Author's Note: It really is a pity that I'm not watching OUAT as it comes out. I would have had such an epic episode tag fanfiction. But my sister and I have been watching, like, 2 to 4 episodes a DAY, so there's no way I'd have enough time.
Also... I have a feeling my chapters would range too far into fix-it or scene divergent mode than actual traditional episode tags that could have legitimately happened in the show.
All that being said, I really, really needed to write something for the Broken Mirror two-parter (4x08 and 4x09). Awww guys it's my first OUAT fixit I feel like this is somewhat sacred :D
It was dark in the house Rumplestiltskin had left her in, but Emma didn't mind. Any sort of darkness was better than the flickering, sparking light symphony that Emma had been causing only a few minutes ago.
"Thank you so much, Elsa," Emma said, going in for a hug. She knew it had been under a day since she'd gone on the run, but it felt impossibly nice to be able to touch people again without any fear.
"I should be thanking you," Elsa replied, squeezing her back. "Emma, you have no idea how much you've done for me since the moment I came to Storybrooke. Helping you through something like this was the least I could do."
Emma smiled. She felt satisfied and happy and light (pun intended), and she was eager to share that with her family.
Elsa turned them so she had an arm around Emma's shoulders and started leading her outside. "There are a lot of people that are very eager to see you," she said with another smile as they stepped onto the dim front porch. Emma glanced around her, looking for any sight of Henry, Killian, her parents, Regina or even Gold, if only to tell him that she hadn't gone through with taking her powers away.
But, instead of her loved ones, Emma's presence outside was met with an agonized scream.
Elsa jumped, her arm falling from Emma's shoulder. "Killian," Emma breathed, before she took off towards the front garden, the queen close behind.
The two women arrived in time to see Killian held up against the fence with the coils of a garden hose. There was a figure in front of him, something glowing and red in his hand. Emma's blood ran cold, and she felt her powers begin to spark in her body again. Instead of letting them go haywire and leak through the cracks of her hands, though, she sent them surging around in a loop. She would be ready to release her magic if necessary... but she no longer needed to. Elsa had seen to that.
"Gold!" Emma yelled, taking a few furious steps closer. "Whatever you're doing... stop."
"Emma- Emma, get out of here," Killian rasped, his eyes glassy with pain and fear. "He has my heart, he could use me to- arg-!"
Rumplestiltskin had tightened his fist, squeezing down on Killian's heart. The pirate's back arched with pain and Emma felt her own chest contract.
"Mr. Gold," Elsa spoke up. "We can talk about this. Whatever you need from him... we can help you. You don't need to hurt him to get what you want."
"Oh, but I do, Dearie" Rumplestiltskin replied with one of the sneering smiles he only used when he was really angry. "There is a whole lot going on that you will never understand, but I can tell you that fact for certain."
"Give him back his heart," Emma said, her voice steady but absolutely livid. "Or you'll regret it."
Rumplestiltskin finally turned all the way around. His grip on the heart loosened a little and Killian went lax, sagging against his bindings and panting for breath. "You'll make me regret it, Miss Swan?" he asked mildly. "You, who only found out the true breadth of your powers yesterday and whose first step was to come to me for help destroying them? You, who have zero control, next-to-no training, no experience whatsoever... you are going to make me regret it?"
Emma gritted her teeth. He was trying to get under her skin and into her head, but she wouldn't let him. Not again. "Yes," she said. "And you know why? Because the moment you messed with Killian was the moment you jacked the stakes up through the roof." She took another step forward, clenching her fists to get her powers ready for use. "Everyone's always telling me that power comes from emotion. If that's the case, then trying to hurt the man that I love was the biggest mistake you've ever made."
She didn't look at Killian, not wanting to see whether he'd caught her confession. Emma honestly couldn't say if she'd meant to use the word 'love' in her spiel, but that didn't make it any less true. She loved Killian, even if it had taken her the mess of today to realize it.
Rumplestiltskin narrowed his eyes and held up Killian's heart. "I will remind you, Miss Swan, that I am holding the biggest bargaining chip on the playing field at the moment. I don't see you with any leverage, unless..." His eyes flitted back towards the house Emma had just come from. "Unless you're still willing to do away with your powers."
Emma's heart sank. "You're telling me that... if I give you my powers, you'll give Killian back his heart?"
"Emma, no," Killian cut in, panicked. "He won't do it; he needs both of-"
His words were cut off as Gold waved his hand and another piece of hose wound around Killian's mouth. He struggled against it but he was stuck tight.
Warily, Emma turned back to Rumplestiltskin. "Answer me," she demanded. "My powers for his heart?"
"But of course, Dearie," Gold agreed, shrugging. "You give me your powers and I'll put his heart where it belongs."
"MM! Mmmmm mm mmm!" Killian yelled against his bindings.
"Emma," Elsa said in a low voice. "After everything you've gone through... think about this."
"I can't let him kill Killian," Emma said desperately. "I can't lose him. Not after- not after everything."
She finally looked her boyfriend in the eyes. He had stopped trying to speak through his gag and was just... looking at her, so much like a puppy that her heart broke. He shook his head a little.
Emma shut her eyes, chin dropping. It wasn't as if she wanted to throw away her powers, especially right after she had accepted them. But it was the right thing to do, wasn't it? She could try to attack Gold, but he had been honing his abilities for centuries longer than she'd even been alive. She wouldn't stand a chance.
"Put his heart back first," Emma decided, looking up again.
"I don't think so, Dearie," Rumplestiltskin said, unamused. "Your powers. Then the heart."
"Put back his heart, or I don't give you anything," Emma grit out.
Rumplestiltskin held up Killian's heart and starting to squeeze again. "Or I could just kill him, right now."
"No!" Emma cried, lurching forward. Her hands shot out and she realized what was about to happen right before it did.
Blinding white shot from her palms and fingertips, lightning up the dim, dreary garden with an etherial glow. Rumplestiltskin stumbled backward, raising his own hands in defense, but Emma's magic glowed even brighter. With a loud booming sound, Gold was thrown back off of his feet, his arms knocked to either side. Killian's heart went flying and Emma sprinted forward and dove, just managing to catch the precious item against her chest before it would have hit the ground. She landed hard on her back, skidding across the mulch and holding the heart to her chest to protect it from the impact.
Rumplestiltskin pushed himself up on his elbows, eyes murderous. "You broke our deal," he growled, hands raising.
"I never made the deal," Emma seethed, pulling herself to her feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the bindings around Killian unwinding and Elsa standing up, too. It was now three against one, and Emma was starting to feel slightly more confident that good might actually win this one.
"And you're lucky you didn't," Gold hissed. "Because I would have sent both of you into that hat, where you belong."
He wrenched himself to his feet and threw out his hands, but Elsa suddenly dove in front of Emma. A jagged shield of ice magically grew into the space in front of them, and whatever curse or spell Rumplestiltskin had just attempted was reflected off the surface.
"Good one," Emma muttered, eyes wide.
Elsa grinned. "What's the point in learning how to control your powers if you can't use them every once and awhile?" she asked, panting a little before waving her hand and taking down the ice wall.
With Elsa and Gold now facing each other, Emma raced towards Killian. She yanked the lengths of hose away from his body and half-caught him as he slipped towards the ground.
"Swan," Killian breathed, pulling her into a quick hug before the two of them turned back to the fight.
"You're outmatched, Gold," Emma stated sternly. "You lose."
Rumplestiltskin let out a cackle and for one brief moment, bubbly scales appeared on his skin. They vanished a second later, but the change in Gold's demeanor was unmistakable.
"I'm Rumplestiltskin, Dearie," he said, glowering. "I never lose."
With that, he waved his hands and vanished into a puff of greenish smoke.
Emma let out a breath, relief washing over her once she realized Gold wasn't coming back, at least not yet. She turned back to Killian and hugged him tightly again, fingers biting into his leather jacket.
"Emma," he said softly, running his good hand along her hair. "As much as I love this, would you mind...?"
Emma pulled back and realized she was still grasping onto Killian's heart. "Oh, right, right, sorry," she muttered. "I, uh... I've never done this before, so let's just... take it slow?"
She held the heart over the left side of Killian's chest and pushed gently, easing the organ back into place. Killian let out a gasp as soon as his heart re-entered his chest and shook himself a little. "Thank you," he said as he brought his hand up to cup the back of Emma's head again and pulling her closer to him.
"What, did you think I was just going to leave you heartless?" Emma asked, letting out a raspy laugh. "I don't think that would benefit me all that much, honestly."
He hugged her again, pressing his lips along her jaw, before Emma remembered that Elsa was standing right there and they were being maybe a bit too clingy.
She pulled slowly away from Killian, squeezing his shoulder on the way back, and turned to Elsa. "Thank you," she said. "And... I'm sorry. Gold is a dangerous enemy to have, and if he comes after you, it's our fault."
Elsa shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous," she said, smiling. "I made my own decision to get involved in this fight, and I don't regret it for a second. No one deserves to lose their heart, especially one half of my second-favorite couple."
Emma grinned. She would take offense to the 'second-favorite' part, but she knew that Anna and Kristof would take first place in Elsa's book any day of the week. "Still. Thanks."
Elsa nodded. "We should find the rest of your family," she said. "Especially now that Gold is... well, wherever he is now. We need to make sure everyone's safe before we plan our next step in stopping the Ice Queen."
"She's right, love," Killian agreed, winding his arm around Emma's waist. "As much as I would love to find some secluded corner where we could continue our... reunioning, we really should find the others. They were a tad worried about you."
"That's putting it lightly," Elsa snorted.
Emma nodded and the three of the turned to head out of the garden. Killian put his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder and Emma leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. It was a little awkward to walk like that, but the sound of Killian's restored heartbeat underneath her ear more than made up for it.
They walked around the corner and Emma felt a grin bloom on her face when she caught sight of her parents and Henry. Mary Margaret broke into a run. "Emma!" she cried, grabbing her daughter in a hug and holding on tight.
Emma hugged her back, relieved at the reception. "Mom, I'm so, so sorry-" she started.
"Don't," Mary Margaret told her firmly, pulling back to allow David room to give his daughter a hug, too. "Don't ever apologize for being who you were meant to be."
Emma gave them a watery smile and turned to Henry. "Hey, kid," she said, opening her arms. He ran into them and hugged her tightly.
"What happened in there?" David asked once the hugging and apologizing was over. He glanced over at Killian and Elsa, eyebrows furrowing. "And where did you two go earlier?"
"I went to stop Emma from giving up her powers," Elsa explained. "I wasn't sure if you guys would, so I took the locator spell. I'm sorry."
Mary Margaret shook her head. "Don't be, Elsa. We owe so much to you for believing in Emma when we couldn't."
"What changed your mind?" Emma asked, eyebrows furrowing curiously. "What made you see my powers as something I needed to keep?"
"Regina, actually," David admitted with a short laugh. "She gave us the kick in the pants we needed to come to our senses."
Killian smirked. "If a kick in the pants was all it took, I would have readily supplied one," he teased.
David rolled his eyes good naturedly, then gave the pirate a once over and took the red marks covering his jaw and neck. "And what happened to you?"
"Gold happened," Emma said darkly, answering for him. "Killian was coming to stop me from going through with my deal with him, and he took his heart."
"What?" Mary Margaret gasped, reaching out and laying a motherly hand on Killian's arm. "Are you alright? Does Gold still have your heart?"
"It was returned to me by a certain Savior," Killian answered with a fond smile in Emma's direction. "But the Crocodile is still out there, unfortunately. And he has plans beyond anything we could possibly imagine."
"Yeah?" David asked, eyebrow raising. "And how do you know that?"
There was a long pause in which Killian swallowed and shifted a few times. "I... haven't been completely honest with all of you. There's a reason the Crocodile took my heart, besides needing it because I knew him before he was the Dark One. I- he blackmailed me into... aiding him with his nefarious goals."
Emma's eyebrows slowly rose. "Killian... what exactly did you do?"
"I helped him cast this- this sorcerer into his hat," Killian muttered, staring fixedly at the ground. "And I'm- I'm incredibly ashamed of my actions but you must believe me... I had no choice. It's rather a long story that I will be willing to tell as part of my- my recompense to you all but... not here."
"He's right," Elsa put in, eyeing the untrustworthy looks suddenly on everyone's faces. "We have had a long day. And night. No one's slept, Emma just accepted her magic, Killian just had his heart ripped out... we need a break. Some time."
Emma nodded quickly. "Right," she agreed. "So let's... go back to the apartment, and we can hear everything then."
Killian mirrored her nod. He couldn't help but notice that Emma had moved slightly away from him, whether unconsciously or not, and felt his stomach sink. It was true that he had left her that phone message hoping that she would hear it, but on the chance that she didn't he had been hoping to tell her alone, at the right moment.
Granted... he, like most in their group, had a tendency to use the 'right moment' excuse to just procrastinate bringing uncomfortable truths to light. Maybe, in some way, it was good that it had all come out now.
The drive back to the Charming's apartment was tense, to say the least. Mary Margaret and David took their truck back, while Emma drove Killian, Elsa and Henry in The Bug. Killian had been allowed the passengers seat and Emma's fingers were wrapped around his hook, but no one was doing very much talking. When they arrived back in downtown Storybrooke, Mary Margaret made everyone hot chocolate and they spread across various couches and chairs.
"Where's Regina?" Emma asked curiously as she blew on her mug. She was on the couch in between Killian and Henry but couldn't help but notice her fellow magic-user's absence.
"Robin Hood called," Mary Margaret said. "He had some sort of urgent news that he couldn't tell her over the phone, so we gave her leave to go to him and see what it was."
"Which is all very interesting," David broke in, fixing Killian with a hard stare that was probably just him keeping up his 'protective father' act but still made the pirate a little uncomfortable. "But what is more interesting is what exactly Hook and Gold have been getting up to under our noses for the past couple of weeks."
Killian gritted his teeth. "In my defense, it wasn't voluntary," he muttered, before he launched into his tale of making a deal with Gold so he could get his hand back for his date with Emma, which lead into the whole blackmailing mess he'd gotten himself into.
When he'd finished, the rest of the group sat and absorbed for awhile, taking sips of hot cocoa.
"Hey," Henry spoke up after a bit. He glanced quickly at Killian and then back down at his mug. "At the very least, we know what Mr. Gold is planning, now. If Killian hadn't been roped into helping him, we'd be completely in the dark."
"He's got a point," Elsa agreed, smiling a little.
Killian, legitimately touched, stared down into his cocoa and tried not to look too emotional.
Emma let out a sigh and leaned back against the couch. "Why didn't you tell me, Killian?" she asked. "Why didn't you just fill us all in on the fact that Gold was making you do his dirty work for him? We could have helped you. Or at least, I dunno... made it so you weren't in the situation you were in tonight."
"It's a little complicated, love," Killian admitted. "Trust me, I... I wished to tell you with all of my heart. I suppose I was just... embarrassed, or, ashamed, really. That you -that all of you- would go back to looking at me like I was the dirty pirate you met in the Enchanted Forest, that betrayed you to help Cora just so I could get my revenge. In some ways... I was worried that I had regressed back to that pirate again."
"Because of your hand," Mary Margaret said, nodding in understanding. "And what Gold tricked you into thinking it made you do."
Killian dipped his chin. "Aye. I didn't particularly like the idea of exposing you all to the fact that maybe I wasn't as... changed as I had hoped."
Another silence fell. This one, to everyone's surprise, was broken by none other than David.
"We've all screwed up before," he said, reaching out to lightly slug Killian in the arm. "I know we use the excuse that it was in the past, but at one point it was in the present and it still happened. All you can do is... patch things up the best you can and try and move on. But covering it up... it never makes it any better. Trust me."
Killian's eyebrows furrowed seriously and he nodded a little, eyes darting to meet David's. "Right you are, mate," he agreed. "And while I don't know if I can promise never to hide something again... I will certainly try."
Emma let out another breath, before setting her mug down on the table in front of her. "I think that's all we can ask of anyone here," she decided, before looking over at her son. "Except you. No lying will be tolerated from you, young man."
"Hey!" Henry protested, but he didn't look all that annoyed.
The interaction broke the tense moment and Mary Margaret smiled, getting to her feet to start clearing up the empty hot cocoa mugs everyone was placing on the coffee table. The group split up soon after that, Elsa heading to the spare room she'd been living in at the Charming's house, Henry getting out his phone to call Regina to see if he'd be able to stay the night at her place, and the Charming parents going to check on their somewhat neglected baby.
Emma saw Killian to the door, and they stepped out into the hallway together.
"Swan," Killian began, running his hands uncomfortably through his hair and then stuffing them in the pockets of his incredibly well-fitting jeans. "You- you said a few things when facing off with the Crocodile that I think we should discuss. I was waiting for a moment alone to bring it up."
Emma was a little startled, having somehow managed to forget that she'd literally admitted her love for Killian while he was tied to a fence with a hose. "Killian, I-"
"I do understand that, after my... confession, you may not feel the same way," Killian pressed on, not giving her a chance to finish. "But I want you to know that I- I love you, too, Swan. Emma. I believe I've loved you since our first moment alone on that beanstalk back in the Enchanted Forest. Though... I might have loved you when you tied me to a tree; it's hard to say for sure exactly when it all began-"
He was suddenly cut off as Emma pressed his back to the wall and kissed him hard. He used his good hand to wind into her hair, cupping the back of her head like he had outside of the mansion, while his hook slipped into her belt loops and tugged her closer.
Emma broke off the kiss after a tantalizingly short moment and rested her forehead against his. "Killian," she said, her voice low and rough. "You keeping your debt to Gold a secret doesn't change the way I feel about you. At this point... I don't think much could. I love you."
Killian swallowed back a giddy exclamation and kissed her again. It was a good thing that Emma had gotten his heart back when she had, because no one knew how to make it beat quite like her.
Author's Note: And there we have it!
To be completely honest, I considered turning this into a multichap story. But they would still need to save Anna and Kristof, and stop the Snow Queen and deal with the whole Shattered Sight thing and since I've seen them do it there's no way I'll be able to come up with my own unique idea.
And there is the other problem with binge watching. But hey, it's a trade I'm willing to make because it's been impossible nice to be able to look stuff up or skim ahead if I'm really stressed out lol.