A/n: Sorry, for the late update-crazy work. Thank you so much for all the love and support. I really cannot thank you enough. Over 7,000 people read this story. I'm not even sure if that's good, great, or excellent, but I'll take what I can get (smiles).

Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time

Chapter X: Believe

Meg slowed down as they reached the edge of the docks, the agreed rendezvous location.

Derek eyed her with mistrust. "I don't particularly like being in someone's debt, so tell me why the hell did you risk your life for me."

Meg rolled her purple eyes. "Who says I did it for you?"

Derek frowned. "I'm just supposed to believe that?!"

"You should mate," Jack called emerging from the shadows. "It happens to be the truth."

Derek stepped forward and took out the pistol he swiped from Flint. "Make one more move, and I'll blow your head off, mate."

Jack raised his hands in submission, but hardened his glare. "All I do for you and this is how you repay me?"

"For all I know, you're in on this!" Derek snapped. "I'm finding it a little difficult to trust my crew at the moment."

"That's unfortunate." A voice came out. Derek saw Milah appear out of the fog, holding a gun to Meg's waist. "Not that I blame you."

"You know that favor?" Meg asked Derek breathlessly. "Now would be the time."

"Shut up!" Milah ordered, jamming the gun in her side.

Derek's dark gaze fell on Jess. "Let her go, and I promise to make your death painless."

Milah laughed. "Save your touching threats for her funeral."

"Before I kill you, I only have one question," Derek said with a snarl. "Why?"

Milah's cocky leer fizzled out into a gruesome frown. "Because I saw that bitch trying to take you away from me."

"You love power." Derek clarified. "Not me." He cocked his gun, preparing to fire.

A sudden wind knocked him to his feet as pain seared his ribs. He glanced up to see Morgan hovering over him. Jack was a few yards away, unconscious.

How had he not heard them coming? It was if they moved like ghosts. Morgan gave Derek another sharp kick to the stomach, before lifting him up, restraining.

"I should have known." He spat blood at Morgan's feet.

"Oh Derek," Milah sighed as she stroked Meg's hair. "If only you knew how much I love you."

"I think I'm seeing clearly enough." He wheezed.

Milah shook her head stubbornly. "I have to do what's necessary to protect you. Soon you'll understand. I'm just sorry it had to play out this way."

"You should be!" Emma's voice rang out as she charged towards her like a linebacker. Meg and the gun were shoved aside to the floor as the women wrestled each other.

Derek wasted no time in trying to take on Morgan, with the help of Jack, whom had recovered. At the current moment, Morgan was being suffocated to death.

Emma screamed in rage as Milah grabbed her hair, tossing her over the shoulder like she weighed nothing. Emma managed to block some swift punches, before receiving a few hard blows to the ribs. Milah stumbled back a bit, whipping out a knife.

Meg tried to grab a hold of Milah, but her hellish strength was too much. Milah easily shoved her off roughly to the ground, before coming to stand over Emma.

"Enjoy heaven," Milah cackled crazily.

Emma glared before doing a quick kickboxing move, sending Milah flying to the ground.

Whipping out a gun from her boots Emma smirked, "Go to hell." Two resounding shots rang out as she shot Milah in the heart, and the head.

Jack broke the resounding silence with a low whistle. "Lass is hardcore."

"I think I deserve some answers." Derek demanded from Emma.

Meg crossed her arms. "Now?!"

"Did I stutter?" Derek glared at her.

Emma exhaled, staring at Milah and Morgan's bodies. "Meg's right. We have to get the hell out of here."

"NO!" Derek barked. "Ever since I saved your life, mine has been completely upside down! How did you know I was in danger?!"

"I get that you have a lot of questions, but believe me, now isn't the time!" Emma begged, desperate to leave. It was only a matter of times before the rest of the undeadly crew, or worse the police, found them.

"There's that word again-believe!" Derek shouted. "If you want any chance of that, it bloody well is the time! TALK."

"No time mate." Suddenly, Jack had a clothed hand covering Derek's face. Derek slumped in his arms.

"The hell?!" Emma exclaimed, suddenly back in attack mode.

"Relax love. It's chloroform." Jack explained. "I had a feeling he'd freak out, so I stole some from the infirmary on the way out."

"Nice thinking Rex." Meg complimented. "Now come on. We gotta dust our tracks."

Meanwhile in Storybrooke

"Absolutely NOT." Snow protested harshly.

"You're being irrational!" Regina shouted back. Needless to say, the Charming's hadn't taken her news of a banishment spell very well-not that she blamed them.

But it was the only plan of prevention from whatever was coming. The last time she didn't listen to Gold, her mother was brought to Storybrooke.

"Damn right, we are!" David agreed. "This our daughter we're talking about!"

"I don't like the idea either, but we have to do something." Regina reasoned. "Gold confirmed the same feeling I did."

"Gold's involvement is exactly what's bothering me." David expressed. "He and Emma aren't exactly on best of terms, since her blackmailing him."

"Regina, I agree with him. Gold has nothing but lie to us for years." Snow sighed. "What if this is a trap to get rid of Emma?"

"What if it isn't?" Robin countered. "I don't trust Rumplestilzskin either, but if something's coming, we have more lives to consider besides Emma's."

"Exactly." Regina agreed.

"So that's it?! After all she's done for the both of you, for all of us, we just leave her out in the cold?!" David snapped.

"Emma is my daughter! As a mother, you should understand that!" Snow leveled with Regina.

Regina felt her anger festering. "You're right-I am a mother. I'm Henry's mother."

"So is Emma." David said, raising a brow.

"And Emma wouldn't hesitate barricading this place if it meant keeping him safe!" Regina shouted. Taking a breath, she told them, "Emma told me to be the savior. And that's what I'm going to do."

"Something tells me you aren't asking." David deduced with a frown.

"I'm not." Regina revealed sadly. "I'm going to call Emma and give her a heads up. The barrier will be up by sunrise."

She vanished again. David kicked a barstool, sending it flying into wall, breaking into pieces. This time, Snow said nothing, being lost in her own thoughts.

Robin exhaled. "We just have to hope like hell that Emma makes it home."

He walked out of the small apartment to find Regina.

Snow felt tears emerge as she paced the house aimlessly. "You know they're right…" she whispered.

David took a shot of whiskey, trying to control his rage. "That's kind of the problem." He breathed.

"We just have to have hope that she'll make it." She suggested wearily.

"And if she doesn't?" He asked with a glare.

"She will." Snow insisted. "She has to."

Regina stood with her back to him, staring at her favorite apple tree. "I thought I'd find you here." Robin announced, coming into her garden.

Regina took a deep quivering breath. "Not now Robin." She whispered.

"No running." Robin said, turning her to face him. "It's going to be alright."

"Did you see the way they looked at me?" Regina asked dejectedly. "They were both staring at me…like I was…"

"The Evil Queen?" Robin guessed.

Regina nodded. "I tore their family apart 30 years ago. And now I'm about to do it again."

"NO." Robin opposed. "You are being a leader-a leader who is making a choice to save everyone. Emma would do the same."

"But what if Gold is doing this for selfish reasons?" She asked. "He never has done anything that hasn't benefited him."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Robin assured her. "But for now, our job is to protect Storybrooke. David and Mary Margret will come around."

"Will they?" Regina asked, doubtfully.

"They don't think you're evil Regina. They're hurt because they know you're right." Robin told her, pulling her close.

They pulled into an old abandoned house on the outskirts of the city. "We're here." Meg announced, jumping out of the truck.

"What the hell is here?" Jack asked, afraid to even breathe in the smelly sewage air.

"We're south of the New York landfill. The last place anyone would look." Meg boasted proudly.

"I can smell why." Jack complained, covering his nose with his jacket.

"Time to go. Regina's planning on enacting a banishment spell." Emma told them after checking her messages. "I only have till sunrise to make it back to Storybrooke."

Jack cursed. He wasn't quite sure what or where that was, but it didn't sound good. "How far is our journey?"

"Wait, you're going?" she asked surprised.

"I saved his life, you save mine, we're square." Jack retorted.

"Well you better get moving slick." Meg told them. "I'm pretty sure you just wounded the Milah."

"How is that possible, I did two kill shots?" Emma said, remembering her hitting the heart and brain.

"She was already dead." Jack reminded her. "I'm pretty sure the lass can't die again."

"Then let's get the hell out of here." Emma agreed. "But we need a new ride. I'm sure this old pickup truck won't push past 50 mph."

"On it." Meg led them around back. She pulled back a dusty tarp, uncovering a 1987 Shelby GT 500.

"Nice…" Jack appraised the candy apple red sports car. "You've got style, luv."

Meg smirked. "It's gotten me out of a few scrapes." Checking the time, she whistled. "It's 12:32. If you're going to make it in seven hours, you better go."

Jack was already loading an unconscious Killian into the cramped back seat.

"He's going to freak when he wakes up." Emma groaned. One, because Killian hated cars, two- he didn't trust her and she was practically kidnapping him.

"Here." Meg handed her a golden medallion, the size of a coaster. "Last piece of the puzzle."

"This is…from Mt. Olympus." Emma stated, examining the markings. She remembered seeing the picture in one of Regina's spell books.

"Yes." Meg confirmed. "I was going to use it to bring my true love back to life. Before I got trapped in the underworld."

She half laughed in shock. "You stole this?!"

"Stole back, is more like it." Meg shrugged. "It belonged to Hercules."

"Meg, you're giving this to me, why?" Emma had to know. "I thought you didn't believe in love."

Meg shrugged. "Maybe I just needed to be reminded that it's worth fighting, and dying for."

"What will it do to Killian?" She asked cautiously. Al magic came with a price.

"Its power comes directly from Zeus. With it, you can restore his memories" Meg revealed. "And his soul will finally be with you."

"That's why you're always on the run. Hades wants this." She confirmed griping the medallion.

"Hercules traded his immortality, to save me." Meg said quietly, shuffling her feet. "I don't deserve this, but you do."

"Everyone deserves a second chance Meg." Emma objected softly. "Even if you worked for the devil."

"No, Emma." Meg said. "I let fear, destroy my happiness with Hercules. If I had just trusted him, he would have never died. But I didn't. I let myself be manipulated by Hades, and paid the ultimate price."

"There's still a chance, Meg, come with us." Emma encouraged.

Meg shook her head, as tears began to form. "And leave all this? Not in a million!"

Before Emma knew what was happening herself, she pulled Meg into a fierce hug. "Thank you." She sobbed softly.

"Take care of yourself, slick." Meg whispered, before pulling herself together. When they broke apart, they both composed themselves. "Send me a postcard."

Emma nodded. She wrapped the medallion back into the cloth, and got in car.

Gold and Regina stood on opposite ends of the town line. "You ready?" he asked.

Regina merely nodded, unable to trust her own words. A part of her wanted to pull back. To give Emma a fighting chance. But as they day progressed into night, the sense of dread hung in the air. Something was definitely coming.

Gold raised his hand, allowing his dark magic to flow freely into the sky. Regina followed suit. Their mingled power caused thunder clouds. Arrays of smoke surrounding the town, before it dissipated.

"Now all it needs is time." Gold assessed.

"How much time?" Regina wanted to know. Maybe Emma got her earlier message and was on her way back.

"Not much, look." Gold indicated to the delicate force field that began to form. " By sunrise, we'll be protected. Congratulations."

"What?" Regina eyed him curiously.

"Well," Gold admitted aloud. "You always said you'd get rid of Ms. Swan, and now you have. Henry only has one mother now." He vanished in a cloud of red smoke.

Regina remained silent. That little victory felt hollow now. She had just banished her best friend. How could she just live with that?

Emma didn't have time to answer her phone. She was currently dare-devil riding with a crazy ghost on the back of her car.

Just like Meg had predicted, Milah was only wounded. How the hell she caught up with them was a mystery. Hades' Emma thought instantly. That was the only explanation how a lifeless corpse had caught up to them six and half hours later.

Milah's war cry was manic as she shot out the back window. "Son of a…" Emma cursed, banging the steering wheel. Glaring at Jack, she shouted. "DO SOMETHING!

"Like what lass?!" Jack hollered back. "Pull over and talk to her?!"

"You're a freaking pirate!" Emma countered, trying to straighten the car from Morgan's truck ramming into her.

"Jack took out his pistol and checked the bullets. "Only one shot!" he cried in frustration. "Fucking typical!"

"Better make it count!" Emma called out, picking up speed. She recognized the trees on the winding road. "We're almost there!"

Jack aimed straight between Milah's wild eyes. She was half deranged, hanging onto the car for dear life, trying to shoot Emma.

"One Shot." Jack said to himself, trying to block out the noise. If he missed, they were dead. If he didn't shoot, they were dead.

Morgan rammed the car again, almost causing him to drop the gun out the window. The mustang started to spiral out of control.

"NOW!" Emma roared, ramming Morgan's truck off the road as she drifted. Jack pulled the trigger.

"Bloody Hell…" He uttered as Milah's corpse immediately disintegrated into a blazing fire as they came sliding to an abrupt halt.

"Nice shot. Emma panted as she leaned her head back against the seat. She checked the time. 7:15AM. "We made it…." She panted aloud.

Jack was still looking back to see the scratches on the back of the car, the shattered back window and bumper that seemed to be sliced clean off. "Did we?"

Emma pointed to the sign that read, 'ENTERING STORYBROOKE' "Yeah, we did." They sat there in silence, taking it in.

Her cell phone interrupted the quiet victory. It was Henry.

"Mom! Mom where are you?!" he asked frantically.

"Relax kid." Emma said happily. "I'm home."

"She made it!" Henry exclaimed happily. Mary Margret and David let out the breath they were holding. "Let's go-now." He commanded as he headed for his truck.

"I've got a better idea." Regina said, transporting them all to the town line.

As soon as the purple smoke vanished, they saw Emma get out the car, running towards them.

She hugged her parents, brother, and son. It was a tearful reunion. Regina came to Emma, feeling guilt eat at her.

Emma wasted no time, pulling her into a fierce hug. "Thank you." She whispered.

"For what?" Regina laughed. "Almost banishing you?"

"For protecting the thing I love most-my family." She clarified. "I'm just glad you sent me the head's up."

Jack had gotten out of the car, wearily. "Emma darling, you didn't tell me you were in cahoots with the Evil Queen."

Regina growled, but it was Robin who approached him. "She's reformed mate. So I'd watch the E word."

Jack raised a brow, but wisely chose not to indulge. He turned to Emma. "We still have a tiny problem."

Emma nodded, turning back to her family. "Hook still doesn't have his memories...and I don't know how to get them back,even with the magic."

"We'll figure it out." Snow encouraged. "The important thing is, you're back, Hook's alive, and there's still a chance for your happy ending."

"I think this calls for celebration." Henry declared. "We should throw another ball."

"Another reason to dance close with your girlfriend?" David asked slyly. Henry blushed, and punched his grandfather in the arm. David just laughed harder.

"A ball is a wonderful idea." Snow agreed, hugging her daughter.

"And this time, I'll host." Regina offered. Snow was about to object, but David smiled. "I think that's a wonderful idea, your majesty."

Emma turned to Jack. "I'll take you to my place, get Killian rested, and we'll fill you in."

Jack nodded. "Thank you. I've had to piss for the past 3 hours."

A figure waited in the shadows of the town, watching the family dinner at Granny's. "Take it in Savior." He chuckled to himself. "Because I have a score to settle...and you're about to meet my friends on the other side…"

A/n: Excited about the upcoming final chapters of this story! Thank you so much for all the support and love and I pray you like what is next to come. And if you don't know who the next villain is by that last few sentences, you need to brush up on your Disney movies!

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-R.