Killian saw Emma fall and his heart dropped with her. He watched on as her magic flowed back into her, but then she looked weak and overwhelmed and suddenly she was lying on the ground, still and pale.
The guard named Jackson rushed over to her, sighing with relief when he confirmed that she was still breathing. Killian didn't have too long to celebrate however; there was still an important part of their plan to put into place. He pulled the parchment out of the pocket of his jacket, gritting his teeth as he looked at the words.
'Killian, I can't hold him off much longer.' Grace warned him, her knuckles turning white as she clenched her hands trying to maintain the spell over the Dark One. He nodded and looked up at Rumplestiltskin, noticing his slight movements as he fought the magic. His eyes drifted around the room, looking over at the Evil Queen lying on the table, the guards holding onto their swords, Grace concentrating on her magic, and finally Emma, lying unconscious on the ground.
He remembered the moment Grace had prophesied about a woman involved with Dark One. Details had been changed, Emma was a few years younger and the Dark One didn't kill her when he took her magic, but all those years ago when Grace made that prophecy, she had been talking about Emma. It was strange how that had been so long ago and yet here he was, in love with that very woman from the prophecy.
'Killian!' Grace called out again, and he exhaled, shaking himself out of his thoughts before lifting up the parchment and blowing on it. The ink traveled off the page slowly, drifting in the air towards Rumplestiltskin. He could see Grace lower her hands beside him, and suddenly a bright blast of magic made him shield his eyes.
He had no idea what was happening, the brightness causing him to see spots dancing across his eyes before blinking repeatedly to clear his vision. The Dark One was still frozen, this time with a faint blue light pulsing around him, which he assumed was the squid ink.
Killian looked around, his gaze resting on the still body of Grace a few feet away from where Emma lay. Dread washed over him as he watched Jackson move from Emma to Grace, this time shaking his head sadly. Killian felt the anger boil inside of him, his eyes traveling back to the Dark One, who even when motionless still managed to have a wicked smirk on his face. He gritted his teeth in anger, curling his fingers into a fist so hard his blunt nails dug into his palm. He swung his hook in fury, smashing through the glass bottles on the shelf beside him, not caring about the damage he was doing.
Killian would finally get revenge on this man, not only for Milah's life, but for Grace's now too.
Emma lay across his lap, her chest rising and falling softly with her breathing. Her golden curls made her look angelic, along with her gentle cheekbones and pink lips that were void of emotion in her unconscious state.
They had only been on the road for a few hours but he had hoped Emma would wake up soon. He needed her right now.
Both the Dark One and Regina were cooped up in the cage attached to the other carriage. Regina came easily, not even putting up a fight against the guards as they hauled her away from her hideout. Rumplestiltskin had strapped her down, most likely with the intention of torturing her, slowly and painfully. Regina seemed to know that whatever punishment they decided for her, Snow and David would at least treat her humanely, and so she surrendered with little resistance.
Grace had been carried out and carefully placed into her carriage. Killian had asked everyone to wait a little longer as he went into the woods and gathered a few flowers, placing them in Grace's hands on her chest when he returned. It was far too little but it was the best he could do while they were on the road.
He cradled Emma in his arms, wiping away his tears before burying his face in her hair. She was warm and comforting despite her state, but he needed a real embrace.
He sobbed, the realization of his loss hitting him hard. It all happened so quickly that he couldn't even remember it, already he didn't exactly want to. He should have acted faster. He shouldn't have hesitated, if he hadn't, Grace would still be alive.
Killian felt Emma shift on his lap and he chewed on his bottom lip as her eyes fluttered open. Any other time he would have found her confused and sleepy frown adorable but considering the circumstances his affection for her wasn't his main focus.
'Hi, love.' He murmured, brushing his knuckles across her cheek. She groaned and wiggled closer to him. He felt his throat close up and fresh tears sting his eyes now that she was awake.
'What happened?' Emma mumbled as she attempted to sit up beside him. She coughed and he handed her his flask to soften her scratchy throat. She looked around the carriage, realizing they were moving and heading back towards her home.
'It seems you passed out when you regained your magic. We were able to trap the Dark One and get both him and Regina into the cage. We've been traveling for about 3 hours now.' He replied, avoiding her eyes.
'Killian, what are you not telling me?' She whispered, cupping his face with her hand. He saw the panic in her eyes when she saw his clearly, when she noticed that he had been crying.
'Grace didn't make it.' He barely uttered the words before he his voice shook with grief. Emma's own eyes glazed over before she threw her arms around him and squeezed tight. He could feel her moving as she cried, burying her face into his neck as her tears fell onto his skin. He did the same with her, clinging onto the comfort she provided in their joint grief.
'I'm so sorry, Killian.' She said with a sniff, resting her forehead on his shoulder. He knew it was just something people say when someone dies, but he felt like he was the one who should be sorry.
'It was my fault.' He told her and she pulled back to look at him.
'What do you mean?' She asked, wiping away the tears from her cheeks.
'I hesitated. If I had just used the squid ink on him quicker he wouldn't have been able to blast Grace. It's my fault.' He repeated, and Emma shook her head and pulled him back into her arms.
'Killian, this is not your fault, okay? Don't blame yourself. There's only one person who is at fault here and it's not you.' Emma said firmly. He just nuzzled her neck and sighed, her words barely swaying him to change his mind.
They stopped talking, both deep in their thoughts of Grace and how much they would miss her. Killian probably should have been thinking about how to deal with the Dark One during their journey back, and what they would do with him and the Evil Queen, but all he could think of was Grace's still body as he lay those flowers on her chest.
'We will give her the burial she deserves.' Emma mumbled, like she could read his mind and knew what he was thinking in that moment.
'I think she would like to be buried near the cottage, with flowers around the grave. I always felt like she should have been an Earth witch instead of Fire.' He mused, curling a lock of Emma's hair around his hook.
'She definitely had the personality of a Fire witch though.' Emma replied, only a little amount of humor in her voice.
'Aye that she did.' Killian sighed, tucking Emma into his side and closing his eyes, willing away the grief with sleep.
A/N: A short chapter this time but I thought these parts would be better separately. Thanks again to anyone who follows, favorites or reviews this story :)
P.S sorry about killing off Grace if you liked her, but she still has a very significant part of the story left that's coming in the next couple of chapters!