Vanquishing the Curse

CS genre: Canon divergence (3x20)

They say there are moments of truth that come to every person's life, bright flashes of light that illumine reality so brilliantly it's impossible for even the most willfully self-deceived to lie to herself anymore.

For Emma, that moment of truth came on a lovely (if chilly) early spring day at a farmhouse on the outskirts of Storybrooke.

For weeks, she'd lied to herself, tried to tell herself that all she wanted—all she'd ever wanted—was to go back to New York with Henry where it was safe, where the freaking Wicked Witch of the West didn't go around trying to change the past and erase people from history. Where there was no Dark One as said Wicked Witch's puppet. Where evil flying monkeys didn't try to kill people.

Okay, maybe that last one wasn't the best example, given the whole Walsh fiasco, but the general principle applied. She wanted to be safe and secure and happy—the way she was in her swanky New York apartment with Henry.

Granted, there'd been an element of loneliness to her life there, despite having her son and an attentive boyfriend. There was always something…someone…several someones, really…missing. And, yeah, maybe she had the feeling that she'd found those missing pieces the moment she drank the memory potion and saw Hook standing there, registered what he was saying about going back to help her family.

But that didn't matter. Hook was hot and totally into her and all of that, but she'd gotten over plenty of hot guys who'd shown interest before; she could do it again. This was about self-preservation, preservation of her son.

Or so she told herself.

She and the stupid pirate were in the middle of yet another tired rehashing of the same argument—him urging her to stay in Storybrooke for herself, for her family, for him; her insisting she didn't need her family or magic or him or any of it—when Zelena, herself showed up with her henchman.

"See Emma, you've got a decision to make," Zelena said. "You can keep your magic, which makes you oh so sad, or you can save the man you can't wait to run away from."

Emma realized what was about to happen a split second too late. There was no time to react, no time to counter Zelena's magic, no time to do anything but give in to the blind, clawing panic, as the Wicked Witch gave Rumple a command, and then Killian was flying through the air toward a pool of water.

She watched in horror as Hook's head was submerged, his arms and legs flailing, trying desperately to get out, to get to the air his lungs were clearly screaming for.

"Hook!" she screamed, reaching him, pulling at him, but he might have been a two-ton stone statue for all the good her tugging did.

"Choose wisely," Zelena said. "Try all you like; you can't free him."

And with that, the witch and her minion disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

The moment Killian stopped thrashing around, stopped fighting was one of the most terrifying of Emma's life—second only to the moment Henry had coded at the Storybrooke hospital after eating Regina's poisoned apple turnover.

It was then, in that moment, that Emma knew she couldn't lie to herself anymore. Killian was not just some random hot guy. He wasn't just someone she could leave behind. He wasn't someone she could move on from.

He was the man she loved.

And he was currently drowning to death.

Emma tugged once more, and this time, thank God, his inert body didn't resist her. It took her only a moment to get him onto his back on the ground, to swipe his dripping bangs off of his face.

But he didn't move, didn't breathe.

"Hook! Hook! HOOK!" she begged, taking hold of his collar and shaking him. "Wake up! Killian! Killian come back to me!"

But it was useless. He didn't wake, didn't return to her; for the first time in all their acquaintance it looked like he was truly leaving her. Emma felt the fear rise up and nearly choke her.

How had she been so blind, so stupid? Why the hell had she pushed him away all these months? Why didn't she pay attention to that bubbling up of hope she'd felt as soon as she'd recognized him in New York? Why didn't she realize it meant something that he was the one she ran to and confided all her deepest concerns to throughout this whole Wicked Witch ordeal? Why didn't she realize that he was the one person in all the world—in any world—who always and only put her first? Who was more concerned about her welfare than his own survival?

Why hadn't she realized how much she'd come to care for him, to depend on him, to love him.

It couldn't end this way! It just couldn't! She wasn't letting yet another person she loved be ripped from her, no matter what.

It hit her suddenly as she was looking down on his still but beloved face. How many times had she heard it said—or read it in Henry's storybook—that True Love was the strongest force on earth; it could transcend any curse, even death itself?

But if she kissed him, she'd be playing right into Zelena's plan. She'd run right smack dab into Killian's curse, and she could say goodbye to her magic—the one thing in the entire realm that had the slightest chance of defeating the wicked bitch.

Emma continued sitting there for another moment, caressing Hook's face as it got paler and paler, as his lips began to turn blue. She knew what she had to do. They'd find another way to do Greeny in. They were heroes; it's what they did. But if she lost the man she loved she would never recover.

"Son of a bitch," she muttered to herself as she began to lean toward him. Just before her lips touched his, she murmured "I love you, Killian Jones."

And then she took the plunge.

She felt the battle as soon as her lips touched his—his curse pulling at her magic, her magic—and her love—fighting back.

Suddenly a pulse, like electricity emanated from their joined lips and proceeded to fan out in every direction. Emma rocked back on her heels, hoping praying, begging anyone who would listen that her Killian, her true love, her soulmate would be restored to her.

For another moment he remained still and silent.

And then suddenly he began coughing and sputtering, water spewing from his mouth as his lungs cleared. "Swan?" he choked out.

"Yeah, it's me," she said, brushing at the hair in his face, caressing his cheek, leaning down to press her forehead against his.

At first he smiled back up at her, raising his ringed hand as though to caress her face as she was caressing his, and then abruptly he pulled back, horror replacing the joy on his face. "Swan! What did you do? What did you do?!"

Her brows furrowed. "I saved your ass, that's what I did!"

"But at what expense?" he said, his voice cracking slightly. "Love, tell me you didn't kiss me! Tell me you didn't sacrifice your magic! I'm not worth it; I'm not nearly worth losing your chance to defeat the witch!"

Emma rolled her eyes, caressing him still. "Yes to the first, no to the other two. I did kiss you, but my magic…"

She waved her hand over him and his hair and clothes were suddenly as dry as if he'd never come close to the water.

"As you can see," she continued, smiling broadly, "my magic is as strong as ever. And let's get one thing straight right now—you are worth it. You're no less essential to this mission than I am—and…and you're essential to me, too you stupid, self-loathing pirate!"

It took him a minute to process everything; Emma could nearly see the wheels turning in his head, but suddenly he began patting his hair, his dry shirt and waistcoat. "Your….your magic is still intact, my love? But how?"

Emma leaned forward and lightly kissed him. "Isn't it obvious? True Love's Kiss can break any spell. The wicked bitch's stupid kiss curse didn't stand a chance."

"Emma…love," he said, eyes wide, "are you telling me you love me?"

Emma reached up and cupped his cheek once more. "More than anything," she breathed.

He put his hand to the back of her head and drew her to him. This kiss was stronger, more passionate, more desperate than any they'd yet shared, but as it went on and on, it suddenly slowed, became tender and more achingly loving than Emma could have imagined. By the time they pulled apart, the tears were streaming down her face.

"Killian," she said in a shaky voice. "I have no idea how I ever thought I could leave Storybrooke…my family…my home. But I know one thing for sure; no matter how much I might have tried to tell myself that I'd be just fine without you, I wouldn't have lasted a day back in New York before the pain of missing you would have driven me right back here, into your arms."

He nuzzled her nose, rested his forehead against hers, than began nibbling a path across her jaw and down the column of her neck. If there was such a thing as heaven, surely it would consist of nothing but an eternity of this. "Swan," he murmured into her skin, "you've no idea how very, very much I wished to hear you say that. I love you more than life itself.'

With a gentle hand, Emma brought his lips back to hers. She'd never been particularly eloquent, but she poured every ounce of emotion into this kiss, letting her lips tell him what her words could not.

They were both breathing heavily by the time the kiss came to an end. Killian suddenly groaned and got to his feet, offering Emma his hand to help her do the same.

"Well, my love," Killian said lightly, "now that the curse is vanquished, what say we go and do the same to Zelena?"

Emma smiled, taking his hand and lacing her fingers with his. "Lead on. As long as we're together, fighting side by side, there isn't a big, bad villain alive who stands a chance against us!"

Notes:

-I got a number of "canon divergence" suggestions from many of you, and I've put them on my list of future Fluffy Fridays chapters, but when I looked over my current list, this deleted scene from 3x20 really jumped out at me.

-Up next: I think it's time for a fluffy future fic.