AN: Okay guys, I'm not going to lie, this chapter was really hard to write. I didn't realise how difficult it was going to be to write first person when the narrator is watching a memory in which she's present. My head is totally blown, and I'm still not sure I like the end result so please let me know what you think. Also, this chapter ended up far longer than anticipated so I've had to split it, therefore there may still be 3 chapters left :-D As always, thank you so much for your amazing support :-) I hope you enjoy!

The first memory is at the loft. Snow, Charming and Hook are sat at the table, and Zelena is sat on the couch. Robyn is fast asleep in a Moses basket by her mother's feet oblivious to her surroundings, and Henry is presumably asleep upstairs.

Though the image gives me no concept of time, it feels late at night. There's a palpable tension in the air, an unease that sits unspoken, in the heavy silence of the room.

Standing up abruptly, Hook is the first to speak as he begins to impatiently pace the small room. "Where the bloody hell is she?" He demands, his eyes drifting over to the rooms other occupants.

"I'm sure she'll be here soon," Snow assures, though her nervous fidgeting betrays her confidence.

"If the Evil Queen has done anything to her then I swear…"

"Don't blame my sister for this," Zelena cuts in, standing up to confront the pirate as he paces past the couch. "Emma's message to me said it was Regina who needed our help!"

"Zelena's right," David adds, his voice calm. "Emma told us the same thing…"

His sentence is cut short as the door to the loft flies open and Emma staggers through. She's carrying me in her arms, her muscles straining with the exertion. Her eyes are wild and filled with fear.

"Emma!?" Snow gasps, standing to greet her daughter.

Charming steps forward too, intending to take my lifeless body from the struggling blonde but she clutches me closer to her chest, making it clear the she has no intention of letting me go.

She walks over to the couch, breathing heavily as she carefully lies me down. Then kneeling by my side, she gently swipes a hand through the loose hair at my face.

She's wearing the same outfit she wore when we were sparring, but her hair is a mess and her boots remain unlaced, as though she only half dressed in her haste to bring me here. I on the other hand, look perfect and pristine. From my deep purple top to the leather skirt and knee length boots that I'm now, somehow wearing.

As the last memory I have prior to this event is of being naked on the rug of my vault, I can only conclude that Emma used her magic to make me presentable to the rest of the group. I silently thank her for preserving my dignity.

"What happened?" Snow asks, her voice filled with concern as she comes to stand behind the blonde, "Where have you been?"

Emma takes a moment to catch her breath as Charming drops to his knee next to me to begin to checking my vital signs. There's a gentleness to his touch that I've never seen him use with me before, a warmth that shows just how much he cares.

As Emma stands to address her mother, I notice that her hands are shaking slightly, "Regina's vault…" She replies, her cheeks reddening for reasons that only she and I would comprehend.

"You carried her all this way?" There's a curiosity in Snow's voice that is hard to ignore. An indication that while she's proud of her daughter's strength and humility, she's also suspicious of its true nature.

Emma shrugs, "What else was I supposed to do?"

The question is rhetoric and as such, goes unanswered. In the confusion of the room, it's Zelena who is next to speak.

"Did you find her like this?" She asks, biting nervously on her thumbnail as she studies my prone figure from the foot of the couch. It's a look that I've come to associate with concern, and a dead giveaway that she knows more than she's letting on.

"Yes," The blonde replies, an obvious lie. "I promised to drop in on her from time to time to check that she was okay. After the other day at Granny's…" She shakes her head, clearly scrambling for an answer that doesn't require too much explanation given the more intimate events of our night together, "…I just wanted to check that she was doing alright…"

Hook appears from behind to rest his hand on Emma's shoulder, it's a possessive gesture and one that I find I don't like. Especially when it's apparent that all she really needs is a little support and reassurance.

"Let her sleep it off," He instructs, watching me closely through disgruntled eyes, "I don't know much about your past, Swan, but I've served on enough ships and drank in enough taverns to know that the Queen is drunk."

Emma glares at him, clearly irritated by his blasé attitude and he scoffs in response, "I would be too if my heart was ripping the town apart."

"I can't smell any alcohol," Snow notes, refuting the pirate's theory before glancing back to Emma for a more detailed explanation.

"She's out cold," Charming agrees, and I'm surprised to see worry marring his usually easy expression. His fingers press to my pulse point, "She's barely breathing, and her skin is clammy to the touch."

Snow's eyes widen in shock, "A sleeping curse?" she hypothesises, a look of sympathy passing over her serene features.

Emma shakes her head, "No, there are only a few people in the town with the ability to put her under one and none of them would have reason to…"

"Ma?"

All eyes flick to the staircase where Henry now stands in his sleep shorts and tank top. His hair is mussed from sleep and his eyes are still half shut. Despite him being barely conscious, it warms my heart to see how quickly Emma tries to shield my body from his view.

"Henry?" She gasps, raising a hand in the hope that it will prevent him from coming any nearer, "You should go back to bed…"

Though her voice is calm there's a waver to it that our son doesn't miss. Suddenly awake, his eyes dart open and he moves to peer through the gap between his mother and Grandmother. He steps forward when he catches sight of me, unconscious and unresponsive, on the couch behind them.

"What's wrong with, Mom?" He asks cautiously, his gaze drifting to his kneeling grandfather.

"We don't know lad," Hook replies, finding his voice as the others struggle to find an appropriate answer, "but don't worry, she's alive."

His shoulders relax at the pirates reassuring promise but he inches closer towards me anyway, determined to offer whatever physical comfort he can. As long as I'm in danger, I know that he'll refuse to leave my side.

"Zelena can you detect anything?" Emma asks, her reason for calling the witch here, apparent. "Any unknown magic or dark force?"

The redhead shifts uneasily from one foot to the other, desperate to reveal what she knows but wary of keeping her promise to me. In an attempt to evade the topic, she throws the question back at Emma.

"Why am I any more likely to detect it then you?" She asks, incredulously, "You're the bloody Saviour."

"Because you're far better at this than me!" Emma argues, fear causing her voice to rise in panic.

Defeated, Zelena steps forward to raise her hands over my body. She moves them in a sweeping motion, scanning for any dark magic residing there, but I can tell by the speed of her movements that it's all just a ruse. She's not actually doing anything at all.

After a few short seconds, she takes a step back and sullenly shakes her head. "No," She replies, "there's nothing."

"You're lying!"

I recognise Emma's angry tone only too well. It's one that's been directed towards me several times in the past. Her steely expression is familiar too, and her narrowed green eyes make Zelena squirm uncomfortably.

"She's my sister," She argues, a little too passionately to appear completely genuine, "Do you honestly believe that I would deny her the help she so obviously needs?"

"You know something," Emma replies, refusing to back down so easily.

"Don't be absurd…"

Realising that the redhead isn't about confess, Emma sighs and grabs her by the arm, directing her towards the kitchen and away from the others.

"I didn't find her like this," She informs, her voice dropping to a quiet whisper so as not to be overheard. "We were…together…just before it happened," Her cheeks flush scarlet at the nature of her confession and my sister offers a wicked smirk in return.

"You were together, together?" She teases knowingly, "Oh now that is a turn up for the books…or should I say…" her eyes drift pointedly over to Henry's fairy-tale book that's resting on a nearby shelf, "…book?"

"It's not important," Emma replies, her gaze flicking nervously back to the pirate. "And Killian doesn't know. I'd like to keep it that way for now. But Zelena, if you know something – anything at all – please, you have to tell me."

My sister's eyes wander guiltily to my unconscious body, and she takes a deep breath, "There's a Greek God of death named Thanatos," She begins somewhat reluctantly, "He feeds off the souls of the dead or dying. After Zeus brought Hook back he became angered that he'd lost his soul, so he tethered this realm to his and started to visit Hook every night in his dreams. He began draining his life force, determined to take back what he thought was rightly his."

A look of understanding flickers over Emma's anxious expression, "Regina said that Killian had been in danger," she replies.

Zelena nods, "I detected Thanatos' presence when we first visited the forest to survey the damage Regina caused. When I told her, she became adamant in her quest to save him. She wanted to give you your happy ending so she challenged him for Hook's life and…" she shrugs, "he accepted. She thought – I thought – that her magic could beat him, but he didn't play fair. When he started draining her instead she was powerless to fight back…"

"Is that why she looked so exhausted at Granny's that day?" The blonde asks, quickly putting two and two together.

Zelena nods again, "I told her to even things up by challenging him to a duel…" Her eyes fall back onto me, "…but I still fear that he has the upper hand!"

Emma's expression is thoughtful, to the point that I can almost pinpoint the exact moment she realises why I was training the night before. The dark glower that follows indicates that she's not impressed by my attempt to go it alone.

"Is there any way we can help her?" She asks, already planning the rescue mission that I tried so hard to prevent.

"I know that you share dreams," My sister replies, "I believe that if you found a way into her dream tonight then you could combine your magic and defeat him."

Green eyes light up at the suggestion, a ray of hope creeping into her small smile, "So why didn't she ask for my help before?" She demands, her anger continuing to outweigh all other emotion.

Zelena smiles sadly, "Because she loves you. She wanted to protect you."

Emma's attention darts around the room. First it lands on me, then Henry, before finally settling on the double bed adjacent to the kitchen.

"I need to go to sleep," she states, fully prepared for the protest that will come.

"Emma," Zelena begins cautiously, "you should know that she begged me not to tell you. If you go and anything happens to you she'll…"

"And what's the alternative?" The saviour interrupts, her anger rising once more. "I sit here and do nothing? Wait for this Thanatos to drain her life force?"

When she realises that Zelena's warning is born from concern her expression instantly softens, "I can't do that," she replies honestly, "I can't lose her."

She turns to observe the scene at the couch. Snow is perched precariously near my feet, holding my hand and whispering soft reassurances to me, and Charming is wiping my brow with a cold, damp cloth. My once enemies are trying to comfort me, to encourage me back to the waking world, and the sight of my lifeless figure brings tears to Emma's eyes.

"Have you ever just looked at someone and seen everything you ever wanted?" She asks, her eyes focused solely on me as she attempts to justify her reckless decision. "Snow, always said that when it's True Love you just know, and I know…" She smiles warmly, "…I've always known. I just never realised it until tonight."

The memory of Hades, echoes in Zelena's soft smile as she takes the blondes hand and squeezes tightly, "Then go to her," She consents, "and Emma…" Her voice breaks, "Please bring my sister, home."

xxx

"Emma, sweetheart, what's wrong?" Snow asks, standing up from the kitchen table as soon as soon as her blonde daughter wakes.

Scared green eyes meet the bandits across the dimly lit loft before drifting searchingly over to my prone figure lying unconscious on the bed. She jumps up from the couch, ignoring Hook's offer of support, and strides across the room to where I'm still sleeping soundly.

Sensing something wrong, Snow follows close behind, "What happened?"

Emma pauses at the foot of the bed, watching me with such a sad sense of longing that it makes my chest ache.

"We fought Thanatos," She explains, her voice distant, "and I thought we'd won but…" She shakes her head, trying to rid it of an unpleasant image, "he stabbed her. He stabbed her and she collapsed. She was in my arms and then she was just…" Her eyes flick back to Snow, "…she was just gone!"

"Gone where?" Snow asks, failing to hide the rising panic that laces her voice.

Emma shakes her head again, bewildered, "I don't know…"

She looks shocked, stunned to the core, and as Snow reaches out to place a reassuring hand on her daughters back, I can tell that she fears the worst.

Detecting the tension in the room, Henry quickly abandons his video game in favour of sitting next to me on the other side of Snow's large bed. Zelena begins to pace up and down the large kitchen, gently rocking a sleeping Robyn in her arms, and Charming dutifully follows his wife, crouching down by my side as his fingers once again search for my vital signs.

Fear is contagious, and Emma has caused it to spread like wildfire amongst this small group.

"She isn't breathing," David declares, turning to snow with horrified concern.

"Mom!?" Henry cries, his expression distraught. I watch as he visibly regresses into the scared five-year-old boy that used to cling to me for comfort, and feel a tug deep in my chest when he reaches out to shake my still figure.

Snow quickly intervenes, "Henry, you shouldn't be here, you should…"

"I'm not leaving my, Mom!" He screams, in a tone that's as determined as Emma's, and as stubborn as mine.

His grandmother offers him a gentle smile, but the reassuring gesture quickly drains away as she notices David struggling to find a pulse at either my neck or wrist. He turns to his wife and gives a sad shake of his head.

"Emma, sweetheart," The bandit begins, her eyes filling with unshed tears, "She's gone."

"No!" Emma shouts, rushing forward to push her parents aside as she drops to the floor next to me, "No. She said she was dying in her dream but it can't have been true, she's not even injured here."

She checks for a pulse with her own fingers and when she doesn't find one, slides the hand at my neck to the centre of my chest in her quest to find the comforting beat of my heart. When she doesn't feel that either, her head drops to the bed, her forehead pressing against my lifeless hand. She releases a strangled cry.

"It's not true," She states, her voice thick with strained emotion, "It can't be true." When she looks up I can clearly see the tracks of fresh tears on her beautiful face, "He doesn't have that sort of power does he? Zelena!?"

For the first time since I've known her, my sister appears speechless. Her gaze is fixed vacantly on my still body and I watch as a single tear slides down her pale cheek, "He does," She whispers, nodding her head, "that's how he takes souls…"

"But he didn't drain her," Emma informs, clinging onto the tiniest flicker of hope where there is none to be found, "He stabbed her, there has to be a difference!"

Zelena frowns, "He didn't drain her at all?"

"No," The blonde replies, "if anything I'd say we drained him…"

With renewed determination, Zelena places Robyn in her basket and moves to stand beside the saviour, "Where exactly, did he stab her?" She asks, gesturing for Emma to indicate the exact point.

The hand that still rests on my chest, grips at the fabric of my shirt, "Here," she replies.

"Emma…" My sister begins, her shoulders visibly sagging as she closes her eyes, "…her heart was broken. It had already been weakened…"

She doesn't need to explain any further as the blonde understands the rest of the sentence perfectly well, "But it was a dream…" she whispers.

"It would have still had a knock on effect in this world," Zelena informs, "A massive cardiac arrest, maybe."

Silence falls over the small room. Henry has laid his head on the pillow next to mine and though he's trying to be strong, it's obvious that he's losing the battle with his tears. David has wrapped his arm around his wife, pulling her close and offering comfort as she silently cries. Zelena is hugging herself tight, her lips stretched into a thin line in an attempt to control her emotions. Even Hook appears somewhat crestfallen.

But while everyone else grieves, Emma grows bold, standing up to face my sister with steely resolution.

"Take her heart out," She instructs, her face a mask that hides her pain exceptionally well, "I want to see it."

Snow gasps and Zelena's jaw drops, uncertain why the saviour would make such a macabre demand.

Strangely however, Hook seems to understand perfectly, he even appears to support her choice.

"Lad, I really think that that you should…" He attempts to persuade my son to leave, but the teenager is already one step ahead of him.

"I don't care you what you think," He snaps, rudely cutting the pirate off, "I'm not going anywhere."

Emma glares pointedly at Zelena, and my sister gives an exaggerated huff. Stepping forward to lean over my body, she takes a deep breath and plunges her hand deep into my chest, ripping it back out just as quickly. When she uncurls her fist, she reveals the broken organ to the rest of the room, and the sight of it alone causes several sharp intakes of breath.

My heart is dull, drained of all colour and perfectly still, but that's not the most shocking part. It sits on my sister's palm in two perfect, jagged halves, torn completely asunder.

"It's been ripped apart," Snow gasps, studying the ruined organ with that same pitying look that's she's always aimed at me.

"This is all my fault," Zelena mutters, under her breath. "First I killed my True Love, and now I've killed my sister."

"Can't we put it back and let Henry give her True Love's kiss?" Charming asks, striving for the happy ending that he never stops believing in.

Snow quickly shakes her head, "Whatever killed her wasn't a curse," She explains, wiping at the tears that continue to fall. "It won't work. She's really gone!"

At the realisation that he's just lost his mother, Henry breaks down. He hugs me tightly to him as he cries into my shirt, and though Snow is quick to comfort him he refuses to let my body go. More than anything I wish that I could reach into the memory and touch him.

Emma on the other hand is as still as a statue. She hasn't moved, nor reacted to our sons obvious suffering, she's stood as if frozen.

Hook watches her closely, stepping forward to rest a comforting hand on her shoulder before changing his mind.

"Swan," he instructs, his voice soft, "Split your heart."

All eyes turn to him in surprise, but none more so than Emma's, "What?" She asks, her mouth agape.

He offers her a sad, half smile, "Split your heart," he repeats confidently, "and give half of it to, Regina."

Emma studies the pirate closely, a strange mixture of remorse and relief flitting over her heart-broken expression, "Killian…"

"I'm not bloody stupid," he interrupts, his voice firm but no less kind, "I knew how you felt about her all along. I just always hoped that one day you'd feel the same way for me." He laughs, but it isn't a happy sound, and gives a simple one-shouldered shrug, "At least now we know why it didn't work for us in the Underworld…"

Snow has stood at the strange interaction, a look of confusion drifting over her tear stained face, "Emma?" She asks, picking the most inappropriate time to be her usual nosy self.

But the blonde ignores her, unable to focus on anything but the selfless lifeline that Hook has offered. Her gaze flicks to Zelena.

"Can you do this?" she asks, aware that no further explanation is necessary.

The former wicked witch nods, "I have the ability yes," she replies reluctantly, "but I have no way of knowing if it will work, or if it will even be enough."

"Ma," Henry begins, sitting up in an attempt to convince his biological mother, "If there's any chance that you can save her then you have to try!"

Snow reaches out to grip the blondes shoulder, a jolt of reality during a truly surreal conversation, "What if it doesn't work?" She argues gently. "Honey, I know how much Regina means to you but…"

"You have no idea how much she means to me," Emma replies, her eyes narrowing as she glares straight at her mother, "None of you do."

She kneels back down and lovingly takes my lifeless hand in her own, "But you're going to find out," She informs, giving my sister a reassuring nod, "Do it!"

"Emma, this could hurt you," Snow continues to protest, but her hope in saving my life is only outweighed by concern for her oldest child.

"I've survived a failed attempt before," Emma reminds, refusing to hear her argument, "anyway it's irrelevant. This time it won't fail."

Snow swallows nervously, "How do you know?"

Green eyes meet hazel, an unspoken conversation between mother and daughter, "How did you?" She fires back.

Something changes in the bandit's expression as her eyes drift from Emma to me, and back to Emma again. A warm smile melts the last of her lingering confusion as she finally understands. Without saying a word, she gives the blonde a nod of support and steps back.

Emma's attention switches to the rooms only silent occupant, Hook. Since inadvertently releasing the saviour from their relationship, he has faded into the background, moving away from the group to perch on the corner of the kitchen table. His neutral expression is unreadable, but the hidden pain is evident in his sad eyes.

Raising a hand to momentarily stall Zelena, Emma stands and walks over to him, loosely linking her fingers with his.

"Thank you," She says, her soft, caring, smile an indication that she means every word, "I know it doesn't mean much to you right now, but I really am sorry that this is how it ends."

He releases her hand and reaches out to gently stroke her cheek, brushing a stray hair back behind her ear. He gives her a small, weak smile, "I know," he replies.

They share a look – the sort that only ex-lovers can – before Emma returns to my sister.

There's a moment of brief uncertainty, a millisecond where everyone appears to doubt what must be done, and then Zelena's hand is thrusting into the saviour's chest and pulling out her bright, beating heart in one swift movement.

Emma grunts in pain at the sudden action, hunching over as her body feels the loss of such a vital part, but she has little time to dwell on the feeling as Zelena rips the heart in two, and hands half back to the blonde.

She tests its weight in her hand, studying its bright red glow before spinning back around to where I lie, lifeless, on the bed. Dropping to one knee, she presses the barest of kisses against the beating organ and closes her eyes, pushing her hand against my hollow, empty chest.

A white pulse shoots out from my body to engulf the room. The light blinds and disorientates, but as awareness slowly creeps back in, Emma realises that her heart has disappeared with it, and gasps in shock.

Though I'm still unconscious, I give a single, sharp intake of breath.

"It worked!" Snow whispers, a huge smile spreading across her alabaster cheeks.

Wide eyed, Emma turns to Zelena, "Is she alive?"

The redhead steps forward, using her magic to scan my body, "Yes," She replies, relieved, "but she's weak, it'll be touch and go for a while." She dips her head towards my lover, "You should also get some rest, the split will weaken you too temporarily."

Emma takes back the other half of her heart and adamantly shakes her head, returning what's left of the organ to its rightful place.

"I'm not leaving her side," she informs, gripping onto my hand and placing a soft kiss against my knuckles, "not until I know that she's going to be okay."

The sound of the front door slamming shut is the only indication that Hook has left, and a trace of regret slips across the blonde's face. Though she covers it quickly, I can tell by her reaction that neither pirate nor saviour have walked away unscathed.

"Emma," Snow begins, reaching out to rest a tentative hand on her daughter's shoulder, "could we maybe talk about what just happened?"

Grateful for the distraction, Emma looks up, smiling warmly, "Of course, Mom, but later, okay?"

"Okay, honey," the bandit agrees, gently returning the smile before glancing to Zelena, "So what do we do now?"

My sister shrugs, her concerned gaze shooting my way, "We wait," she replies, with newfound hope, "It's all that we can do."