Sorry I didn't update last week! I had a lot on my plate and didn't have time to edit a chapter. This chapter was edited a while ago, but I haven't reread it in bit, so if there are any typos, I apologize! I just wanted to get it posted!

I posted a new story yesterday that I wrote this past weekend on a writing high. It's called Fate Is Cruel. I'd appreciate it if you checked it out!

This chapter is based in 4x02, "White Out." I hope you enjoy it!

Worry

He held her close as he stepped carefully out of the ice wall. When his feet hit even ground, he had to stop himself from sprinting to the car that he knew was warm. Her fingers were frigid against his neck. She was breathing slowly, too slowly.

"Emma, love, stay with me," he whispered, fighting to keep the quiver out of his voice.

She nodded weakly.

David rushed past him and opened the back door to the patrol car. Killian bent down and set Emma on the seat before shutting the door and running to the other side of the car. He quickly climbed in and pulled Emma against him. She pushed her arms between them to warm up. He slid his arm around her.

David turned the heat up all the way, turning all the air vents toward Emma, who had started shaking violently.

Emma moved her arms under Killian's jacket and wrapped them around his waist, sliding closer.

"Hurry," Killian said to David, eyes locked on Emma. He ran his hand up and down Emma's back, hoping it would warm her.

"I know." David slammed on the gas pedal, spinning the car around and speeding down the road. He put on the lights and siren and headed toward the loft. "Hook, call Henry and have him pull some blankets out of the closet."

"Emma, where's your talking phone?" Killian questioned.

She sucked in a shaky breath. "Dash…board."

David reached onto the dashboard and grabbed her phone, tossing it to Killian who fumbled to catch it with his one hand. He opened her phone, finding the contact app that she had shown him countless times before. Henry's name was at the top of the list. He slammed his thumb on it and put it on speaker, not wanting to pull his arm away from Emma.

"Mom?"

"Henry, lad, it's Killian. We're on our way to the loft. We need you to locate as many blankets as you can."

"Why? What happened? Where's Mom?"

"I'm fine, Henry," Emma croaked.

"Mom, what happened?"

"We'll explain everything when we get there," Killian said. "Get the blankets."

"Okay."

"Thank you." He hung up, placing the phone on the seat next to Emma before wrapping his arm back around her. "Are you warming up?"

She nodded. "Y-yeah."

David glanced at the rear view mirror, his panic growing at the sight of Emma's pale form. "We're almost there, Emma."

She didn't respond. Her eyes slipped closed as she tried to move closer to Killian. She kept replaying the moment he had come into view after Elsa put the hole through the wall. Relief had washed over her before she remembered how cold she was. The instant she was out, Killian had pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. She had been so happy to be back with him. She'd been so afraid that she would die without telling him how much he meant to her, how much she needed him already.

The car came to a jerky stop. David yanked the keys out of the ignition and pushed his door open. He helped Emma out of the car, supporting her until Killian ran around the car and swept her into his arms. Elsa followed closely as they rushed into the building.

The moment they were in the apartment, Henry appeared, a pile of blankets in his arms. His eyes widened. "Mom? What happened?"

Killian pushed past him and set Emma down on a chair in the living room. David grabbed the blankets from Henry and started wrapping them around Emma.

Killian sat at Emma's side, gripping her hand until the power came back on. He grabbed a heater and pointed it toward Emma.

"Oh, that's good," she said, smiling slightly.

He returned to her side and wrapped his arm around her after she exchanged a hug with her lad. With her safe in his arms again, he finally let himself breathe. He'd been terrified he would lose her. She had been so close to death, so close to leaving him. Her frigid skin against his warm fingers reinforced that idea in his head. He had just gotten her back, just gotten her to finally open up. If she had left this world tonight, he didn't know what he would have done.

She leaned against him, welcoming the close contact. Her head rested against his shoulder. His arm around her brought her comfort and warmth. Emma knew how close she had been to leaving him tonight. She knew he knew it too. When he had picked her up at the ice wall, her first instinct had been to argue, but she couldn't. Not just because of her lack of strength, but because she knew how much he needed to help. He needed to make sure for himself that she was okay. If she was honest with herself, she had needed that to make her realize she truly was okay. She was in his arms. She was safe.

As the night wore on, Emma refused to let Killian leave her side, not that he had a desire to. She kept close to him, sighing in contentment. Her shaking began to cease, bringing Killian some peace of mind. Henry glued himself to Emma's side, sitting at her feet and adjusting her blankets as needed after he made her hot chocolate. She would smile weakly at him before slipping her eyes closed again.

"Don't sleep, love," Killian whispered once, running his hand up and down her arm.

"I'm not," she mumbled, pushing herself closer to him.

He debated for a moment whether or not to kiss her head. He didn't want to frighten her. He didn't want to overstep.

"You okay?" Her voice shook.

"Shh, love." He pressed a kiss to her head. "I'm all right now that you are."

The smile on her face was soft and hidden from Killian's view.

Soon, Elsa declared it safe enough for Emma to sleep. Snow suggested Emma get some rest upstairs, but she refused.

"I can't move," she said. "Give me…a few minutes."

Killian wanted to protest, but he didn't want to let her go just yet. If she wanted to stay seated for a while longer, he wouldn't make her leave.

Emma let out a small sigh of relief when her mother didn't argue with her. She was exhausted, but the idea of moving away from Killian seemed too difficult a task. She couldn't force him away, not when he had almost lost her. She knew she wouldn't leave him if he had been the one stuck in that ice cave.

"Henry, you gotta go to bed," she said.

He shook his head. "Mom…."

"You have school tomorrow, kid."

"But—"

"She'll be fine, Henry," David interceded. "We'll watch after her."

He sighed. "Okay." As he stood, Emma moved forward and wrapped her arms around him. "'Night, Mom."

"Goodnight, kid," she said, a bit breathless. "Don't worry about me."

"I'll try."

In the corner of the room, David, Snow, and Elsa discussed sleeping arrangements for the night. They talked in hushed voices, but Emma still heard them.

"She can take my bed," Emma spoke up. "I'll sleep on the couch."

Her parents and Elsa immediately started to protest.

"Emma, I couldn't," Elsa refused.

"You need a warm bed, sweetheart," Snow agreed.

David nodded. "What your mother said."

Emma pushed herself up so she could see them. "I'm not going to move anytime soon. Henry can't sleep down here if we're all still awake. Elsa can have my bed."

Killian felt the urge to argue, but he didn't like the idea of Emma walking up the stairs in her condition. He worried she would fall and hurt herself even more.

"She's right," Killian said.

Emma looked at him, surprised. She smiled and mouthed, Thank you.

David glared at Killian, but the pirate couldn't care less. The smile he'd received from Emma was something he would cherish forever.

Snow seemed to realize arguing with her daughter was pointless. "All right. Follow me, Elsa. Henry, we're coming up!"

Emma turned back into Killian's side, burrowing closer to him. She smiled when she felt him kiss her hair again. His head rested against hers as he pulled her closer.

Killian knew he made the right decision backing her up. He knew she appreciated it after years of feeling everything and everyone was against her. His panic was gradually leaving him. If she was able to fight, she was getting better. Her fire was returning. He wouldn't be surprised if she had warmed herself up by sheer force of willpower.

Her quiet, even breathing caught him off guard. Her breaths came out slower than normal. For a moment, his panic returned until he glanced at her face and realized the peaceful, unguarded look she wore. She was asleep. Joy ran through him. Maybe it was stupid to feel so much happiness at that moment, but he couldn't help it. She trusted him enough to let down her guard to fall asleep. She was trusting him to stay, to keep her safe while she slumbered. Killian wasn't going to betray that trust he valued so much, not when he'd lost it before.

Snow approached them then. When she saw that Emma was asleep, she smiled at Killian and walked over to the couch, taking off the cushions before pulling something out of it. Killian watched in awe as the princess changed the piece of furniture from a couch to a bed. She spread sheets and blankets over it, setting a few pillows on it afterward.

"You can bring her over there," she whispered before heading to her room.

As Killian picked Emma up, he felt David's eyes on him. He tried to ignore him, which he found easy to do when Emma turned her face into his chest.

Snow had pulled back the blankets and sheets where Emma was supposed to sleep, much to Killian's relief. After setting Emma down carefully, he covered her with the blankets, grabbing the ones from the chair as well. After a moment's hesitation, he kissed her head and whispered, "Goodnight, darling." Standing back up ached. He didn't want to leave her, even if it was just for the night, but he knew he had to.

He gave the prince and princess a nod before exiting the apartment. The look of surprise on the prince's face drew a smile out of him.

Emma awoke in the morning to the sound of plates clanking. She groaned and rolled over on her back.

"What time is it?" she croaked to whoever was there.

The clanking stopped. Footsteps approached her. "Sorry, Mom. I was just making breakfast before school."

Emma turned and saw Henry kneeling at her bedside. She smiled at him. "It's all right, kid."

"How are you feeling?" His voice was wary.

She thought about the question for a moment. She felt a lot better. In fact, she felt a little too warm. Kicking her blankets off, she stood and said, "Better. Now, let's eat."

Soon after the two had started eating their breakfasts, Snow and David joined them. Elsa walked down the stairs moments later with a look of curiosity. Emma wasted no time in helping her.

As breakfast winded down, David kissed Snow and said, "See you after work."

Emma wiped her hand on her napkin. "Let me get changed real quick, Dad. I'll meet you in the car."

David and Snow shared a look.

"Something wrong?" Emma questioned as she cleaned her plate and loaded it into the dishwasher.

David glanced away. Snow rolled her eyes and faced Emma. "Your father and I think it would be best if you took the day off and got some rest. You did almost die less than twelve hours ago."

Emma resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm fine, guys."

"Come on, Mom," Henry pleaded.

"Not you, too, kid. I'm fine."

"Just take the day off," David insisted. "I can take care of everything at the station."

Snow nodded. "Yeah. Show Elsa around. Go see Hook."

Emma watched her father bite back a retort. Her lips tugged up. "I'll take off a few hours. See you at lunch."

David stared at her for a moment before nodding. "Okay, fine."

Emma grinned. She walked over to the stairs. "Elsa, we'll leave in a few minutes."

Elsa bobbed her head. "Where are we going?"

"To get the best hot chocolate you've ever tasted."

Killian was sitting in the farthest booth from the door. When he heard the door open, he looked up for the millionth time that morning. He'd restrained from sprinting over to the Charmings' residence all morning and didn't know if he could fight the urge anymore. When he saw Emma walk in with the blonde ice woman, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest.

"Swan," he breathed. He was on his feet and across the diner in the blink of an eye. He pulled her into a tight embrace, the breath he'd been holding all morning leaving him.

Emma smiled, relaxing against him before she realized what she was doing. When she did, she pulled back and gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry about last night. I didn't mean to scare you."

He chuckled and took a step back. He recognized her walls coming up again and it killed him, but he wouldn't push her. He never did. He wasn't planning on starting anytime soon.

"It's quite all right," he said, masking the disappointment in his voice. "Just don't do it again, please."

She laughed. "I don't plan to." Her eyes flickered back to Elsa, who stood a few feet back, looking around the diner in awe. "We came to get some hot cocoa." She turned back to Killian. "Want to join us?"

The smile that overtook his face drew one from Emma. "I'd love to."

I hope you enjoyed that chapter!