I own nothing except my delusions.

Walking through the hospital beside David, Emma braced herself, knowing she had to see Neal again. She could hear voices from inside the room before they even reached the door.

"I need to see Emma and Henry," Neal grunted.

"No you don't," Killian responded in a clipped tone. She could immediately sense his irritation. "You're to remain here."

She walked in just as Neal threw him a dirty look, one Killian ignored. Passing close by Killian, she brushed her fingers along his leg, feeling him relax under her touch.

"Neal, what happened?" she asked, getting straight to business. She didn't move any closer to him than a couple feet away from the bed, wanting to keep her distance.

Neal shook his head. "I... don't know. I remember seeing the Bug cross the town line, and the next thing I know, I'm running around the forest back in Storybrooke, where, apparently, there's been a lot going on."

"Are you gonna tell him, or shall I?" Killian asked, his gaze softening as he looked at Emma, despite his hard tone. He rose up to stand beside her.

David and Belle both looked at him slightly surprised. They both rembered what had happened at the town line, but sensed there was something more to cause his dark mood.

"Tell me what?" Neal asked him, his eyes hardening as he looked up toward Killian.

"We think your dad's back," David answered, trying to calm the situation despite his own anger at Neal.

"Back?" Neal asked, confused. He spoke again at David's nod of confirmation, his tone turning aggressive. "I just watched him die. What do you mean he's back?"

Despite her own emotions, Emma knew she had to calm the situation. She was in a room with three men who when their tempers flared, it never ended well, as well as her own.

"Take it easy," she told Neal.

As he shifted, she noticed a strange marking on his hand, something that looked like a triangle burned into the skin of his palm. "What the hell is that?"

"No idea," he shrugged.

David moved slightly closer to examine the mark as Emma pulled her phone out, taking a quick picture of it.

She glanced up to Belle, who had been silent the whole time. "Belle, can you do some more research?"

"Yeah, sure, absolutely," Belle responded, looking at the burn uneasily.

"I'll send you the picture," Emma told her.

Belle nodded. "Okay."

"Hey, can we have a minute?" Neal asked, motioning between him and Emma.

Suddenly nervous, Emma felt like running out of the room. She knew what he would want to talk about, to discuss him seeing Henry, as well as possibly try to work things out. Besides her nerves, she felt her temper flare, seeing that Neal was acting as though nothing was wrong.

She glanced over at Killian, meeting his eyes and silently asking him to stay.

It wasn't that she was afraid of Neal, more that she was afraid of what she might do if she were left alone with him.

Killian gave her a small, barely perceptible nod.

David nodded, obviously wanting to flee the room. "Yeah, of course."

He and Belle left the room, leaving Emma, Killian, and Neal alone.

Neal gave Killian a pointed look.

"He can stay in here," Emma said before he could open his mouth.

Clearly unhappy, he turned his dark eyes back to Emma, studiously ignoring Killian.

"When can I see Henry?" he asked, not about to be refused.

Emma knew she had to protect Henry, that if Neal came back into his life without him having a choice, he would be angry and devastated. She couldn't let him face that pain again.

"Look, I know I can't just come barging back into your lives-" he continued before she cut him off.

"Really?" she asked angerly, suddenly snapping. "After what you pulled? You think you have the right to just act like nothing happened?"

"He's my son, too," he retorted. "And I had to do something to try to bring back my dad."

"So that makes up for the pain you caused him?" she asked. "Do you have any idea how hurt he was that you just left like that? If Henry wants to see you, that's his choice. But I'm not gonna make him."

"I had to try to bring back my father," he repeated, condescension in his voice.

"Gold was dead, Neal," she told him, not willing to back down. "And now there's a witch running around while everyone has forgotten the past year."

"How do you know it's been a year?" he challenged.

"Because we've had lives in the year that passed," she told him. "We never forgot."

Neal looked between Emma and Killian, seeing the way they stood together, everything suddenly clicking for him. His expression turned furious.

"Really, Emma?" he asked. "You decided to get with Hook?"

Deciding it would be best to be honest, she nodded. "Yeah."

He released a condescending laugh. "You're with Captain Hook? So what happened with how you told me you loved me? Remember when I was shot and falling through that portal?"

Emma felt Killian tense up from anger beside her, both knowing Neal was trying to back her in a corner.

"I thought you were dying," she replied. "I didn't want you to die thinking that no one cared about you."

"Really?" Neal spit out. "So tell me then, Emma. If it were Hook that you thought was about to die, would you lie to him and say you loved him, too?"

"It wouldn't be a lie," Emma responded, her voice strong.

Reaching out, she grasped Killian's hand in hers, reassuring him. He squeezed her hand in response.

"I'm guessing that necklace is from him then?" Neal asked, gesturing wildly to her neck. "He's got his claws in you so much that you've let him mark you as his?"

She took a breath to try to calm herself, feeling her rage simmering. "It's really nice to see how little you think of me."

"Well, he did take you," he replied. "Just like he took my mother."

"I never forced Milah to leave," Killian bit back. "She left because your father was a coward. He's the one that crushed her heart."

Neal was silent, but Emma knew he wasn't about to give up.

"I want to see Henry," he said in a low voice. "I have the right to see him."

"You have no right," Emma responded. "Not after you abandoned him, just like you did to me."

"I had no choice in that!" he yelled, his face turning ruddy. "Pinocchio came to me and told me you had a destiny to fulfill. If I knew about Henry, I would have stayed!"

"Emma should have been enough alone for you to stay," Killian said, his eyes dark.

Turning his eyes back to Killian, Neal glared. "What if it were you? What if someone told you she had a destiny to fulfill?"

"I would have bloody stayed!" Killian growled. "I wouldn't have left her for anything. Emma would have been enough. She is enough."

Despite his angry tone, Emma felt her chest warm at his words. She glanced up at him, seeing his eyes flashing, his ears turning red.

Seeming to feel her gaze on him, he looked down at her, his eyes softening.

She offered him a faint smile before Neal spoke again.

"You destroyed my family," he accused, his enraged eyes on Killian. "You took Emma and Henry from me."

"You bloody destroyed your own family," Killian responded, furious. "You left them. You abandoned them. You hurt them. You did all of that to yourself."

His voice dropped, turning deadly. "You left to save yourself. For all that you called your father a coward, you turned out just like him."

"They're not your family," Neal said venomously. "Henry's not your son."

"He's as good as," Killian replied, refusing to back down. "This is my family, and I will protect them."

Emma turned to look at Killian fully, resting her free hand on his chest to calm him. He looked down at her, the anger evaporating from his eyes as he looked at her.

As she continued to hold her gaze on Killian, she spoke to Neal. "I choose Killian. We chose each other. Nothing will make me leave him, and I will fight for him. Nothing's gonna make me stop loving him."

"Just as nothing will make me stop loving her," Killian responded back just as fiercely.

"So you made your choice, then?" Neal asked disdainfully.

She nodded, not looking at him. "Yeah, I have. Leave us alone. And stay away from Henry."

Without glancing back at him, she tugged Killian's hand lightly, leading them out of the room and away from a fuming Neal. They passed by David sitting in the waiting room, not caring if he saw them walking out, just wanting to get away from Neal.

Outside, Killian pulled her to the side of the building, turning so they faced each other.

"Emma, are you okay?" he asked quietly, releasing her hand to draw her closer to him.

Resting a hand in his cheek, she nodded. "Yeah. Are you?"

He nodded, leaning into her touch. "Aye."

She gave him a weak smile. "I meant everything I said in there, Killian. I choose you."

Smiling in return, he pressed his forehead to hers, both breathing each other in, calming each other.

Emma remembered David waiting for her, knowing that he would want to know what happened and to continue the search for Gold. She knew she had to tell Killian that David knew about them.

"I told David, about us," she told him in a low voice.

She instantly felt him tense up nervously.

"It's okay," she said gently, stroking his cheek. "He does want to talk to you, but he's not mad or anything. He approves."

He looked at her, his blue eyes wide. "Really?"

Releasing a chuckle, she nodded. "Yeah."

"Belle knows, too," he announced.

She grinned. "Okay. I'm guessing that's why she's warmed up to you?"

"Aye," he nodded.

He closed the distance between them, kissing her.

Smiling, she pulled away just to see her father exit the hospital to go by his truck.

"I need to go back on the search," she sighed. She looked at Killian curiously. "Are you gonna go back to Belle?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. If you wish, I could go with you and help."

"You sure?" she asked.

He nodded. "Aye. After all, we make quite the team."

Releasing a small chuckle, she shook her head. "Okay, then."

Walking close to Killian and David, Emma watched them, seeing that despite the news in her and Killian's relationship, they were all working well together. David didn't act any differently around Killian, treating him the same as before.

She still felt herself reeling from the encounter with Neal, still angry with everything he said. Being out with her fiancé and father helped, letting her do something productive as they continued the search for Gold.

They all stopped, hearing a scream off in the distance. Taking a glance at each other, they sprinted in the direction of the sound and drew their guns, soon finding Gold hunched over on the ground, his hands clamped over his head.

"Gold!" Emma called as they approached. "Are you all right?"

"No," he responded, sounding deranged. "No, no, no, not all right! Not all right! It's- I can't quiet the voices."

She glanced back at Killian and David, all sharing an uneasy look. She was unable to keep the urgency from her voice when she spoke to Gold again. "We know that you were held captive by the witch. Do you know where she is?"

"Yeah," he panted, nodding. "She's- ahh!"

He began to rock, folding in on himself as if in pain. "There's no room! No room! There's too many voices! Too many voices!"

David moved closer to Gold as he put his gun back in his belt, crouching down to help him up. "We gotta get him out of here."

Hearing a loud, familiar screech, the same Emma heard in New York when Walsh had attacked her, they turned to see a monkey advancing on them, it's brilliant red eyes on Gold.

Killian exchanged his gun for his cutlass as David pulled his own sword, getting ready to face off against the monkey.

As soon as it was in reach, David slashed out at the monkey, making it release an ear splitting screech, tumbling to the forest floor. Digging it's claws into the silty earth, it prepared to pounce, aiming right for David.

Gold suddenly stood, sprinting forward away from the fight.

"Gold!" Emma called, both she and Killian torn between perusing him and helping David.

"I'll hold it off," David grunted, slashing widely at the monkey. "You two go!"

Casting one last look at him, Emma and Killian took off to chase Gold, staying close together.

They slowed slightly when they were out of earshot of David's fight, scanning the surrounding trees.

"Do you see anything?" Killian asked quietly.

"No," Emma responded. She saw some movement between a couple of the trees, making her begin to move toward it. "Wait, hold on."

She raised her voice. "Gold?"

She closed her eyes, releasing a hard breath when she heard Neal call her. "Emma?"

"What the bloody hell is he doing out here?" Killian muttered angerly.

Slightly shaking her head, she glanced back at him just in time to see him shift closer to her. "I don't know."

She raised her voice as Neal drew closer. "Neal, what the hell are you doing here?"

He shot Killian a look full of distain as he approached. "If you're looking for my dad, why the hell is he here? You know he's just gonna try to kill him."

Emma finally snapped, launching forward to strike her fist against his jaw. He recoiled back, cradling the tender flesh.

"What the hell?" he asked, offended.

"Cut the crap Neal," she told him in a hard voice. "Killian has been helping ever since we got back. He's not going after your father."

"Sure he's not," Neal grumbled, revealing the already reddening mark on his skin. His voice grew to its normal tone. "You expect me to stay in bed while you're looking for my dad?"

"Right, I forgot who I was dealing with," she muttered.

"You got a lead on him?" he pressed, studiously ignoring Killian.

"We just saw him, but he ran off," Killian said said in a hard voice, clearly unhappy with the other man's presence.

Neal didn't look at him. "How did he seem?"

Emma shifted her weight uneasily. "Uh, I don't know what that witch did to him, but he seems a little crazy. When I asked him about her, it was like he wanted to tell me, but he couldn't."

He looked at the surrounding trees. "Well, he can't be far. Come on."

Looking to see Emma about to protest, he smirked. "You want to waste time dragging me back to the hospital? 'Cause that's the only way you're gonna get me there."

She glanced at Killian, sharing an irritated look with him. Silently, he let her know the decision was up other. Knowing that they were wasting time and that Neal wouldn't leave without Killian and her dragging him kicking back to the hospital, she nodded.

"Fine, let's go," she sighed.

Stepping closer to Killian, she intertwined her hand with his, both to anchor herself and him as they began to walk again with Neal close beside them.

"So where did you go in the past year?" Neal asked.

Hesitating a second to decide whether or not to answer, Emma decided the conversation wouldn't hurt for the time being. "New York."

"Did Henry like it?" he pressed.

She saw Killian's jaw tick, both of them knowing what Neal was trying to do.

"Yeah, we all did," she answered, deciding it best to just give a blanket statement. "It was nice to do things we normally couldn't."

Despite knowing how Killian didn't like New York, she knew that it would be best not to mention the fact. Killian didn't correct her, following the same train of thought.

Neal wasn't satisfied with her vague answer. "Like what?"

She shrugged. "Go to the park, see a movie, have dinner, just do nothing. Life was good- really good."

It wasn't a lie. Despite their search for Storybrooke, life had been good. She got to just be a girlfriend and companion to Killian and a mother to Henry, not having to worry about being the Savior to save everyone from some villain or monster. They had family outings and she went on dates with Killian. They had been happy.

Mercifully, Neal was quiet.

Emma's phone cut through the silence. Pulling it from her jacket, she saw Belle's number before answering it.

"Belle, what'd you find?" she spoke into the phone.

Belle's voice came from the other end, confusion marring her tone. "The symbol on Neal's hand, it's from an ancient talisman- a key that opens the vault of the Dark One. I think he may have used it to resurrect Rumple back when we were in the Enchanted Forest."

Both Emma and Killian's eyes darted over to Neal, having heard everything Belle said.

"Wait, so he brought back Gold?" Emma asked, stunned.

"That's where it gets unclear," Belle said, uneasy. "The vault will only restore the Dark One in exchange for another life."

"Whoa," Emma replied. "Hang on a minute. What?"

"It's a one-for-one trade," Belle told them. "If Neal used that key... he should be dead right now."

Emma met Killian's stunned blue eyes, both wondering what Neal did when the man in question suddenly dropped to the forest floor, screaming.

She ended the call as she and Killian rushed toward him, both dropping to their knees beside him.

"Neal, what did you do?" she asked, examining the reddened burn mark on his hand.

She recoiled back in shock when he screamed again, looking up at her. She caught Killian's expression, just as surprised as she was.

Neal's face deformed right before their eyes, morphing into the familiar features on Gold's.

"Swan," Killian muttered, his thoughts the same as her.

Her eyes were glued to Neal. "I think- I think Gold is inside you. I think that's how you're still alive."

Gasping, Neal barely managed to look at her. "I heard my father's voice in my head. He's in there. He's in me."

"He said there was no room," Killian muttered. "He meant you."

"I need you to help me, Emma," Neal choked out. "Use your magic. Separate me and my father."

"Then you'll die," Emma told him.

Despite their anger at him, neither she or Killian wanted Neal to die.

"I know, but you need my dad more than me," he said, his voice full of acceptance. "To figure out who the witch is... to save the town. Emma, you need to do this."

Shaking her head, she felt fear begin to grip her, torn. "I've never done anything like that before- not that big."

He winced back as another shot of pain ran through him. "Do it to save you and Henry. Do it. Please."

Glancing over at Killian, she saw him looking at her, confidence in his eyes. Knowing she had his support was enough. Closing her eyes as she took Neal's hand, she focused, willing to separate Neal from Gold.

Killian reached out, resting his hand lightly on her back to support her if she needed it.

Brilliant light flashed around them, revealing Gold hunched over beside Neal.

Opening her eyes, Emma released Neal's hand, shifting slightly back, closer to Killian. "Are you okay?"

Gold looked at his son, his voice hoarse. "What have you done?"

"It's okay, Papa," Neal responded weakly. "I told her to."

"But why?" Gold asked.

"So you can tell her who the witch is so you can defeat her," Neal told him.

Gold's features twisted into a sneer. "Zelena."

Both Emma and Killian started, looking at Gold.

"Your mother's midwife," Killian muttered to Emma.

"She's the witch?" she asked Gold. "What does she want?"

"What she doesn't have," he responded in a strained voice as he kept his eyes on his son.

Everyone's eyes shifted to Neal.

"There has to be some way you can save him, right?" she asked, directing her question at Gold.

Gold didn't respond as he stood, holding back tears as he turned his back on them.

"It's too late, Emma," Neal told her, his voice barely audible. "It's okay."

Gold turned back to look at him.

Neal glanced at Killian before looking back at Emma, his tone accepting. "You found Tallahassee, even though it wasn't with me. Promise me- just promise you'll be happy. You and Henry."

Reaching out, she stroked his shoulder as her other hand went to Killian's waist. She knew what was happening was just as hard for him as it was for her. "I promise. I promise."

Neal's eyes turned hard as he looked at Killian. "I know you love them. Take care of them, and do for them what I didn't."

"I promise," Killian vowed.

Gold suddenly stalked forward, shaking his head. "No. No, no, no. I can fix this."

"No, you can't," Neal weakly protested. "Thank you, Papa, for showing me what it is to make a true sacrifice."

Emma and Killian backed away slightly to let Neal and Gold be together. Moving his hand so his arm fully encompassed her waist, Killian pulled her closer as she tightened her own grip on him.

Looking up to meet his eyes, Emma saw that despite his mask, Killian was hurting, just like her. They both had a history with Neal; he was the first person Emma had opened up to and trusted. To Killian, who knew him as a child, had been willing to give up piracy to be a father to him.

She rested her head on his shoulder, silently offering him what comfort she could for the time being.

Both turning to look towards Neal, they saw the light fading from his dark eyes as Gold leaned over him, pressing a kiss to his son's hand before reaching to close his eyes.

Emma sank down in one of the chairs in the kitchen of her parent's loft, sighing deeply. Killian came up behind her, rubbing between her shoulders. She relaxed under his touch, leaning into him. Her parents had left to break the news to Belle, leaving them alone.

"Did we mess up?" she finally asked quietly. "With Henry? He doesn't even know that Neal showed up."

The fact that Henry hadn't know that Neal had come around, that he had demanded he see him, made Emma nearly sick with worry. Henry had been hurt when Neal left, but had been able to get past the pain of abandonment. He saw Killian as his dad while Neal was a stranger.

But Neal, no matter what he did, was still Henry's father.

"I honestly don't know, love," Killian responded, just as quietly.

"I mean, Neal did leave, and we did want it to be Henry's choice if he wanted to see him or not," she said quickly, conflicted. "But he never got a chance... and now Neal's dead."

She leaned into him, her head resting against his stomach.

"I know," he replied. "But Emma, we have to tell him."

Nodding in agreement, she looked up at him. She knew he was with her, that he would remain be her side. Slowly, she rose, taking his hand to guide them out of the building to her car.

Going to the park where Henry was with Regina, Emma took a deep breath to prepare herself before getting out.

In silent agreement, Killian moved beside her, moving with her to where Henry was.

Calling him to them, they moved to a bench, Emma sitting between them.

"Is everything okay?" Henry asked, his wide eyes looking between her and Killian worriedly. "Did something happen?"

"Henry," she hesitated for a second. "We found Neal."

"Oh," he replied, looking conflicted.

She glanced back at Killian, both knowing they had to break the news.

"He died," she said quietly, looking back at their son. Her voice became slightly louder, her regret breaking through. "He wanted to see you, but we wanted it to be your choice if you saw him or not. We're so sorry, Henry."

Henry blinked, quiet for a long moment. Neither Emma or Killian spoke, letting Henry think.

"He... was here?" he finally said. "If he was here, why did he take so long to show up?"

"He was able to bring back Rumplestilskin, but when he did it, they were connected," Killian explained quietly. "He was inside Rumplestilskin. Neal was able to come through long enough to break free from where the witch was keeping them, and come to us. When they were separated, he died."

Nodding, Henry released a hard breath.

Emma thought back to the first night when they had to leave, remembering how his reaction scared her. His similar response to Neal's death made her feel the same way.

She drew him to her, hugging him tight. Killian silently rested his hand on the small of her back.

"I'm so sorry, kid," she whispered into his hair. "I wish you had gotten a choice. I promise you, we will catch this witch."

Teaser: "Do you..." she trailed off.

"No," he answered, knowing what she was asking. "I don't have anything I wish to say."

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