Emma's POV. Starts out during the previous chapter, so you will see some familiar dialogue and such. In fact, most of it is the same scene as the previous chapter. However, I felt that it was important to see from both their sides. And seeing it from Emma makes a good final chapter for the Enchanted Forest section of the fic (NOT final chapter overall I promise!)


She is at the back of their small group, running for the exit, when she hears it.

"Emma."

She turns to face him, sees hurt in his eyes and she doesn't understand it. Is it that she's there, in the dungeon, breaking out a prisoner that has hurt him? Or- Did something happen?

"30 years in the future? A curse?" Oh, God. He must have overheard- She should have been more careful. Should have realized someone might come across them and hear, should have realized he might come across them and hear. Better him than Regina, but that was another possibility she should have considered and hadn't. She'd been too concerned with getting home.

"I would've told you. But I had to make sure- The timeline- Henry."

"I don't live to see Regina's defeat, do I?" He looks like he's in so much pain and she just wants to run to him, hold him, make it better. But how can she? Knowledge, certain knowledge of an unfortunate future – what could ever fix that? "I die her slave?"

"No. You die freeing yourself from her. You're not- You do break away from her." She steps towards him, but he steps back, shaking his head. She can't say it doesn't hurt, but she almost thinks she deserves it.

"You don't have time, you have to go, Emma." It's a surprise that he's objecting to being a distraction rather than objecting to… Well, her. With the information she'd withheld, and all. But she doesn't let it show. She needs to let him know the truth, now that she can.

She bites her lip before holding her wrist where he can see it, pointing at the shoelace that rests there. "This was yours. I love you. From the moment I meet you. I love you so much that even when I didn't remember you for a year because of magic, I wore this every single day, and I- I still had the dreams of us."

He comes forward again, and she waits. This is- This is so much information, so much she's asking him to just accept. She must let him come to her. It's the only way. She closes her eyes as he enters her space – she cannot bear to see the pain on his face. Her wrist is caught, gently, and once more he slips a thumb over the bootlace.

"Henry misses you," she whispers. "You were- The closest thing to a father he had for a long time. He doesn't talk about it, but he misses you. I know he does."

"Look at me, Emma." Her eyes snap open, meeting his. There is something there, something other than the pain, and she dares not try to identify it in case it's betrayal or- Anything like that. "Everything I said before, about you making me feel- I meant every word."

"I know you did. You- That's how it was there, too. And I- My feelings for you are real. I only left anything out to protect the timeline, you have to understand. If I change things- I might never even be born. And then Henry's never born, and- And I thought it might hurt you too much to know the truth, you were so hopeful about us, I-"

He cuts her off with a kiss, and she knows he understands. This is the only way he can express it, but he understands what she'd done. It's not long, and then he's backed off again. His blue eyes squeeze shut, his face etched in pain. A tear slips out, almost like that last night except- That time he was happy. This time- This time he's anything but.

"Go, Emma. Get out of here. I'll buy you time."

She hesitates for a moment before nodding and starting to run again. If only she could save him. That would make this pain worth it.

She doesn't catch up to the others until she's off palace grounds. Marian looks concerned – but not as concerned as Killian does. She knows he has feelings for her but- Being here, seeing Graham has made her more sure than ever that Killian's not for her. Kissing him had felt good, it's true, but it wouldn't be fair to either of them if she started a relationship with him when she's still so in love with someone else.

"Did something happen? What held you back?" he asks – and the concern is genuine and touching but not what she needs right now.

"There was a guard," she shrugs, playing it off like it was just any guard rather than someone so important, "I had to evade him." Or talk to him, but there is no reason that she needs to reveal that. It's too personal. "Now come on, let's find Gold and get out of here."