"God…dammit…" Emma gagged as a thin line of saliva travelled from her lip to the toilet bowl, still retching a little after what was probably the worst puke session she'd ever had. Killian was not a squeamish person, with years of mopping and swabbing fish guts, vomit , blood, human innards and numerous other foul fluids off plenty of ship decks, including his own, under his belt. It was no problem for him to help hold her hair back as she disgorged her breakfast: Eggos with ketchup and butter.
"You better now love?" He spoke softly as Emma wiped her lip with a sleeve, the dreaded retching finally subsided. "All done?"
Emma shook her head. "For now. God…" She sneered as he helped her stand back up. "I don't remember it being this bad with Henry."
"Must be different every time." He grinned playfully. "I'm sure the fact that this is MY child might have something to do with it, maybe give you a bit of a hard time."
Emma chuckled and nodded. "A baby pirate sailing around my gut. Great. Doing a fine job at plundering my uterus and every other organ in my body." She leaned into the sink, pulled up a bottle of mouth wash and after a quick rinse, she looked up into her boyfriend's deep blue gaze. "Don't think I'd want it any other way."
"Hmm." He grinned through a gentle kiss, after which he held her and looked at her lovingly. "My word, you are a glorious creature, Emma Swan."
"You just say that because I'm pregnant and you're afraid I'll punch you in the face if you don't suck up to me." She grinned back.
"Aye, that… and also because it's the truth. Now… do you need to put your feet up for a bit? Don't worry, I can man the ship for a while. Your father can tend to the Sheriff duties for a day."
Emma was usually not one to sleep through illness or discomfort; normally, she felt that the best way to deal with being sick was to just push through it and get on with the day. However, that particular morning she was just completely off; she'd had a dreadful night, tossing and turning, dreams and visions of her uncertain future plaguing her night's rest, and baby had decided to be especially vicious that morning, after demanding what at first sounded like the best breakfast on earth only to later make the poor mom-to-be feel sicker than a plague victim.
"I think I could use a nap." She nodded. "Please wake me up in one hour."
Killian kissed her forehead and they both walked out of the bathroom, with Killian headed to the bedroom door and Emma straight back into bed. He turned and peeked through the door. "I'll make you some chamomile tea, love. Might help you settle your gut a bit."
A barely discernible "thanks" escaped Emma's lip; she was asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow. Not ten seconds later she was softly snoring. Killian smiled at the figure of his Emma, sleeping soundly on the bed, amazed and grateful that she was at all a part of his life, let alone the mother of his unborn child. With a satisfied sigh, he headed downstairs and whistled as he took each step down on his way to the kitchen.
"I take it from your happy countenance that Emma finally decided to disclose her little secret then. Congratulations, Captain. You are to become a father… if Emma lives, that is."
The sound of that voice alone was always more than enough to set Killian off on a good day; but to find him, his arch-nemesis, standing in the foyer of their home, uninvited (ALWAYS uninvited), literally made the hair on the back of his neck stand and the taste of bile reach his tongue; all his muscles tightened and both jaw and fist clenched, staring at the ever-calm figure of Rumplestiltskin, as always, sharply dressed, and a frigid gaze that could equal that of a snake spying on its prey.
"Bloody crocodile…" he hissed back, stepping fearlessly towards his enemy. "…trespassing into the privacy of my home uninvited! Who told you that you were welcome here?"
"Oh, I don't have to be welcome, dearie. Nor do I care whether or not I am." He spoke back, coldly. "I'm not here socially. I would never dream of voluntarily visiting this… insipidly decorated house of yours, invited or otherwise. No…" He turned and paced towards the stairs. "I'm here to speak with you, captain… about something that is of great interest to the both of us." He turned back to look straight into Hook's eyes, and a chill ran down the captain's spine. "I'm here to speak of your unborn child."
Killian had no idea how the hell Gold knew, if Emma had only just disclosed it to her own family a day earlier; but the mere notion that the crocodile could even be remotely interested in his baby set off all sorts of alarms in his head. He paced menacingly towards him, and raised a finger, sneering at Gold. "You lay one finger on Emma or my child, you even as much as try to harm one hair on them, and you will wish for death before I'm done with you."
Gold chuckled. "Oh, Captain Hook… you'd think by now you'd know that your idle threats mean little to me, especially when we both know that you cannot scratch me, let alone kill me. Besides, whatever gave you the idea that I would want to hurt them?" He paced away again and walked towards a flower arrangement on the credenza. "Believe me when I tell you this: The last thing I'd want, even for a man the likes of you, is to separate a father from his child." He turned and looked Killian square in the eye. "It's in our best interest Captain, both yours and mine, and everyone else's, to protect Emma and her baby from all harm. Believe me, I know exactly who hunts her. You see… " Killian's gaze softened and a furrowed brow replaced an angry frown with the next words that left gold's mouth. "…That figure, that vision Emma's been having… that, is my son."
"Your… son? How?" Killian shook his head and chuckled. "You can't mean Balefire, because he's been dead for ages, so… you…" He looked back up into Rumple's eyes. "It cannot be the son your poor wife delivered five days ago."
The man looked down and sighed. "One and the same."
"That's impossible."
He looked back up into Killian's eyes, stern but visibly saddened. "His name is Gideon. He's all grown up. I don't expect you to comprehend…"
"Try me." Hook growled.
Gold sighed. "It would appear that the Blue Fairy crossed too far into a realm she should not have trespassed and was, let's say, beaten up by a far more powerful fairy… an evil one at that. She took our infant child from Blue, and raised him in the parallel universe where she dwells, a prison where she also keeps every child she has made it her unholy business to steal. Time there, it runs differently. She is a far greater evil than I, and the source of all the darkness even Merlin could not defeat."
Killian paled. "The Black Fairy…"
"Indeed. The evil of all evils. My son has grown to become a man under her guidance. He is now twenty-eight years of age, the same age Emma was when she took on her fate… and he is completely under the Fairy's control. She has corrupted his soul, a fate even I as a Dark One dreaded for my only boy. And, I am sorry to say, that he has found a way to break her free from her prison; he has taken the sword you unseemly lot thought safe in Regina's vault and will very likely use it to cut a portal open, through which she can come through..."
Killian licked his lips. "So… your son is already here, in Storybrooke?"
"Aye, indeed he is." He looked at Hook, placed both hands on his cane and continued.
"What the bloody hell does she want, then? The Black Fairy?"
"What we all want, captain: A happy ending. Or at least what she believes is her happy ending. Light and dark are fated to face one another. Only one can win. And the one that does will capture the power of the defeated champion. In other words…" He pressed his lips together. "…Kill Emma, and the whole world will be enveloped in the darkness where the Black Fairy thrives. Forever."
Killian closed his eyes, the mere thought of Emma dying sending a hideous shiver down his back. At that point, it would make no difference to him if the whole world was enveloped in the darkest haze: his own world would have ceased to be. "And why has she not made her move, then? If she is so keen to get here you'd think we would have heard from her by now."
Rumple shook his head. "No, Captain. My mother might be banished, but she is not stupid. She can see things, things that concern her. And she knows one thing: Miss Swan is a source of unspeakable power, the wielder of the most powerful light magic in every realm and the only one who can defeat The Black Fairy in an equal match. However, the fact that she is now carrying a child, makes her twice as strong and even more of a threat to her." He limped toward the kitchen and sat down at the table. Killian followed, no longer angry at the invasion of his home but deeply invested in what the old pawn shop owner was telling him. "You see, Emma carries within her the result of a union of true love, which as you well know, is the purest and rarest form of magical energy, especially more so now that she is the savior. She carries twice the amount of power, even if she doesn't yet know or feel it. While Emma is with child, she is practically undefeatable."
It gave Hook a small sense of reassurance to know that Emma would be safe so long as she was pregnant. He gulped and then looked at Gold. "And just what part does your son play in this? What does he gain?"
"Not getting his heart crushed for one. Gideon is a mere pawn."
"No… Wait." Killian grinned humorlessly, raising one finger. "The Black Fairy is a fabled and feared witch that steals babes right off the arms of many an unloving parent. She could have sent ANY of these children to kill Emma. Why, of all the infants she has under her power, why YOUR boy?" Killian laughed. "No, no… there's something you're not telling me here, old crocodile…Why Gideon? Why your son?"
"Let's just say…" Gold hissed with an equally unamused smile. "…it's a family affair."
Killian's smile disappeared, his eyes widening. "Bloody hell… She's your mother. The Black Fairy is your mother!"
"Well, I'm glad your keen powers of deduction remain unaltered after two centuries dearie, but that's not going to help the situation any." Rumple huffed. "It is easier for him to defeat Emma in combat because he is not the wielder of the darkness, even if he is tremendously powerful in his own right: He has the blood of all dark ones, Pan and the Black Fairy. That is why she has raised him with one purpose only: To be her champion… To defeat and kill the savior, because, unlike her, he actually can, because he is innocent and un-evil… unless Emma defeats and kills him, which, I'm afraid, is also not an option because that is my son."
Hook ran his hand down his face and slammed it on the table. "Can this witch be defeated?"
Gold shrugged. "There is but one way: We need her wand. Nobody, not even her, knows where it is, it was taken from her when she was vanished from the land of fairies, split in two and each piece concealed, I can bet not even the good mother Blue knows where, but trust me Captain, she is looking, and if I know anything about her, is that should she be freed from her dimension, she will find it. For now, I suggest that you talk to Emma about her plans with your child. It could mean the difference between victory and doom. Emma must carry this child to full term, if she wants to avoid The Final Battle against the great evil."
Killian raised his head and frowned. "Wait, hold on…" He held up his hand. "How is it that you know about Emma's pregnancy? And what bloody plan?"
"She came to me for help. I still did not know what and who was involved with her visions, so I aided her. I can see from the look in your face this is a shock to you." Killian huffed and swallowed, aghast. Gold chuckled and stood up. "My my; Seems Miss Swan's still keeping a couple secrets from you, dearie. I suggest you talk to her… and talk her out of her intentions, for the sake of us all. Oh, and…" he raised his finger and pointed at Killian's face. "You might want to look in the yard, under a rock by the shed. You'll need the proof to confront her. Once you do, we may all talk again. You want to save your child as much as I want to save mine, Captain. So be sure to do what needs to be done, because if Miss Swan dies… both our children will be lost, as will we all. Best of luck."
Without any further words, up went his hand and Rumplestiltskin was gone, magicked away in a puff of velvet red smoke.
Killian's head spun. How could Emma still be doing this, after all this time? And why, why would she have told Gold, of all people, before him?
As much as he adored Emma, at that moment his blood boiled. He grabbed the salt shaker that sat on the table and smashed it against the wall. Immediately after, he stormed straight out into the yard, looking for any rocks that may have looked like a good hiding place. He hit the bullseye soon enough, and using hook and hand to move the small boulder, he finally faced the blatant truth: A small vial lay in the nook, glowing neon purple. A potion.
It didn't take too long for Killian to understand what purpose this brew would serve.
He grabbed it and went back indoors. He was fuming mad, but knew he also did not want to upset Emma too much in her state, so he placed the little bottle in his shirt pocket and proceeded to clean up the mess of salt he left in the wake of his fit of rage, trying to breathe deep and get his anger under control before confronting her. He understood why she would have thought this was a viable action, knowing so little of what was at stake; but why hide it from him like this? And it angered him even more to think that the bloody crocodile, of all people, knew of it before she had finally confided in him! She knew that there was nothing he wouldn't do, no place he wouldn't go to, to be there for her. It hurt on so many levels it was making it very hard to think straight.
Through a haze of tears of rage, he still made a cup of tea for her. When he paced upstairs to take it to Emma and finally confront her, he was shocked to see she was not in bed; his brief alarm turned to concern when he once more heard the retching sounds from the bathroom. Placing the mug of tea at her bedside, he rushed back to the lavatory and found her yet again hugging the porcelain, looking miserable, white and ill, as she vomited violently. She turned her face to him, coughing, her lips the same color of the toilet, her eyebrows in an inverted V. "Killian…" She mumbled pitifully before again turning to the bowl and vomiting some more.
All his anger faded in a single second and a surge of love, concern and compassion took over as he immediately went to her, once again holding her hair back. "I got you Swan… It's ok…"
There would be a time to confront her. For now, it was best to hold on to the little bottle and simply be there for her until she felt a bit better, and they could then calmly talk about what had transpired between her and the Crocodile behind his back.
He loved her far too much to upset her any further, even if his heart felt like it had been stung by a hundred bees. Besides, that could wait a while longer; most important task at hand was to discuss this newly acquired information with everyone else, form a plan and try to find the damn wand before the Black Fairy laid her hands on it… more importantly, before Gideon made his move against his Swan.
On this all depended.
Hidden up in the clock tower, watching the moves of his mother (his real mother) from a spyglass, Gideon felt the hollow, aching thump of a heartless pulse in his chest. He had always wondered how the whole thing about hearts worked; it seemed that the heart, the physical one, remained in the chest. Why then, could anyone pull out the more "magical" heart from anyone's chest? He concluded that, in all likeness, the chest cavity contained the human spirit within the main muscle that pumped blood. So long as it remained uncrushed and unscathed, the person could live. Crushing it would untether the spirit from the body, thus killing the poor soul. It made perfect sense…
… He could feel the desire to love, but felt no love.
… He could feel his resentment against his adoptive mother, a brute, a sadistic woman with no sense of remorse, but could not fight her.
… he could feel the need to be saved, but was unable to leap into freedom.
He could do nothing, as long as his heart remained cursed and under her possession.
"I will do this, 'mother', only because I have no other choice." Gideon grimaced, speaking both to himself as well as to the sword in his hand… and to the entity he knew was probably watching him. "But know this: This will not get you my father's love… or mine. No potion, no spell or curse can make that happen. And if I do manage to slay The Savior… then… then I will kill YOU."
Gideon sighed and took one last look at his real mother as she turned and walked away from his father, and grinned. "But till then… I will remain hopeful that Emma Swan will find a way to defeat us both. She's the hero." He reached under his cloak and ran his hand across the cover of the book his dear mother Belle had placed into his care.
Indeed, the evil fairy might be able to crush his heart and kill him in a second… but his soul was and always would be his, and with any luck, Emma would save them both, before he even had a chance to kill her… or he would have to do it, and then become the savior, avenge himself and free all the other innocent little souls still captive under her loathsome control.
"Here, I have something that can help you." Zelena, the former foe known as the wicked witch, turned up at Emma's when Killian summoned the meeting at their place. Emma had been ill all day and showed no signs of getting better. "It helped greatly when I was expecting Robin. God… you look greener than I did!" She flicked her hand and produced a couple of flasks. Regina observed silently, still mildly distrustful of her older sister, and approved with a gentle nod when she realized that the concoction she was about to brew, was safe.
Emma, pale and with dark circles under her eyes, looked up at her former adversary. "Yeah… Hopefully it won't be like the onion rings I gave you…"
The beautiful redhead sighed and looked at Emma. "Tempting… but no."
"For what it's worth Zelena…" Emma groaned. "…I am so, so sorry I did that."
"Water under the bridge." She sighed back as she poured a drop here and a squirt there, all into a mug that began to glow pink; she handed it to Emma and nodded. "We've got far more important matters at hand here, I would not want to endanger an innocent being, either, and from what the Captain's been telling us, seems that my little sister's evil twin is no longer our biggest concern."
"Especially when she now looks like a snake and is stuck in a cage." Snow shook her head. "Whoever did that to her must have had to be very powerful."
Regina looked at Killian. "Ok, so Gold said that we should expect his estranged, grown up son to be the one to attack Emma at the behest of The Black Fairy. What else did he tell you?"
"Well, he mentioned something about a wand. One that could be used to destroy her." Killian sat next to Emma, who struggled with the mere thought of even drinking what was in the cup. "But apparently no one knows where said wand might be; it was broken in two and hid in different places to conceal it from her should she ever escape her confinement."
"And it appears, now she has a chance to." Regina sighed and also sat before the table. "Somehow, I have a feeling she has something to do with my alter-ego's scaly transformation. Not that it bothers me too much, but now not only do we have to figure out another way to break your curse, Snow… we also have a pretty ponderous new enemy in town and honestly, I bristle at the thought of some whiny fairy wanting to take over."
Snow White sighed, fatigue visible in her face. She missed her husband, the curse that divided them was slowly wearing her will away, even if no one yet had noticed it. Still, hope remained alive and well in her heart as she looked up at Emma, who had finally taken a few sips from the mug and had immediately begun to regain her color. "Hook, did Gold say anything about why the fairy wants Emma gone?"
Killian swallowed. "Aye… It is apparently fated to be that light and dark should have a reckoning." Emma nearly choked as her lover continued. "He called it 'The Final Battle', whatever that means."
Snow and Regina immediately stiffened and exchanged a look. Emma looked at both in turn, and frowned. "What?"
Regina nodded. "The dark curse… all this time we thought Rumple created it to find his son. But it would appear mommy dearest was the one behind it all! She created the curse!" She looked at Snow. "The final battle wasn't about Emma coming here to break the curse at all! It was about these two meeting here and duking it out until one defeats the other." She clucked her tongue. "Twisted bug."
Emma's mind went to her child. Her instinct to protect this innocent, perfect little being was now on overdrive. She looked to Killian, who returned her gaze with a slight dourness that took her a bit out of her thoughts. "Hook?" She swallowed.
The handsome captain ran a hand down his face. "There's more. The reason she is puppeteering the son of the crocodile is because, for now, she herself cannot go near Emma." His eyes went from the table to hers. "As long as she is carrying a child, a child conceived out of love… she is not just untouchable to her, but the only person with enough power to defeat her. The boy, on the other hand, has magic but no real darkness, so he can touch Emma…" He closed his eyes, his finger anxiously tapping on the table top. "…and can kill her."
"Gideon is doing her dirty work." Zelena concluded.
"Suppose he fails." Snow looked at all in turns. "What then? If he fails to kill Emma, she's not going to be pregnant forever, then what?"
Regina took a deep breath. "Then that whole final battle thing might be even more epic than we thought."
Emma tapped her fingers, strength rapidly returning to her thanks to Zelena's helpful medicinal brew. Sickliness had slowly been getting replaced by anger. Suddenly, her fist slammed on the table. "NO!. No, that's it!" She stood, her cheeks once again flush and her gaze fiery. "I refuse to accept a fate that's out of my control. NO ONE DECIDES MY FATE BUT ME!" She turned to Zelena and Regina. "If right now I am as powerful as Gold says, I say we find this bitch and we take the fight to her right now."
"Alas, Swan…" Killian shook his head. "She is still in another realm. The one we should worry about for now is the Crocodile's son, Gideon."
Emma nodded. "Ok, all the better, I can take him down with one hand, let's go!"
"Emma!" Snow stood suddenly, shaking her head. "You can't just go out there with nothing but your looks and your magic! He is being manipulated by this… fairy! You can't possibly…"
"Mom, he's threatening me and he's threatening our baby, YOUR grandchild!" Emma huffed. "Everyone is sitting here talking about me while I'm, apparently too helpless or too pregnant or… whatever! It's not happening! I'm the goddamned savior, I should be able to save myself!"
"I actually agree with your mother, Emma." Regina calmly cut in. "We still don't know what this… Gideon is capable of. Especially when he is being controlled by an evil that big. Not to mention…" she stood up and walked around the table, standing face to face with The Savior. "…this is the son of Rumplestiltskin. I can tell you, hurting that kid would be opening a whole new can of worms we do NOT need opened."
"And what about poor Belle?! She had always been extremely helpful with us and a loyal friend, we can't repay her by going out there and disintegrating her only son!" Snow shook her head. "No… whatever Gideon is up to, we need to find a different way to defeat them."
"Oh, so it's ok for him to continue hunting me down till then?" Emma raised her hands and dropped them to her sides in exasperation. "What's your plan? Wait for him to find me and kill me before we do anything? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?"
She stormed out to her yard.
Zelena shook her head and clucked her tongue. "Temper temper…"
"Cut her some slack." Snow shook her head. "She's been struggling with these visions for weeks, AND she's pregnant."
"She does have a point as well, I'd be taking the fight to them myself, if it was me." Zelena smiled and shrugged.
Regina snapped her head to her sister. "Yes, yes I believe you would, but we don't do things like that! We're flying blind against a man who is innocent, despite his lineage. We know nothing about him, or this… fairy. We can't just go out there, guns blazing!" She sighed and looked down, shaking her head. "We need to find out more about this."
Zelena nodded silently.
"Well… I'll go with Emma tomorrow morning and personally pay Gold and Belle a visit. But know this…" Snow stood up, her beautiful pale face red and dour. "I'm with my daughter in whatever she decides. I don't care if this was the son of Zeuz himself, if he dares try hurt my daughter or my unborn grandchild, I'd be more than happy to take him out with my own two hands." She angrily put her jacket on. "Emma and I haven't seen much of each other lately and I'll be happy to help her, we really need some mother-daughter bonding." She looked up into Killian's eyes. "Call me immediately if anything happens. Whether it's me or David, we'll be here in a heartbeat. I have to go. I need to get my son from Granny and wake David."
Snow stomped her way out the front door.
Killian closed his eyes and sighed. He stood up and looked at the two sisters. "I'll have a word with her. Maybe Snow is right, it would be good to call in on Belle and Gold, see if they have any idea what to do to stop their wayward boy. Till then…" He ran his hand down his face. "I think it best if we all take the rest of the evening off. Emma needs her rest."
Out in the yard, Emma stood, hands on her hips, staring at the sunset reddened skies as they colored the waves over the coast. She had regretted shouting pretty much the moment she left the room, but was still feeling the embers of rage, and Killian had told her more than once how calming the view of the sea could be.
If only I could have a nice, long swig of rum from Killian's flask right now…
"That was quite the display, Swan."
Emma turned sharply and huffed, running the tip of her boot on the grass. "Yeah… sorry about that."
"Don't be. I understand your frustration." He reached for her and she fell into his embrace. "You're dealing with way too much. But they're right, Emma. We cannot possibly just run out there and face them when we actually have little to no idea what exactly we'd be facing."
"I know, I know… it's just…" Emma sneered. "I hate this, like I'm heading down the train tracks at full speed when there's a train coming from the opposite side and I'm not even driving this train!" She shook her head and paced around. "All my life I've had to make my own choices about everything I do and now, it seems I have this inevitable fate that is just careening down on me, and everyone knows something that I don't!"
"Aye, welcome to the club love." Killian nodded, his eyes staring square into hers. "It's not a nice feeling, is it?"
Emma stared back at him, stopping cold. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Hook sighed and paced to her. "Emma… I know." He saw her as she once again blanched. "Aye… I do. I know about the potion you've been meaning to take. I know you've considered doing to yourself what you did to Zelena and what the evil Queen did to Belle; You cannot do this."
Emma turned sharply to the corner where she had concealed her little flask and saw the stone had been moved and the soil stirred. "Killian…" She sighed, softening her face, defeated and her shoulders slumping. "… Killian what if that is the ONLY way we can save our kid?" She turned to him. "I was trying to…"
"I know what you were trying to do Emma. It's still not right." He swallowed and it broke Emma to see the hurt in his eyes. "I love you with my soul, I swear it, but the thought that the Crocodile knew I was to be a father before I did hurts more than a rapier through my heart." He shook his head. "It's not fair. You should have come to me first, Swan."
"You would have never agreed!" Emma snapped back, anger climbing up her cheeks. "I told you this and you promised me… You said you'd make the choice of our child's life over mine at any time if it came to that!"
"Aye, I swore I'd honor your request and remain with you, Swan, no matter what… but you already assumed the entire burden without me!" He raised his voice, and paced angrily to her. "How am I supposed to help or support you if you do not trust me enough to share it?" He ran his hand through his hair. "Heaven help me, woman, you are the light and love of my life, but I cannot keep on being the damsel in distress or less than your equal. You have this skewed belief that you have to deal with everything yourself, thinking you'll protect me and everyone else from danger… but this is MY CHILD! And I am just as entitled to protect it and you from harm as you are!" He turned to her again, softening. "You're strong and powerful and I could not love you more for it, but we're in this together. If you had taken that brew, you'd be vulnerable" He walked around, hand and hook on his hips. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I am profoundly thankful to bloody Rumplestiltskin for being more forthcoming than you. Why Swan, did I have to learn this from him?"
Emma remained quiet. She knew he was right. His eyes had lost their anger, and all she could see in them now was hurt. She walked to him. "You… you're right." She shook her head, trying to catch his stare, dour and sad. "I'm sorry Killian, I… I should have told you first. And we should have decided together what to do." He raised his eyes to her as she spoke. "It's just that… this just feels like… like it's my fate, and I have to deal with it alone, and bringing anyone else in will end up with them getting hurt." Tears welled in her eyes. "We have a baby to think about and I didn't know about this… fairy thing, or that being pregnant was my saving grace… but I just… I just wanted to save our baby, regardless of MY fate." She began to sob. "It's just so much, Killian, it's too much!" His heart immediately softened and he welcomed into his arms. "I'm so sorry…" she cried into his shirt.
"He clenched his face and took a deep breath, trying to regain his calm as he ran his hand up and down her back. "It's ok, love. Look…" He pulled away from her and met her gaze. "All sins are forgiven when you love someone, remember?" He grinned. "I love you, Emma Swan. But please… Stop pushing me away. If our little adventure in the underworld taught us anything, it's this: We're strong, and we are meant to be together to the very end." He licked his lips. "I am in possession of the flask. I will return it to you, because I understand how it may be the one thing that can save our child… and I will trust you. I'm not one to keep it from you. But you promise me now, as I did before: You WILL NOT take that unless I am by your side."
Emma licked her lips and nodded. "Yes… I promise."
Killian grinned. "Very well then. No more walls… no more secrets."
She smiled back, eyes and nose red, and looking like the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. "No walls, no secrets."
They kissed softly and headed back indoors.
The clock tower rang nine.
Snow wrote a note, and placed it in David's hand, before kissing him to fall asleep beside him, and he rose to his duties.
Regina and Zelena conferred.
Henry sat at home finishing his homework… and maybe trying to understand why he was still writing cryptic notes he had no recollection of.
Belle read whatever she could on the Black Fairy and her lore while Gold brooded, wondering where his beautiful son could be, unaware that he was mere feet away.
Gideon read from his book.
And a beautiful, black feather clad woman smiled, her moon glowing like a pale full moon, watching from the somber silence of her world, biding her time, which had almost come.