Thank you guys for the love…I wasn't originally going to continue this once the episode aired (my heart still hurts and I am not going to be able to function properly until Sunday night…) but per your requests and my unruly imagination, I have decided to at least work through the events of this episode. It will be a combo of my own storyline and the events in the episode.

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Emma smiled across the table at her son, who was munching happily on the bacon David had prepared along with his pancake breakfast. Mary Margaret was reclining comfortably in her leather chair, waiting for David to finish cooking. The only person missing from this little moment hadn't been heard from since the afternoon before. Emma sighed, wanting to go check on him but also wanting to give him as much time to rest as possible. Who knew when Zelena would make her next move; he would likely want in on the action, and he needed to be able to hold his own.

"Good morning, Charming family," a gruff voice murmured from the base of the stairs. Emma spun to face the man she'd just been contemplating in surprise. Without speaking, she looked over him critically. His skin was a touch paler than she would have liked, there was a slight hunch to his shoulders, and he was leaning against the railing and trying to pass it off as nonchalant.

Emma pushed herself away from the island she'd been resting against and stepped towards him. Killian's head just barely moved as his eyes trained on her. His face remained stoic, but his eyes spoke volumes to her, as they always had. He was exhausted, but he wouldn't risk being caught unprepared in the event Zelena made a move. He was exhausted, but he also didn't want to miss a moment like this one, when they had no idea how many more of these moments they had. He wanted to share this with them, but he was hesitant, unsure of his place in their lives. The savior couldn't hide the affectionate smile, and took a deep breath to-

"He's awake! I'm sure you're starving, how about some breakfast?" David offered from behind her. Emma's heart swelled as Killian's eyes shifted to her father with wide, hopeful eyes. She wondered if he realized how blatant he was being with his feelings in that moment. Emma turned to David, and the fatherly smile on his lips let her know that she wasn't the only person able to read the look in the pirate's eyes.

Killian nodded, and shuffled slowly towards the proffered plate of food. Emma waited for him to pass, and ran her hand soothingly across his shoulders. Killian turned to look at her, and something akin to adoration flooded his features. It took everything Emma had not to reach up to her tip toes and kiss him, and from the gleam in his eyes, he was facing the same dilemma.

"After breakfast, we were thinking of taking a drive," Mary Margaret began softly. Killian turned to look at her, and Emma's eyes drifted closed. She'd been trying not to think about where they were planning on going after breakfast. "We…we were going to take Henry to visit Neal. Would you join us?" Emma came to stand beside the pirate, and she searched his face. It had been easy to forget that he'd known Neal before he'd become Neal. His face became somber and melancholic, and her resolve to destroy the Wicked Witch was stoked once more. Too many people were grieving the loss of Neal…and had come too close to losing both Henry and Killian since then.

Killian nodded, his eyes dropping to his feet. "Aye, thank you milady." Emma tried to suppress a smile. She should have known her parents would have picked up on his insecurity; they were both perceptive people, especially when it came to those closest to them. Little by little, they would prove to the pirate that he had a family in Storybrooke. Mary Margaret smiled, and gestured for everyone to sit and eat so that they could leave. Killian and Emma sat side-by-side, across from Henry who watching them with a knowing grin on his face.

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The cemetery was quiet as the Charmings solemnly made their way to Neal's grave. To an outsider, it would have seemed as though Emma had her arm linked through Killian's as a purely romantic gesture. In reality, Emma knew he needed just as much of her emotional strength as she needed his. She'd also seen him brace himself against the roof of the car after standing up too quickly; she was ready to provide physical strength and support the moment he needed her.

She felt his steps falter when Neal's grave came into view. David and Mary Margaret stopped, nodding to Emma to continue so that they could give Henry time and support. Killian seemed inclined to stay behind as well, but Henry glanced back to him with trepidation before sending the same glance to Emma. Once again her heart swelled despite her pain, and she had to suppress a soft smile when Killian was the one to move forward to follow him first.

"I can't believe he's really gone," Henry murmured. Tears filled Emma's eyes unbidden.

Killian's words made them spill over her lashes. "Your father was a hero, my boy. He gave his life to protect his family from the Wicked Witch." The low timbre of his voice was the only outward indication of his own grief. Emma's hand slid down the leather of his sleeve, and she intertwined their fingers with a gentle squeeze. Bright blue eyes sought hers, and he dropped his head to rest his forehead against hers for a moment. She tried to convey all of the emotions threatening to overwhelm her: love, gratitude, respect, sympathy, pain, sadness…and so much more. The corner of his lips quirked almost imperceptibly; he understood, and all of those emotions were reflected back in his own eyes.

The two returned their attention to Henry, Emma's head resting on Killian's shoulder, and watched in silence as he placed a single rose across the top of the stone. When he turned to them, his eyes were shining with unshed tears, and he walked into the warmth of both of their arms. Killian found himself caught off guard by the gesture of trust, but did not hesitate to wrap his left arm around the boy.

"Oh, how disgustingly sweet," and unwelcomed voice taunted from behind Neal's gravestone. Killian and Emma's heads snapped up, and the pirate moved faster than he had since the fight in the boathouse. Before Emma could stop him, he had urgently pushed Henry behind him, and had stepped protectively between Zelena and the Charmings. The blonde in question fisted her hand in the back of his coat, fully intending to pull him back to switch places with him. Killian stood his ground, showing significantly more strength than she'd thought him capable of in his condition. Zelena watched the exchange with a wicked smirk. "Cute, Captain. You're quite the little guard dog, aren't you? How does it feel to be the family pet?"

Emma growled angrily and tried to step forward. Once again, Killian blocked her path with a firm arm.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you two must have kissed. That little scene was just…too much. So touching, so…intimate. Unfortunately, I do know better. Let's work on remedying that, shall we?" The Wicked Witch tossed her arms in the air dramatically, and green smoke engulfed her along with Killian and Emma.

When the smoke cleared, the three had vanished and Henry, David and Mary Margaret were left behind and unable to do anything. David rushed forward to grab Henry, and hugged both his grandson and his wife close, anger radiating from him in waves.

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When Killian and Emma finally landed with Zelena, the pirate found himself utterly without a sense of equilibrium. He felt himself begin to pitch backwards until the gentle hands of his beloved steadied him. Once he was firmly upright, she came to stand beside him, taking in their surroundings. "What the hell?" she muttered, sparing half a glance at him.

Zelena appeared beside a quiet and still Rumplestiltskin. They were standing beside the witch's farmhouse, between a dilapidated shed and a small metal pool filled with water. "Perhaps instead of worrying about your little brat grieving over his dead father, you should be focused on me. Although, without magic, that could prove to be a challenge."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Next time you want to try and take my power, you might want to make sure True Love isn't going to get in your way," she snapped.

"Oh how sweet, you think that will help you? You see, Emma, you've got a decision to make. You can keep your magic, and protect your family including your baby brother who will be here at any second, or you can save the man that you love. Rumple?"

Killian narrowed his eyes and tensed, and Emma lunged in front of him. Her efforts were futile, though, as were her desperate attempts to grab him as the Dark One lifted him over her head and tossed him into the pool like he were merely a ragdoll. "Killian!" she screamed, her heart seizing in her chest. For half a second she could only watch him struggle desperately to surface, before she rushed to him and tried to pull him out of the water.

"Choose wisely. Try all you like, you know you can't free him," Zelena taunted.

Emma looked over her shoulder, glaring daggers at Rumple despite knowing he had no control. The look on the man's face was unreadable; she had no way of knowing whether or not he wanted to kill the pirate after everything they'd been through. Ultimately, his feelings didn't matter. He was incapable of stopping himself if he wanted to.

Fear and grief threatened to overtake Emma as she felt Killian's body slowly stop struggling. She vaguely heard the witch and the Dark One vanish. "No…not like this…not now," she pleaded brokenly. As soon as he became still, the magic holding him down dissipated. Emma grabbed him by both shoulders and hauled him backwards, the momentum bringing him all the way to the ground. As he landed on his back, Emma cradled his head gently and knelt beside him. "Killian?! Killian, wake up!" she begged, shaking him desperately. Chest compressions did nothing to rouse him, and only served to frustrate her further. "Come back to me!"

His face was growing paler by the second, his lips taking on a terrifying blue tinge. Panic threatened to overcome her, so she took a deep breath, pressing her forehead into his too-still chest, and clamped down as hard as she could on her fear. He needed her to be strong; he needed her to be the Savior. He was her happy ending. He couldn't die here today… "Killian, come back to me," she finally whispered, her voice wavering as a single tear slid down her cheek. She pinched his nose and used her other hand to gently open his mouth, and breathed into him. The moment their lips touched, she felt Zelena's curse take effect. The next instant, a pulse of white light overpowered the magic of the curse and she could feel her magic crackle to life inside of her. A triumphant smile tugged at her lips as she pulled back for a second, and when she leaned down again, the breath she provided for him was infused with that magic.

Before she could even pull away, Killian began to tense underneath of her. Tears of relief filled her eyes and she carefully helped support his head as he curled onto his side away from her to clear his lungs of water. When he collapsed onto his back once more, exhausted and weak, her hand remained on his neck, anchoring her to him as if he might disappear if she risked letting him go. Emma felt lightheaded with relief, and giddy with the excitement over being right about true love's kiss. The sound of him gasping desperately to take in as much air as possible was the most beautiful thing she could ever remember hearing.

The pirate reached up to touch the hand resting on his chest. "Swan," he breathed, a watery cough cutting him off. He dragged his fingers across his lips, and his eyes snapped open to stare at her in horror. "What did you do? What did you do?!" he questioned, struggling to sit up. Emma pushed him down.

"Easy, Killian, just breathe for a minute. It's okay."

"No, Swan…but-"

"Do you really think I would ever be able to just sit back and watch you die?! I have had two men die in my arms already…I'll be damned if I allow you to become the third, do you understand me?" Emma snapped, feeling anger rush over her as intensely as her fear had, and dissipating as quickly as it had when he'd revived.

Killian's blue eyes pleaded with her to understand. "But your magic-"

"Is perfectly intact, you stubborn pirate." Hook was stunned into silence, staring at her for a moment before finally succeeding in pushing himself into a sitting position. Emma rested back on her heels. "It looks like I was right after all."

Killian's breath left him in a sharp exhale, and Emma leaned forward to finally claim that kiss that she'd been craving. When she pulled back, she rested her forehead against his, and allowed her eyes to close. She reveled in the feeling of his steady, if not a little quick, heartbeat under her fingers. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

Killian quirked a tired grin at her. "As you wish, love." This time, he cradled her jaw and claimed her lips in a slow, sweet embrace that reflected all of the time he'd spent loving her, waiting for her, protecting her. Emma's fingers tightened over his jacket collar, unwilling to let him go so soon after nearly losing him forever.