A/n: Thank you so much for all of the support! I really appreciate it! These next few chapters were all inspired by the music playlist I made for this story. It helps me think about the many layers worth exploring for Emma and Killian.

Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time.

Chapter VII: Elastic Heart

And another one bites the dust…oh why can I not conquer love? And I might have thought that we were one…wanted to fight this war without weapons.- Sia

"WHY ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME?!" He spat lowly.

"I…" She tried to think as her air supply depleted and the searing pain of her hair being pulled caused her to wince. Anger and frustration boiled under her skin, and she was more than pissed at having to resort to explanations rather sucker punch him.

"I frequent the Treasure Chest to know you aren't one of them." Derek growled. "How did you find me?!"

"I had to see you again." She cried hoarsely.

"Not good enough!" Derek demanded. "Why? I'm not going to ask again."

"Because…I need you to remember." Emma confessed, hurtful tears started to spill. Derek snatched his hand back, causing her to drop to the floor.

"Wait…What?" He asked, growing tired of her being cryptic. "Who are you?"

"My name isn't important, trust me." She panted. "What is important is you're in danger."

"My love had a gun to your head not 5 minutes ago." Derek retorted coolly. "And you think I'm the one in danger?"

"Look," Emma reasoned as she stood to her feet. "I know this is all confusing, but I wouldn't be here if it weren't true."

"I think you've hit your head a little harder than I thought, lass." Derek managed, observing her like she had just escaped the Looney bin. "Just because I rescued you from a bus, doesn't mean…"

"This isn't a case of misplaced hero worship." Emma cut him off, seeing the parallels he was drawing. Not that she could blame him. After he'd saved her from that car, she actually had been trying to find him.

"Isn't it?" Derek raised a brow. "I've saved your life twice now, and here you are, professing your love to me like some princess in a fairytale."

The irony wasn't missed, but Emma decided dwell on it later. "I know it's a lot to take in, but you can't tell me you didn't feel it too."

Derek swallowed, not bothering to acknowledge her assumption. "The only thing I feel is annoyed and a bit terrified."

"We are connected Derek. And nobody here is who they say they are." She insisted. "And I can prove it."

Pulling out a small vial, she handed it to him. "Drink this."

"Are you mad?!" Derek asked, studying the vial.

"No." Emma exhaled. "You'll know I'm not lying."

"So I'm supposed to just drink some strange liquid in a bottle, because some blonde asked me to." He repeated aloud, hoping it would somehow seem less senseless. It didn't.

"No, do it for yourself." She insisted, her voice slightly edgy. "Despite you lying, I know you saved me for a reason. Listen to your gut."

Derek stared at the blonde beauty that had captured his eye earlier. He didn't remember how he'd known to take a left and not a right. He couldn't fathom why he would risk his own freedom to stop and save her. When their eyes met, he'd felt like he'd seen them before. Maybe in another life, if he believed in that sort of thing.

"What if it's poisoned?" He finally wanted to know.

"I would never hurt you." Emma promised, ignoring the nagging reminder in her heart that she already had.

Derek studied her for a moment. He'd been a crime boss for many years, and there were always signs of a liar. The blonde was unwavering and open. "Bloody Hell, you really do believe this don't you?"

"Do you think I'd be chasing you around if I didn't?" She asked in a huff.

Derek eyed the vial once again before rolling his eyes. He raised the vial, mumbling, "Here's to you." Popping the vial open, he drank it in once gulp.

'True love's kiss.' She remembered, before smashing her lips to his.

Derek's arms slowly came around her, pulling her closer. Emma continued to kiss him, but something was off. It wasn't a kiss of true love…it was…lust.

"Killian?" Emma breathed, taking a step back from him. She watched for any signs of recognition in his eyes. What she saw, was nothing.

"Nice kiss, lass." He complimented.

"Seriously…?" She asked a little breathless. Curse or no curse, Killian was a hell of a kisser. But like he once did, she had hoped it meant something.

"You seem like nice lass, really nice in fact…" Derek observed checking out her breasts. "But I'm a business man, and I've entertained you long enough."

"What?" Emma cried. "After all I just…"

"The only thing you've done is show me that you don't belong here!" Derek spat. "Now leave, while I'm still feeling generous."

He didn't spare her a second glance as he walked back towards the main doors of the warehouse.

"So that's it?!" Emma asked more to herself than anyone else. She was confused and heartbroken and utterly, defeated.

"Come find me when you need a job. Exit's to the left." He called out, before disappearing into the night.

Emma felt her world fall beneath her feet. She could hear the dark one's voice in her head, taunting her. 'Come now, dearie. You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"

She closed her eyes, listening to the sound of her heartbeat. "For a second there…yeah, I did." She whispered.

Emma left the warehouse, not knowing what was the next move. Was there even a next move?

So caught up in her thoughts, she didn't hear the footsteps sneak up behind her. A black clothed bag covered her head. She started to scream, but the oxygen to her lungs were being crushed by a meaty hand.

"Sorry to waste the goods Blondie," the gruff voice whispered lustfully in her ear. "I got my orders."

Emma tried to struggle against the brute known as Morgan. She had recognized his voice. Damn, what she wouldn't give to have her powers now. With her oxygen depleting, she faded into unconsciousness, but not before thinking 'Killian ordered him to… kill me?'

She stood at the mass of the black ship that was in the port. It was a strange night. Not a single star in the sky, and the winds were still, a heavy fog sat on the ocean. Bad night for any sailor.

Then she heard it. Whispers…her nerves were on edge as her hair was whipped to the side by the sudden gust of bone chilling wind. She half turned, to see a commotion in the distance.

A man was dragging an unconscious body to the ocean. From the shadows, it was a woman, in a familiar red jacket. The brute tossed her into the ocean, letting the tide drag her body out. He watched briefly, before disappearing back into the darkness.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me." She grumbled. "I'd better get points for this Zeus."

Taking a breath, she jumped off the ship, swimming as fast as she could to the other woman. Reaching her, wasn't easy. The water was freezing, and the moonlight wasn't particularly bright.

But after a few desperate moments of shuffling, she managed to grip the victims arm, pulling her body close to hers. She sputtered, swimming with one had back to shore. "I mean it. I better get major points for this!"

She drug them both to shore. Wasting no time, she gave mouth to mouth, pumping on the blonde beauty's chest, trying to remember everything she'd seen on TV. "Come on! Breathe!" she commanded, blowing air and pumping more.

She was about to give up, when the blonde coughed up water, her eyes dazed and heavy.

"That's it slick. Get the sea out of ya." She encouraged tiredly. Now, how to get them from the docks, to a fire.

"Major points for this." She grumbled looking down at the blonde.

A throbbing headache brought Emma into consciousness. She felt the sun streaming down her face, felt the warmth of a blanket covering her. Wait. She wasn't dead?

Her senses were on high alert as she examined her new surroundings.

There was a woman, shuffling around the apartment. She had waist length burgundy hair, olive skin, model frame.

"Rise n' shine, honey." She announced. "There's some aspirin on the table."

"Who are you?" Emma demanded to know.

"Megara, friends call me Meg." She announced casually. "At least they would, if I had any friends."

"I'm..." Emma started.

"Emma." Meg finished, handing her a cup of coffee. "The savior."

"We know each other?" She asked, already knowing that they didn't. But she accepted the much needed caffeine nonetheless.

"I saw you in the underworld." Meg explained. "While Hades was busy manipulating you, I made a break for it."

"How are you alive?" Emma implored, dying for any information. "Where did you come from?"

"I'm actually a lot like you. I came from what this world has labeled, 'Ancient Greece.'" Meg quoted with her fingers. "I went down there to save my boyfriend, and got stuck there for centuries."

"Then we have something in common." Emma revealed, "Because that's precisely why I'm here."

Meg crossed her arms. "Uh huh. Good luck with that, slick."

"Wait, you just can't leave, I need your help." She set the empty coffee cup on the counter.

"The only help you'll get from me is directions out of New York." Meg edged around the squat, gathering her things.

"You've been here longer. You knew who Killian was when he came here." Emma accused.

Meg didn't deny it. "When you've been in the darkness for so long, you become connected to it. Like ESPN or something."

"You hear the whispers." Emma surmised.

Meg tilted her head and gave a cynical scoff. "You can call it that…and I started hearing them the moment your pirate came back from the dead."

"So, you know he's in trouble!" She pressed on. "My magic is screwed here, but yours isn't."

"Look, whatever deals you have with Hades, I want nothing to do with." Meg held a hand in protest. "I just thought I'd return a courtesy- so much for integrity."

Emma noticed it wasn't much packing she had to do. Meg was a wonderer- no country, no flag, no allegiance. Much like she was as a teenager. The apartment was a squat, and a means to an end. The Grecian lived a life on the run, but why? "What did Hades do to you?"

Meg paused, her lavender eyes going dark. "He opened my eyes to how naïve I was."

"Meg, I am lost here. You're the only one whose faced Hades and won." Emma said desperately.

"I didn't win!" She snapped. "Have you not heard a word I said? Your boyfriend is dead. Give it up, and move on!"

"No!" Emma shouted. "I won't leave Killian to remain Hades' dummy for the rest of his life!"

"Love isn't a fairytale, so I suggest you wake up." Meg advised, and headed for the door, not looking back.

As the door slammed, Emma fell back on the couch. Her only chance of salvation just walked out the door.

Maybe Meg was right. Killian had ordered his henchmen to murder her. No, Emma reminded herself. Not Killian, Derek.

She made Killian a promise in Camelot. She hadn't abandoned him then, and she certainly wasn't going to start now.

She had come too far, and there was no going back.

You won't see me fall apart…'Cause I've got thick skin, and an elastic heart…-Sia.

A/N: Thanks for everything. Truly. Sorry if this chapter is a little short. Like I said, I'm editing and rewriting different scenarios. I wanted to introduce Meg into the story, because I think she's an important supporting character for the disney world of Greek Gods.

Review/Follow/Favorite-me!

-R.