Day 4 continued...

Emma needed to escape now more than ever, both from Rothbart's study and from this whole place. If only she actually had whatever it was he accused her of stealing. She should've checked Odile's room while she was sleeping. Too little too late for that though, but she definitely was taking the necklace with her.

Several minutes later she found herself circling the barn, after she hid the necklace in one of the flower patches. She didn't find anything unusual like disturbed dirt, extra hay to cover something, or weak spot to indicate an underground cellar. After double checking things she ventured inside the barn and it looked normal as well. Not that she knew much about barns but with the way Rothbart kept everything in order it would have been easy to spot something that shouldn't be there. And he would have had her fooled but she noticed something that actually should be in a barn but wasn't.

There was no hay in the hay loft. Instead there were about a dozen barrels and she didn't have to even look inside to know they were filled with water from the lake. She could sense the magic the way you could sense heat from a fire a few feet away. He had obviously been gathering a supply for some time, which would explain how he found her in Storybrooke, changed his appearance so he didn't have those beady, owl eyes, and cursed her to become the next swan after Odette was free and the lake was without magic.

From what Odette had told her, the magic in the lake worked in a unique way. Once someone with true love was given permission they could gather and use the water however and whenever they wanted. Originally Rothbart traveled a week to the lake to save his ill wife. When he returned to find her passed away he used it to kill the first swans in his anger and grief.

She wished she could dump one of the barrels on him but it didn't work that way. For healing a wound or sick person, yes, they just had to come in contact with the water. But for other things the water was poured into a specially crafted staff. It was used like a wand and the water was like a magic rechargeable battery so it always needed to be refilled. And Rothbart kept the staff at his hip at all times like a sword or gun.

But if he could absorb enough magic from the water into the necklace it could become self-sustaining. Just like it contained Zelena's magic when she died and her life-force or whatever drained the magic from it to enact the time portal. Rothbart would be doing the opposite though and drain the lake so he'd never have to refill the staff or need her because the pendant would permanently hold the magic.

How had he gotten it though because it was still locked away in the vault? Did he know Zelena and did she help him? And now that he had it, why hadn't he done anything yet?

She stayed in the hay loft for several minutes trying to figure things out. But she stayed a few minutes too long.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to find this place." Rothbart stated with an eerie calmness that made her suspicious. She hadn't heard him or the horse return so he must have used magic to get back. Was it his intention to sneak up on her or was it just unfortunate timing?

"Yes, I knew you would eventually. But I really wish you hadn't. And soon you will too." He added cryptically, leaving her to wonder what he meant while the hairs of her neck raised. She wasn't scared exactly but she sure wasn't comfortable and knew something was about to happen.

She backed away as her 'fight or flight' instincts came in. As a swan she was in no condition to fight him so she tried to fly out the window of the barn. But he easily grabbed her as she knew he probably would but she had to try. And she continued to try even after he chained her feet to a post on the edge of the lake. The chain was long enough for her to pace around a few feet, sit on the lake, and she could get a few inches off the ground. She could slip out of handcuffs like a pro but wings were useless at lock picking and she couldn't get far enough of the ground to pull the post out by flying no matter how hard she flapped her wings. The limited freedom was worse than being in a cage and that was probably Rothbart's intention.

She waited for the sun to set, knowing she could get herself loose once she had the use of her hands. But as soon as the sun disappeared, manacles magically appeared around her wrists that she couldn't remove. So much for plan A.

For a while she paced around trying to think of another plan but nothing was coming to her. But unlike last night, she didn't feel hopeless. She just had to try harder. The only one that rescued her was her and she wouldn't change that saying now. But eventually she was too tired to think and sat down with her feet in the water. She never did that but it was the only way to stretch out. She wished that by doing so she could use the magic to free herself. But she was meant to share it with others, not use it for her own gain. Someone really needed to put in a loophole for situations like this. Where was Gold when you needed him and his specialty?

When the stars came out Emma was grateful that at least one thing about the day was normal. Again she thought of her daughter and some of the stories Killian used to tell her. Those thoughts gave her enough comfort to close her eyes and rest for a few hours. She was never able to sleep as a swan, always on alert and watching her back. And for those same reasons she never slept more than a few hours even as a human. But somehow she managed, except for last night with the storm, because she told herself if she fell asleep that one of these times she'd wake up in Storybrooke. Soon this would be the bad dream, not the nightmares she was plagued with thanks to Rothbart's morning greeters.

CS

Killian POV

"Why won't these birds die?" Smee yelled as all of them fought off the said attackers with every weapon they had.

"I said they're not normal birds. They're his little minions that are created by magic and that's the only way they can be destroyed." Derek answered in between strikes with his sword.

"Then what the bloody hell do we do?" Killian questioned him as he got one of the birds with his hook.

But no harm was done and it only changed direction to fly straight at Snow. And it was the same each time, they'd strike, the bird went toward someone else, they struck, and the birds continued to swarm them. It was monotonous, exhausting, and useless. But if they didn't defend themselves the birds would peck viciously, not only to wound them but to expose them to the poison on their beaks. He wasn't sure what it was exactly but whatever it was caused his vision to blur. It cleared up in a few seconds, and thankfully he had David to watch his back. But he had a feeling the more the birds got them the worse it would eventually become. And when they couldn't fight anymore they'd become bird feed.

"Whatever it is, don't say split up! That never ends well." Snow stated and he agreed since he knew he needed someone to watch his back, they all did.

"What if just one of us goes while the rest of us hold them off?" Smee suggested as he both ducked and swung his sword. "We need magic and the closest source of that would be the lake where Emma is being held."

"He might be right. The trees of true love aren't far at all. And the lake is about another half mile from there." Derek informed them as a bird attacked from the side and got him in the shoulder. Henry was there to defend until his vision cleared and he was able to continue. "But who will be the one to go?"

"Hook." David stated without a moment's hesitation despite the chaos they were in the middle of. "Love is strength and you're gonna need it to free Emma and Emma needs you."

"I can get to Emma; I have no doubt of that. But you can't fight these things forever." He grunted as he dodged another bird. As if to prove his point the birds seemed to be becoming stronger while they were wearing down. "She doesn't even know I'm here and would be none the wiser if something happened. It should be Henry. Something happening to him would hurt her the most."

"Hey, I'm right here!" Henry called out. "I may be good at operations with Mom. But the two of you are a team, have been since the beanstalk. Believe you can do it and don't be afraid."

Killian wasn't surprised to hear the first part about him and Emma being a team. But the last part did, and he was almost pecked by a bird, because it was true. He hadn't even admitted it to himself but he was afraid. Emma obviously hadn't moved on since rejecting Rothbart was part of what got her into this. But what if her walls were back up despite her promise because he had left her just like everyone else in her life and she couldn't let him in again? And everyone was putting their full trust in him by choosing him to be the one to go. What if he failed them as he did when he was the Dark One by not being strong enough?

"Bring our daughter back, Killian." Snow said to him with determination, almost like a royal command.

She was fighting the birds with all she had but that wasn't stopping her from fighting for Emma as well, as he should be doing. 'A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets'. His worries wouldn't mean a thing if he didn't at least try. And if he fought he'd get what he deserved, a happy ending. That's why Zeus sent him back and he wasn't going to muck things up by being a coward.

"Aye, you have my word." Killian stated with a renewed fight and determination.

CS

Emma POV

Emma was having one of those dreams where you knew it was a dream but couldn't wake up from it. Thankfully it wasn't a nightmare, just weird. Her time in the Underworld was on replay in her mind, especially leaving Killian and the promises they made. But then it changed. She saw his grave but noticed he was standing next to her, alive, as Regina removed the plot with magic. Then she saw Kelly sitting on his lap as they all watched An American Tail.

Had Rothbart gotten inside her dreams now to play more cruel jokes?

She saw Kelly blowing out three candles on a cake with Killian's help. Later he wiped her face which had become a mess and even he had frosting on his nose somehow. Then they were on the beach just the two of them. He was right next to her, calling her name, but he sounded a mile away as he placed a hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

"Swan…Emma…love."

She opened her eyes as her dreamed disappeared, but Killian didn't. He was kneeling beside her and she immediately panicked. How could she have been so stupid? The very first night she slept until she was woken up by the imposter of her mother which made it really hard to realize the woman wasn't real. Since then she always woke up an hour or two before sun up. Now the same thing was happening again and the dream she had plus the fact that he was right next to her, which was something the imposters never did, wasn't helping. She couldn't take her eyes off him; his blue eyes, a face that showed concern but also awe and happiness, and there was a spark about him that had been absent in the Underworld.

When she finally forced herself to look away she realized it was still dark out. She had probably only slept about an hour.

"No! No, it's too soon!" She whispered in panic as she backed away. And she was surprised that she could. "Why are you doing this? Isn't sunrise and chaining me up enough?"

"Swan, I don't know what happens at sunrise but I promise you this isn't one of Rothbart's games." Killian assured her as he began working at undoing the chains. "I'm here, love. It's a long story but I'll tell you all about it once you're safe."

She had dealt with 'Killian' before and even when he was being sweet it was obvious it wasn't him. But Rothbart must have actually listened when she yelled to make 'Killian' more realistic. And of course it was coming back to bite her. She really needed to keep her mouth shut.

"Killian is dead." She stated and forced herself to look at the ground without showing any emotion. "I left him in the Underworld, I don't believe in ghosts, and even magic has its limits. So if you're not here to make me a swan, do me a favor for once and dissolve back into thin air."

By the end of her little rant she was yelling and rightfully so, in her opinion. It was one thing to taunt her from afar. But this was literally too close and personal. And again with the illusion of freedom! Getting her out of the chains proved that this had something to do with Rothbart. But he was a pirate that got himself out of handcuffs in the hospital without his hook. And Rothbart could have used magic to keep only her from being unable to unlock the chains and not others. But no, she wouldn't give into this trick. Being weak wouldn't help her any, she had to be strong if she wanted to get out of here.

"Usually I'd gladly do your favor and say 'as you wish' but I don't have magic like you, Regina, and Rothbart. So until we get out of here and back to the others, you're stuck with me. Sorry, love." He told her, not sorry at all. And she wanted to wipe that smug grin off his face.

But she was afraid if she touched him he'd disappear like the time she reached out to Henry and Kelly. And for some reason she wanted him to stay with her, even though he wasn't really there. She felt something she hadn't in a long, long time.

"You know, most men would take your silence as off-putting but I love a challenge." He quoted himself after she didn't reply and just stared at the flower patch. "And don't say you're concentrating. You're not something of an open book. You are a complete open book. I've been dead for a few years now and I can't blame you for not believing me. But I need you to try something new, darling, or again rather."

He held out his hand for her to take and she wanted to take it. Killian being alive and here was better than anything she ever wished for. It really was too good to be true. She wanted to trust him but after the past several days with Rothbart's imposters, she couldn't take the chance that she was wrong. This would hurt more than any of the others so she played along with his game of recreating the past and put the manacle around his right wrist.

"Bloody hell, Emma!" He yelled as he struggled to get his hand loose. "When I said try something again I didn't mean this. What do you need me to do, Swan? Help save your son and father again? Because I can do that if you let me go. The others are being attacked by birds of Rothbart's creation and the water from the lake is the only thing we can think of to stop them. Or would you rather I give up my ship again because I would gladly do so in a heartbeat, Emma."

Locking him up proved two things to her. One, he wasn't a ghost, or mirage, or whatever because that probably wouldn't have held him and he didn't disappear. Two, her hand briefly brushed against his and she felt the same spark she did when he wrapped his scarf around her cut hand. But this time she didn't want to brush it off as it if never happened. And she couldn't risk her parents' and anyone else's life because she refused to give him a chance and let him go.

But she needed one more shred of proof first and decided to skip to the part that happened after he saved her dad. Just like Neverland all over again she gripped the lapels of his coat and pulled him towards her until their lips met and kissed him until air was needed for both of them.

"Please tell me you believe me now, love." He asked her desperately, no doubt using all his gentlemanly self-control to keep from kissing her again before knowing it was alright and wouldn't get him a knee to a certain area.

"I know how you kiss. I don't know how you're here or even alive. But I do know that." She told him with a smile meant only for him that had been absent from her face for far too long. And she let him know that it was more than alright to kiss her again by initiating another and another until they were completely lost to reality and in each other.

Long live Captain Swan! I had so much fun writing this chapter and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I know you've been waiting for this and hopefully it lived up to expectations. And guess what, it continues right where they left off in the next chapter. So there if more fluff to come! However, I won't be able to update until next Tuesday. Sorry about that :( But at least you got the first part of the reunion. And this is far from over so don't worry on that end. And I hope my crazy theory with the water and Zelena's necklace makes sense, it's the result of brainstorming at 3:00 am. Anyway, thank you all for reviewing last chapter, it blew me away. And to the guest review and IzzyJ1428, sorry I can't reply but I love hearing from you all the same.