Chapter Two: The Spirit of Killian Jones
"Dammit Swan. What were you thinking?"
The white light faded from the edge of Emma's vision and when she could see clearly, she saw her true love standing before her.
"Killian!" Emma raced towards him, tears in her eyes but when she reached him she passed right through to the other side. "No!" she exclaimed in frustration. "If I'm dead I should be able to touch you at the very least."
"But you're not dead love," Killian answered. "Look."
Emma turned around and for the first time realized where she was. She was in the diner and it was moments after she had stabbed herself with Excalibur. She was in the midst of falling to the ground and her family was racing to help her... only the entire scene was moving in ultra slow motion.
"What is this?" she asked as she walked past Killian. She wandered from person to person, each of whom had looks of utter despair on their faces. Looking at her parents and her son broke her heart. The others were just as devastating and when Emma looked to Regina she wasn't surprised to see tears in the eyes of the former evil queen.
"What is going on?" she asked again, turning round so she could see Killian.
"This is the moment between heartbeats, your last moments."
"Wait. What? I'm dead?"
"Dying." Killian confirmed. "You pulled the darkness from you, but it also stole your life force. A thread of yourself is hanging on, but it too will soon give up."
"No," Emma refused to believe that. "No. I fought against that. I was winning."
"Yes you were," he said in a sad voice.
"So what happened?" Emma asked.
"You thought of me," he replied. "And you ended up here."
"With you," Emma whispered. She reached out and found that her fingers could just brush in against Killian's face. It was cold, like marble and it shocked her so much that she pulled her hand back.
"I have always been with you Emma," Killian told her. "But you have to let me go."
Emma looked over her shoulder and saw that her corporeal body was nearing the floor.
"I sacrificed myself for you to live," he told her. "Don't let my sacrifice be in vain."
"I don't want to die," Emma said aloud.
"Then leave me behind."
Emma shook her head. "No. No I went into the Underworld for you. I helped Hades to get to you. I am not going to give up now, not when I am so close."
"Emma-"
"No!" She said again, louder and stronger this time. "I will live, and so will you."
"Emma there is no way."
"Don't you want to be with me?" she cried. "Don't you love me?"
"Of course I do," Killian said his voice breaking with emotion. "You know I do."
"Then trust me."
"I trust you Swan," Killian assured. "But I'm dead and soon you will be too..."
"You're wrong," she said firmly as she reached out and took his hands in hers. "I am going to live, and so are you."
Time sped up and when Emma opened her eyes she saw the ceiling and it being blocked by the worried faces of her parents, her son and-
"Killian," she breathed.
"Poor thing," Mary Margaret soothed. "She's delusional."
"No," Regina said with a bit of wonder in her voice. "She's not."
Her family turned around and saw what Emma saw, the spirit of Killian Jones standing before them.
"Well," Gold said with a smirk. "The Pirate survives again."
"As does the Crocodile," Killian retorted. "Shame, I had hoped that Hades Minions would get to you by now."
"Hook," Belle warned. "Leave him alone."
"I'm sorry," Robin interjected. "But how is this possible? You're dead."
"Aye Mate I am," Killian replied. "But did you really think that would stop the savior?"
"Now that he is here I can reunite his soul with his body," Emma said as her parents helped her to her feet. Henry hugged her tightly and it was only when Emma wrapped her arms around her son did she realize that Excalibur was gone.
"Where's Excalibur Mom?" Henry asked, showing once again that he could read her thoughts.
"Gone kid."
"Forever?" asked Leroy.
"Course not you ninny," Zelena interjected. "Darkness can to be destroyed, no matter how much the light tries."
"Zelena I swear..."
"No Regina," Emma interjected. "She's right. Such power can't be destroyed only contained."
"So where is it?" Belle asked.
"I don't know," Emma replied. "And frankly, I don't care. I am going to reunite Killian's soul with his body and then we are going to send Hades back to the Underworld and then we can worry about the sword."
"Uh... we might have a problem with that." Robin said as he looked through the slats of the blinds.
Emma, along with everyone else raced to the windows and there they saw people that they had never expected to see again. Regina saw the spirit of her father. David saw the spirit of his twin brother. Mary Margaret saw the spirit of Cora. Robin saw the soul of Marion while Emma saw Neal. Killian could see Milah, and didn't know how to feel about that.
"What are they doing out there?" Belle asked, staring intently at the spirit of Gaston, the man that she had loved before Rumple.
"They are here for us," Gold said, to afraid to look out the window to see which spirit or spirits had come for him.
"And what do they want with us?" Mary Margaret asked.
"What do you think dearie?" Gold asked with a sarcastic laugh. "They want revenge."
Author's Note: Sorry for the cliffhanger guys. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review!