Emma

Killian and I immediately gathered with Snow, David, Regina and Henry in the Jones' home.

We were standing in my living room. Snow and David had no idea what had happened to Hope. Immediately after Snow had broke the news that my daughter, Killian's and my daughter, was taken right out of my living room. I clung to Killian's arm the entire way to our house, trembling and petrified with fear.

As I stood next to Killian, I tried to keep my tears from brimming in my eyes. I had to keep calm and think about who would have taken her and what to do about it.

Killian said to Snow, "Was there any evidence after you went in Hope's bedroom, right before she disappeared?"

Snow shook her head frantically. "Just the front door was unlocked. I didn't even hear a sound from Hope. One minute she was in her basinet there," she pointed to the straw baby bed in the living room, "And the next when I came back with her diaper, she was gone. Killian. Emma. I am so sorry." Her last word broke off. Her eyes were glossy with tears. "I should not have left her alone even for a couple minutes."

Kilian bowed his head with a forlorn frown and slid his eyes to me. He said softly, "It's not your fault." He moved his hand to my shoulders and rubbed them and then ran his hand down my back soothingly. "WE will find Hope, Love." He moved me closer to him. I leaned into his arm and nodded.

I said, "Who would have taken her?" I glanced around the room at the horrified faces. "Who has a vendetta against us now?"

Regina put out her hand, "Gold. It's always Gold. Why don't we search his shop?"

Henry paced a little bit and looked around the living room and the front door. He faced us. "What about the time traveling demon?"

I sighed. It felt like my heart dropped to my feet. My body went cold. I whispered, "I've thought of that." I clenched my jaw together and sniffled. I had to pull myself together. I felt Kilian pull me into one of her arms. I let him hold me, because my head still was swimming with emotions and adrenaline.

"She could be anywhere if that is the case," I said. "We need to act. Now. I need to go out there and find my baby." As I said that, I started towards the front door.

"I know she isn't here, we have combed the entire house," David said. He shook his hand in the air, "We called Belle. Zelena and even Neal. No one has seen Hope, but they are searching for her."

Kilian held my arm tighter and stopped me from striding out the door. He said tenderly, "We need to first map out a plan before we go looking for her."

"No, I have to find our baby," I said as I shook my head. I moved my arm free.

Killian reached his hook and his hand to my waist and stilled me again. "Love, we need to think and collaborate. I know you're afraid, as I am. But I swear I will not stop until we find her."

I considered that and slowly turned to him. My eyes stung with tears. I exhaled and looked into his eyes. He looked scared too, but confident and determined. "What if she's hurt, or cold, or needs to be fed?"

"I know, Love." He ran his hand up and down my arm. He looked at the others around us. He said, "What is the fastest way we can find Hope?" He lifted his chin at Regina. "Can we use your magic?"

Regina tilted her head to the side. "I can try a locator spell. Since I have items of hers here." She waved her hand to indicate the baby basinet and blankets and rattles on the sofas. "I doubt it would work through other realms though. If that be the case."

Snow passed Regina a pink baby blanket. Regina took it in her hands. "I will start this. Maybe it is the same one who broke into my vault twice now."

David said, "Yes, all of these occurrences have to be linked. This individual would need…Hope, and the Death Sack for what?"

I felt sick to my stomach. I stiffened and closed my eyes and crossed my arms. Killian wrapped an arm around my waist and watched my face.

Snow replied, "A spell?"

Henry said, "I can research spells used with babies. Maybe there is one with the Death Sack."

Regina said, "I've checked Gold's shop and talked to him. Of course, he doesn't know anything about Hope or the Sack. I bet he's lying through his teeth." She rolled her eyes as she held up the blanket up. "What is the plan? I should start on the locator spell."

I forced myself to focus on what to do now. I said in a withered voice, "Henry can research with David. Snow you go with Regina." I limply lifted my hand towards them. I waved my fingers at Killian. "I think Hook and I will just start searching the town. Everyone's got their phones. Call me if you find anything."

David said, "We'll be at the library."

Henry came to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Mom. She'll be fine. I can sense it. WE will find her, just like you found me all those years ago." He gave me an encouraging lopsided smile.

I tried to smile back but my lips trembled. I nodded affirmatively. "Maybe search on the internet too. I doubt David will. He can hit the books."

Henry nodded. They all departed from our home.

The room fell quiet. I stared at her basinet and felt a wave of sadness hit me. Killian whispered, "You all right, Love?" His touch and his tone was so soft and loving.

I glanced up at him and muttered, "No. I'm not." I began to step towards the front door and said as I walked, "Where do we start? Maybe we should go to Regina's vault so we can follow Hope's enchanted blanket?"

"Let's go find our daughter," Killian said. He walked in front of me and searched my eyes as he held my upper arm. He said warmly, "Perhaps we drive start at the outskirts of town first and check the town line first?"

I felt like he was trying to read me by searching my eyes. I turned and went to the table near the door to grab my car keys. "Let's start by driving around town. After that we'll hit the town line and then go to Regina's vault. By then she may have the locator spell going," I said as we headed out the front door quickly. We slid inside the yellow Bug, with me driving.

He looked at me expectantly. He seemed like he wanted something else. I finally looked at him as I drove. He held my gaze.

"Emma?" His tone was a whisper. His brows sunk down like he was in pain.

"She'll be all right. I would feel it if she wasn't all right," I said although I wasn't certain she was all right. My thoughts were racing, and my body felt hot with worry.

He looked out the windows and searched as I drove downtown. "What were you going to say outside of Archie's office right before Snow and David arrived?" he asked me.

I remembered starting to say something but was rather glad that I was interrupted. I averted my eyes and slowly shook my head. "I…was going to say something I may have regretted." I dragged my eyes to his. I sensed that he knew what I was about to say then.

I looked back at the road and the rearview mirror and ahead. I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. My heart was beating hard in my chest.

"And what's that?" he asked softly.

I shook my head. "Never mind. We need to find Hope and talk about this later."

"Please at least tell me first, Love." His hand rubbed my arm.

I enjoyed the feeling of him touching me. I faced him reluctantly and then turned the wheel as we headed towards the town line. There was no one there. I searched the forest along the road. I sighed. "I was going to say that we maybe should take a break."

I felt him staring at me. "Did you mean it?"

I guided our car closer to the town line. I didn't reply at first. As we made it to the town line, I turned the car around and parked to look around, but I saw nothing besides trees and bushes. I drove the car back toward town. I could sense that Hope wasn't nearby. Searching aimlessly wasn't helping. At least we had looked out here and around town just in case.

Killian searched our surroundings and then sighed. He rubbed his temples with his fingers. "I just want to know where we stand, Love." He watched out the front windshield and then his side mirror for any signs of Hope.

"I think we should head to Regina's vault. We're getting nowhere. If only we could think of someone that is pissed at me. Or us."

"Perhaps Gold. My bet's on the crocodile." He said flatly. I could sense in his tone that he was disappointed in my silence about his question.

He exhaled.

I said calmly, "Killian. I know we are having problems. But we are facing too much right now. This maniacal kidnapper is going to probably die once I get a hold of him or her. I think we should focus on that."

"I agree. But I just want to know one thing." He paused and looked at me as if trying to catch my eye. He whispered, "Are we still together, or not?"

"We're married," I said, hoping for comic relief to satisfy him so that he wouldn't bring up the dreaded moment when I nearly asked him to take a marital break. That wouldn't be the best idea, especially now.

I side-glanced at him.

He rose his eyebrow at me with a skeptical stare. "You know what I mean," he murmured.

I frowned and thought about our last fight. I nodded once. "We have to be together. For Hope. She needs us. And we need to put the past about Neal behind us. Hope is our focus now."

"Agreed, Swan," he said with a small, relieved smile. "I love you, you know. I won't discuss Neal anymore with you. I won't drive you away like I did earlier."

I navigated our way to Regina's vault and parked. I cut the engine and pushed the gear shift into park. I twisted in my seat to lock eyes with him. "I want us to work."

"That's a start."

"Let's discuss this after we find Hope." I glanced around the graveyard and looked at my husband again. He gave me a soft, wistful smile, but it was dim and it fell off his face quickly.

He slid his hand down to mine and held it tight and nodded. "Aye. Now let's go find our daughter," he said.

We both got out of the Bug and hurried down the secret passage to Regina's vault. She was pouring a bright liquid into a smaller vile. She held the potion up to show us. "Just in time. We were waiting for you. Any luck?"

I shook my head and bit my lower lip.

Regina said., "This is it." She passed the potion vile to me. "Now. Sprinkle Hope's blanket."

Henry was standing there along with David and Snow.

Henry said to me, "Neal is helping look for Hope. He and Zelena teamed up. They've combed the town now they're searching the woods."

I nodded. I looked at Killian, who seemed intent on Regina's locator spell and not so much at the name Neal. I was certain that it didn't matter right now to him.

I scanned the room of our family, "Has anybody searched Gold's shop?"

Snow replied, "We did. It's the second time we've gone there. Belle was researching the library. There was no sign of Hope there." She made her way to me and put her arm around my middle. "I know we will find her. We always find our family, Emma." She gave me an uplifting smile.

I dipped my chin, forcing myself to agree. I walked toward the center island stone table where my daughter's blanket was laid out flat and tipped the vile over to sprinkle the locator potion all over it. "Please help us find Hope," I said to it like a prayer, and I even added a silent prayer above to heaven to find my baby. I couldn't go on without her if something happened to her.

Killian's hand was on the small of my back.

Immediately the pink blanket lifted like a magic carpet and floated up the stone steps that lead back up to the ground level of the mausoleum.

I felt such a surge of hope and enthusiasm race through my veins as I darted after the blanket. The rest of our family raced after it with me.

"At least it's moving," I said as it floated quickly towards the trees, leading to the forest.

"Perhaps she's close," Killian said as he panted. He ran beside me as we walked through the trees after the blanket. Minutes stretched on as it continued to fly forward, pulling us through the dark woods.

"It's headed toward the small meadow," David said, as he panted.

We ran into the grassy clearing as the blanket soared upward towards the middle of the meadow where there were pink flowers. The blanket paused in the air and fluttered downward onto the flowers. It laid there in the meadow and didn't move anymore.

I frowned and breathed hard as my heart hammered loudly. I faced Killian. He stared, horrified at the flowery clearing where there was nothing but the blanket and no Hope.

"What the bloody hell?" Killian said.

"Well that doesn't make any sense," Regina said as she panned the forest around us and the hillside that led into the woods. "I know my locator spell didn't fail."

"You sure?" Killian retorted. "I have yet to see my daughter." He opened his palm at the flowers.

"You don't think that…" Snow said as she got down on her knees and touched the ground under the blanket. She lifted it and ran her palm over the grass and pink flowers. Her lips parted as she looked up at David and then at me. "She can't be under here. At least it doesn't look like it." She moved the flowers to look at the dirt and then ran her fingers over one of the flowers.

I exhaled and picked up the blanket as I stared at the untouched earth. "There's nothing here. Unless the blanket indicates she's underground. Maybe in some tunnel. But there's nothing under here." I held the blanket to my chest.

Killian said tersely, "Try again Regina."

"I told you, I know I did the spell right. That's Hope's blanket therefore we should have found her." She pointed at the ground. "Don't blame me. We're obviously not seeing what the blanket wants us to see."

"Maybe she's invisible?" David mused. He crouched down and started moving his hands all over the earth, carefully and gingerly examining under the grass and flowers in a wide circle.

Henry pointed to the flowers. "Or maybe it's the pixie petals of the flowers."

Realization struck me. I inhaled shallowly. "The pixie petals that lead you to your love. But then that means…"

Henry said, "They grow in the presence of true evil."

"What bloody evil?" said Killian angrily. He lifted his eyes and began skimming the sky and the woods around us again.

"One of the shadow demons?" Snow mused. She picked one of the pixie flowers. "Why don't we give it a try? Remember we've found you and Hook this way before."

"I'm up for anything," I replied. "I'm just worried why the hell the blanket didn't lead us to Hope. But to these instead? It doesn't make any sense."

Killian reached for my hand and took it. "I reckon that the locator spell wanted us to find the pixies. But what evil? I wonder if this evil thing or person has Hope? I'll bloody murder it. I don't care if its that shadow demon." He grit his teeth.

"Well, if you recall, Guyliner, that Gold was controlling that demonic shadow. No one's seen it. And when I questioned him, he says he hasn't seen it either."

"But let's hope not," said David. "Guess we're about to find out."

I squeezed Killian's hand as I watched Snow open her hand and flick the petals into her palm. Snow said, "I think this is why. It led us to more magic."

Snow came to me with her cupped hand and I opened my palms, dropping Killian's hand. Snow sprinkled the petals into my palms. Killian stood behind my shoulder and watched. "We're about to find out daughter, Love," he said with a smile at me. I returned it and glanced at him.

I closed my eyes and faced an empty place where I tossed the glittering pink petals into the air. They fell like fireworks; like little bright pink glitters filled with light. A door with a gold archway framing it appeared in the meadow. The doorway was red, but then shimmered gold and then showed a small room. Killian and I peered in and stepped inside.

The room was like a very dark basement.

Killian held my arm as we walked in gingerly.

I reached for my cellphone in my pocket and switched on the bright flashlight on the screen. "I could use magic. But…this is easier." I squinted to see any sign of our baby.

Killian narrowed his eyes and turned his head left and right and then moved forward. "Hope's got to be in here."

"Yes, this is a fail-safe pixie." I sensed the rest of our family lingered back.

David said, "You see anything?"

"No," I replied as I walked deeper in the pitch blackness. I shined the flashlight in. There wasn't much of anything except old wooden table, chair, and boxes. "It's like a storeroom. Or a basement," I said to Killian.

He pointed to a dark corner. "There."

I could hear tiny little whines which sounded like Hope. "Hope?" I cried out, willing her to answer me as I bolted forward. I shined my light onto a straw basinet that wasn't ours. It looked used and worn, but as I peered inside, there laid Hope, staring up at me.

"Oh, thank God!" I shrieked as I handed the phone to Killian. He held it with his hand and shined it on our baby.

Hope's eyes widened as she took me in and then looked at her father. She cooed and wiggled with excitement. I held her up by under her arms and cuddled her to my chest. I held her close to my neck and kissed her forehead. I tucked her head under my chin and sighed happily, filled with peace. I grinned up at Killian who was smiling wide. He moved closer to us and dropped a kiss onto Hope's head. She put her hands on my neck and laid her cheek on my chest and looked up at Killian.

"Are you all right Hope?" Killian sweetly said to her. He let out a long breath and shined the light around the room. "Where the bloody hell is this, that's what I want to know."

I held my arms tightly and securely around Hope. I said, "We found her!"

I heard a gleeful cheer from Snow and the rest of our family.

"What's in there?" David asked,

"I don't know," I said. I panned the empty basement, except the boxes. "It almost looks like someone lives here. Like under a house or something similar."

Killian stuck close to me as he moved the light gradually all around. "No trace of her kidnapper though. If they return, they'll have to answer to me."

"And me," I exclaimed. Hope cooed and looked up at me. I kissed her cheek and whispered, "It's all right Sweetheart. Mommy and Daddy are here now. Thank God you're safe." I kissed her twice more and looked around the basement again.

"Either we search what or who is upstairs, or we return home," Killian said as he looked at me and then at Hope with joy when his eyes landed on our daughter.

I shook my head. "As much as I want to find out who took her, I think we should go back home. Take Hope where its safe and not let her out of our sight."

Killian nodded. "Aye. Or we may not ever get home. Let's go, Love." We turned towards the doorway, where our family stared inside with smiles.

I sighed contently and walked close by Killian. He kept throwing cautious glances behind us with the light to keep vigilant watch, if the person showed itself.

We stepped out into the meadow again. Killian turned the flashlight back at the magic doorway again, but nothing still came out.

"What I want to know is what the presence of evil is," Killian said. "I don't bloody trust this." He gazed down at our baby again and then picked up his head to scan the doorway and then the woods.

Snow and David came to greet Hope.

"I don't think this is over," I agreed as I patted Hope's back. But at least Hope was safe and sound and unharmed.

The door disappeared in a bright gold light, leaving us in the meadow.

"Hey," greeted a female voice, coming from the woods. I turned to look who the familiar voice was. Killian inched right in front of my shoulder protectively.

We all faced the direction of the kind voice.

It was Lily, approaching us with a confused look. "What are you guys doing out here?" she asked, with an uncertain expression. She looked at me and Killian as if happy to see us, but her smile waivered when she locked eyes with us.

Kilian said, "Did you follow us, Love?" He watched Lily warily.

Lily ambled in front of us a few yards and stopped. She shrugged. "Out for a walk, exploring the woods."

I murmured, "Inscrutable." I gave Lily an odd once over. "I'll ask my husband's question again. Are you following us, Lily?"

Lily's eyes tightened a tiny bit as if hurt but also guarded in a way that made her seem she was lying. She drew her head back. "No. I just heard voices." She took another step forward and side-glanced at Killian. "I heard yours too Emma. I actually wanted to talk to you, since you're here." She seemed honest about wishing to speak to me at least. She wasn't lying about that. Although something seemed out of place.

I lifted my head to look at Killian.

He arched an eyebrow at me skeptically, and then faced Lily again.

"Strange that you're here though," I said to her. "We're far from town. And I think you're lying."

She tilted her head to the side, puzzled. She frowned at me and then smiled as if I were saying something that was out of line.

I lifted my chin and analyzed Lily. "It is quite a coincidence that you happen to be here. Were you watching us?" I asked Lily.

Lily raised her arms and dropped them to her sides. "Like I said, I wasn't. I was hiking. Is that a crime?" She paused and smiled cordially. She said apologetically, "Look. Can we talk for a moment?"

I gave her a once over and narrowed my eyes incredulously. "As much as I want to, I don't exactly trust you anymore."

She frowned as if hurt by my comment and her eyes tightened. "I get that you're not my friend anymore. But I just wanted to talk. You really that mad at me just because I'm out hiking?"

I decided to hear her out, just in case she had a clue about Hope. Although this was off that she would appear here just as we found Hope. It was like she knew we would be here even though she said she wasn't. But I felt deep in my gut that she was here because of me, or us. Maybe Hope. But the last thing she demonstrated interest in, was Killian.

I looked up at my husband. He arched an eyebrow at me and tilted his head to the side. "Your call, Love."

I faced my old best friend. "What do you want to talk about?" I asked Lily.