Emma's hands still clutched fistfuls of David's shirt. She blamed her exhaustion for how vulnerable she was letting herself be. Even though she was learning that it was okay, it was safe, to fall apart in front of her family… it still wasn't something she was used to. She couldn't remember breaking like this ever before. More so even than the night Killian—

Emma froze the thought, not going there.

Incapable of going there.

"Emma, hon," whispered David into her hair. "When was the last time you slept?"

"I don't know," she mumbled. Emma let her father pull her to her feet, and he sat her down gently in the armchair next to the couch, still close enough that Killian was within arm's reach. With a little smile, Emma saw that her mother must have gotten up to get a blanket while she was in David's arms, for a blanket was laid over Killian. Emma reached over, gently cupping the healed side of Killian's face.

He didn't react to her touch.

She could still feel him tremble, but she had an awful feeling that it didn't have to do with feeling cold. She could hear his shallow breathing, like he couldn't draw in a full breath. Fear picked up her heart, and Emma suddenly remembered his ribs.

"He—Killian has broken ribs," she said quickly, moving to get off the chair, even when her entire body felt like it weighed a million pounds. "We should—"

But David seemed to know exactly what she intended, and he smiled a little. "I've got him," he said gently.

Carefully, David lifted Killian, turning him onto his back. Snow set the pillows for him to lean against and fixed the blanket around him, her brows kneading when Killian still shook like a leaf.

Emma felt something warm touch her heart, seeing her parents treating Killian so carefully. And it struck her that Killian, too, grew up without parents. Grew up with no one except an older brother-and thank goodness he had Liam-to care for him, ever since he was a little boy, only for Liam to take his own leave when Killian was still just a teenager. And unlike Emma herself, Killian didn't gain parents later in his life, nor had the knowledge that his parents left him for good reason. From what Emma had been able to coax from him, Killian's mother died when he was too young to know her, and his father did so on purpose.

But Emma smiled, seeing Snow's fingers hesitate over Killian's forehead as if checking his temperature, something soft in her eyes.

No, Killian didn't have parents.

But he did find new ones, whether he realized it yet or not.

It only added to the ever-growing list of motivation to bring Killian home.

He deserved to finally find happiness.

To have a family.

Emma felt tears sting her eyes, reaching out a hand to run softly through Killian's hair.

She would bring him home if it was the last thing she did.

Killian didn't wake despite being moved, nor under Emma's touch. Other than a hitch in his breath, his eyes remained closed. Emma smiled a little, grateful he was getting the rest he so desperately needed. So desperately deserved. And the longer he remained unconscious, the longer he was without conscious pain, which gave Emma the smallest reprieve of her own. Her eyes flicked to the window, showing the red-hued sky. The daylight was beginning to dim. David had said Regina would return by dark.

Emma looked at Killian, breathing out.

Soon.

You'll be free of the pain. Soon.

A blanket was suddenly draped around Emma's shoulders, and she gave a little smile to her father. She was trembling a little, but her own shakes weren't from cold, either. She felt like she needed to sleep for a week, and she was just on this side of collapsing. Snow walked back from the kitchen with a full glass of water. She handed it to Emma, and pulled up a chair to sit beside her.

Emma took it, suddenly remembering how thirsty she was. The glass shook in her grip. She could barely keep the water from spilling, and her mother reached out to steady her grip. Emma slowly took a sip, and before she knew it, she downed the whole glass.

Snow smiled, and David chuckled a little from his perch on the edge of the coffee table. Snow retrieved the glass from Emma's hands and filled it back up in the kitchen, giving Emma a second glass. It was gone as fast as the first. Emma blinked, feeling better already. "Thanks," she whispered.

Emma was brought four more glasses of water that she downed in seconds, and Snow gave her the little food she could find in the fridge. Emma could now tell how much of her weakness was related to her thirst and hunger.

"Now," said her mother, sitting back down next to her. "Are you all right? Are you hurt at all?"

Emma shook her head. Not physically. Other than the deep bruises bound to be in her shoulders from Killian's grip and her own soreness from walking, she was physically fine. Emma rubbed her eyes.

"You should get some sleep," said David gently, but Emma shook her head, eyes glued to Killian. "I can't," she whispered. "Not right now."

Not until he's okay.

Her parents exchanged a concerned glance. To distract them, Emma asked, "How long has it been? Since I left?"

Her parents exchanged another glance, and in it Emma could tell it was long enough to terrify the life out of them.

"Three days," said Snow. A chill shot down Emma's spine. "Three Underworld days, anyway," she added quietly. "Regina waited outside your house when you and Gold went down. She said that a few hours later, Gold came out alone. The moment he saw her see him, he vanished and we haven't been able to find him since." Tears in her eyes, she said, "Emma, we thought you…" Snow squeezed her shoulder, and Emma heard what she didn't say loud and clear.

She didn't exactly want to tell her how close she'd come.

How close they'd both come.

Emma swallowed. "When I… when I found Killian," she said slowly, "He…" Her throat closed up. She swallowed. "He was chained up over the River of Lost Souls." she said, voice barely a whisper. Emma shifted uncomfortably, seeing the same haunted feeling she felt in both her parents' eyes. "I got him down but somehow Hades knew we were there. He stopped us from leaving, and then he…" Her voice hitched, hearing Killian's horrible scream echo in her head again. She felt her mother's hand squeeze her shoulder.

And Emma was diving into what happened, how Hades tried to throw both of them into the River, then trapped them in the caves, and their lucky-as-all-hell escape. By the time she was done, her voice felt scratchy and the light outside dimmed significantly.

David rubbed her knee from where he still sat at the edge of the coffee table. "You're incredible, Emma."

Snow smiled, tears glistening. "Thank god you're both okay."

Emma tried to smile, but it was too broken to be called one.

Looking at Killian, from the blood and the bruises and the way he winced even in sleep.

Hades didn't just break him physically, either.

They were the furthest thing from okay.

"This does pose a little bit of a problem, though," said David. When Emma and Snow looked at him, he said, "That boat that Hades took back… it was our way home."

Emma bit her lip.

A slight silence spread before Snow straightened. "Well, then we'll just have to get another one."

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Snow shot to her feet and David stood.

"Charmings," called a familiar voice through the door. "It's us; let us in."

Regina.

And with a smile, Emma realized, Henry.

Relief sunk into Emma's bones, new adrenaline making her jump off the chair and dart for the door. She unlocked it and tore it open.

Regina, Robin and Henry were in the doorway, Regina's hand still up mid-knock.

All three froze in shock at the sight of her, obviously being the last person they expected to be at the door.

"Mom!"

Henry crashed into her. Emma felt tears sting her eyes. She stumbled, and David quickly reached out to steady her. "Hey, kid," she whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek.

"Emma," said Regina, brows raised in shock and impress.

"You're—" Henry pulled back, tears in his eyes. "You're back!" He hugged her again tightly. "You're okay!"

"Yeah, we're back," said Emma with a watery smile.

"'We're?'" echoed Henry. Emma turned toward Killian, still unconscious on the couch. "You found him!" said Henry with a grin that faded when he saw Killian. He took a tentative step toward him, face falling even more. "Is he… gonna be okay?"

"He is now," whispered Emma.

Regina took a few steps toward the couch as well, brows kneading. "Hades did a real number on him," she muttered sympathetically.

Robin closed the door behind them. "Glad you're both… safe," he said to Emma, wincing when he, too, took in Killian. He cleared his throat. "We were… we were getting pretty worried out there."

After three days of searching, so would I, thought Emma with discomfort.

Emma smiled sadly. "You weren't the only ones." Looking back to Regina, Emma said, "It's a long story, but I don't have much energy left to heal Killian. Can you…?"

"Of course," she said instantly. And it still sometimes shocked Emma how different the woman was from the one she met. Emma would never stop being grateful that Regina was on their side.

"And," said Emma, "there's something you should know. The boat that was supposed to take us home…" Emma grimaced. "Hades took it back. We don't have a way home anymore."

"Yet," added Snow with her ever-present hope.

"That's..." began Regina slowly, "not actually our biggest concern at the moment." Regina set her lips, and Robin and Henry suddenly looked grave.

Emma felt a chill slip down her spine.

"What is it?" asked Snow hesitantly.

Regina sighed. "We found something in the cemetery when we were looking for Gold."

"Found what?" asked David, voice gaining a tortured edge because why couldn't this family ever catch a break?

"Gravestones," she said, like she was reluctant to say it. "Ones that weren't there when we passed through this morning."

"And…?" prompted Emma.

"Our gravestones," finished Regina heavily.

Emma blinked. "What?"

"More specifically," said Regina with a heavy sigh, "Yours, mine, and Snow's."

"What does that mean?" breathed Snow.

Emma shut her eyes, not having to stretch her imagination too far to make a guess.

"It means we can't leave," whispered Emma.

Hades must have learned of their escape, and retaliated.

And now, not only was Emma paying for it, so were Regina and her mother.

First, Hades nearly destroyed Killian, and now this?

Emma felt hot anger well in her chest.

David spoke first. "We'll find a way," he said firmly, channeling some of Snow's unwavering faith. "He's not stopping us that easily."

Emma opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly felt lightheaded again. Perhaps she wasn't as recharged as she thought. She stumbled a little with the head rush, and both Robin and David reached out to steady her, slowly helping her back into the armchair.

"Mom?" asked Henry worriedly.

"Emma," said Snow worriedly. "You need to sleep. We'll figure this out. We always do."

Emma sighed, nodding tiredly. "I will. Once Killian's healed," she whispered, looking to Regina.

Regina walked closer to the couch, regarding Killian with a calculated look. She winced the more she saw. "I'll... need some more room to work," she said softly. Looking at Emma, she then waved her hand, and in an instant, a cloud of purple smoke enveloped the three of them, and Killian was suddenly lying on Emma's old bed at the top of the stairs, and Emma appeared seated at the foot of the bed.

Emma swayed from the abruptness, grabbing the blanket to stay upright. "A little warning next time?" she muttered halfheartedly.

Regina spared her half a grin, but it fell as she stood over Killian. She looked over him, as if looking for a place to start. "Damn," she breathed, eyes roaming the horrible bruising that covered almost every inch of him. Regina took a breath, her fingers ghosting the right side of Killian's face. She shut her eyes, and started to heal him.

Emma watched as Regina concentrated her magic, emanating a purple glow over the black bruises on his cheekbone that went all the way down to his jaw. They slowly faded from black to purple to a light shade of blue, to Killian. Emma smiled, seeing his face slowly look more and more like him. The gash at his hairline slowly stitched back together, as well as the one underneath his right eye, and a laceration at the back of his head that had left a trail of dried blood behind his ear. Regina's hands hesitated at his throat, at the bruises that showed clear strangulation. Swallowing, she pressed on, healing them as well. Emma couldn't help flashing back to the moment Hades had grabbed him, the moment she thought would be the last time she'd ever see him. Killian's scream echoed hauntingly through her mind, making her eyes sting.

The stairs creaked. Emma's eyes on Killian, she felt more than saw her mother join them. Snow put a hand on Emma's shoulder, smiling a relieved smile at Regina's progress.

Regina moved to Killian's torso, a wince in her face when she saw the horrible mess of his shoulder. His shirt was still covering most of it, but from what they could see, it already looked raw and awful. Regina took a breath, and slowly pressed one palm to his chest and the other to his shoulder.

Emma watched Regina's brow lift sharply at the same moment Killian groaned, his eyes snapping open.

Regina tore her hands away.

"Killian?!" breathed Emma.

He breathed hard, breath coming in short, pained gasps. His eyes cracked open, settling unsteadily on Emma. Through panting breaths, he whispered, "Em—" He winced again. "Emma?" he rasped, seeing her, but not quite with them. His eyes were bright with pain and disorientation. He cringed sharply, hand scrabbling for his shoulder.

"There's…" Regina blinked, staring at Killian's shoulder with a stricken look. "There's nothing even left intact," she whispered, looking at Emma. "His shoulder and collarbone, it's… it's like something… crushed him," she said hollowly.

Emma felt a horrible chill slip down her spine, having thought the same thing when she'd healed his leg.

Regina reached for his shoulder again, her brows creasing when he flinched from her touch, and she hesitated like she didn't know how to proceed. Killian's eyes screwed shut, disjointed sounds slipping through his teeth.

"It's okay, it's okay, hold on," Emma whispered to him breathlessly. Emma shut her eyes, the sound of his agony tearing horribly at her heart, and she touched Killian's cheek and let the little magic she'd regained flow from her fingertips to Killian. She watched him fall still, his eyes fluttering closed, her magic putting him gently back to sleep. Emma breathed out, heart pounding, tears burning.

Regina shook herself. She nodded to Emma. "Good idea," she murmured. Again, Regina tentatively touched his shoulder. She slowly pulled his shirt from his chest, and all three of them winced at the open wounds, and the sheer amount of blood that had streamed from them down his side.

Emma felt her breath catch. She'd seen some of it in the caves, but the firelight had been kinder to the wounds, not showing the extent of how horrific they actually were.

What looked like four stab wounds had torn through his shoulder and chest. They weren't clean and they were surrounded by horrible black bruising. It looked like this injury alone would have been enough to kill him. Emma's chest hurt.

Snow let out a little gasp. "Are those…" She paled, looking closer at his shoulder, color draining even more from her face as she whispered, "Are those… claw marks?"

Emma froze.

But sure enough, looking closer, Emma could see it. The outline of it.

Claws.

Like a huge animal with a heavy paw and razor claws had—

Emma felt cold trail through her.

No.

No.

Emma felt her mind snap back to the day in the cemetery when she'd managed to contact Killian, even only partly. When his bloody and broken image had shown itself to them, her worst fears realized.

That image had been burned into her brain, and she was afraid she'd never be able to unsee it for as long as she lived.

But now, she realized something that she hadn't realized before.

He didn't have this wound then.

This happened after she contacted him.

Emma couldn't breathe.

"And Hook?"

Meg shuddered from where Emma had sat her down on the couch. "I… I don't… know," she whispered, eyes haunted.

"Where is he?" breathed Emma.

"He's in an underground prison. But… it's being guarded by something… terrible."

"Cerberus," whispered Snow, voice tortured.

Emma screwed her eyes shut, putting it all together into the horrifying picture it made.

How Killian had helped Meg escape.

How he managed to get Emma the message to find him.

And how terribly he paid for it.

Emma's eyes burned. "Killian," she whispered brokenly.

Regina swallowed, taking a breath. She pressed her palms back to his chest, to the first of the wounds. The deep wounds stitched back together, slowly erasing the evidence of what he went through.

But it didn't erase Emma having seen it.

And it didn't erase Killian having suffered it.

Cerberus.

He'd been attacked—mauled—by Cerberus, already as injured as he was—

Emma felt her mother's hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly.

Emma's hand never left Killian's face, her shaking fingers brushing over his hair as Regina worked. Regina managed to heal the rest of the open wounds in his shoulder, all of the broken bones in his chest, his ribs and the lash wounds Emma couldn't heal in his back. His wrists were raw and bloodstained from what looked like manacles, and Emma still didn't know what the ugly wound in his palm could have been from. Regina had even managed to find fractures in his left arm. Regina healed him until there was no outward evidence that he'd ever been hurt in the first place.

And through all of it, seeing all the injuries she'd seen before and all the ones she was just seeing now, Emma could only think over and over he'd walked with these for days.

For days.

Something burned behind her eyes.

By the time Regina was done, she looked exhausted. But Emma couldn't help a broken little smile, seeing Killian rather than blood and horribleness. Regina had even managed to erase the bloodstains from his skin and stitch back together his shirt. Finally, Killian looked like himself.

And the next time he woke, it would be without pain. That thought alone made a relieved tear slip down Emma's cheek.

"My magic has limits here," said Regina tiredly, stepping back. "He might still be sore for a while."

Emma just smiled. "Thank you. Thank you, Regina." she whispered.

Regina hesitated a little, then smiled back. Like maybe she was still unused to people being grateful to her, and maybe she was still happy it was who she was now. "I'm happy I could help. And that you're both all right." Regina smiled that trademark little, quiet grin of hers and then turned to go back downstairs, where the rest of them were having a quiet conversation, presumably about how the hell they were going to get home.

Emma looked back at Killian, seeing him finally sleeping peacefully, glad that her magic was able to give him a dreamless sleep.

"He's okay now," came her mother's quiet voice over her shoulder. "We'll bring him home, Emma. I promise."

Emma smiled, brushing her thumb over his cheek, watching him sleep. She blinked with effort, feeling her own relief come over her in a wave of heavy tiredness.

"Now," said Snow softly, "get some sleep, Emma."

Emma smiled a little, and finally acquiesced. She laid down on the pillow beside Killian, her head opting instead for his shoulder, grateful she could finally touch him without hurting him. Emma shut her eyes, feeling him breathe without any sort of hitch in his breath. She smiled.

"We'll be right here," said Snow's voice from far away. Emma distantly felt her mother kiss her softly on the forehead, already slipping away, and a blanket was pulled over both her and Killian. "Sleep, sweetheart," whispered Snow.

Emma snuggled into Killian, falling asleep to the rhythm of his easy breathing, feeling like Killian wasn't the only one who had been healed.

a/n: finally, killian gets the healing he deserved ;) again, I'm taking a couple liberties with Once's magic rules, because I prefer the idea that a magic user would have to at least understand what the injuries are and heal them more one by one than a magical wave of their hand over an entire body. (Also confusing because when Snow got that concussion in season 4, Emma said it takes time for injuries to heal on the inside). But anyway. I'm just here to milk the h/c lol.

We still have a little bit left of the story, at least two chapters that I'm already working on. I haven't decided yet where I'll be ending the story, since the next event that would happen would be Liam showing up. Except, with some of the conversations Emma and Killian had in this story, I don't think the Liam part would follow canon, where Killian would suggest that he didn't deserve saving. Plus, I feel like we as viewers were robbed of a really emotional reunion between Liam and Killian, since Killian blamed himself for Liam's death, and we didn't even get to see Liam's reaction to finding out that Killian became a pirate! That reunion between the Jones brothers could make its own full story. So... I've been toying with the idea of including Liam in here or making a sort of sequel story to see how the Liam addition would be changed after how things progressed in this story and give the boys more of an emotional reunion. Let me know what you guys would like to see ;)

thanks for reading and the next chapter will be up soon! This one was very stubborn so it took a bit longer, but the next chapter is actually written already, and just needs a good editing job. So, expect it sometime this week :)

(And I still think it's funny that I thought this story would cap out at around 20K words hahaha)

~cosette141