A/N: I know this is a fairly short chapter but I needed to split it up, it was initially only supposed to be a one shot that has now become so long it is essentially a multi-chapter in itself, even without finishing writing chapter 2 completely which will probably be split into separate chapters also. Hope you enjoy none the less.
Chapter 2
When she finally reappears in front of Hook, he had given up anticipating her arrival and the moment he had done so she had arrived dramatically in a blue smoke and sent him sprawling backwards on the log he was sat on.
"Bloody hell, Swan! A little warning next time!" Hook bellowed then grabbed his knee where he had landed roughly on the dirt floor.
Emma didn't answer, simply smiling and trying to suppress a small laugh at his antics, but now was not the time and she cleared her throat pointedly.
"We have to get going," She replied.
"Okay, poof away," Hook responded, spreading his hand and hook wide in gesture that emphasized his point.
"You really want to pop in on Rumpelstiltskin?" The Saviour raised her eyebrow, "Put him on the defensive like that?"
"Okay, you have a good point, but I'm not entirely sure I can carry her all that way though," Hook remarked offhandedly, "Not even a little poof?"
"Fine," Emma responded with a sigh, "To the end of that great big bridge thing of his but that is as far as I'm willing to 'poof' us."
"Okay, sounds good to me," Hook answered with a smile, lifting Marian's still unconscious form onto his shoulder, "Poof away, Princess."
Emma didn't respond audibly but simply glared at him for a moment before she felt the familiar tingle of her magic come forth at her calling and waved her hand over the three of them, surrounding them in a plume of blue smoke and they disappeared into the air.
They just got to the end of the walkway to Rumpelstiltskin's castle and Hook grunts painfully, "Gods, she is heavier than she looks!"
Emma ignores him as she pushes at the heavy doors, entering into the The Dark One's castle with a slight sigh wondering how much longer she was going to have to deal with the one on one pirate time which was starting to get more on her nerves than anything.
"We did it!" She exclaimed exasperatedly as green eyes fell on Rumpelstiltskin's green skin he wore in the Enchanted Forest while he fiddled with small vials in front of him before he looked up.
"Your parents are together?" He replies, in that eerily childlike voice that adds a little to the disconcertion she now suddenly feels again in his presence and definitely preferring his Storybrooke persona to his Enchanted Forest one.
"They're right on track, so that means we're ready to go," She responded carefully, pushing down the uncomfortable feeling to the bottom of her stomach while she waited for Mr. Gold to say something.
"I see," He glances behind her where Hook has none too gently deposited his load, "And you brought some luggage," He indicates the woman's unconscious form with a nod of his head.
"Long story," Emma brushes it off, "So, how's the portal coming? Can you open it?"
"I cannot," Rumpelstiltskin answers honestly and almost uncaringly as he goes back to what it is he is doing.
"Then what are you working on?" Emma asks somewhat perturbed at being mislead, yet again, by the man in question.
"Oh," He remarks looking at the blonde once again, "This is for me. It's a forgetting potion as I know far too much about my future and the only way to protect it... is to forget it."
"Well, what about the wand?" Emma asked quickly, her brows furrowing at now having to try and figure this whole mess out by herself, again, she had asked for help and this is where it had got them, she sighed softly, "You said that it could help us."
"Oh, that," He retorted, shrugging as if it was a bad suggestion in the first place, "Well, apparently, only those who used the portal can reopen it and unless you can wield magic..."
"I can," Emma interrupted before he could respond, her eyes lit up at the thought that they were going home and she watched as his gaze became wary.
The wand was on the table between them and he tossed it in an almost baffled like way at her before responding,
"Well, I didn't expect that," He said in his childlike voice and Emma had to suppress a shiver at the noise, it wasn't something she was going to get used to any time soon, "Well, go on, be off with you," He waggled at them with long green fingers and he stared at them expectedly.
"Okay," Emma mumbled as she turned to the open space in the room, unconsciously aware of the green skinned imp at her back, feeling his anticipation washing over her and it turned her stomach that she could literally hear his heart beat faster at the thought of The Saviour and her magic.
She concentrated for a moment, she felt the magic rush through her, out into the dark wood, suddenly there was a bright light in the middle of what was essentially The Dark One's living room and as she opened her eyes a swirling vortex swam before them all.
"Go," she gestures to Hook, who nods quickly, picking up her cell mate's form once again, rushing through the shimmering surface and is about to leave herself when her wrist is grasped between green fingers.
"Wait! My son, what happens when I find him?" He practically begs her for the answer but her fear kicks in and she instantly tries to pull herself from his hold as she hangs suspending between past and future.
"Let me go!" She demanded through gritted teeth as she tried to wrangle her wrist free from his strong grip.
"My son!" Rumpelstiltskin screamed back at her shaking her arm emphatically.
"I thought you wanted to forget?" Emma responded, trying uselessly still to remove his hold but again to no avail.
"Before I do, I need to know!" His face falls and without begging, his eyes implore her to tell him, "Does he forgive me?"
"Yes," Emma felt all her resolve slip away then as she watched Rumpelstiltskin fall apart in front of her for only a moment and then she clamps her mouth shut pointedly.
"Yes, but what?" He replied, "What aren't you telling me!" He shakes her again, watching as green eyes well with tears, "Tell me or you will never leave!"
"He dies!" Her voice cracks, then breaks at the exclamation and finally the tears that had pooled fell freely down her cheeks, "He forgives you. He loved you. He died to save us all," She tries to continue but the emotion makes it difficult to speak but she continues anyway, feeling the pull of the portal and knowing that time is of the essence lest she get stuck between past and presence... would she split in half? She shook her head quickly, there was no time to think of stupid questions like that so she hurried on, her voice becoming stronger, almost aggressive, "Don't let it be in vain."
"No! I can change what happened! I can save him!" He was begging her again and this time she could hear it clearly in his tone.
"You might make it worse!" She replied through tears, "I loved him too. I wanted to save him!" She chokes on her words once more and then sobs freely before gathering herself, "He died a hero, you can't take that away from him. You have to drink the potion! You have to forget everything I just told you!"
Instantly, in that moment, he lets go of Emma's wrist with a sad smile and as she is sucked into the portal, the last thing she sees is Rumpelstiltskin removing the cap to the potion he had just made and downing it in one gulp.
A second later, the vial drops to the floor with a clattering noise and a look of confusion spreads across green skin, "What was I doing?" He queries before he simple shrugs and walks off, calling Belle for a clean up.
She practically stumbles to her feet after she exits the portal in the present day and she smiles as she recognizes the barn.
"Hook!" She yells, looking for the pirate and finally noting that her cell mate was stirring, "Do me a favour, fill her in... make sure she doesn't freak out," Before waiting for his response she is practically jogging towards the partially open barn doors.
"Where are you going?" He shouts, drawing her attention back to him.
"I have people I need to see," She smiles gently at him, he nods at her knowing exactly what she had meant and lets her go, mentally in that moment, her mind repeats Regina's name and as she walks back to the diner, she wonders what had changed with her actions that she made especially the Former Evil Queen.
She rushed through the door to the diner, not even bothering to shut the door behind her and she briefly hears Granny grumble about it loudly in the background but she chooses to ignore it as she pelts towards her parents.
"Emma!" Mary Margaret said her name drawing her daughter's attention to her immediately, there was worry in her tone but it vanished somewhat at seeing her daughter look at her like that was exactly what she was.
"You weren't answering your phone, we were worried," David said almost in one breath.
"I'm fine... I'm home..." Emma stated definitively, her voice breaking in the process showing them exactly how serious she was in that statement.
"Does that mean you're not leaving?" Mary Margaret asked hesitantly, not wanting to ruin the moment or push her daughter away in case she was reading too much into what she was saying.
"No, I'm not going anywhere..." She turned to look at Henry and back to her parents, "We're not going anywhere," She glanced back to see her son's reaction, he was grinning brightly at her, answering her question on whether he would take to the news well or not, he nods emphatically as if answering her thought and she looked back to her mother and father, "This is where we belong, where our family is, we're not going anywhere," She paused then, moving forward carefully, wrapping long arms around her parents shoulder's, careful not to squish her newborn baby brother, "I missed you, mom and you too, dad."
"Hey Ma," Henry interrupted.
"Yeah?" Emma answered, her words muffled into her mother's shoulder but she pulled back from the embrace to look at her son.
"What happened?" Henry asked carefully, trying to appear calm but the curiosity lit up his eyes giving him away entirely.
"Long story, kid, but look in the book, it's there, look for Leia," She smiled down at him and he immediately started flicking pages going exactly to the page she meant, of course he knew which part and she chuckled softly to herself.
"Seriously cool," He mumbled quietly to himself, but the people nearest his table heard, "You're really Leia?" He looked up directly at her.
"Yep," Emma replied just as he raised his hand and she hers and they exchanged a high five and a small laugh.