1510 Words this Chapter.

Chapter Thirty-Five, Alive

"Not exactly my intended target, but close enough," teased Dag.

Emma stared at the back of the new statue in Storybrooke. "Kill...ian," she whispered. She reached out to touch him, but her fingers wouldn't stretch that far. "No...please...no."

"Emma, focus!" cried Regina.

Emma tore her weeping eyes from Killian's stone form and back to the menace of Dag.

He glared at her with a smug, sick grin. "Sorry," he taunted, then laughed. "I won't be making the top ten artist list any time soon," he joked. "I mean, the subject of the statue is so poor. I do like the craftsmanship though, but I should have used a grander medium, like marble. Oh well, it's too late now."

Emma stared at him, tears flowing freely and the fury rising.

Dag kept crowing. "I'll be sure to put him inside my palace, however, once I build it. If for no other reason than to commemorate the occasion." He smiled wickedly at Emma.

"You...you...," she was so angry, so deep in grief that she couldn't speak. She wanted to hurl magic at him, but she didn't have a good shot any longer. Dag was concealed from her by Killian.

However, it worked both ways. He couldn't reach her either.

Regina finally busted up the last piece of rock and turned to Dag, hurling a stony curse at him. "Let's see what kind of statue you make!" she yelled. He dodged it and the curse flew at Steel, narrowly missing her. It hit a small shrub instead.

David had glimpsed what happened to Hook out of the corner of his eye. He felt horrible and deeply concerned for Emma, but he couldn't lose focus.

Despite her near miss with the stone curse, Steel had him on the run. She was merciless, hitting him hard and fast. He was tiring. Then, as he tried to keep her back, he slipped.

Mary-Margaret gasped.

He stumbled and fell. Steel went in for the kill. Her eyes glowed with hate as she struck as hard as she could.

Dag cackled. "One down, one more about to join him..."

"Dad!" cried Emma.

David moved to his side and Steel's sword hit the street. The impact hurt her hand and from the sound it made, David knew it. He rolled, pushed to his knee and lunged, hitting her in the gut, not with the point of his sword, but the hilt. He hit her hard enough that she fell back, the wind knocked out of her.

David took several deep gasps and held Steel firmly against the street by the point of his sword.

"Yes, one more down," said Gold smugly. Dag grimaced.

"No matter," said Dag. "I don't need her."

David grabbed Steel, pushing her toward the pawn shop. Aimee Arrow ran out, taking the former sword captive. Mary-Margaret rushed out, hugging him tightly.

"Hook..." he said.

She nodded. "I know."

They both looked toward their daughter.

Emma willed herself to find the resolve to keep fighting. She looked at the stone in front of her. She thought of Killian, his touch, his kiss, the sensations he made her feel.

That was all gone now.

It was Dag's fault.

She felt hatred fill her. She focused herself and tried with all her might to twist that hatred into something else: energy. She took the energy surge and let it flood her. She focused it, channeling it to her feet. She thought of Killian's eyes and the glow that Dag had extinguished.

She felt the warmth grow. Her feet began to buzz with magic. With a large crack, the spell that held her in place was shattered. She could move.

Regina and Dag were once more embroiled in battle. Regina moved, hitting him at various points with different things, once a fire ball, then a freeze spell, then a burst of energy. Dag continued to fight using lava and fire rocks.

Gold smashed the last of the glass holding him in place and moved to help Regina. While Regina moved, hitting Dag at various places, Gold stayed still, forcing Dag to move frantically to aim for both of them. They hoped to run the former dagger ragged.

Dag was so distracted between two foes that he had pushed the savior from his mind. She could wait, or so he thought.

Emma moved around Killian, glancing with sorrow at his stone face. Then her own face set to proverbial stone. She would make the man who did this pay.

She kissed her fingertips and ran them over Killian's stone features. She took a deep breath and ran.

She cried out, loud and ferocious, like a she-beast.

Dag was startled.

She ran at him, as fast as she could, hitting him off guard as she blasted him with the biggest, brightest, strongest lightning that she could muster.

It blinded the entire street, temporarily.

Once the shock wore off, Regina smiled, then laughed. She looked at Emma. "Nicely done!"

Emma panted, her adrenaline slowing. She looked down. At her feet lay the still, motionless form of Dag.

"Is he dead?" asked David, moving toward her.

Gold had joined them. He bent down and felt for a pulse. "Amazingly, no. I suspect we have the link to thank for that." He moved his hand over Dag, immobilizing him indefinitely. "That is for Belle," he whispered. He looked up at Emma. "That was some lightning, Miss Swan."

She stared blankly at him and nodded like she was in a daze. Then she shook her head. "Killian," she whispered. She turned and ran to the silent stone figure.

She touched his cheek and the tears flowed freely down her. She could feel the eyes of everyone on her. She saw Henry, himself crying, in Mary-Margaret's arms. David looked at her, sadness wearing heavily.

"I'm sorry," said Regina.

Emma nodded. "Can we...undo it?" She looked at Gold.

He sighed. "I will try, but I suspect that Dag intended you to be...removed, permanently."

Emma wiped more tears away. "Try. You have to try."

Gold nodded and waved his hands over the pirate. Nothing happened.

"No," whispered Emma. She hung her arms around his neck. "Killian..."

"Emma, honey," said Mary-Margaret. "You could try, yourself."

"My magic's not strong enough."

"Not your magic, honey," said her mother. "Your kiss."

Henry nodded. "True Love's..."

Emma stopped him. "No...I can't. I'm not...our..." She sighed. "My heart's not strong enough. It won't work."

"You don't know that," said Mary-Margaret.

"You have to try," agreed David.

Emma shook her head. Finally she made a confession. "I'm afraid."

Her parents nodded.

"What if it doesn't work?"

"It will work, Emma," said a soft voice.

Emma turned to see a beautiful, ocean blue vision gliding toward her. Gilly smiled sadly. She looked at Killian and stifled a sob. She looked back to Emma. "It will work."

Emma just stared at her.

"I know it will," said the former Jolly Roger. "It has to, because he loves you."

Emma looked back to her stone pirate.

"You love him too."

Emma moved closer to Killian. "I...I do."

Gilly smiled. "Then kiss him, and break this heinous spell."

Emma looked at her. Gilly smiled again and nodded.

Emma took a deep breath. She leaned in, her eyes focusing on his lips. She didn't even feel the presence of the others anymore. He was all there was in that moment.

"I love you," she whispered. Then she touched her lips to his.

She felt the cold, rigid, rough stone.

"It won't work..." whispered along an eerie breeze.

"There's that damn voice again," said Regina.

"The kiss is not enough," said the whisper.

Emma kept kissing.

"Not strong enough..."

"Shut up!" screamed Henry.

Emma felt doubt. Then she thought of their last kiss, of all their kisses. She remembered the heat of their passionate kiss in Neverland, the tender softness of the one after the trip in time, the desperateness of the kiss after their fight over Gilly.

She remembered the softness his lips always had. She pleaded with the powers of the universe to let her feel it again.

Then she did. His lips were soft!

Her heart beat faster as she felt his. His heart was beating!

At the instant that she felt his lips move, she felt and sensed the bright white magic.

The whole street trembled with the flash. Everyone was knocked about slightly, but Emma stayed still. She moved her arms to cling to Killian.

His body was soft and warm and he moved his arms to hold her tightly. His lips pressed firmly into hers as they kissed with heat, passion, and tenderness. She felt his pulse beating in time with hers.

She finally pulled back and saw that smile.

"Emma," he whispered, stroking her cheek.

"Killian." She laughed and hugged him tightly. "I love you."

He laughed. "Aye, I heard you."

She smiled. "Good," she said, and moved back in for another kiss. It was slow and tender and set to the cheers of family and friends.

End of Chapter Thirty-Five