Killian clutched at the swan necklace he wore around his neck. It was the only thing Swan had left behind. It had fallen behind the bed she had slept on, a small silver swan attached to a leather cord. In its beak it held a golden buttercup. When Killian had discovered it, he pressed it into his palm, squeezing it hard enough to cause it to cut his skin. He had put it on that day and refused to take it off. It reminded him to never trust a pretty face again.

Liam had refused to believe that she was responsible for Rumplestilskin's departure, believing that their disappearances were mere unlucky twists of fate. Liam was too kind that way, but Killian did not believe in coincidences. Only he knew how long Swan had been in the town, giving her enough time to rendezvous with Rumplestilskin. He thought back to when he first mentioned Zelena. There was a flicker of recognition in her eyes that he had dismissed. Liam believed that she was afraid, and ran to save her life. He also believed that Rumplestilskin was just a coward for the same reasons, and this was the only thing Killian agreed with him on.

Killian was certain, now more than ever, than Swan had taken him away. Possibly to her own home. If Zelena had been attacking towns and villages in the area, she must have attacked Swan's. If that were the case, why didn't she tell him? He was positive that they could have hatched a scheme to save both towns…perhaps an alliance…he shook the thought away as if it was an annoying gnat. It was too late for that now. She had betrayed the town and him.

Storybrooke had been holding out against Zelena, but they were beginning to falter. The energy the townsfolk had was starting to dissipate in the face of Zelena's relentless attacks. Regina had been working tirelessly with Lady Blue, but now fatigue was starting to catch up with her, and Killian worried that she couldn't keep it up for much longer.

The sky was still dark when he awoke, but after he dressed and helped himself to a bowl of day-old cold porridge, dawn had started to break. Killian headed out to the shed to fetch the nets that were stored there. One of Regina's plans had been to capture one of Zelena's winged beasts in order to understand its weaknesses, but they were yet to be successful in that endeavour. Still, Killian woke early everyday so that he could set the traps.

As he pulled open the door, he realized that someone was already inside. Before he had a chance to react, the person stepped out into the light. His hand left the door, and he took several steps backwards. A combination of rage and relief flowed through him. Swan stood before him, her eyes offering him a silent apology. She stepped out towards him, but maintained a sizable distance. She pushed the door back to its original position, and then her hands returned to their place by her sides, but he noticed them twitch, as if she wanted to reach out towards him. Before he could say anything, she blurted out her confession.

"I had to do what I did in order to save my home town."

He was astounded by the conviction in her voice, and he was furious. Her return was not her apology tour, it seemed.

"By condemning mine?"

She recoiled from the venom in his voice.

"Killian, I-"

"No." He cut her off. "I don't want to hear anymore." He paused for a second, gathering his thoughts before he screamed out an incoherent rant. He pointed at her.

"I'm livid, Swan. Because of you. Here's why." He breathed out evenly, counting his breaths, and lifted his fingers up.

"One. You left without saying goodbye. Two. You took our only hope of winning away. Three, and this is the most important- you never told me the truth."

He ran his fingers through his hair. "We could have come up with a plan, you and I. Hah! What a fool I am. Here I thought you genuinely cared about me. I thought your intentions were innocent!"

"I do care!" She yelled.

Killian blinked at her in shock, but recovered fast.

"You have a funny way of showing it." He said, sneering at her.

"I came back because I care, okay? You don't think it was a difficult decision for me? It keeps me up at night." She shook her head ruefully. "I can't offer you a sincere apology, but I want-"

He laughed harshly, cutting her off. Killian moved suddenly, making her hit her back against the door of the shed. He could feel her breathe deeply, hear her gulp nervously. He looked down at her coldly, and shifted his face closer to hers, his lips almost grazing hers. For a beat, they both breathed in deeply, and an urge to kiss her came over him, but Killian pushed that odd thought out of his head to make room for all the anger her felt.

"Want what? To help?" He said mockingly. "Leave, Swan. You've done enough. I'm done with you."

With that, he turned away, his shoulders trembling with rage.


Emma trudged through the dense foliage, thoroughly dejected. What was she thinking? Killian had every right to react the way he did. His words, though hurtful, were not untrue. How could she explain that at the time she couldn't trust him? She couldn't trust anyone? She couldn't explain how she felt about him now, the happiness that threatened to burst her chest open when she saw he was safe, the heat in her belly when he had pressed himself up against her and almost kissed her, the despair she had felt when she heard the hate in his voice. What could she do now? How could she help? She wanted to kick herself for her impulsive decision to return.

At the very least, her parents weren't mad at her, and they seemed to understand her reasoning as she stumbled her way through explaining why she wanted to go back to Storybrooke. They had been worried for her safety, and her father looked like he wanted to forbid her from leaving, but her mother had placed a reassuring hand on his, and whispered something to him. He had agreed to let her return, but his tense jaw told Emma that he was not pleased about the situation.

She hadn't told Rumplestilskin about her decision to head back, not wanting to hear his mocking words about his agreement, but had made sure to leave a note for him telling him that her mother would help him find the person he was looking for. Thinking back it, perhaps she should have consulted with him, withstood his sneers and barbs, just in case he had a plan that could have helped her, and helped Storybrooke. Maybe he could save both towns! Or perhaps she could have convinced her parents to broker a treaty with Regina, and she could have brought Archie, a skilled negotiator, along with her to make sure her hotheadedness wouldn't infuriate Regina? Perhaps she could turn back now and head straight to Regina, consequences be damned?

Suddenly a loud sound pulled her away from her thoughts. It sounded as if a large animal was thrashing about in the trees above her, and Emma's senses went into alert mode. She quickly scaled the nearest tree to her, pulling out the knife in her boot as soon as she got her footing on a large branch. She glanced around and located the source of the noise. A tree that was ten feet from her had a large trap set in it, and it had caught something.

The animal struggled, dislodging branches and leaves that showered the forest floor, and caused the net to dip lower and lower towards the ground. Emma carefully climbed back down and headed towards the trap, all the while her eyes trained on the slowly descending trap. She reached it just as the net grazed the floor, causing its inhabitant to trash even more wildly. Emma grabbed it to steady it, and almost instantly, the animal stilled.

Emma looked at it and gasped. One of Zelena's simian lackeys was ensnared in the net, and Emma could tell it was exhausted in its attempt to escape. She raised her knife and struck the creature with the hilt of her sword, knocking it unconscious. She made quick work of the net, cutting it open and into strips so that she could bind the creature's hands, feet, and wings. After her task was completed, she used the rest of the netting to make an informal sack, one where she rolled the creature onto. She dug her feet into the ground and began to painstakingly drag the creature slowly back to Storybrooke, a plan beginning to form.


Killian shielded his eyes from the sun, which was beating down on him mercilessly. Why did Liam keep the spare rope about the ship? Sure, they made use of it when they sailed out into the open sea, when they had long journeys to the closest peaceful citadel of Arendelle. But that was then, and this was now, when they were embroiled in a battle for their lives.

He wiped off the sweat that accumulated on his brow and grunted and he dislodged several lengths of rope from under a heavy crate. The sooner he got what he needed, the better. After setting the traps, Liam and he would gather their swords and head to their battle stations. Had Zelena already started attacking for the day? He wasn't sure. He bent down and doubled up in his efforts to secure the rest of the rope that lay on the deck.

Shade found him unexpectedly, and he looked up to find out the source of his shade.

"Hello, my pretty." Zelena cackled.

His blood ran cold. She stood upon the steps leading to the upper deck, as though she was familiar with the ship. He rose slowly. How did she get here? Regina had cast a protection spell around the whole town – did Zelena manage to break through?

As if she sensed his questions, Zelena waved a dismissive hand at him. "Don't worry your pretty little head over this." She told him. "Your precious Regina's spell is still up. I just managed to slip through a little crack that a dear old friend helped me make."

She leered down at him.

"I just wanted to see what the town that will soon be mine was like."

He scrambled to his feet in fury, ready to defend Storybrooke. His chest swelled with anger, and he reached for the sword that lay sheathed at his side. He drew it quickly and pointed it at the green witch, who was not paying attention to it.

"Oh get that away." She said, waving her hand once more, magic blasting his weapon out of his hand. He tried to grab it back, but with another wave of her hand, she froze him in its place.

"So gusty. I like that." She said, grinning widely. She sauntered over to him and he furiously clenched his jaw and tried his hardest to move. She stopped in front of him and let her fingers run over the scruff of his jaw, and he gathered the strength to flinch. She seemed impressed by his ability to resist (if only for a little bit) her magic, but did not stop. Her fingers trailed down his neck, her long nails grazing his skin hard enough to leave a shallow cut.

"What's this?" she asked in a low, dangerous tone. She had found Swan's necklace, and she recoiled, almost if she had been burnt, and she continued to glare at it. He wanted to laugh, but could not. She noticed that he tried to say something, and so she restored his ability to talk.

"None of your business, witch."

She stared at him coolly. "Oh, it very much is my business." She informed him, her fingers reaching for the necklace once more, her fingers stopping short of the swan ornament.

"Take it off." She commanded, and Killian felt energy return to his limbs. He moved slowly to untie the knot at the back of his neck, all the while staring Zelena down. He removed it gingerly and held it out and dropped it into her waiting open palm.

"Did Emma Swan give this to you?" She demanded, and Killian started at the mention of his Swan. So her first name was Emma, he realized. How did she figure in to this? He nodded slowly, not breaking eye contact with Zelena.

Zelena gripped the pendant tightly, and let out an evil laugh.

"She tried to protect you with this. Well she failed, and now I have a trick up my sleeve."

She smiled at him in a way that sent shivers down his spine.

"You're coming with me, pretty boy."