A/N: Guess what? I FINISHED IT! I never meant to take so long to get this done, but I enjoyed my Hook ending so much that I didn't want to ruin it with a not-as-awesome final ending. But, I spent my spring break rewatching season 1, and after several rounds of editing, this is what came of it.


Emma could feel the ground rematerialize beneath her feet as Graham's hand faded from her grasp. Guess I'll be on my own for this one, then. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes. Her surroundings did not seem to be anything special, just more rocks and trees and trees and rocks. The tall pine trees blocked out most of the night sky; the only light came from the full moon, filtering through the tall branches.

What with having no instructions on what this showdown would be like, Emma did the only logical thing: she ran. There was no way to know where she was going; there was no path nor anything else to guide her. She simply picked the direction that looked the easiest to cross.

She ran for what felt like hours (it was only ten minutes, but her sleep-deprived brain could not tell the difference) before she stumbled to a stop, bending over to catch her breath. When the stabbing sensation in her side started to ebb, she looked around at her new location. Emma never had been good at navigating forests, but she realized that the trees around her did not actually look like the trees surrounding Storybrooke. The pine trees had slowly been replaced by incredibly thick, white trees; the colors were too vivid – even in the moonlight – for her to believe that she was still in Maine.

Before the rising panic could consume her, Emma's ears perked at the sound of an ominous giggle. Tracking the sound to its source, she groaned as she saw Rumplestiltskin, in all his impish glory, rocking back and forth on a fallen log that was black with rot.

"Oh, what do you want?" Emma snapped at him, not at all appreciating his manic grin.

Rumplestiltskin gasped mockingly. "Now, is that any way to treat family? I was just dropping by to help you on your quest, but I can see that you don't need my help getting out of the Infinite Forest." He leapt up from his seat.

Seeing that he was about to disappear on her, Emma quickly grabbed his arm. "Don't even think about it. Now, what is this about an Infinite Forest?"

"Oh, nothing really, dearie. It's just a forest that is infinite. Good luck traversing it on your own."

Again, he made as if to leave, but Emma tightened her grip. She knew he was probably taunting her with his attempts to get away, seeing as he could disappear whenever he wanted to. Hating herself for needing his help, she asked, "Alright, what do I have to do to get out of here?"

Rumplestiltskin invaded her personal space, forcing her to examine his greasy pores. Eww, somebody get this man some soap. "I'm glad you asked. Since this place is meant to be the scene of your final decision, the only way to leave it is to make your choice."

Frustrated, Emma let out a groan. "Can't I just make a deal with you to get out of this mess?" She tried to not sound whiney but failed miserably.

"Sorry, dearie, it doesn't work that way. As much as I love taking advantage of desperate souls, I think I'll stay out of this one."

Emma huffed. It probably would not have been worth it, anyway. "Can you at least tell me where I'm supposed to go? It's hard to have a showdown when I can't find anyone!"

Rumplestiltskin tutted at her. "Really, have you learned nothing? Just use your magic to find your way." He booped her nose, causing her to recoil in disgust and lose her grip, and he disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

Ugh, why can't anyone just ever actually help? Concentrating, she closed her eyes and imagined her bed, how soft and fluffy it would feel when she finally got out of here and could sleep for a whole day. Of course, when she opened her eyes, she was not, sadly, back in her room, but she had moved. The clearing she was now in was perfectly circular; a series of rose bushes lined the edges, separating the space from the thick pine trees growing beyond. The moonlight poured into the area, giving the white roses a particularly eerie glow. Basically, it was creepy.

"Congratulations, dearie. You did it. Now hurry this up; I have more important things to do than stand around here 'til the sun comes up while you pick your twoo wuv."

Emma sighed and turned around, seeing Rumplestiltskin behind her. Next to him was Archie, looking mildly dazed at being there, tiredly rubbing his eyes.

"Archie, wha-?"

She was interrupted by a particularly sexy Irish voice. "Really, Swan. I might have to agree with the Crocodile here. Stop dallying and just make your choice."

Emma whipped back around, mouth gaping as she saw Hook suddenly standing there, arms crossed in impatience. Jefferson (once again looking impeccable in his long coat and ridiculous top hat) and Whale (whose clothes were a bit worse for wear from Ruby's bite marks) stood behind him, trying to cover up yawns. Turning around again, she saw that Neal and August had appeared out of nowhere, attempting to avoid each other. FML.

"Well, I don't know what you want me to do. Graham said I was supposed to fight for one of you, but I don't really want to." Emma steadfastly ignored their glares. "My most viable choices right now are Hook and Neal." They both perked up at that and grinned at her then glared daggers at each other. "But I don't think I can handle having a relationship with a guy with so much baggage." So much for that false hope.

Emma paced back and forth, trying to weigh her options, but it was no use. Becoming overly vexed, she practically yelled, "Would you guys stop looking at me!? It's really freaking me out. And don't bother complaining; it's not your entire future being decided tonight." She huffed in frustration.

Hook gently grabbed her arm and looked her in the eyes. "Well, love, for some of us it actually is. Some of us want to be with you; others do not. So, whoever you do pick, it will change our futures, too."

In all honesty, Emma had barely even considered what these men thought of this love trial. And just like that, Emma had her light bulb moment. "You know what? I'm gonna take a page out of Belle's book and decide my own fate. Excuse me."

Emma turned away from her dates and jumped over the rose bushes. Or, at least, she tried, but they grew a few feet as she leapt and prevented her from leaving, causing her to knock into them and fall on her rear, getting stabbed by a horde of thorns in the process. (Apparently her light bulb moment was just a 40W one, seeing as her previous attempts at escape had been futile.) Please tell me Maleficent isn't in on this, too. Sore and irritated, she yelled, "Okay, Graham, get your butt back here!"

Graham burst into existence in front of the other men. He ignored their varying degrees of shock (nothing could surprise Rumplestiltskin, but his son was pretty freaked out) and addressed Emma directly. He really did not want to be there to witness Emma's choice. "Emma, what's the matter? I told you the rules, now you just have to follow them."

Emma got up and looked at him – really looked at him – and sighed, finally realizing what she had known all along. "You see, Graham, the problem is that none of these guys… they're not you. You were the first man I ever had a connection with after what happened with Neal. You were the guy I actually wanted to be with."

Neal broke into the conversation. "If Graham is so important to you, why have you never mentioned him?" he asked, not believing her.

"Yeah, you told me you only ever were in love once, and I assumed that you were referring to Baelfire," Hook added sullenly.

Graham gave her a look, clearly expecting an answer. Emma gulped. Moment of truth, I guess. "True, I, uh… I don't like to talk about you anymore, but that's because… well, it's too painful." She broke off suddenly, detesting how emotional she was being. A rogue tear threatened to fall down her cheek. "I'm sorry; you know I'm not good at this stuff. I guess what I'm trying to say is that all I wanted to do was love you, and I couldn't because of Regina, which reminds me that I should probably arrest her for your murder…" She trailed off, momentarily lost in thought.

Graham attempted to get her attention back by tilting her chin up so he could gaze deeply into her eyes, searching for the answer to his next question. "So, is that your choice, then? You want me?" The hope in his voice was impossible to miss (and impossibly adorable).

Emma drifted closer and smiled adoringly at him. Her voice softened. "I know it's not possible, what with you being dead and all, but, if I really had to choose, it would be you. Always you."

Graham's sweet smile warmed her heart. "You know, magic is a powerful thing. And love, true love, is even better." He closed the space between them and kissed her softly. Emma instinctively pulled him closer, causing Jefferson to whoop in mad glee. Remembering that they had an audience, Emma jerked back and looked at the other guys. Hook smirked and winked at her; the rest of the five men looked bored. Graham quickly snapped his fingers and sent them all back to their homes, wiping their memories of the night.

Very much approving of the new situation, Emma smiled and asked, "What now? If you're my true love, does that make you the Daniel to my Regina? And that is not a comparison I want to ever make again."

Graham cupped her cheek. "Oh, Emma. I love you, and I will find my way back to you." He cut off her intended reply by kissing her again. She relished the feel of him against her, his stubble pleasantly scratching her, but much too soon she felt the world fade into blackness.


The chime of the town clock was the first thing Emma heard as she regained consciousness. Popping her eyes open, she noticed that she was back in her room. The sunlight streaming in through the window revealed that there was no grandfather clock, no mysterious fireplace, and certainly no Jessica Rabbit dress. Could that all really have just been a dream? The thought made her want to cry.

Trying to shrug it off her sudden misery and block any thoughts of Graham, Emma went through her normal morning routine, albeit with a bit more agitation than usual. Mary Margaret noticed her peculiar mood but decided to leave her be. Today was the anniversary of Graham's death, after all, and she did not want to add to her daughter's distress.

And so, it was in a slight daze that Emma made her way to the station, barely acknowledging the people outside. When she saw Archie walking Pongo, she briefly wondered if he had any recollection of the previous night, but she pushed the thought away. Last night couldn't have been real. And I probably shouldn't talk to a shrink about seeing ghosts if I don't want to get locked away.

Walking into her office, she stopped, dead still. Even with his back to her, she could tell that sitting in her chair with his leather jacket strung across its back was the one and only Graham. That messy brown hair was unmistakable. Emma pinched her arm, pinched it again, and slapped her cheek before she finally accepted that she was awake. She cautiously approached him. "Graham?" she asked in a small voice, her heart aching with hope.

When he swung around to face her, flashing her his best grin, it felt like her heart exploded (like a ginormous firework, not a heart attack). Graham rushed to her when he noticed she was about to hyperventilate. "Emma. Emma? Calm down. Everything's alright." Emma just continued to stare wide-eyed at his gorgeous, absolutely perfect face, unable to process that he was really there.

"Wha- Why- How are you here?" she finally managed to get out.

He smiled (She really liked his smile. As in, she adored that smile and how it made her melt inside, making her a great, big glob of gooey mush. Maybe that's why I'm so lightheaded…?) and held her hands. "As I told you last night, true love is powerful. And because you desperately needed a love interest, the Powers That Be decided that it would be easiest just to return me to life, seeing as you were being so stubborn." He gave her a mock glare, but his beautiful blue eyes gleamed with too much happiness for it to be effective.

Emma could not help the tears that were running down her face. "So you're here. You're really here!" She let out a small laugh and tightly hugged him.

"And I will always find my way back to you." His whispered oath sent shivers through her body. She pulled back slightly and kissed him the way she had always wanted to kiss him. He held her tightly to him, and they both knew that this was everything that a happily-ever-after was supposed to be.


A/N: You know, upon rewatching season one, I've decided that, no matter how awesome all of Emma's love interest are (namely Hook), none of them hold a candle to Graham. I mean, he is just so perfect for her. So I have no shame about the ratio of sappiness to humor in this chapter.

Thank you to everyone who stuck through this story!

The End