A/N: Thank you thank you thank you for your awesomeness! Today is a double update, I hope you like it. Enjoy. PS: Any grammar and spelling mistakes are mine x_x

Chapter 10 — Sixth Day

For once, Emma was grateful she woke up in her own bed in the loft. Sure, she was awakened by the sound of her baby brother's crying. But nothing beat waking up in your own bed. She took a quick shower to wake herself completely, before pondering over what she plans to do today. She only has two days left, and in a way, in her own way, she already says her goodbye to the people she loves most.

She already spent one perfect day with her son. She already spent one day being a daughter for her parents, and a big sister for her baby brother. She even got them to talk about the hardest issue that has been hovering over their heads for a few years. Yeah, in her own way, she was saying goodbye to her parents.

She talked to Regina, which intermittently led to other things… and in the end, Emma managed to do the one thing she never wants to do. She broke Regina's heart. She will break it in two days time. Or she already broke it by letting Regina into her life, by kissing her senselessly like that.

Urgh.

Today's plan is a simple one. She wants to visit Neal's grave, alone, and then she wants to go to the castle and stayed there, writing a few goodbye notes for her family.

Yeah, simple.

After she ate David's cereal (just to piss him off by quarrelling like a child would to one's father), and played with James while her parents were eating, she was off for the day.

She decided to walk to the cemetery, because today is one of the rarest day that ever graced Storybrooke. It was not too cold and perfect for a walk around. She hasn't said goodbye to Neal properly. With a cup of hot coffee in her hands, she hummed along the way and thought about this small town she has grown to love.

It's amazing how her life changed literally in a blink of an eye. One second she was holding the door knob because someone rang the bell, and the next Henry was standing there, and in the next second after that, literally bringing her home. To her parents, to him, and more importantly, to Regina. Whose heart will be broken.

Just great.

Once she arrived in Neal's grave, she sat on the side while grazing the tombstone gently with the tip of her fingers. The textures of the granite soothed her.

"Hey Neal. If you're up there, and if you can hear me… man, I feel so silly talking like this." Emma huffed. "I— I'm sorry that you died, trying to protect me and Henry, and if you thought I haven't forgiven you… well… you were wrong. I forgive you. It's tiring, holding onto a grudge, especially holding a grudge to someone who is not in this world anymore. I just want my life to be my own, you know. Not dictated by some 'higher' power at work, or destined by some long lost prophecies or something."

Emma sighed. It was hard, letting go of that anger that has kept her going all these times. "But I guess if you didn't do that to me, I won't be here, cursed, with only two more days to breathe… and saying goodbye to all the people I love, and realise how letting go of all the source of anger is better than… trying to say goodbye directly."

Emma suddenly laughed. "You would say I gave up too easily. I didn't actually. I'm fighting this curse every seconds I have left. With what I knew. So I'm fighting it by giving a chance so that my life may mean something once I fell asleep. I even think about writing them a note, a letter of some sort."

"It's funny. I've been dreading the moment I'll die. Maybe abandoned on the side of the road, like when I just got into this realm. Maybe a quick death from struggling against the person I am supposed to catch, or even when I was in the Enchanted Forest, there were all these creatures haunting us. Trolls, ogres, fairies, I don't know. I was scared the whole time I was there. People said that's where I was born, but… I don't even feel that way. My home is here, in Storybrooke. With Henry, with my parents, oh and you have to meet my little brother. He's the cutest baby ever. My mum really did a great job with him and we're trying to be a family. It's weird, you know, having parents with the same age and all that. I really wish you were here, Neal."

Emma smiled sadly and sipped her coffee. "I would have loved for you to know Henry more. Even though we didn't work, we can still be friends you know. Maybe I would see you sometimes soon. Henry was under a sleeping curse and the doctors pronounced him dead after one day. So maybe I'll die soon. Or I'm doomed in my own tiny little imagination where there are these versions of the people I love who talks back to me, when actually they are just my subconscious. Weird, isn't it."

"Yeah, that reminds me. I need to fill a paperwork in the hospital. Thank you, Neal. For giving Henry a chance to live the life that he deserves, even though you sacrifice yours for it. You're his hero. You're everyone's hero. You saved Storybrooke from Zelena. Once again, thank you. And… maybe I'll see you soon." Emma said sheepishly.

She got up, took her coffee and started to walk in the direction of the hospital.

By her own luck predicament, after she finished taking care of her business in the hospital, she bumped into none other than the infamous Captain Hook on her way to Granny's.

"Swan!" Hook said while leering at her like she's some kind of object for his eyes.

"Hook," Emma nodded curtly, only briefly acknowledging his presence.

"You're missing these past few days, I haven't got to see you, love." He flirted.

"Yeah, I don't care." Emma stated.

"That's how you thanked the man who brought you to your parents?"

"That was the right thing to do, Hook."

"Yeah, see. I was hoping for some more action to back up your sentence." Hook invaded her personal space.

Emma subtly walked a little bit faster to evade Hook's movement.

"Oh come on, love. Don't be a prude," Hook teased as he caught up to Emma.

"Stop disturbing me or I'll arrest you." Emma stated firmly.

It turned out, the pirate didn't know anything about manner. When Emma finished the last sentence, he chose that exact moment to grab her wrist and turned her body so that they were flushed onto each other. He then used his good hand to cup Emma's face.

Emma tried to push him away but his hook was circling her waist, and if she tried to move, the hook will ruptured her clothes, or worse, her body. "Let go of me!" Emma hissed angrily. "Hook, I'm not playing with you. Let. Go."

"Just a taste?" He raised one of his eyebrow suggestively.

Emma was angry. She didn't have time for this. "So help me God if you didn't let go of me this instance," Emma clenched her teeth, "you are going to have two hooks."

"My my, feisty aren't we. And kinky," Hook licked his lips.

That's it, filthy pirate.

Emma focused herself, and thought about her family, Henry, Regina, Mary Margaret, David, and the newest member of the family, James. She focused on her family (even though she was super mad at that time) and tried to summon the magic that has been gurgling in her stomach and then she tried to push Hook away. The key phrase was tried.

She ended up in Regina's office with a bright blue light surrounding her body. While the brunette was in a meeting with Tink. Talked about interruption.

Oops. I didn't even calculate Regina killing me before succumbing into the eternal sleep.

"Uh… Uhm… I…" Emma tried to spit out the words in her mind while two pairs of confused eyes were staring at her like she's some figment of their imagination. "I— uh— I'm sorry, I gotta go." Emma said abruptly as she tried to get out of Regina's office in big steps.

"Miss Swan."

Hearing Regina calling her name like that was enough for Emma to freeze and drop everything she was doing.

"Emma," Regina said a little bit softer, without the harsh sexiness she used just seconds ago.

And that, that was enough for Emma to turn back and face the former fairy and the former queen. She grimaced when she realised how strange it must have looked like. I must've been going crazy. We kissed once, and I'm definitely whipped.

"Hey Tink, Regina."

"Hey Emma," Tink winked.

Did she just wink?

"Will you tell me what that was all about?" Regina asked. She got out of her chair and approached Emma.

Tink just turned her chair so she could look at the pair amusedly.

"I— it was nothing, really."

"It was clearly bothering you, and the emotion you felt was enough to make you come here," Regina took one of Emma's hand and wrapped it with hers. The touch made Emma relaxed a bit more.

"I was just, thinking about— my family. I was annoyed and I wanted to get out of the situation. I called out my magic to help me and… ended up here." Emma grimaced.

"Have I ever let you down Regina?" Suddenly Tink said fiercely.

Emma frowned. What the hell was the fairy talking about.

"Technically, you had." Regina pursed her lips as she turned to look at the fairy, but kept hold of Emma's hand.

Much to Emma's surprise, Tinkerbell laughed. "I'll show myself out. Have fun, you two." With that, Tink stood up, walked briefly past the pair and got out of Regina's office.

When the door was closed behind them, Regina led Emma to sit on the couch. Emma was still sporting the frown she expressed when Tink said her cryptic line.

Regina suddenly chuckled. "Are you jealous?"

Emma was at loss of words, and she did the only thing she knew how. She blushed.

Regina smiled and she leaned towards Emma to give her a sweet chaste peck on her lips before she explained Tink's presence.

"She was confirming something for me."

"Hmm?"

"Remember when you asked me about Robin?"

"Who's Robin?" Emma frowned, again.

"He's… the guy that I've been… getting to know." Regina tried to put this delicately.

"Oh, your soulmate."

"About that, Tink said it was possible that the fairy dust that she used to lead me to him was… dusty."

"What do you mean?"

"It might be one of Rumple's or Blue Fairy's hand at play." Regina stated.

Emma understood very well the feeling of being trapped. She doesn't understand how they have the heart to lead and manipulate another human being just for their entertainment purposes.

"Long story short, he might not be my soulmate at all." Regina stated clearly.

"Okay…" Emma still didn't know why Regina is telling her all this. "I— I don't want to be impolite, but… why are you telling me this?"

"I'm getting to it. Patience, Emma."

Emma tried to throw the frown she's been sporting but jealousy kinda make it hard to do so.

"Did you remember when you were using your magic to protect my heart?"

Emma nodded solemnly. She doesn't want anyone to walk around without his or her heart. It was too… grim. Suddenly her nerves snapped up. "Why? What happened with your heart?"

"No, nothing happened. It's still here. You made sure of it," Regina stated softly.

"Okay… then…?"

"For that particular magic to happen, there has to be some kind of connection between the protectee and the protector of the heart. Tink confirmed it for me. She said we're… connected."

"Connected how?"

"I don't understand it myself. But… come to think of it, I chose you to protect it, and you chose to do so. I'm just hoping you still feel it was a wise decision, not one that was beyond your control."

"I'll do it again." Emma stated simply. "I'll always choose you and Henry. Always"

This is why I really shouldn't use my magic. I ended up… well… if I didn't die of organ failure I positively believe Regina would kill me because I didn't tell her things.