"Does it hurt anywhere?", Neal asked when Emma after five long days got the permission to stand, and were walking like she'd never done it before.

"Nope", she answered.

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not!"

"Really?"

"Really, and shouldn't I be the one to tell you all this? You are the one who got shot", she teased.

"Yes, I got a little bullet into my waist, you got a knife. I win", he teased back. Emma rolled her eyes and he laughed, making a warm feeling spred in her chest.

"When do we leave?", she called towards Philip who sat by the bonfire, making dinner. Aurora had informed him about Emma's anti-chimera thing, so she was fairly certain that was not on the meny.

"After dinner, if you feel strong enough", he called back.

"I'm better than ever", she responded and he held up a thumb in response.

"I can agree on that", Neal said, wrapping his arms around her and placing a soft kiss on her neck.

After dinner they gathered their things and started the journey to the beanstalk. In some ways it was comforting familiar to walk in the forest, even without her mother. Aurora complained, just like last time, and Mulan told her not to, just like last time.

It took them two nights to get to the beanstalk, because of her. Every hour they had to stop when Neal realized Emma was steps from passing out. Nonetheless, later rather than sooner they finally arrived to the huge beanstalk.

"Deja vú", Emma muttered under her breath.

"How are we going to get up?", Aurora asked. "We don't have any cuffs this time."

"Well, I guess we'll have to take our chances then", Emma said and took a few steps forward, reaching for the thick trunk of the stalk as Neal grabbed her arm and pulled her out of reach for the stalk.

"Don't even try. If it is dangerous I am not letting you risk your life."

"What is your plan then? Waiting until a bean just falls down?", she asked.

"No, but there might be another way."

"Neal, I don't care if I get hurt. We have to try. If we want to get home to Henry. Besides, I actually recall Anton or someone saying that the protective enchantment wears off when the guard for it leaves. Anton is in Storybrook.", Emma countered back and put out her hand, grabbing a straw of the beanstalk before anyone could stop her.

She waited for pain, or something to show her that she'd made a mistake and the enchantment still was on; but it never came. It was just like last time, when she was wearing the cuff. Emma looked at the others, who almost terrified looked back at her, and laughed.

"It's fine, like I said. The enchantment is off."

"You are very lucky", Philip said before he grabbed a straw beside her and started to climb. She did the same and the three remaining followed suit close by.

Emma immediately collapsed when they got on solid ground. Her breath was unsteady and labored and she felt Neal's hand on her back.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Where do we go from here?", Aurora asked. She seemed to be as out of breath as Emma was, which made her feel a bit better.

"I don't know but I have a feeling we will find out sooner if we split up. Emma and Neal can go one way and you, me and Mulan go another", Philip said.

"There is a big vault behind those doors. In there, there's several big doors who leads to more vaults. In there, we can split up and start the search.", Emma explained.

"How are we going to find out if you have found anything?", Mulan asked.

"We 'kaa'", Emma said and heard Neal chuckle behind her.

"What?"

"I'm kidding. No, then we just find the others."

"Okay, see you later then.", Philip finished and grabbed Auroras hand before walking towards the big doors.

"So, did it hurt?", Neal asked her. She didn't have to ask what he meant.

"Well to be honest, I don't remember too much of it, but the parts I do remember was rather painful, yes", Emma answered and she could see him nod behind her.

"What about you? Did it hurt?", she asked him back.

"Well, I was actually more worried about you and Henry to feel much pain of my own", he said and she was stunned by his honesty.

"You were worried about me?", she asked and stopped, just staring at him.

"Yeah, you weren't worried about me?", he asked and turned to face her, a smile plastered on his face. Emma resisted rolling her eyes.

"Of course, but I wasn't the one who was shot."

"No, you were the one who were stabbed"

"You know what I mean."

"Fine. Well, I just tried to put my self in your position, and I know if you were the one to fall through a portal minutes after being shot, and I'd have to tell our son, and your parents, that you were dead, and on top of that melt it on my own, I would more or less have a breakdown."

Once again he surprised her by his honesty. Usually he would make a joke and change the subject.

"I did", Emma said with a thin voice.

"You did what?"

"I did more or less have a breakdown". This time she was surprised over the honesty in her own words.

"You did?"

"Yeah. More, in the terms of being seconds from tears and spilling some from time to time. I was way more vulnerable than I usually am, and I felt like there was a part of me missing. And less, by not showing it. I never allowed myself to break enough to not get back up. I really tried to not show it, specially in front of Henry, but everyone else as well. On top of that I had the trigger-Tamara-Greg krisis to deal with."

Emma could see emotions flicker in Neal's eyes but they were gone before she could read them.

"If I had to deal with that, I would definitely have a breakdown as well", he said after a few seconds of silence.

"What, are you doubting my love for you, mister? Not believing I would have a breakdown without a crisis", she asked him with a smirk.

"Not at all. I was only, in a discrete way trying to get you to show your love with another way than with words. Maybe with a kiss?" He smirked back at her.

"When it comes to the 'discrete' part, I have to inform that you failed", she said when he all but closed the distance between them and cupped her cheeks.

"Did I succeed in any parts?"

"I guess", Emma smirked before she leaned in and caught his lips with hers.

The kiss told her all about the feelings she previously could not read in his eyes. Happiness, anger, sorrow, joy, passion and love. She tried with all her worth to give him the same, to show him all her feelings she was unable voice.

When they parted lips, they both leaned into a warm embrace.

"Did that show you how much I love you?", she asked against his chest. "Did that show you that I love you more than my own life?"

"It did."

"Good."

They stood silent in each others embrace for countless minutes before Neal spoke.

"What exactly are we looking for?", He asked

"Well, I'm not really sure. My guess would be something resembling a bean", she answered.

"It couldn't be that?", he murmured and Emma looked up at Neal, who had his sight fixated on something ahead of them.

She followed his gaze and felt her heart skip a beat when she saw what he was looking at; huge doors hiding a giant garden, filled with burned plants.

"I would say it is exactly that."