8.

"Is she breathing?" Emma asks, falling to her knees beside Regina's unconscious form. Dorothy nods her head frantically, a worried look on her face.

"Barely – it's pretty shallow," she says. "We need to get to her a hospital."

Emma looks back over her shoulder at Killian, who seems to know what to do immediately (that's how we work, Emma thinks, and it makes her heart swell in the midst of everything). He lifts Regina up effortlessly and Dorothy holds the door open for him as Emma takes a final, lingering look at where the portal was and where both Gold and the Wicked Witch disappeared. There is a deep, unsettled feeling that is seeping through her bones when she realizes that instead of making things better, things are now much, much worse.

She draws a shuddering breath and turns towards the door, rushing to catch up with Dorothy and Killian.

Emma is only slightly surprised to find that all of Storybrooke has assembled outside the town hall (and of course there's David out in front, surrounded by the dwarves and Ruby and Granny and Belle). There is a slight commotion when Killian emerges with Regina in his arms. Emma pushes through the double doors just as Robin appears from the crowd, dressed in contemporary clothes, heading towards them.

"What happened?" he asks, frantically, and Dorothy tells him, "it's the Witch, she's got the wizard and – "

"Hospital," Emma interrupts. "Someone tell me Whale's at the hospital and everything is up and running." Panic bubbles up inside of her at the thought of not having a hospital – of not helping Regina after all they've been through.

"Of course they are," David says. "I'll get my truck."

Emma nods as her father dashes off, and takes that moment to look at Robin, whose look of pain is so intense and heartbreaking that Emma's heart catches in her throat. He stretches out his arms and takes Regina from Killian, cradling her in his arms as the crowd parts. There is a sob building inside of her when she remembers all of the frantic declarations that Regina made about how she didn't deserve a happy ending, and how she loved – loves – Robin regardless of his own personal feelings, and it takes all of her will-power to prevent Regina's confession from spilling out of her lips. If ever a time for love…

Instead, Emma presses her lips together tightly. Now is not the time to break down. She avoids looking at Killian, because one glance at him will start a parallel chain of thoughts and she just –

Emma takes a deep breath. She turns towards the crowd, surprised to find Neal there. Her eyes fix on him and she takes a few steps forward.

"Please tell me that Henry and Roland are with Mary-Margaret," she asks, sounding harsher than she means to, but he nods.

"She's got them back at the loft," he tells her and Emma lets out a sigh of relief – the last thing she wants is for Henry to see Regina in that state.

"I need to get to the hospital with Regina and I need you to go and stay with the boys and keep them safe," she tells him. "I don't know if any of us are safe, but I need them to be safe." Neal nods again, understanding her meaning, and she is so grateful for his presence in Henry's life. They might not have the happy ending that Henry so desperately wants for them, but at least he has a father who loves him. He reaches for her hand and she grabs it and squeezes.

"Take care of yourself, Emma," he tells her as he lets go and turns away, moving through the crowd back towards the loft.

Emma can feel the eyes of the residents of Storybrooke on her but she can't think right now, everything is happening too quickly. She's traveled between three realms today and it's at that moment, when they all turn to her, that she sees David's truck pull around the corner. She knows Robin will take Regina to the hospital, knows that David will see to it that they get there safe, and that it's all in Whale's hands after that. It doesn't make her feel any better, but it's out of her hands.

She's the Savior, and being the Savior means putting the needs of others over her own.

There is movement to her left and Killian is here, at her side. Even though he's not touching her she can feel him surrounding her – a protective shield against the onslaught of panic that hovers over the people of Storybrooke. She glances at him, and he nods.

She can do this.

Right now, she needs to calm the frantic masses huddled outside city hall while simultaneously telling them to remain on high alert. Just because the Witch vanished and took Gold with her doesn't mean they won't be back (or that the people of Storybrooke won't be ready for them).

"What time is it?" Emma asks Granny, who tells her it's four in the afternoon.

"Town meeting at City Hall in two hours," she announces loudly. "Archie, can you – "

"Sure thing, Emma," he responds. Emma nods, and glances at Dorothy and Killian. She wants nothing more to reach for him, to have him hold her and tell her it's okay, but now is not the time and place for public displays of affection (even if her arms ache for him, even if she craves his touch as reassurance that everything will be okay).

"Let's get to the hospital."

When they arrive, Regina is being examined by Whale while Robin paces in the lobby. David seems to be doing his best to keep the other man calm (which apparently is not that great because it's not working), so he is relieved with Killian arrives and approaches Robin. The two men speak in hushed tones while David reaches for Emma and pulls her into a hug.

"We were worried when the tornado didn't return you like it did us," David tells her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Robin said you were on your way to Oz, but – "

"I'm sorry," Emma says, allowing herself to be held for a moment. It feels good. "You know me – I can take care of myself."

"Oh, I know that," David admits, "but I was relieved to know that Hook was still with you as well."

"Yeah." It occurs to Emma that she'll need to tell her parents about everything that's happened since she left the castle just a few short days before and what's been growing for much longer, but this is not the time or place. Instead she just turns to Dorothy.

"Dorothy Gale, meet my father, Prince Charming," she says with a wry smile (she appreciates the way that Dorothy's eyes go wide, the way that the other woman looks as if she'll curtsey or something). Whale joins them before Emma has to stop her from attempting anything embarrassing.

The status update is as follows: nothing is wrong with Regina's vital organs, nor is there any internal bleeding. It is nothing but a head injury and yet she is not waking up (that is very concerning).

"Could it be magic?" Emma asks. "The backlash of a spell?"

Whale shrugs. "It could be, but I don't know what to do in that case."

"We could call Blue, see if the fairies can figure out what's going on," David offers.

Emma nods. "Do that, and quick."

In the meantime, Robin takes up a vigil beside Regina's bed, and Emma issues enough threats to prevent any of the nurses or doctors from removing him. He stares at her, and then at his hands, fingers flexing as if they wanted to reach out and hold Regina's limp hand, to be reassured of her presence.

"Hey," Emma says softly, "she's tough. She'll be okay."

Robin nods, face grave. "I'm sure she will be, but that doesn't make the wait any easier."

Emma turns to leave, but pauses in the doorway. If she was Regina, would she want someone to tell her deepest secrets? Emma knows how Regina hides her heart beneath layers of sass and verbal barbs, but considering they're all fairy tale characters to begin with, and considering precedent in this town…

"She'll kill me later for saying this, but I think she's pretty fond of you," Emma says. Robin looks up.

"I'm pretty fond of her as well," he replies.

As Emma leaves the room she crashes into her mother, who pulls her into a fierce hug with little preamble and with lots of panic and anxiety. Mary-Margaret squeezes Emma tightly, but she can hardly blame the other woman (Henry is going to be such a whiny baby she finally sees him again).

"Is Henry okay?" she asks Mary-Margaret. Her mother nods.

"Neal and Belle are with him and Roland – what happened to Regina? David didn't tell me any details – "

Emma takes a deep breath, wondering just how many times she'll have to repeat the story today alone. She spots Killian in the periphery, and he merely shrugs and leans against the wall. His mere presence makes her feel instantly better, and she smiles meekly at him before turning back to her mother.

"It was the Wicked Witch," Emma says, crossing her arms over her chest. She looks down at the floor for a moment, trying to compose herself before the onslaught of questions that will inevitably come because her mother is as stubborn as Emma is and will want some sort of explanation now. She feels exhaustion fall like a heavy jacket around her shoulders.

Emma wants nothing more than a hot shower and a change of clothes, but she doesn't think that's going to happen at all any time soon because she stupidly agreed to meet with the whole of Storybrooke in – she checks the clock in the hallway – a little under an hour. She needs to confer with Dorothy and Killian to make sure that whatever story they tell is on the same spage, and she's already feeling the jump between realms with every small step she takes (her limbs ache and her brain feels foggy, and when was the last time she slept?).

"Can you keep Henry and Roland at the loft?" Emma asks, interrupting whatever Mary-Margaret was just saying and causing her to frown.

"Do you think the Witch will come after them?" she asks. Emma shakes her head. From the corner of her eye she sees Dorothy and David approach.

"I don't think so, but I don't know where the witch is," Emma admits. "And I don't think Robin's going to leave Regina's bedside, and it would be better for Roland to be with Henry."

"Of course," Mary-Margaret responds. She glances beyond Emma and through the glass window to where Regina sleeps, and Robin waits. "That's a new development."

"Is it really?" Emma asks, but she realizes immediately that Regina hides so much of herself from everyone that admitting anything to Emma was a rare occurrence. "I guess – well, she told me, so I didn't find it so odd – "

"You talked with Regina about her love life?" David asks, surprised, and it occurs to Emma that it's not just Regina's love life that was discussed, but that it was her own, with Killian, and quite openly in front of Gold and Dorothy and –

"Did you talk to the Blue Fairy?" she asks David. He nods.

"She's bringing Tinkerbelle and they'll be here soon," he tells him. Dorothy shoots her a look that reads 'Tinkerbelle too?' and Emma just raises her eyebrows and nods.

"So what now?" Mary-Margaret asks.

Emma needs a minute. Or ten. Maybe thirty, if anyone's asking.

"This is Dorothy Gale. Dorothy, this is my mom, Snow White. Dorothy will fill you in on what happened in Oz. I need to use the restroom," Emma tells her parents, not looking to catch Dorothy's expression this time around.

She brushes past them and heads for the ladies room but once she turns the corner, she spots an empty exam room across the hall. She ducks into it and closes the door. When the lock 'clicks' in the empty room, Emma rests her head against the door and exhales.

The conversation with her parents about Regina has made Emma realize that she will soon have to have a similar conversation with her own parents about Killian, and his place in her life. She will also have to explain everything, including Killian and especially Regina, to Henry. She will have to tell Neal – and Belle – that Gold has been found but once against lost. Questions will be asked about her magic, and the portal and Oz, and she doesn't know how she will answer any of them and if it actually matters.

Her next breath comes out as a sob, and she quickly covers her mouth with her hands. She is so tired, from the magic and the journey, and she wants nothing more than just to sleep for a week but she can't because she doesn't know where the witch is and how they'll stop her. She doesn't know if Regina will be okay. She doesn't know anything anymore, and she's so tired and running purely on adrenaline, she wants to fall into bed and she wants to do it with Killian at her side because she being parted from him is like a physical ache after all they've been through (like her parents would allow that in the loft, fornicating with a pirate and oh god, she's got to tell them everything about him and how she loves him and - )

The sob escapes. It's chased by another, and another, until she is on the floor, arms wrapped around herself as if to hold herself together. Her body shudders with the intensity of her sobs and she doesn't even pretend she's the Savior anymore, just a lost little girl.

There is a knock on the door, followed by Killian's voice: "Emma, is everything all right?"

She fumbles for the doorknob over her shoulder, disengaging the lock and opening it slightly, allowing him access. He enters, sees her on the floor, and is immediately at her side.

"What's wrong?" he asks, crouching down beside her. His hand hovers over her and she can tell that he wants to help her and so she wipes her tears from her face and pushes back her hair.

Just seeing Killian makes things marginally better, and she wonders if this is what love is, and why she didn't see it earlier when it came to him. Not only is every moment better with him there, but every agony and ounce of sadness suddenly easier to carry because (stubborn man that he is) he'll refuse to let her struggle alone. He is the only person she can show weakness in front of, and that's because he makes her stronger.

"Where do I start?" A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth at her words, and he stands up, extends his hand.

"Let's get you off the floor at least, love," he says. She takes his hand and allows him to pull her up. Killian wraps his arms around her and rests his forehead against hers for a moment, and being in his arms is the ultimate balm for her soul. She has missed this in the scant minutes and hours they've been back from Oz. She exhales shakily.

"Here." He walks her backwards to the examining table and she eases up onto it. He stands between her legs and brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, allows his hand to come up and cradle her face. She leans into his warmth.

"Perhaps you should start with whatever is bothering you the most," he tells her. She nods her head, hand resting on his hip, sliding beneath the layer of his jacket and resting against the vest.

"Regina is hurt, and we don't know where the Witch or Gold are."

"Aye, that is true, but we could always suggest to poor Robin that True Love's kiss might work," Killian offers. Emma raises her eyebrow – it's a good suggestions, but –

"How did you know?" she asks. "Did Robin – "

"You weren't the only one having deep conversations about love, lass," he tells her. "Does that surprise you?"

"No, no – I just…I'm glad that he feels the same way," she says. "We can tell him. I already sort of hinted that maybe Regina feels something for him."

Killian smiles, and she kisses the palm of his hand that still rests against her cheek. "And what else, love? You're not crying over Regina."

Damn perceptive of him. "The Witch. And Gold."

Killian nods. His hand moves to cradle the back of her neck, thumb rubbing the space behind her ear. "We'll have to let the citizens know, but there's not much else we can do."

"There's Neal to tell, and Belle," she points out. "And I'm not looking forward to that."

Killian sighs. "I won't let you do that alone," he tells her. "Whatever you need from me, I will be by your side."

"And you," Emma says finally. "My parents don't know, and neither does Henry, and I don't know how to inform my parents that I really want you to take up residency in my bed."

Her words seem to surprise him, because his eyebrows do shoot upwards and he pokes the corner of his mouth with his tongue. "Well, Regina did offer us the use of her house –"

"She's unconscious –"

"I would wager that she will be upset about many different things when she wakes, the least of which us holding her to a promise she made – "

"That could have been a threat."

"It very well could have been, but we don't know for sure, do we?" he flashes a cheeky grin and Emma breaks into a smile. She is grateful for the way that he makes everything so easy even when it seems too overwhelming a moment before.

"You're horrible," she tells him, wrapping her hands around his neck and pulling him closer. She presses a chaste kiss against his lips and he responds, soft and gentle (which Emma thinks might be good, since they are in a hospital exam room). He pulls away and presses another kiss to her forehead.

"When I came in, the fairies were still on their way," he informs her. "Perhaps we should confer with them?"

Emma nods her head. "That sounds like a plan." She pushes him backwards so that she can slide off the table, but grabs his hand as they head out the door. He looks at her, confused.

"I'm too tired to care what they think," she tells him, which is the truth. He nods, and then squeezes her hand reassuringly.

Tinkerbelle is beside Regina's bed when they return up, with Blue talking to David and Mary-Margaret. Dorothy is nowhere to be seen. David barely looks at their joined hands twice before saying, "they don't know what's wrong with Regina," but Mary-Margaret stares in a way that makes Emma only grip Killian's hand tighter.

"Is she getting worse?" Emma asks. Blue shakes her head.

"No, she seems to be holding stable, but it's no curse we've ever seen."

"She was knocked out by the Wicked Witch," Emma says, trying to be helpful. "We crossed over through a portal from Oz, with help from Gold."

"He's alive?" David asks. Emma nods.

Mary-Margaret cuts in. "When did this happen?" she asks, gesturing at Emma and Killian's joined hands.

"Halfway between your castle and here," Killian informs them, trying to seem nonchalant, and Emma shakes her head.

"Long before that. You sent him to get me for a reason, even if it wasn't the reason you thought it was." Emma glances over at Killian with a small smile. "Here's the thing – I love him, and he loves me, and that love brought me back to you. But whatever we did to get back may have hurt Regina in the process."

"No, this is dark magic," Blue protests. "But if she had a true love…"

"Give her a few hours," Emma says, glancing at Robin through the window. "She may have a true love after all." She looks back at the fairy and her parents. "We have to tell the people of Storybrooke about what happened in Oz, and the Witch. We have to warn them."

They nod, and wait, as if expecting Emma to say something else. She doesn't know what to say – her declaration of love for Killian came completely unexpectedly (she thought she could ease them into it) and even though her father doesn't seem at all surprised, it's her mother who reaches out towards both of them and pulls them towards her in an embrace.

"I'm glad you made it home," she says, "both of you."

The hug apparently surprises Killian enough that he lets go of her hand, only to be swept up in a handshake and embrace by David. Emma smiles at her mother before she catches a glimpse at the clock on the wall. In the distance she sees Dorothy walking up the hallway, opening a bag of Cheez-Its.

"We've got to get over to city hall," she tells them, looking at Dorothy. "You ready to share your side of the story?"

"If it gets me back to Kansas, then yes," Dorothy says. "Thank for the dollar, Prince Charming," she adds, offering the bag of Cheez-Its to David, who politely refuses.

"Look, I don't know what's going on, or what needs to be done, but we'll tell our story," Emma says to her parents. "We'll do our best to keep Storybrooke safe."

"I know you will, sweetheart." Mary-Margaret smiles at both Killian and Emma. "That's what heroes do."

As they walk over to the city hall, Emma wraps her arm around Killian as Dorothy asks questions about Gold to both Mary-Margaret and David ("wait, so he's really the guy that spins straw into gold?"). She rests her head against his shoulder and he wraps his arm around her, pulling her closer.

"You were amazing, Emma," he tells her, and she shrugs.

"I didn't save anyone," she protests. "Regina's not okay, and Gold and the Witch are unaccounted for. If anything, I made things worse."

"Now, who's to say you did?" Killian asks. "You may have united Regina with her true love, and you certainly can't be blame for whatever dark magic has a hold on her at the moment. And regardless of how you think you did, I think you were marvelous."

"You're biased," Emma teases, "and obviously struck dumb by love…"

"Perhaps it will be you who is struck dumb when we arrive at Regina's tonight," he says, lips hovering close to her ear. She groans both at the ridiculous words that are exiting his mouth and the way that his breath against her neck makes her shiver.

"That was just wrong on so many levels," she says, but she doesn't move away. She just burrow deeper into his arms, protecting herself from the harsh winter winds in his embrace. They will talk to the people of Storybrooke, then she will hug Henry until he begs her to stop. She'll have to talk to Neal, and to Belle. They will plan for the next battle, whenever that might be. They will be ready.

And in the meantime…well, despite his horrible earnestness and ridiculous behavior, Emma would really like to see just exactly what her pirate has in store for her (after all, didn't he promise her fun?).