Summary of the Previous Chapter: Killian tried to comfort Emma but she ran away from him after having a small incident.

Here's the next chapter!

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Chapter Two: Realizations

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Letting her go was the hardest thing Killian ever had to do.

He thought about going after her, even took a couple of steps into her fleeing direction, but decided against it when her scared face flashed before his eyes. She was terrified of hurting him, she admitted as much when she shrieked at him about what had happened back in Storybrooke, but what bothered him the most was that she thought that he was scared of her…

He could never be scared of her. He loved her. Emma was the best thing that had ever happened to him and he was now fully determined to show her just how much she meant to him upon her return—no matter what crazed plans the Snow Queen was currently concocting.

They would fight her off together.

Kicking up the dirt with the tip of his boot, Killian continued to debate about whether or not he should tail after her (he knew that he was capable of doing so because of his previous tracking experiences in Neverland) or just leave her alone for now. She was clearly distressed and he definitely didn't want to add to that and risk pushing her away from him again. So, with regret, he slowly turned around, his head hanging low, and started to make his way back into the town, praying and hoping that she would be okay at here on her own.

I'll give her a few hours, he thought resolutely, briefly looking over his shoulder, as if he would see her running back towards him. No more, no less.

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Emma didn't have any clue as to where she was heading, she was just letting her feet carry her into any which direction—as long as she was away from people, in general, she would be fine. Slowing down to a hurried walk, she folded her arms tightly over her chest and tried to catch her breath since the intensity of her self-created, physical exertion was beginning to affect her throat and stability.

Slightly coughing, she gently bit down on her lip to quiet the loud gasps she was involuntarily making. Needing a place to escape to for the night, she instantly wished that she had brought her car. It would've been so much easier if I did, she mused, sadly. Then I could get out Storybrooke for a while…maybe forever… Without me...Henry would be better off, Regina would see to that…

That last thought of hers bore a hole into her heart but she honestly believed it to be true. If something ever happened to her son, she wouldn't know how to live with herself. Swallowing hard, she unfolded her arms to look at her cursed hands. Her palms were glowing an amber(ish) color in a strobe light fashion, the likes of which she had never seen before, and when she balled her fingers into a fist, she could literally feel the strength of her powers begin to heat up her skin, uncomfortably.

Opening them immediately, she questioned herself aloud. "What am I going to do? I…I…can't go back like this…"

Exhaling sharply, she then zipped up her red jacket and immediately stuffed her hands into each pocket, the sight of them like that disturbed her to no end. But where are you going to go? She then thought to herself again, closing her eyes for just a moment in order to reflect, her speed considerably slowing down due to the absence of her sight. There's nowhere that you can really go now that you're a-a…

Shaking her head because she didn't want to complete the sentence, she slowly opened her eyes when a wave of emotions began to wash over her. Wallowing in her self-pity and misery, she starred out blankly before her, wanting nothing more than to restart the day and do things differently. Picking up her pace, her back slightly hunched over, she balanced down another earthy incline, but as she did so, images of her encounter with Killian began to swirl around in her head.

His face, his touch, his charming smile...He was another person she wouldn't be able to live without…

Groaning at her inner confession, she rubbed her arms when a stinging chill suddenly began to fill the air around her. Blinking back her surprise, she looked up and found herself staring at an icy fortress, complete with dangling icicles and thick layers of snow over the surrounding trees, bushes and forest floor.

"What the hell…?" she began, noticing the white puff of smoke that was coming out of her mouth the further she walked in. Glancing about, she raised her brow at the amazing and weird sight. Scrunching up her hands inside of her pockets, Emma carefully treaded over the crunchy snow so she could go over to what appeared to be the front entrance; her curiosity flaring. She leaned in to peek inside and caught a glimpse of something shocking. Instantly noticing the well-placed furniture, the faint dim lights and the creative formation of the ice walls—as if somebody had purposefully constructed it themselves—Emma held back the gasp that was building up in her throat.

It would seem that she had come across the Snow Queen's lair.

Taking a large, semi-leap away from the block of ice, Emma was about to make herself scarce when she found herself looking straight into the eyes of the one person she didn't really want to see at the moment: her former-foster-mother-slash-Snow-Queen.

"I see that you found your way to my home," she said, her voice sickly sweet. Offering her a smile, she clasped her hands together in front of her, her long sparkling gown comparing nicely against the whiteness below her. "You are welcome to step inside if you wish."

"I'll pass," Emma stated after a second of hesitating. "It looks too much like a Winter Wonderland in there and I'm not in the mood to freeze to death…"

Still wearing that smile, the woman took a step forward. "Unlike Elsa, I can control my magic to the point of making what appears to be an unbearable situation bearable. In other words," she paused, making a grand gesture with a wave of her hand, instantly stilling the chill Emma had been feeling; allowing her natural body's heat to warm up her skin in a series of tingling sensations. "You don't have to experience anything you don't want to."

Burying her impressed feelings, Emma cleared her throat and tried to speak and act authoritatively. "Don't act like you're doing me a favor. I'm not going to bond with you. Not now, not ever."

Tilting her head, the Snow Queen responded, promptly. "Then why are you here?"

Not expecting that, she slightly stuttered. "I, uh…I…didn't—"

"I can tell you why…"

"Of course you can," Emma then muttered irritably, averting her eyes to try and find a way out. "You already think you know me so, go on…tell me what I'm thinking too."

Ignoring her sarcastic remark, she continued. "You weren't feeling wanted in Storybrooke, so your heart led you here. To me. Where you'll feel safe and wanted without any negative judgments. And…without injuring anyone else."

Narrowing her eyes at the blatant remark, Emma could feel her blood pressure start to boil. Killian was right. She was trying to play her, trying to manipulate her into doing something else…something other than becoming her "sister"…She could tell because of the strange, unsettling glint she was seeing in the older woman's eyes.

Sick of all these mind games, she once again folded her arms across her chest, trying to appear unmoving. "Cut the crap," Emma began, instantly liking the surprised reaction the Snow Queen gave her. "You're going to tell me something and you're going to do your best not to lie to me…other than getting your icy hands on me and Elsa, what is it that you really want?"

At first, she said nothing, she just took the time to observe the severe, distrusting expression that had developed on Emma's face. Then, after looking down for a moment, the Snow Queen met her eyes and answered the question, evenly and without any bias. "I want...to get rid of this magical place you call a home so I can recreate my own with the two of you by my side…"

"Really?" Emma asked, not buying her story. "You want to overtake this town so you can fit in?"

"In a way," the Snow Queen replied, rather darkly. "How else would I be able to harvest what I need without having everyone in this place destroy one another? Thus, leaving its magic free and unprotected?"

Emma's mouth dropped open a bit. What does she mean? But before she could have the chance to ask, the Snow Queen interrupted her with an easy wave of her hand and an eerie grin that tried to discard everything she had just said.

"Now," she started, slowly walking towards her. "Would you like to come inside?"

...

More is coming!