I do not own Once Upon a Time nor any of its fabulous characters. I am but a scribe whom believes the pen can truly be mightier than the sword.

I am humbled and grateful to my many favoriters, followers, reviewers. I love hearing from you all and hope you're still enjoying the ride. Things have been relatively calm for our heroes, save the incident with Walsh, up until this point; but they are now in the Enchanted Forest, where the Wicked Witch threatens them all, so danger now creeps ever closer to them. This chapter is a bit of fluff before the oncoming storm that is Zelena.

And as they say, my friends, on with the show…

-Y&M-

Light streamed through the stained glass windows of the room, falling upon the bed and its occupants. Killian Jones had been awake since dawn and had merely shifted slightly to prop himself up on the pillows without disturbing the woman whom was fast asleep in his arms, lying across his torso. He smiled warmly down at Emma, her long locks falling like a waterfall down her bare back as she clung to him in her sleep. Never in the pirate's wildest dreams would he have thought his life would lead him here to be lying in the arms of a beautiful princess. Emma Swan was so very much more than just a princess, though, he mused. She was a fearless warrior whom would do anything for those she loved. She was Storybrooke's Savior, whom broke the curse that had befallen them for 28 years through the purest act of a mother's True Love for her son. Though she'd deny it, he still swore she'd make a fiery pirate that could have held her own with some of the best of the pirates he'd encountered in history. After all, she'd conquered the fearsome Captain Hook…

She loves me, he thought to himself in awe. Emma Swan said she loves me. Killian kissed the top of her head reverently and stroked her hair gently, still trying not to wake her. He would enjoy this moment with her, he thought as the reality of their situation crept into his heart. The reality that they would be going to battle very soon with the Wicked Witch of the West, a fearsome sorceress that had proven to be lethal to all previous attackers that had tried to take her down. He was placing her in harm's way – they all were, by bringing her here, but he knew this was where she'd want to be, as much as he still hated himself for it. The words that had been whispered round the council table had been that the only way to defeat Zelena was with the purest light magic. Who would that referred to if not that of the Savior, Emma Swan, the child of True Love? All that said, he thought as he tightened his arm around Emma, he'd be damned if that witch touched one hair on his Swan's head. Killian Jones would not leave her side, he vowed mentally. He would protect her through all of this, no matter the cost.

Killian jumped then as he heard someone within the room other than Emma clear their throat. His eyes shot up to find Regina sitting in the chair Emma had occupied the days before, reading through a spell book, looking completely bored with them both.

"You know, Captain, you could have at least tied a sock to the doorknob if you were planning on, well, whatever it was you and Emma were up to last night," Regina said dryly as she continued to act like she was more interested in the book she held than looking at them. "Its common courtesy to let people know when you're up to activities such as that. I mean, honestly, what if Henry had been the one to find you both?"

Killian stretched upward, still keeping the sleeping Emma in his arms draped across him as he grinned cockily, "Jealous that you're not up to any activities, your majesty?"

That caused her to look over to him, "Please."

Killian raised his eyebrows high on his head and shot her another smug smile before she slammed her book shut and glared at him for a few moments. The arrogant pirate captain wasn't even embarrassed in the slightest that she had found them in this compromising position, but then again, Captain Hook never struck her as being someone that cowered from public displays of affection. In fact, Regina thought, she'd be willing to bet that if he'd had his way, he and Emma would have been up to this sort of thing long ago. He had waited for her though, she thought, as she remembered his profession in from of them all that he was a honorable gentleman when they were back in Neverland. In his defense, as frustrating as Emma made it for him, he had stuck true to his word, an item that Regina almost admired him for. Almost, she thought with a smile before it turned suddenly downward as she remembered the original reason that had driven her to wait for them to awake. Killian watched an unreadable look cross her face as she set the book down and reached into the pockets within her gown to find something.

"I am curious, though, about a few things," the Queen began as she twirled a small bottle in her fingers. "How is it that Henry and Emma have their memories back, and yet you didn't use the potion in its entirety?"

"Henry took the potion, although, his memories had just started to come back to him even before taking it," Killian began as Regina cocked an eyebrow curiously.

"How is that possible? And what about Emma? How did she remember without the potion? There's half left," she asked him as she narrowed her eyes at him. "You had explicit instructions to give them this potion in order to reverse the curse I'd placed upon them, Hook. If you veered in any way—"

"I do not know," he said quietly, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I…" he started, not really knowing what to say.

Killian wanted to believe that it was indeed True Love's kiss that awoke the Savior from the curse that had been cast upon her, but it hadn't worked in the usual manner and just as Emma had told him before, if the person did not remember the other, it was impossible for a kiss of True Love to work. Were it an actual True Love's kiss, the entity of the curse would have been undone, with Henry's memories returning in tow as well as the possibility of their being transported back to Storybrooke along with the other inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest. But it hadn't worked that way…

"Captain? I have my theories on this but I want to hear you say it," she began as she stood to walk within the room while she spoke. "You see, Emma spent the last few days trying to learn healing magic and wasn't even able to heal a little cut on her own fingers, let alone the deep slice the monkey had given you earlier. So then I walk in here this morning, to check up to see if you still had a fever as Henry had asked about you, and lucky me I find you and the sheriff wrapped up in the sheets like a burrito. Meanwhile, I notice, your shoulder has merely a wisp of a scar on it and it makes me wonder something…Emma seems to have more control, more power when she's around you and I'm a bit curious as to the why of that."

"How could I make her more powerful?" he asked her as he felt Emma shift in his arms slightly, still seemingly asleep.

"How did she get her memories back?" she countered him.

Killian sighed, "I believe it was the kiss that triggered her to remember, your majesty."

"A kiss, hmm?" Regina asked.

"Yes. I foolishly had tried True Love's kiss on her at first, when I'd finally found her and the lad, but it didn't work…at least not at first."

"Of course it didn't work. Didn't anyone ever tell you True Love's kiss doesn't work unless the other person remembers you? But—wait you said at first, what did you mean by that?"

"The second time I kissed her…she…," he trailed off, looking down at Emma as he tightened his grip on her, remembering how scared he was for her when her memories had so violently returned to her. "She remembered. She remembered everything…all at once."

Regina stared at him incredulously for a few moments before she realized her mouth was open in shock and she had to concentrate to just close it again, "She just, remembered? Just like that?"

"Aye."

"But…but how? How is that even possible?"

"I am not sure. I can assure you, I was just as shocked as you are now when it happened. Maybe even more so as it was quite frightening to witness that happen to her when I didn't realize what exactly it was. She collapsed in my arms, Regina," he said somberly as he looked down to Emma in his arms, that night still haunting him. "She was terrified when it all came crashing back to her."

"Because of Henry…" Regina said with what Killian thought was almost a note of sympathy and understanding.

"Aye, because of the boy. Because she had to give him up to give him his best chance, all those years ago," he said sadly.

He felt Emma shiver slightly in his arms and he pulled the covers further up on her shoulders, fearing she was chilled. Regina watched them both with sad eyes. She had tried to spare Emma (and Henry) this by making the potion have the effects of the counter-curse that she had cast against Pan be completely undone so that way she wouldn't have to relive that all over again. After all…she figured she owed her that much after all they had been through. She'd wanted to spare Henry of that too and it seemed he had been spared for the most part but…

"Wait—you said that Henry had begun to remember as well earlier, didn't you?" Regina asked him.

"Aye, he did. He had dreams of The Red Room the morning after Emma's memories had come back," Killian stated as he watched the Queen try to piece things together in her head.

The Red Room. Regina frowned in worry for the boy. Though she had never experienced the after-effects of the sleeping curse, she had heard plenty from Snow White on the matter when they'd first discovered Henry was having the dreams. Snow had stated that she was terrified to go to sleep when it had first happened. To have this start without any knowledge of why must have scared poor Henry half to death. To be trapped in a room on fire with no way out until you were to wake up… Regina felt tears prick at her eyes. She would speak with Henry on the matter later, to reassure him that the dreams wouldn't hurt him, that she wouldn't let them hurt him, making a mental note to look to see if there was a charm of some sort that would help alleviate the dreams for him.

"Oh, Henry," she said out loud, mostly to herself without realizing she had spoken.

"I explained, along with Emma, what the dreams meant as best with could with only pieces of his memories intact at that point. We reassured him that neither of us would let any harm befall the boy. I will never let any harm befall him, no matter what it is," Killian said with a level of conviction that surprised the Queen.

"I believe you," Regina said after a few moments pause. "This all still doesn't explain what happened and how a mere kiss started breaking my counter-curse."

"Maybe you're slipping in your old age, majesty," Killian said with a grin as Regina stared daggers at him.

"This coming from a 300 year-old pirate. Really, Captain, isn't Emma a little young for you?"

"I didn't hear any objections last night," he quipped as he distinctly felt Emma poke him hard in the ribs beneath the sheets as she still feigned being asleep.

"Ugh," Regina said as she stood to take her leave, clearly getting nowhere by talking to the pirate. "You and Emma will be called upon later to attend the council meeting. Have Emma find me before-hand though so I can show her more on how to control her magic as we'll need it. The witch, Zelena, she attacked again last night on the outskirts of the castle."

Regina paused, more upset about relaying this news than Killian would have thought her to be and rousing his suspicions, "Was anyone taken?"

"Yes," she said with her hand on the door handle as she gripped it tightly. "Several of Robin Hood's men were bitten and a few killed."

Killian had known by a brief encounter he'd had before he'd come to New York with the Queen and Robin of Locksley that there was something there between them. In fact, he remembered grinning to himself after accidentally witnessing an argument between them in the hallway after a council meeting. Foreplay, he'd mused to himself at the time. He'd thought of his and Emma's first encounters and their banter atop the beanstalk and was reminded of the interaction between the Queen and the thief. He remembered the conversation he and the Queen had above deck on the Jolly Roger about happy endings and how the both of them had their doubts and reservations that they were deserved of it, being they had been only villains.

But, in fact, maybe…just maybe, in the end, they weren't villains after all…

"And how did Robin fare after this attack?" he asked her carefully, concern within his voice more so for the Queen, as he truly wanted them both to find happiness from the darkness from which they'd come.

"He was injured, but he survived without being bitten," she said, clearly attempting to contain the emotion in her voice, but faltering as she quickly opened the door and wiped a singular tear from her face. "Until later, Captain."

Regina shut the door forcibly, the sound echoing in the vast bedroom as she left them alone in the room once again.

Killian sighed and then grinned slightly as he brushed his fingers down Emma's spine, "You can stop pretending to be asleep now, Swan."

"Was it that obvious?" she said into his chest, but made no attempt to move.

"You did a fine job upholding your charade until you poked a certain pirate in the ribs," he grinned down at her as she looked up at him with a grimace.

"How embarrassing," she said as she sat up and wrapped the blankets around her. "Regina seeing us in here, half-naked, and you—you big idiot, sitting there, barely covered, proud as a damn peacock over it all."

"Should I have been otherwise?" he asked, still grinning at her from ear to ear.

"It's called humility, Killian, ever heard of it? You know being humble and not flaunting your naked self in front of others? I mean I know you know you look good, but seriously, Killian, a little tact would be nice for a change."

"You think I 'look good'?" he asked her, his grin widening impossibly as she went to smack him and he caught her arm.

"You're impossible."

"You love it though, don't you, darling," he growled lowly in her ear before he placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Maybe, but that doesn't excuse the fact that I may never be able to show my face again to Regina," she said with a grin before her face suddenly sobered, remembering the conversation she'd overheard. "We're in a lot of danger here, aren't we?"

She watched him frown and cup the side of her face with his hand as he nodded seriously, "Yes. Emma, I promised you, though, I will not let any harm come to you or the lad…or your family for that matter."

"I know, but you have to promise me something," she began as she laid her palm over his heart on his chest.

"Anything," he said as he placed his hand over hers.

"You need to keep yourself safe too," she said as she leveled him with a serious glare. "We'll all protect each other, okay? We'll all get out of this together, Killian Jones. Do you understand me?"

"Aye, love, I understand," he said carefully as he looked her in the eyes. "Together."

"Good," she said simply as she hugged him and laid her head on his chest for several moments, just listening to his heartbeat.

Killian found himself admiring this side of Emma, this softer side that until recently, he had never been privy to. Usually she was reserved, closed off with her emotions—a trait no-doubt developed over the years after all of the heartbreak she had endured by being betrayed or left by one or another. Here, though, within his arms at last, he thought, she was just Emma, his Swan, with all of her walls broken down. Underneath all the fierce strength she possessed and the harsh view of the world she held, she was just this, underneath it all. A woman…a strong-willed woman whom would do anything and everything for those she loved.

"I love you, Emma," he felt the words tumble from his lips without even thinking about it.

Emma shot up from where she was lying to look him in the face as a soft smile crept upon her lips. She brought herself up to kiss him sweetly on the lips before she then pulled away suddenly, ripping all the sheets off the bed with her.

"Come on, pirate! Time to get out of bed before someone else catches us like this," she said as she wrapped the blankets around her and started gathering up her clothes from the floor.

"Cruel, heartless woman," he spat at her with a sly grin as he stood and stretched. "Stealing all the warmth from a man like that."

Emma found herself stop to admire the view as he began to pull on his shirt and trousers, watching the muscles in his back work before he covered them. He then reached for the contraption that held his hook and began to work with the straps in order to place it on his arm. She then realized that during this entire time he had managed to somewhat keep his handless arm out of view, only now forgetting himself as he prepared to put on his hook's harness. Emma found that it didn't repulse her, not one bit. In fact, it made her only sorry for him—not for the loss of his hand necessarily, but for the constant reminder of when Mila had been killed in front of him. She knew Killian, just as much as he knew her. She knew this had been his constant reminder for his revenge for hundreds of years, fueling his ire towards Rumpelstiltskin. Just as her swan necklace had been a constant reminder of her past.

"Hey," she said, catching him off-guard as she took hold of his forearm above the stump. "Let me help you with that."

"Emma," he began to protest.

She pulled his handless arm up and kissed the tip of it as her fingers massaged the area surrounding, raw from years of wearing the contraption that held his hook steadily in place, "Let me help you, Killian. That's what people who love each other do. They help one another, don't they?"

Killian nodded slowly, as if still unsure of her seeing his scarred lower arm, as he watched her pull the apparatus over the end of his arm and begin to buckle the straps into place. He watched her face as she finished setting it in place, brushing her fingers gently over the scarred area that had seen years of wear from holding a hook that could be used as a weapon securely in place. She then pulled his sleeve down over the edge of the straps and walked over to grab his hook from the table nearby. Killian smiled warmly at how the gesture to help touched him, not only because she was accepting of him completely, but also that she wasn't disgusted by his lack of hand or thought any less of him for it. But she never had acted any differently towards him because of his lack of appendage, he reminded himself. Surely she had joked with him about it, but not to hurt him, more to help him understand that it didn't bother her and remind him that he should never think less of himself for it, he realized.

It had only taken him till now to get that it was just that, all along. Emma Swan may have never spoken her feelings towards him until recently, but she secretly had been trying to tell him of the way she felt about him in little ways all along. Even if she didn't realize it, herself. He watched her place the hook into the chamber and twist it until it clicked in place.

"There," she said as she grinned and kissed the hook. "Much better, now, isn't it? Feel back to your normal self, pirate?"

Killian regarded her silently without knowing what to say as he didn't know the words that would convey just what she meant to him in this moment. She smiled in understanding as she held the blankets that still hung tucked around her like she would a towel and pulled herself up on her toes to place another kiss on his nose, cheekily.

"That's a first, isn't it? You without anything to say?" she asked as he smiled at her, still speechless, before he suddenly kissed her passionately, his arms curling around her back and pulling her close to him.

When they broke apart, he held her head in his hands, their foreheads coming to touch as they shared breath for a moment before Emma spoke.

"I love you," she said breathlessly for a second time, causing Killian to feel the need to kiss her yet again.

"You keep saying that, my love, and we may never leave this room today," he said as he reluctantly released her and then pulled the covers that surrounded her off.

Emma gave out a squeak at the sudden chill within the room as she covered herself with her arms.

"No need for that, love. Not like I haven't seen every inch of you and memorized it. Come on," he said as he motioned for her to come over to him.

Killian helped her dress, then, to her surprise, placing kisses over every inch of her skin before he'd place clothing to cover it. As he finished, her blouse being the last bit to clothe her, he then placed yet another kiss on her lips sweetly. They locked eyes with one another, knowing that this may be the last moment like this they would have together for a very long time. Once they left this room, they would be thrown into the midst of battle with the witch, yet again with everyone they loved very lives at stake.

"Together," Emma stated to him as he nodded in agreement.

"Together," he said as he took her hand in his and led her out of the bedroom door.

-Y&M-

Zelena grinned viciously at the scene that had played out before her within her crystal ball. The Savior had crossed realms, no thanks to that worthless captain of the guards, she thought to herself. She and her pirate and her son were now here and posed a threat to her and her plans. The prophecy had foretold that only one of pure white magic would be her undoing and the Savior was exactly that, which meant she was the threat that she needed to deal with immediately.

"Damn the prophecy!" Zelena shouted as she waved her hand over the ball, clouding away the view of Killian and Emma walking hand in hand out of the room.

A screech filled the room as several of her winged monkeys circled above her.

"Yes, my pretty ones," she began with a sneer as she walked to sit upon the thrown at the far edge of the room. "Prophecy or not, this Savior has shown me the thing that will be her undoing. She's weak. If I learned anything over the years it's that love is weakness and Emma Swan has many loves within her life that I only need to pluck from her in order to render her powerless."

The screeching grew louder as they clamored about her in a frenzy above her head as the witch grinned at them as she pulled Rumpelstiltskin's dagger from within the folds of her cape.

"Rumpelstiltskin!" she commanded into the air as the imp then appeared within a shimmer of magic and smoke before her.

His reptilian skin glimmered within the firelight of the castle as he bowed theatrically before her, "You rang, dearie?"

"I'm going to give you a chance to do something you've always dreamt of," she began as she stood and walked over to him, her fingers caressing his chin as he flinched slightly in horror at her touch, only to quickly school his facial expression so she wouldn't notice. "I'm going to give you a chance at revenge."

"Revenge, dearie?" he asked, wondering where she was going with this and slightly fearing the answer all the same.

"Yes, revenge for your dear Milah."

Rumpelstiltskin grew still, his face taking on an unreadable expression, "Milah?"

"Yes, Rumple, your wife whom was stolen away from you all those years ago by the hands of the nefarious pirate. Wouldn't you like a chance to take care of him once and for all, to rid this world of his very existence for taking her away from you?" she purred in his ears as he remained very still.

Captain Hook had returned, he thought incredulously to himself. He's returned which could only mean one thing…The Savior had also returned. Emma Swan was in the Enchanted Forest. The most powerful wielder of white magic was here…the only one that possessed the power to destroy the Wicked Witch…

"He did steal her away from me, dearie, but twas I whom took her heart and life from her for betraying me," he purred back at her, playing along, his lips only mere inches from her.

Rumpelstiltskin thought of Belle and his heart constricted in his chest. Last he saw her that witch had ordered him to kill her and in his muddled head that now contained two voices after Bae's sacrifice, he almost did if it were not for the candlestick, Lumiere, saving her at the last minute. Oh Belle, he thought grimly, how I wish it was you here with me now rather than this monster before me…oh how I miss you, my sweet Belle…

"Wouldn't you like to rip his heart out as well?" she said, pressing her lips to his as he inwardly cringed and yet returned the kiss reluctantly all the same.

Get away from her, he heard his son's voice screaming in his head.

I have to play along. We have to play along! We have to set her up so that Emma can destroy her! Rumpelstiltskin's voice screamed within his mind at his son's voice.

NO! You will not place Emma in danger again!

It is the only way, son! She is the only one that can destroy her!

"I said NO!" Baelfire's voice screamed from within Rumpelstiltskin's throat as he ripped himself away from the witch's kiss.

Zelena screamed in her fury as she waved her hands in the air and shot a bolt of green magic at Rumpelstiltskin unexpectedly, "Enough of this!"

Neal Cassidy, Baelfire, was ripped from his father's form and thrown onto the floor behind him.

"NO!" Rumpelstiltskin screamed as he knelt beside his son as Baelfire gasped as if unable to breathe.

"Papa," he began weakly. "Papa, you can't…you have to protect her. Don't let Zelena harm…"

"Sssh, Bae," he whispered to him as he pulled his son into his arms. "Don't talk, boy, you're too weak."

"Papa," Neal began as he looked into his father's eyes, seeing the tears form there. "You have…to promise me. Protect them. Protect Emma and Henry…everyone."

"Bae—"

"I'm dying," he said with finality, as his body shook in his father's arms as he saw tears streaming down Rumpelstiltskin's face.

"No, no, no, no, no! I will not lose you! Not again! Bae, please! Bae, stay with me son!"

"You know I can't, Papa…"

"Bae—"

"I love you, Papa. I always have loved you…through it all…"

"Bae, no, son!" Rumpelstiltskin cried as he pulled his son into an embrace and rocked him back and forth. "I cannot let you go. I just got you back. I love you, son. I have always loved you. I did everything…all of this…for you. Forgive me, please."

"I know, Papa, I know," Baefire began as he chocked slightly, blood staining his lips as his body shutdown from within. "I do forgive you, Papa…Promise me…"

Rumpelstiltskin nodded as he placed his mouth near his son's ears to whisper, "I swear it, Bae. I will protect them, no matter what."

"Thank you, Papa. I lov—" Baelfire began and was cut short as he suddenly stilled and stiffened within his father's arms.

"Bae? Bae? BAE? NO! Wake up, Bae, please, don't—oh God, no, no NO!" Rumpelstiltskin began before he threw his head back and let out an inhuman scream in his anguish.

His son was gone. Baelfire, his beautiful son, had died within his arms. Rumpelstiltskin rocked him back and forth as he had when he was just a child for several minutes, denying the truth of his death to himself to a little while longer. His entire being shook with rage as he then carefully placed his son and laid him back on the floor and closed his eyes that stared lifelessly ahead. He stood then and stormed over to Zelena, magic crackling at his fingertips in his fury. Zelena's eyes widened as she took a step back, forgetting herself for a second, fear creeping over her briefly at the murderous look in his eyes.

"You KILLED my son!" he shouted at her as he raised his hands up, fire within them, as he made his intent to kill her known.

Zelena, then remembering herself, suddenly held the Dark One's dagger triumphantly high over her head, "Aren't you forgetting something, dearie?"

Rumpelstiltskin felt his magic extinguish within his own hands as he was thrown to his knees before her, the ground cracking as his knees struck it hard.

"I own you, Dark One! Never forget that! You are POWERLESS over me as long as I wield this within my hands. Never, ever try something like that again!"

"You killed my son, Zelena," he began, his voice quiet and dangerous in tone. "While you may own me now, know this, witch, Emma Swan will take you down and after she does, after they retrieve my dagger from you, and they will, DEARIE, oh how they will. I, myself, will see you dead."

Zelena laughed a mad sort of laughter that ended in a cackle, "You are nothing, you insignificant wretch, but my slave to do my bidding. I would have had you rule beside me, but this is much, much better. You see, I will give you your revenge, my dear Rumple, and I will render the Savior weak in doing so. GO RUMPELSTILTSKIN! I command you! Go and bring me the pirate Captain Killian Jones! Bring me Captain Hook!"