I do not own Once Upon a Time nor any of its characters.

I do adore my favoriters and followers who have stuck with this for this long.

On with the show.

—Y&M—

"What?" Emma's voice was barely a whisper as he looked at her with understanding.

"I—I don't know the details. When the imp took me from the attack in the castle, he'd let slip that, somehow, she had killed his son. He'd vowed that he'd protect you and the boy to him in his final moments," Killian said, softly to the group.

"The Dark One's son is gone," Lumiere said quietly as the group's eyes turned to him. "Lumiere never saw a man with more regret than what he had carried for so long. Alors. At least he finally found him…before the end."

"Oh, oh no," Belle said quietly. "Poor Rumple. And oh, dear. I'm—I'm so sorry, Emma."

Killian Jones's eyes returned to the woman he loved. Emma's hands had a vice grip on the steering wheel, her knuckles white, and her hair had fallen forward, blocking her face from his view. He reached to move it back so he could see her face and she abruptly flinched away from him and swiftly got out of the car. Killian immediately followed and began to catch up to her as she walked right past her father as if he wasn't there.

"Emma," her father called after her. "Emma, what is going on?"

Emma continued as if she didn't hear her father's call and stormed over to a point away from the group. David gave Killian a concerned and helpless look and the pirate captain waved him off as if to say he'd handle things as he followed Emma a short distance away from the group. Killian picked up pace when it appeared she wasn't going to stop and grabbed her lower arm to stop her. Emma stopped but did not turn around to face him, her body ridged, and her hands forming into tight fists as she attempted to control herself.

"Are you sure? Are you sure Neal's…gone?" she whispered, brokenly, her voice so soft he barely heard.

"Emma," he began as he turned her to face him before pulling her into his embrace. "I am quite sure. The crocodile spat murderous intent at the witch because of it. He also was very serious about keeping you and Henry safe to uphold, Baelfire's…last request."

She clung tighter to Killian and he held her a few moments before she spoke, "I hadn't even thought about…I thought he was safe. I'd—I'd just assumed with the first curse. I just…"

"I am sorry, Emma," Killian said softly as he held her tighter.

"We can't let her take anyone else, Killian. We have to stop her," Emma spoke into his shoulder. "I'm so…I just…I just can't lose any more people. I can't take it. Oh god, Neal…"

They both heard the shuffling of feet on grass behind them as her father and mother tentatively approached. Belle had come over and explained to them, as Killian had followed their daughter, about what had been revealed before she stormed out of her car. Hearing their footsteps near, Killian pulled himself reluctantly from Emma's embrace and she saw her father and mother near them. To their surprise, in an uncharacteristic show of affection, Emma immediately ran over and embraced them both and they returned the hug wholeheartedly. Their family had been through so much over so many years. So much time was robbed from them. Emma made a vow to herself that she would never waste a moment with them ever again.

"Emma, honey," Mary-Margaret began as her heart broke for her daughter. "I'm so sorry."

Emma pulled herself away to wipe at the tears on her face and nodded. She took a deep breath to try to collect herself and felt Killian come up behind her and place his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. The group walked back to join the others as another car pulled up to meet them. Regina and Henry got out of the car and began walking up the hill to join the group. Henry broke out into a run towards Emma and Killian.

Emma froze and Killian's arm tightened around her as Henry came up to hug her, "Mom! Hey, you're up! You feeling better? That was crazy what happened at Granny's."

Emma smiled a watery smile as she knelt down to Henry's height to look him in the eyes, "Henry, yeah, I'm okay for the moment, I think. Henry, baby, I have some news and I don't even know how to start or what really happened but I have to tell you. You need to know."

"What…what is it?" the boy asked as he looked to the captain that stood over them both who wore a grim look upon his face that gave no assurances to Henry about what he was about to learn.

"Henry," Emma started, but didn't even know how to begin as she hugged him and held him tight. "Henry, back when we were in the Enchanted Forest. Neal—well, your dad, well, he…he—"

"Henry," Killian began as he knelt and pulled the boy a bit from his mother's embrace so he could look him in the eye. "Lad, there's no pretty way to say this-your father was killed by the Wicked Witch. We don't know much of what happened, but I believe he died a hero. I believe he died trying to save those he loved."

Henry looked between them both in disbelief as Emma nodded sadly in confirmation of Killian's words.

"No," Henry sad as his face fell. He hadn't really had time to truly get to know his real father. Most of what he knew of him were second-hand stories his mom had told him here and there and bits that Mr. Gold had recounted of when he was a boy…when he was Baelfire.

"Why?" he asked after several moments of staring at his feet.

"I don't know, lad. Rumpelstiltskin didn't give many details when he let it slip," Killian began as he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder in sympathy.

"Mr. Gold…" Henry mumbled.

Henry seemed stunned and a bit unable to process what hearing of his father's death really meant to him. Emma once again drew him into a tight hug after she stood up.

"I'm sorry, kid," she whispered into his hair as she kissed the top of his head. Henry tightened his hug around her.

After a few moments where the group remained in a silent sadness, Regina resigned to breaking the moment in order to deal with the present as she spoke to David, "Any word on where my sister is? And who broke the curse, by the way?"

"After a lot of searching, we've narrowed it down to here and by the look of it," he pointed up the slight hill in front of them to a farmhouse a few miles away, "I think this might be it. That house wasn't here before. I know every inch of this town and that and the barn over there never were here at all. Oh, and you can thank those two over there for breaking the curse."

Regina shot an amused look towards Emma and Killian, "Color me not surprised, I suppose." She then turned her eyes to the farmhouse and her mouth formed a grim line, "It appears innocent enough and not too well protected at first glance, which means we need to be on alert. If my sister is hold up in there that means any closer than we are now to there, we might be detected…or set off some magical trap, for that matter."

David nodded in agreement as they were then joined by Emma and Killian. Emma still had her arm around Henry who followed with them, quietly.

"Oh, Henry!" came Belle as she fumbled a bit with the books in her arms before coming over and holding the storybook, his storybook, out to him. "I've found this for you. Here."

Still numb a bit from the revelation about his father, Henry solemnly took the book and folded it under his arm without saying a word. Belle smiled sadly to him and proceeded to give him a small hug and kiss the top of his head.

"Your father was a good man, Henry," she started as he looked over to her and she leaned over to his eye-level. "I don't know how this happened, but we will avenge him, Henry. I know how to defeat Zelena."

With that, the boy's eye brows shot up on his forehead, "Really? I mean, we've tried everything. What have you found?"

"Well," Belle began as she pulled the ornate book out and laid it open upon the ground. She knelt down upon the grass and Henry did the same next to her before she continued. "This book tells the tale of how Zelena met the other witches of Oz and gained more power. Because she joined them, her power was channeled into that gaudy emerald necklace she wears all the time. I think that's the key to ending her power, Henry. Everything in this book speaks to it being the key to how she's able to channel magic now. See here."

Belle pointed to a chapter in the book that had several lines Henry read that entailed the description of how the necklaces worked to enhance and channel the magic of the witch that wore it. They had been crafted long ago by the founders of Oz in order to allow for its four corners to be protected. Magic, however, always comes with a price, and the price of becoming one of Oz's protectors is that your magic would become a part of the necklace. If it were to ever be taken off or destroyed…

"…all the magic the protector possessed would be completely gone," Henry quoted out loud with a bit of awe as a few of the others surrounding them came over to hear the conversation. "That's it! The necklace is how to get her!"

"Shh! Henry," Regina warned as she looked around. "We have to be careful. Zelena could be watching or have some of her spies, if they came over with her, watching us."

The collective group, with a pit of fear in their stomach, looked around the area, scanning to see if they could spot her or any of her henchmen. They didn't spot anything; however, it was quiet—eerily quiet—in the space of the field that surrounded them. Killian cast a nervous and worried glance to Emma who nodded grimly to him. They both knew they had to be under Zelena's watch. She was far too crafty to not be spying on them in one manner or another. The others within the group mentally came to the same conclusion that they likely were being watched by the wicked witch and should tread carefully from here out.

Snow had begun to fall softly around them. Emma had almost not even registered that it was winter when they had returned to Storybrook with so much going on. They needed to form a plan, she thought. Now that they were pretty sure Zelena was hold up on this farm, they needed a good plan of attack if they were going to get her brother, and everyone else for that matter, out of here safely. The unfortunate bit of this is the location. Zelena picked this spot for the obvious reason that there's no way to really sneak up on the house in the vast empty fields that surrounded it.

"Any ideas on how to storm the proverbial castle?" Emma asked out of the side of her mouth to the group.

"Not that I'd advise 'storming the castle', Emma honey, but I think we don't have a lot of options here. We need to get your brother out of there," David said as a few of the group nodded in agreement.

"This bloody-well smells of a trap, mate," Killian seethed as he scanned the field before them once again. "We may not be able to see it, but I can feel it in my bones that there's something not right here. It's entirely to open and vulnerable in appearance. I can feel her eyes on us like a shark stalking its prey."

"Isn't that a little dramatic, Killian?" David asked as he shot the pirate an incredulous look.

"I'm not being dramatic, I'm trying to make everyone here realize the danger we're all in. We've all seen the power Zelena has. We don't know what she's capable of here either, but one thing is certain is that she is no fool," Killian stated.

"I know, but a shark?"

The pirate captain cocked an eyebrow and gave the prince a sideways smirk, "Twas the first reference that came to mind."

David Nolan rolled his eyes.

"If you both are done being ridiculous," Mary-Margaret began as she took her husband by the arm, "I believe we were talking about a plan?"

"I have an idea," Emma said as the group's eyes all turned to her. "Regina – you and I can transport ourselves and maybe one or two others wherever we want."

"Yes, we could, but since this is an unfamiliar house, Emma, neither of us would know where to transport to. We might accidentally poof ourselves into a wall or a chair or something without knowing the surroundings," Regina began. "However…"

Regina walked a bit further towards the house as Emma followed her, "However?"

"We might be able to at least get us transported right next to the front door and at least avoid this field. Thing gives me the creeps. Look at that fog that just clings to it," she said as Emma followed her glance to the field before them and noticed the strange fog that clung above the grass top.

"You know, I think I assumed with the cold that was normal, but you're right. There's something weird with this field," she said as she took a few steps back away from it with the Queen.

"What are you two plotting over here?" Killian came up behind them.

"Keep your voice down, Captain," Emma warned him as she whispered loudly. "Regina and I are going to poof a group of us right up on her front door step to avoid this field. You in?"

"Of course. How many can we bring?" he asked them both.

"I'd say one each. Don't take this the wrong way, Emma, but with how you've reacted to using magic lately, I'd not risk you trying anything more than that," Regina warned as she also spoke in low, hushed tones.

"Who else wants to—" Emma began as she turned around to address the rest of the group and then stopped.

"Emma, what-?" Killian began as he also turned around and realized why Emma had stopped.

Everyone else, including the vehicles they came here in, were gone.