, to get upset, and to be angry. You've earned that right. It will take time, but I will be right there with you. So will Nikolai, if you allow him. You don't have to go through this alone. Remember, he thought they abandoned him too."

Graham sighed, and ran his good hand over his face. "At least someone took him in. I was alone for so long, Emma."

"Not anymore, Graham. Not if I have anything to say about it. You will never be alone again..." Tears crashed against her eyes as she realized that was something that her mother would have probably said to her, if Emma had only given her the chance. "Neither will I. I have you, Henry..." she swallowed thickly, "and my parents."

Graham sighed, as he put his arm around Emma's shoulders. "Where is Nikolai, anyway?"

Emma chuckled softly, "Yeah, we should be getting back. He's probably going to start getting worried."

Henry moaned softly, as he blinked his eyes open. It felt like he had slept all day long. Craning his head to the side, he blinked his eyes until the blurriness subsided. He took in the time, and moaned again. What had been the time the last time he had been awake? Henry was fairly certain that it had been at least four hours since he had woken up sick that morning. It was only then, that he noticed that Snow had fallen asleep on one of the uncomfortable kitchen chairs on his right side, and James was sound asleep on his left.

He sat up, and realized that the deep burning sensation he had felt in his arm earlier had disappeared. Looking down at his arm, he saw the fresh bandage that sat upon it. He twisted it softly back and forth, before poking it slightly. He hissed lightly, not quite as painful as before, but still held a bit of a sting to it.

"Grandma." Henry called out, before rubbing his fists against his eyes.

Snow jerked awake, nearly toppling off her chair in the process. "Henry?" she eyed him for a moment, as the remainder of sleep fell away from her mind. "How're you feeling?" she asked, before placing the back of her hand against Henry's forehead.

"I feel fine now." He smiled softly at her.

She nodded in agreement, when she removed her arm from his forehead. "Well, you're not feverish anymore. Do you think it would be alright if Ruby came to sit with you for a little while?" Now that Henry seemed to be out of the woods with his infection, though she would be calling Doc for a follow-up visit, she wanted to get started on a plan to bring Emma back.

He nodded slightly, "Where are you and grandpa going?" Henry asked, a sad look crossing his face. "To find away to bring my mom back?"

Snow smiled softly at him, brushing back his bangs slightly, "Yes, honey. We would feel better knowing that you are safe here, with Ruby."

Henry sighed softly, "I understand."

"Good." Snow said, before standing up, stretching the kinks from her back.

Cora growled at the man in front her. His heart was clutched tightly in her fist as he sank to his knees. "You will do as I say. You saw what I did to her, do you want me to do the same to you?"

A groan escaped the man's lips, "Please." he gasped out, as her hand uncoiled from around his heart.

"That was not a yes. Again, I'll ask. Do you want me to do the same thing to you that I did to that ungrateful wife of yours?"

The man swallowed thickly as tears pressed against his eyes. "No." he whispered, knowing that he was a coward.

"That's a good boy. Dying by a poisoned sword blade is a painful way to go. At least, if I squeeze your heart to dust, you hardly feel it." She squeezed on his heart once more for good measure.

He moaned, tears rushing down his cheeks. Never in his life had he ever felt so weak. He had watched as the evil woman in front of him drove the poisoned tip of a sword through his wife, Grace's stomach. The utter amount of pain etched on her face as she dropped to her knees had broken his heart, but what was worse, was the fact that the evil witch had squeezed his heart so hard that he had fallen to a near unconscious state. When he truly came too again, Grace was gone, and the woman that called herself Cora stated that she had a mission for him. The same one that Grace had denied. The mission that had ultimately caused her death.

"Are you absolutely sure that I have to kill them?" The thought sent a pain into the space that his heart had once occupied.

"Yes, I'm sure." Cora growled at him.

He nodded, before pulling himself to his feet. "Just one question, please?" Cora merely nodded, and he could tell that her patience was wearing thin. "Why did you take our hearts?"

"Two reasons, dear," Cora smirked at him, running her fingertips over his cheek, before slapping it softly. "One, having another's heart means having power over that being. I love power. Second, there is a reason that they call me the Queen of Hearts, dear. Now, you are going to go through that opening," Cora paused long enough to point him in the correct direction before continuing, "find yourself protective cover, and wait for them to arrive. I don't want you to kill them right away, do you understand me?"

He nodded his head, as his stomach rolled uncomfortably. In this moment he hated himself. He had no control, and Cora had located his weaknesses. His wife, who she had effectively taken care of, and his two sons.

"You will gain their trust, they will be more open to accepting you if they found my gift." She smirked at him confidently, "Which, I assure you they did. So gain their trust, and feed them the information I gave you on how to open the portal to Storybrooke. Lead them to their destination, and when they least expect it, kill them."

He swallowed thickly, before nodding. "Okay." He agreed timidly.

Graham sighed, the make-shift coat that had covered his body from the frigid nightly temperatures covered the body of his mother. Nikolai stood awkwardly off to one side, his foot kicking at small pebbles on the ground.

"Hey, this-" Graham paused, motioning at the ground, dare to not say the words out-loud, "it's not fair, but I mean … something good came from it. We have each other now, that's more than we had before."

Nikolai looked up at Graham, "Yeah, but it's just kind of screwed up."

Emma cleared her throat, feeling much like an intruder on an intimate family moment. "I'm just going to go look for some water." She nodded at the canteen that Graham had tied to his waist. He handed it over quickly, before pulling his pack off his back and handing her a slightly larger canteen.

"Be careful, Emma." His voice was soft, caring, and his blue eyes blazed with intensity.

She smiled softly at him, "Always." She leaned in and brushed her lips against his, before pulling away. "I'll be back soon."

Both men waved goodbye, as Emma moved forward. Her hand hovered over the sword that was belted to her hip. It was her only form of protection, and though she had only used a sword one other time, Emma was fairly certain that she would be able to protect herself at the very least. After a little while, Emma realized that she had no idea how to locate were water might be. She sighed, cocking her head, first to the left, then to the right, listening for the sound of a creek or river.

Emma groaned loudly, but continued on, hoping that she would be able to find her way back to the guys. After a few more steps she could hear the faint sounds of a babbling brook, and grinned. "Finally!" she whispered out.

She moved forward quicker, trying to watch where she was stepping. A sound from behind her startled her, causing her to twist around toward it while still moving away from it. Her boot caught the edge of a root, a curse slipped through her lips as she caught a glimpse of a figure standing in front of her, before her world flipped upside down. Her head connected with the edge of a rock, and her vision blurred on both sides and slowly started to gray in the middle. Whoever had been standing in front of her was now hovering over her. In nearly a whisper, Emma spoke out the only thing she could think of, "Please don't hurt me," before slipping into unconsciousness.