Disclaimer: OUAT is owned by Adam and Eddy, not me.

Camelot – Present Day

Emma stared for a moment at Gideon. The boy had certainly grown up since the last she saw him. He definitely had stayed fit, but he was always a skinny kid. You could certainly see the Rumple in him, his eyes had the same beadiness and his nose was pointed. But as he stood next to Henry, she could see some family resemblance between the two. They had the same build and their facial structure was similar. But Henry had Emma's hazel eyes and to her he took most after David than his own father. Something about the kindness and honest determination that always seemed to shine through his expression.

"Emma," Gideon walked to her and awkwardly stood, looking as if he wanted to embrace her. His eyes held concern, "what do we know?"

"You already know what's going on," Killian growled, "Henry told you. Your father has kidnapped my daughter."

Gideon turned as patiently as possible towards Killian.

"Correct, Your Highness, but I was referring to what the Crown Princess had heard from Elizabeth herself." He said evenly and as formally as possible. Gideon knew what Killian thought of him, and since he left his family to go discover himself, he had discovered why. But he kept that to himself for now, he wanted to keep the old pirate calm…considering how badly Elizabeth's father had gone off on him the last they saw one another.

Emma gave Killian's arm a reassuring, and warning, squeeze, "She said that he's keeping her in a tower, in the Dark Castle. Do you have the ability to go there?"

He could feel all eyes on him, suspicion from all, even Henry, "I have been able to reach the castle in the past. I don't see why that will have changed. I will go and speak with my father."

"And what will you say?" Killian asked.

Gideon turned to him again, keeping as patient as possible, "I will beg him to release her," he said quietly, "I will give him whatever he wishes in return that I can give."

"Like what?" Henry spoke up, "What could you offer him that he would want? He hasn't made any demands of us."

Gideon looked his kin in the eye, "He's lonely, he has tried reaching out before but I resisted. I don't wish to be sucked into his world as my mother was."

The mention of Belle tugged at Emma's heart, she remembered her friend's kind face… and how much she had loved her family. "Your mother was a strong woman," she said quietly, "she would be proud of you standing up to your father for others." She looked at Killian and the memory of his face as he mouthed "I'm sorry" as Rumplestilskin began to crush his heart, only for Belle to save the day, flashed before her eyes. Killian and Belle had a tortured history, and yet she had been there to save him. And now, hopefully, her child would be there to save his.

Gideon gave her a small smile, still very muted in his expression, "It's the right thing to do."

Killian scoffed, and all eyes went to him. Emma's shot daggers, she knew he was riled up and was fearful what he would about to say could endanger the hope she had been building up.

Patience growing thin, Gideon asked, "You disagree, Killian?"

Again Killian shook his head, "Just this façade that you're presenting… as if you're doing this for some greater good. It's so like him."

"Killian…" Emma warned.

"No, no Emma..." Gideon said, "let him get it out." He walked up to Killian so they were face to face. He was unarmed, but Killian privately wondered if he was armed with the same magic that the original adult Gideon had used to send Hook away from Emma all those years ago. Gideon's face was smug as he asked, "If you're so sure I have any intentions other than being of service to your family, what could they possibly be?"

Killian did not back down, moving even closer, "Oh you're doing it for her alright. And yourself. I remember quite clearly your feelings for my daughter. You're going in to save the day, so what?...so that she might see you as the hero that you always wanted to be? Or was that why your father took her in the first place?"

He had gone too far. In a flash, a burst of magic erupted from Gideon's hands throwing Killian a couple feet onto his back.

Cursing, Killian jumped straight up, drawing his cutlass and bounding forward to engage.

"Enough!" Emma cried, releasing her own magic to constrain her husband. Henry, in turn, did so for Gideon.

Emma walked in between the two men, still glaring at each other in their stationary state. "Are you forgetting what's at stake here?" she demanded to her captive audience. "We don't know what Rumplestilskin is planning for Elizabeth. We don't know if he is planning on keeping her alive much longer. There is too much unknown and far too much at stake."

She turned to address Hook specially, "Fighting with our one chance to get someone into the castle to advocate for her is not the way to get our baby home."

And then she turned to Gideon and continued with the same passionate tone, "And you, when you wish to address someone in this matter, you will address me. You could stand to have some compassion and realize that he is baiting you because our daughter is in the hands of someone who has tried to kill us all on multiple occasions. Someone who is the reason I grew up without a family because he was selfishly trying to reunite his own. This man happens to be your father and now we depend on you to see if you can get her back to us. I know you have great feelings for my daughter, but she is sixteen years old and her hand will not be a part of any of these negotiations, do I make myself clear?"

As he could not move nothing but his lips, all she heard was a dull emotionless, "Yes."

She turned to her son and nodded, and simultaneously the men were released from their magical holds. Emma took Killian's hand and led him to the side. She saw in his eyes he was still angry, but they both knew it wasn't with her or even really with Gideon. She took his face in her hands and kissed him, trying to convey what her words were failing to. When they broke the kiss, all they could do is stand holding each other, with their foreheads touching for support.

"I'm sorry…" Killian started, "I…I just…"

"I know," Emma murmured, looking up at the moon, "you have nothing to be sorry for. I miss her too."

A few days later…

Elizabeth was starting to be able to see the differences between when she was under the spell and out of it. When she was sent to her memories, the world seemed more focused on what she had been looking at, and she had little freedom to walk away from the unpleasant recollections.

He had taken her back now to so many memories, some that weren't even her own. She saw the day that Regina gave her mother a poisoned apple turnover, only for Henry to nearly perish to prove to their mother that magic was real. That one had messed her up for days, as she went over in her head trying to reconcile that evil creature with the woman who had taught her how to ride a horse.

Most of the memories, though, were her own. The day when she was ten when someone had attacked her and her father on the street. The man claimed that Captain Hook had killed his father. They had gone to town without any security, trying to stay anonymous, but it had been a mistake. She was forced to watch every bloody second including her father being wounded with a gash to the chest, the policemen coming to end it, and the heart wrenching carriage ride holding down her father's wound as they rushed to the castle. Then there was the storm when she was fourteen when Mr. Smee went overboard the Jolly and was never seen again. And of course, the most popular was replaying the short battle between her grandfather and Rumple where every single time she was forced to see that sword go through her beloved Gramps.

But this evening was new. And it didn't take her long to figure out this memory once again was not her own. She was standing in a clearing by the lake. Black hooded figures stood in a semi-circle, facing a single figure cloaked also in black. Her heart panged as she heard a familiar voice say, "NO…you are not taking the people I love."

Emma. It was her mother. But her voice sounded as harsh as she was dressed. She ran up the hill to get a closer look and saw that her mother's blonde hair was fixed in a severe bun. Elizabeth could feel the darkness radiating off Emma... what the hell was going on? A woman stood in front of Emma next to a dark haired man… no. It couldn't be. Her father looked disheveled and tortured as he watched Emma suddenly be magically choked by the woman to his right.

What was this? This had to be a lie. The woman next to Killian said something about not being able to kill Emma, but stop her from interfering with their plans. Whose plans, Elizabeth wondered, although a creeping suspicion told her it was exactly what she didn't want to hear. She watched her father as he watched the woman he loved be choked out, until suddenly he heard him tell the strange woman to stop.

In a blur she watched him use magic and a sword to make all the figures disappear.

Then it got worse. She got a better look at the sword vibrating in her father's hands. It looked so much like the dagger. But the names… "Emma Swan" and "Killian Jones".

Her heart stopped. Her parents were the Dark Ones?

They were arguing about something, some way to destroy the darkness. Her mother was crying, she could hardly stand the torture of seeing Emma looking so broken. Her father looked as if he was battling so much within him, trying to stay strong as he kept the dark magic entrapped in the glowing blade.

"You have to let me go, let me die a hero, as the man I want you to remember…please," he begged her.

Before she realized what was happening, they had shared a kiss and words of love, he had passed Emma the sword and nodded.

"It's ok."

Elizabeth screamed as she watched her mother plunge the sword into her father. She collapsed as she heard him give out a cry of pain that was perhaps the most terrifying and heartbreaking sound she'd ever heard. Her mother suddenly glowed with magic, and she was no longer dressed in all black but wearing a red leather jacket and her hair was down. She watched as Emma pulled out the sword, which disintegrated, and took him in her arms as he began to collapse. But he was pointing somewhere.

Elizabeth looked back and for the first time noticed they were not alone. Her grandparents were there, holding each other as they took in the terrible scene. Henry, her brother didn't look any older than fourteen, had witnessed the whole thing and was being held by Regina and a man that Elizabeth didn't recognize. That's when she noticed the man next to Regina, a small thin man with long hair, beady eyes.

"You."

She suddenly was pulled from the memory and was back in her cell.

Looking up, he was there, smiling at her.

"Now, what do we think of the heroes now?"

Tears were streaming down her face, her mother's sobbing still echoing in her ears as she tried to begin to process what she had just witnessed.

"They never told you, did they?" he whispered. "They never told you how they achieved their immortality?"

Elizabeth shook her head, "How is that possible? How could they both..."

"They were weak," he taunted, "they gave in to what was easy, and they both paid for it."

"How is he still here?" Elizabeth asked aloud, ignoring him, "How… how do I exist? I watched..."

"This will all end once you tell me what you told your mother," Rumple said, "And I can promise you, I have so many more skeletons from their past that I can bring to the surface."

Elizabeth looked up at him, "He sacrificed himself for her…and everyone else. I am proud to be their child. And you will never take that from me."

The imp smiled evily, "We shall see."

Once he left, she determined more than likely this would be another night without food. She was growing weak, and the stress of each memory was beginning to wear.

All she could see was the look on her parents' faces. How even just after the sword had ripped through his body, she saw her father try to comfort his Swan as he began to die.

Her body soon became racked with sobs. She looked up at the moon through her tears and though she knew they couldn't hear her she whispered, "I miss you. I will never stop fighting."

Thank you so much for reading! I apologize for the delay in posting the new chapter, I've been super busy. But I hope you enjoyed and thought the wait was worth it. Let me know what you think, I always appreciate reviews!