Chapter 21: Torn Asunder

Two. There were only two men returning.

Neither one of them was Killian.

Heart pounding, Emma called hoarsely,

"Smee? Where is he?!"

Smee all but dragged a younger man along. The tear-stains on his face terrified her.

"Smee?!"

When they reached her side, Smee knelt and gently lay Casey with his head on his lap. Casey clapped the heels of his palms against his eyes in obvious pain. Emma knelt beside them and gripped Smee's sleeve. Smee took a breath.

"Killian... he's all right. But… he has to stay behind."

"What? Why?"

Casey moaned and then began to retch. Smee helped him onto his side, looking up at Emma pleadingly.

"Please, Emma; I'll tell you the whole story, but please, can you help him?"

Emma raised her hands over the shivering man and summoned her magic. But… it seemed to slide off of him somehow, like little beads of mercury. She tried again, harder, doing her best to push away her anxiety for her husband. Still nothing. She shook her head.

"My magic can't help him," she told Smee, who looked about to cry again.

"Then… can you poof us to the Jolly Roger? Get us home?"

"But… I can't leave Killian!"

Seeing she wouldn't budge without some kind of explanation, Smee relented and began a quick summary of the story, rubbing a soothing hand up and down his son's back. Emma fought back tears as she gazed into the darkness of the cave. Smee finished the tale with:

"He… wanted me to make sure to tell you how much he loves you- and that's he's sorry." Smee looked down. "I'm sorry, too. I should never have let him-"

Emma squeezed his shoulder, a look of determination under her anguish.

"It's okay, Smee. He wanted to do this for you; for your son." Her expression darkened. "We'll come back here, get him out of this mess, and bring that bastard of a wizard to justice."

She allowed herself one final longing look in the direction she'd last seen her True Love, then forced herself to focus. Casey needed help. She nodded at Smee and gripped them both tightly. Before poofing them away, she sent a silent promise to Killian that she'd come back to him as soon as she could.

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At Storybrooke General, while waiting for Casey to be stabilized, Smee filled her in on the rest of the details. She couldn't help a few tears at the thought of twenty years without Killian; of all he was willing to sacrifice for his friend. But she didn't indulge her grief for long. They wouldn't allow it. They'd find a way. Killian would be back in her arms in no time, safe and sound, and she'd be able to tell him she was proud of him.

After the obligatory phone calls to her loved ones, Emma asked Regina to come to the hospital. Casey was sedated, Smee by his side, and with his permission, the two ladies got to work gleaning anything they could from the residual enchantment. There wasn't much there, but what they could sense didn't leave Regina feeling very hopeful.

"It's nothing I've ever encountered before," she said pragmatically. "I'm sorry to say this, but I'm not confident the two of us could break it, even together."

Emma sighed, but was unwilling to give up hope so soon. "Maybe we'll have to go and see the actual enchantment ourselves."

"How many beans do you have left?" Regina asked Smee.

"I'm… not sure," he admitted. "But I doubt there's enough for multiple trips back and forth."

Their next step was to consult with Rumplestiltskin. But even after days of research, no one came up with any information on Tuliro, or his unusual enchantment.

On the fourth day without Killian, Emma got word that Casey was awake. So she went to visit, thinking he would maybe have inside knowledge or details to share.

She entered the room with a forced smile. Smee gave her a little wave and addressed his son.

"Richard, this is Emma. The captain's wife."

Emma held out her hand for Casey to shake.

"Pleasure to meet you, Emma; I'm Richard. My father has been telling me about you, and the captain." His smile dimmed, just a little, and he sat back. "I've been wanting to say that I'm sorry it has to be this way. But I'm eternally grateful for what he's done for me."

Emma gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "It's okay. We're working on a way to free him."

"I'm glad of it."

She held out a magazine-style pamphlet. "A get-well present for you. It's a project my son Henry has been working on."

"Welcome to Storybrooke," Casey read as he accepted the gift.

"It kind of goes into the town's history, and things you might need to know, resources if you need help, that kind of thing. Although I'm sure your dad will be able to help with anything you need."

"Thank you. It should serve to while away the time until I'm released."

"Dr. Whale thinks he can be discharged tomorrow, if his blood count is normal," Smee added happily. Emma nodded.

"I'm glad." She found a chair near the door and brought it closer. When she was settled, she studied Casey thoughtfully. "So. I was hoping maybe you could tell us a little bit about Tuliro… If you're feeling up to it."

Casey set the magazine aside, his countenance falling. "I had a feeling you might. And I've been searching my memory for anything that might be useful. But, honestly… the man hardly spoke to me at all; didn't really even bother to explain what was happening when he froze me."

Smee took his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"It was all quite a shock. And then I was waking up with my father and the captain beside me, feeling like Hell itself, if you'll pardon my language."

Emma was hesitant to ask, but she had to know. "What was it like?"

"Being frozen?"

She nodded; he shuddered.

"I wish I could say I was unaware of it. But… it was like a dream, or… actually, like those times you're on either edge of sleep; when you feel you've been awake the whole time but have no idea how hours have actually passed."

Emma swallowed. "Do you… feel things? Pain, fear?"

"A bit. Not pain, exactly; maybe… the urge to move, and frustration when you can't. Fear, when you forget yourself; when you think you'll be stuck forever. You can still dream, but you're never quite sure those dreams aren't somehow… visions of reality." He looked over at Smee with a heartbreaking expression. "You're sure centuries are passing, and your families will be long gone by the time you're released. Or else they will have forgotten you, and you'll still be left alone."

At the tears spilling from Emma's eyes, Casey winced.

"I'm sorry, milady. Perhaps the experience varies for each individual."

Emma gave a weak smile and shook her head. "It's all right, Richard." She wiped her face with her sleeve. "Thank you for your honesty."

She took a breath and reclaimed her determination. "If you think of anything that might help, contact me." Realizing he wouldn't have a phone yet, she turned her gaze to Smee, who nodded.

As she left the hospital, Casey's bleak words echoed in her mind, and it was all she could do not to hear them in Killian's voice.