Thanks to everyone still following and commenting! Again, didn't realize this would be such an epic tale. It has certainly taken a life of it's own and eaten away at my only free weekend for awhile ;) I just can't stop! I too have to know what's gonna happen next! Now READ & ENJOY!

Chapter 10: Rescue

Emma stirred awake to the sound of voices above her.

"Oh thank God!" She heard her mother say. "She's awake!"

Emma's eyes popped open. Her parents, Regina and Hook stood over her. She sat up immediately and felt the heavy leather black jacket drop from her shoulders and into her lap. She glanced down, and she swallowed. This was Hyde's jacket. She looked around the group but did not see him.

"Where's Hyde?" She asked.

"We were gonna ask you that." Regina drawled out also eyeing the campsite.

Hook stepped forward and held out a hand for Emma. She hesitated, but took it. His green eyes searched her face, checking her, making sure she was okay. She was a little stiff from sleeping on the ground but overall—she was… good. Really good. Emma glanced down at her hands and knew instinctively that the tremors were gone. Relief hit her instantly. Followed quickly by worry. Hyde was missing.

"It appears the bastard abandoned you." Hook's hand gripped hers. "I am grateful you weren't hurt!"

"No…" Emma trailed off, feeling confused and disoriented. "He wouldn't hurt me." Her eyes scanned the burnt out bonfire and rusty old trailer. No sight of him. Yet her vision told her he was waiting for her… She didn't understand. Emma ranked her hands into her hair and began to pace, searching for clues around the camp.

"The staff's gone too." She murmured.

"We didn't see it on our way here." Snow replied urgently, as though sensing Emma's concern.

She suddenly looked at her parents, her eyes narrowing. "How'd you find me?"

"Henry put a tracker app on your phone. He told us you were here," David said.

"You didn't trust me?" She said, trying to keep the frustration out of her tone.

"We do trust you…" Snow started.

"Just not that over-sized bastard, and for good reason now." Hook finished angrily.

"Hook has a point. He's not here." Regina said simply.

Emma sighed. "This doesn't make any sense…"

Snow went to her, "What do you mean? What happened?" Her mother's voice all so gentle and accepting. Her warm eyes soft and yet wanting to understand. It was in that moment that Emma felt her heart stop as she remembered her vision in the well. Of the family she would—or could have one day. She stared at her mom and knew, deep down, Snow would accept Emma no matter what she did or chose to be with in her life. Snow was amazing like that.

"I hid the staff here…" Emma began, Hook immediately interrupted.

"I thought it was at your home!"

She felt the slight guilt and shook her head. "No… I moved it once you left. I'm sorry, I just didn't trust any of us really knowing where it was."

He glared daggers at her, folding his arms across his chest.

"What happened here, Emma?" Snow prodded gently.

Emma inhaled, her eyes trailing over the ashes of the fire. Her mind racing. "Hyde used the staff—and himself to recreate my vision."

"Of your death?" Regina asked astounded. "Why on earth would you need to do that?"

"To face it. To face myself. That's why Hyde helped me." She saw it—all of it, so clear now. "He knew that I saw myself—he's an expert in duality, I guess. And Saviors. He said before to me that we're our own worst enemy." She glanced down at her strong, sure hands. No more trembling. A surge of confidence filled her. "I somehow split to create the vision of my death… to warn myself… It sounds crazy, but it happened."

"I believe you." Snow said firmly.

She smiled weakly at her mom. "I wanted to fight myself—Hyde was the one—he…" Emotion choked her. God she had been so blind! He did all of this for her! Something happened to him—he would not abandon her. She couldn't believe that. Not now, not after everything they went through. "He convinced me to not fight. To merge with that part of me instead. And I did. The vision, told me to let go of being the Savior. Once I did that, I would be free of the death coming for me."

The stood in silence, absorbing her words.

"What do you mean? You're not the Savior anymore?" David asked.

"No." Emma suddenly couldn't stop the smile—the relief filling her. "Don't see—that's the point. By constantly sacrificing myself, I was doing more harm than good. None of you are saviors, yet here you are. All still fighting, yet living too—having lives outside of the battles and villains. I haven't."

Hook stiffened, a pained look crossing his face.

"I want to live—but not like this. I've pushed all of you away to protect you because I was the Savior." Emma admitted. "I have denied myself the one thing all the other Saviors did that ended up leading to their downfall…" Her eyes focused. "I denied me. I accepted death over myself. And I can't anymore. I won't. I'll fight—but because I wanna live too now."

Tears sprung in Snow's eyes and she reached for her, hugging her tightly against her. "Oh honey… I didn't know. I didn't know. I'm so sorry."

David joined in on the hug too. "We're here for you, honey. Whatever you need."

She took a breath and let their warm embrace comfort her. She needed this. She needed to tell them the truth that she had been hiding behind for so long. It took a vision of her death to remind her what was important. Her. Henry. Her parents… And like always, they accepted her choice with love. David and Snow pulled back from their hug, smiling at her.

Emma swiped at the tear that had fallen down her cheek and straightened, clearing her throat of emotion. "We have to find Hyde. I think something's happened to him."

"He's a powerful man, Emma. It's hard to believe something happened to him that he didn't agree to." David said rationally.

Emma pulled away from their hug, needing her space to think, and began to pace again, her mind conquering up the last few things she remembered from last night. She remembered his tight hold on her, his words of encouragement and challenge—the pain in his eyes from the power ripping through his body.

"He must have been weakened from the spell… I think it used his strength somehow…" She said more to herself in thought, yet they listened.

"Are you saying he casted the spell?" Regina asked.

"With the staff—yeah."

Regina cocked her eyebrow high and frowned. "Then if what you're saying is correct—Hyde could actually be in trouble."

"How?" Snow asked flabbergasted. "He's survived a burning building!"

"Magic, for those who don't actually use it, but through an object such as a stone—mirror—snake staff… it can have huge affects on the user. It will latch onto any power source to release."

"And Hyde's a pretty big power source," Emma breathed.

Regina nodded gravely. "He may have been physically drained or worse after the spell was released. He's stronger than I realized if he was able to walk out of here and… well, not be dead."

Emma's heart dropped. No… he was alive. He had to be.

"Who cares about that bastard anyway?! He's a villain! Have you all forgotten this?" Hook countered.

"Hey, you were a villain too," David retorted. "And we trust you now."

"I earned my trust. We barely know Hyde," Hook spat. "He tried to kill us and caged us in his realm. Then he tried to kill Regina earlier this week. He can't be trusted!"

"Yes well, I was threatening to kill the man who created him. I would be prickly too," Regina said with an indifferent shrug.

"And he thought we were working with the Dark One when we showed up in his land," Snow interjected.

"Enough!" Hook snapped. "You can't be serious right now?"

"I am." Emma locked her gaze with Hook. "I'll find him with or without your help, Hook."

Before he had a chance to reply, a cold voice sounded from behind them.

"Of course you will…" drawled the Evil Queen. "Once I give you back his body."

Emma spun, Snow pulled her bow out, David is sword, and Regina palmed a fireball.

The Evil Queen laughed. "Oh my! What a display!"

"What are you doing here?" Regina snapped.

"I'm here to pick up a little something for my spell. A missing ingredient."

"Where's Hyde?!" Emma shouted angrily. "I know you have him."

It suddenly all made sense. Last time they encountered her she was trying to strike a deal with Hyde, and take his staff. He didn't allow either. But if she found them last night, and in his weaken state—she took him.

"So feisty." The Evil Queen retorted. "No wonder the beast's heart flutters at the sight of you."

Emma's eyes widened and her body tensed. He can't be dead. He can't.

The vision… the vision she had under the spell… he was there. He was in her future.

Emma felt her heart clenched painfully remembering the vision. She was so surprised to see him that she almost looked away… Almost. She wanted to see who Hyde was in the future.

The dark figure in the water vision revealed to be Hyde, dressed in plain clothes, his hair cut short and messy. His smile ever so heartbreakingly warm as he slipped an arm around her, drawing her close. He kissed her. In public—in front of Henry! The kiss was passionately brief, yet it made her vision self smiled up at him. Emma couldn't remember the last time she had been that happy.

Hyde then did something unexpected in the vision, he slid his large hand over her belly… got down to his knee and kissed her stomach. It was then she saw the ring on his finger—on hers as she touched the side of his face, smiling down at him with so much… love.

Emma felt the burn of tears at the back of her eyes and it was then that her vision was interrupted by her other half. Emma had seen all she needed to in order to understand. Yet her heart wouldn't stop racing. Her mind churned, but her body and something deep inside her cracked open. She had misjudged Hyde from the start. She saw that now. He was not her enemy. He was her friend… and maybe something dearly more.

She swallowed, attempting to contain her emotions as her hands came together now and magic appeared, white and angry—ready to strike the bitch down who took Hyde from her!

The Evil Queen's dark gaze looked upon her with diabolical delight. Emma's stomach lurched and her heart twisted at the idea that he was dead. That the beautiful vision was all for nothing. That the Evil Queen held the power in her hands to snatch her future away from her. And the scary apart about all of it… was that Emma, some part of her, wanted it. At least she knew she wanted him. She desired him. And she needed him. She needed Hyde in her life.

"Oh what?" The Evil Queen purred. "You didn't know little Swan? Or maybe you just pretended not to see the hulking beast crushing on you…? Either way—he's mine now. We made a deal."

"A deal?" Emma asked, her breath shaking.

"Aw yes. One heart for another. Disgusting in my opinion. Love is always your type's weakness!"

"Hyde doesn't love Emma." Regina said, dismissing it with a calloused snort.

"Fine—whatever, he lusts her. Doesn't matter. I spared ripping her perfect little heart out for him. Mr. Hyde gave himself up. But I still need one more thing before I kill him."

She snapped her fingers and the snake staff appeared. "I need my lesser half."

Red oozing smoke trickled from the staff. The smoke moved past them like wild fire. Emma shot her own magic towards it, but it was useless. The smoke seized Regina and no matter how many fireballs were hurled—she vanished into the puff of red smoke, along with the Evil Queen. All that remained was her cruel, taunting laughter in the wind.

Emma railed angrily. She was totally killing this bitch now.

"Where would she go?" Emma asked.

Snow lowered her bow, replacing her arrow into her pouch. "Maybe Regina's vault?"

"Too easy." David replied.

"The docks?" Emma suggested.

"Not her style…" Snow said.

Emma looked at her mom then with new eyes. "You know the Evil Queen better than any of us… you have to know."

Snow nodded determinedly and began to pace. "Okay…" She said out loud, expecting all of them to follow along with her. Which David and Emma did, always. "The Queen—even with Hyde weak, would want a cage—something powerful to hold him just in case. And now she has Regina, so she'll need another cage or place to keep them both. And privacy to do the spell without interruptions."

"The hospital wing…?" David suggested.

Snow frowned and shook her head. "I don't think so."

"The library…" Hook finally spoke up. They turned to look at him. He was frowning pensively. "The hidden vault inside. She could easily drop them in there and wouldn't need a cage. And she'd get her privacy ."

Snow's eyes lit. "Yeah—agreed. She could definitely be there."

"Let's go." Emma commanded and her parents took off towards the car parked on the outskirts of the forest.

Hook stopped her with a hand, letting her parents get ahead of them.

"What aren't you telling me?" Hook whispered, his eyes grave and his tone angry. "Does Hyde have feelings for you?"

Emma shook her head. "I don't think so… the Queen was lying."

Yet her vision… Hyde's brown eyes shone with such love and warmth. Emma's heart clenched.

Hook studied her, his expression unconvinced. "Why do you want to save him so badly, Emma? He's dangerous…"

"This is not the time, Hook"

"Make the time. Explain this to me. You've been distant and you lied to me about the staff!"

Her jaw flexed. "Hyde and Regina are in danger. We can talk later."

"Damnit, Emma!"

She yanked herself away from his grasp. "Stop fighting me. I've made my choice. We're rescuing Hyde. Time for you to decide if you wanna help or sit this one out."

Hook's eyes darkened and he balled his hand into a fist by his side.

"We could use you. But if you don't want to—nobody's forcing you." Emma said a in a gentler tone.

"All right love, let's go. But I want you to tell me what's going on when we're finished with this."

She nodded, yet not sure she actually did want to have that conversation. "Yeah, of course."

They headed to the car without another word spoken. Emma's mind and heart conflicted. She loved Hook… or so she thought. This would not be easy for any of them. Emma had to decide what her heart truly wanted. And it wouldn't be easy. Her vision self told her so, especially without her mantle of Savior to hide behind.

She heard the voice in her head now as she ran through the forest. "Being yourself may mean hard decisions and sacrifices still. You have to let go of your past to have a future. This life of yours can be bitterly cold if you let it. Sometimes you just need to cling to the person you can claw your way out of the dark with. We all deserve a chance at a normal life—even you, Emma…"

TBC