Chapter 16

A Charming Heart

He had her in his arms (after she tried to kill him of course). After days of staying awake to watch Henry, after days of walking with Gina in eerie quiet, he was actually here with her, holding her hand as they zipped through the castle.

Being here made him nervous and fearful for his life, but he was here with Swan so what did it matter? He freed her. Whatever happened next did not matter in the slightest.

Even when he felt the first tug right there in front of her, when he felt his arm throb and burn, taking his breath away, like the very blood was catching fire beneath his skin. Even as he knew that the last of the sand was ticking away and whatever this poison did start its process, he held onto hope of this one last adventure, getting her out of here, one last piece of advice for her boy, one last kiss.

Maybe even getting a chance to apologize if he was lucky.

"This way Killian." She directs down one of the corridors. He doesn't question her, or how she knows exactly where the dungeon is. He has a feeling he already knows.

The dungeon is cold and damp and definitely not the place to keep an injured child such as Violet, he just hopes she is alright and that Gina's boy was in good health as well.

"Emma, do you see her?Gina or Violet?" He asked as Emma entered; saw her looking around the dozens of cells lining the walls.

"No. Killian, they're not here." She says sadly. "Do you think-"

Killian shakes his head. "Both of them would put up a bloody fight before dying, I'd expect to see at least a little bit of-"

Swan stops short staring at one of the cells. He looks at it, its completely empty, making him turn to Emma in question. "Love? What's wrong?"

She bites her lip, opening the door and kneeling besides something, cupping it in her hand like she had could a baby bird.

"Killian, do you remember why Henry met Violet?"

He thought back, nodding. "She was wearing some family jewel." He recalls vaguely, but he doesn't see the importance of that fact.

"Sea Pearls, they were her earrings." She explains showing him what sat carefully in her palm.

A Sea Pearl Earring.

"So she was here?" He questioned. "Can you track her from this?" Emma nods.

"I can track her body." She says warily, "but if she isn't here anymore…then odds are that there is nothing left to trace."

He sighs loudly. "Emma…Henry he-" He broke off as Emma gripped his arm in comfort. "I promised I'd held him find her." He admitted sadly. Killian wanted to keep that promise. He needed to.

"I know. You did everything you could, you wanted to bring her back to him, just as you came back to me." She reasons. "He'll understand that you tried."

Killian didn't want to try, he wanted to succeed. He wanted Violet to still be alive, because someone that brave shouldn't die so young. He felt his fists clench in anger before he released his tension.

"Alright Swan, lets…just find Gina and get out of here." He said, not wanting to think any more on the subject, of a young lost girl down here in the dungeon, hoping someone, anyone would come for her. Emma gripped his arm and they walked further into the dungeon on the search for the mysterious bandit.

They spend as much time as they dared looking through the prison halls.

"She's not here." Emma realized. "She left us." Emma hissed angrily.

Killian shook his head, he knew the woman, she had wanted to help him, she wouldn't just take him into this trap without intending to go along with them.

"Gina wouldn't. She saved Henry and I, why would she do that just to leave me here?"

Emma shrugged. "She knew I'd help you get out?" She suggested. Killian shook his head.

"Emma, they think your some animal that somehow listens to me through some trick or spell of some kind, or that I serve you for the very same reason." He insisted. "Her people think Gina is out here executing me to reveal such a secret. She was perfectly able to get me here by herself, why would she leave me if she already risked it all once?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Are these the same people you left my son with?" Emma demanded.

Killian paled. He had intended to leave that part out…

"Emma, Henry is perfectly safe with the healer, Gina's sister. I assure you, he is well taken care of." He promised, he believed it thoroughly, he always considered himself a good judge of character and some part of him knew that Gina was telling him the truth. "Zelena will take care of the lad."

Her grip on his hand tightened as she halted her pace drastically.

"Did you just say Zelena?" She asked in uproar. "As in Bandit Regina's sister?!"

He gulped.

"Bandit Regina?" He asked, in all honesty he was afraid of the answer.

"She was the daughter of a noblewoman, and a dear friend to my mother growing up." She had said as much, even admitted to having knowing the Queen's lost love and causing his death. "And she was jealous of my mother's beauty and status so she sabotaged her engagement to her love, killed my grandparents and fled to avoid prosecution. My mother has wanted to kill her ever since, Killian, the reason 'Gina' didn't want me to know it was her is because if I recognized her, I would have killed her." She growled. "Because she wants to kill my father."

No. That made no sense at all.

"Emma-" Just then guards stormed into the room, Killian pulled down his hood, grabbing Emma's wrists before she could react. "Play along." He whispered. She gave a small nod, but still looked upset.

"What took you so long?" He snapped to the guards, trying to make his accent not so apparent. "The Dark One escapes and you took your sweet time trying to find her?"

The guards exchanged hesitant looks.

"We were unaware that she had escaped…" One says nervously. "How exactly did she get free?"

He rolls his eyes, but it's not like they can see. "How am I supposed to know." He said swiftly. "How did she escape the last time? Go, I'll take her back to her cell." He said tugging her along, trying not to be rough, but knowing he had to sell the act.

"No, the Queen will want to speak to her, find out how she got away, let me go get her shackles" Killian shook his head.

"Don't bother, she has no magic." He confirmed for them.

"How do you know?" One asked. This time Emma rolled her eyes.

"Do you think any of you would still be alive if I had my power? Do you think I wouldn't crush your heart and watch the castle burn?" She sneered, releasing a manic laugh. "Burn baby burn." She half snarled half sang as Killian pulled her away, following the guards as Emma laughter rang down around them.

Killian knew she was joking, but it didn't help that her mad laugh sounded a bit too real for his liking.

When he dragged Emma into the throne room, he was bewildered by the grand way it was decorated, every inch was either red satin or brilliant brass. When he imagined the Evil Queen's lair, he imagined blacks and purples.

"Emma. You escaped." The Queen realized with a bored look.

She grinned. "Yup." She replied popping the 'p'. She tried to pull away from him, but he held her firm, knowing quite well that if Emma wanted him to release her, she'd be released without his say so about it.

"And how exactly did you manage that?" She snapped coming closer. Emma just snarled.

"Chewed out one of your guards, fashioned his bone for a key." She said sarcastically. "How do you think I got out? With magic."

It made the Queen flinch. "Those chains are dark magic proof." She replied. "They keep it down for hours after your release, tell the truth. Who let you out?"

Killian kept his expression neutral, not that it mattered, the Queen barely spared him a glance, as it turns out, she sees her guards as inanimate objects rather than actual people.

"I told you, my magic. I just never said the dark kind. Tell me mother, are you surprised by that? What else have you been lying to me about?" She snarled. "Are you even my real mother?"

The level of anger and hurt she exhibited was beyond anything Killian's ever heard from her. He wanted nothing more than to pull her in his arms until she calmed down, until she felt better, used him in whatever way would lessen her obvious pain. The only thing he could do at the moment is run small circles on her arm with his thumb.

The Queen's cruel expression dropped at her accusation.

"Of course I am." She said in a voice too pitiful to have possible come from such a creature. "I'm your mother Emma. Please know that everything I do is for you, my darling."

Emma snaps.

She tears her wrists away from Killian, making him tumble back as Emma, glowing in dark magic races at her mother. The woman pulls her own magic, a wicked fireball in her hands, to combat Emma, but no one can truly spar with her and survive. The fire is snuffed out by a bolt of dark energy.

"Don't lie to me." She seethes. "Is Neal him? Is he really Leo? My brother that you said was dead? That you said you killed because he was useless?"

The Queen roars back with a blast of magic, magic Emma combats with a flick of the wrist. It's obvious that the elder woman isn't going to win with her dark magic, so it's no surprise that she uses her words instead.

"Is that him? Your love?" She snarls. "Seems pretty alive to me."

Emma grins. "That he is, don't look at him, you don't get to know what I'm going to do with my life after you're dead!"

The Queen just snickers. "Does he know? Does he know how your last relationship ended? Your hand with his heart, squeezing and squeezing until there was no life, only dust left?" She taunts.

He can't help but flinch, practically feeling his heart constrict with her words.

Graham.

"It wasn't like that!" She snaps, looking back at him. "It wasn't like that." She repeats in a gentle voice aimed at him. "Don't listen to her."

Killian recalled all the times Emma had threatened to rip his heart out on the ship, to use him. He wondered if this poor chap had been what she was referring to. "Killian?" Emma asks. "You believe me right?"

But he also remembers Emma describing how much she detested controlling someone with their heart.

"My last relationship ended with my love stabbing herself right through the heart." He admits with a shrug.

(since shaking uncontrollably at the memory didn't seem like a smart option at the moment)

"Who am I to judge?" The Queen sees him as a low life pirate, but Emma, his beautiful Swan, is grinning ear to ear, hearing the words he left unspoken.

Of course I believe you love.

Emerald eyes glowing with sad understanding.

I'm so sorry Killian.

Gripping the Queen by the throat, Emma tries to squeeze the life out of her, hearing her cough in pain.

"Get away from her!" The Huntsman yells barreling into the room. Killian is quick to react, blocking him with his body, drawing his sword in an instant.

"Sorry mate, let the woman talk." He says. "I believe I owe you a sword in the back ey?" Not that Killian would ever have the stomach for that.

"I can't answer you Emma, please believe me." The Queen begs. "I'm your mother. He is your father. We love you Emma, don't-"

Killian blocks an angry motion by the guard, once, twice, knowing very well that he may not be able to beat him here, but is sure as hell going to stall him.

"He doesn't love me, he doesn't love you." Emma snaps, dropping her grip, tossing Snow across the room like one would a discarded toy. "He can't love anyone, not after what you did." He can hear her walking, but he can't see what she's doing, not with his opponent lunging with fiercer and fiercer motions, they seem almost…angry, desperate motions, but that wasn't possible for the heartless...right?.

"But I'm not like you. I'm trying to change." She continues.

"No! Emma, don't!" She cries out. The Queen throws a fireball aimed right for him, he can see it in the corner of his eye, but a dark shield comes up, dispersing it, but blowing the Huntsman and him off their feet, his ears are ringing.

It was the Queen's last ditch effort at stopping…whatever Emma plans on doing.

"Swan? What are you doing?" He calls over his shoulder as he rises slowly, too slowly as the man breaks through his defenses, nicking him on the hip as Killian returns his concentration to the fight. "Don't do anything you'll regret love." He warns.

"I'm not." She assures him. "Father stop."

As soon as she says the words, his opponent stops his assault dead in his tracks. "Put down your weapon." He does so, making Killian lower his own. He turns around, looking back at Emma, finally understanding what she was doing. In one arm she's cradling a large silver box with the words 'Charming' etched in black.

In her other hand was a red pulsating heart.

"Father, come here." She orders, eyes not on the heart but on the man, her father's eyes. No ounce of emotion laid in their depths. "I tried to take this heart when I was little, do you remember that?" Her voice is small and gentle, but he can see the warmth of love in them. Regardless of the cruelty, it is obvious in this moment just how much Emma loves her father.

"Yes." Something flashes in the man's eyes.

But perhaps it was never his cruelty that he'd witnessed, just the result of a controlled heart.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you then, but now I can." She insists, thrusting the object back where it belongs. The man gasps, recoiling a few steps, hand over his chest as his breathing turns ragged for a moment.

"Daddy?" Emma asks.

The man looks back at her, and from where Killian can see, emotion rushes back to him in one single moment, his scowl disappears replaced with a smile.

"Emma, my darling princess." He says pulling her into a hug, he can see Emma shaking in emotion, murmuring soft things into her ear.

It's a touching scene. Killian knows, in this moment, that his Swan will be ok, that she will have her friends, her son, her father to lean on when his time inevitably comes.

"I'm so sorry Emma." The man says sounding entirely broken in this instance. "I'm so so sorry." Emma shakes her head, tears now flowing down her cheeks.

"Its ok, she made you do those things, we'll get through it." She promises.

"Not for that." The man says, shaking his head. His hands move to where Killian can't see. "I'm apologizing…for this."

Emma's expression turns from confusion to anger, to pain.

"SWAN!"

Because in that second, the bloody Huntsman had drew his knife and stabbed Emma right through the heart, before pulling back with an agonizingly familiar sound. She gasped in pain.

Killian doesn't waste a moment, racing towards her as she stumbles forward, hands drenched in blood as she touches the wound and then reaches for her father. The man backs away, letting Emma stumble before Killian gets to her lowering to the ground slowly. Her mouth is open is shock but no words come out.

"Swan, come on, you're the bloody Dark One. I'll just get us out of here, you heal it alright?" He begs. Because she's still conscious, that means she's still alive.

But there was so much blood.

"Milah, Milah, oh Milah, why?" He gasped, "Why?" He was trying to stop the bleeding, but there was just so much.

"I'm free Killian, finally finally free." She murmured. "Thank you Killian."

He shook his head, his tear mixing in with her blood, oh her blood.

"Please Milah, don't leave me." He begged. "Why does everyone keep leaving me?"

She smiled weakly. "I'm sorry. I love you Killian, truly."

And then she died.

"Daddy." Swan moans in deep agony, physical and emotional before her eyes close. Killian presses his hand to the wound, concentrating hard, turning his head towards the man in question. He's just staring at her.

"What the hell? You just stabbed your own daughter!" He snarled. He would stop the bleeding this time, Emma Swan would live, that was one thing he was damn sure of!

The man shook his head. "This is family business." He stated curtly, moving forward, trying to get close to her, trying to touch her.

"Get away from her!" He shouts. "You don't deserve her! None of you do!" He snarled.

"Charming! Get her back to her room." The Queen orders, she's staring at him as he clutches tightly to Emma, trying to stop the bleeding. Charming's hands are on his shoulders trying to pull him away from her.

"No!" He snarls. "No!" Because these people can't take her, they can't have her back, they hurt her, torment her, and break her down until she feels like she's nothing. He'd die fighting before they get to do that again.

"Pirate!" The Queen says lowly. "Release my daughter before I get impatient." She warns.

Killian doesn't know what to do, they will take her whether he likes it or not. He wants to save her, but he feels nothing but helpless.

And then like a gift from god he sees it, a flicker. At first Killian thought it was just a trick of the light.

But it wasn't.

An arrow flew across the room, landing squarely in the Queen's shoulder. She gasped loudly, pulling it out with her gloved hand. The wound was already knitting itself back together again. He sees familiar purple feathers dangling from the end.

"Who did this?!" She snarled, before another one fired, hitting the huntsman directly in the leg. It made him fall to the ground in what looked like agony.

Killian felt a little bit of joy from seeing this man suffer. Killian picked up his head, looking in the direction of the shots.

"Gina?" He called, seeing her dark hair from the far off hallway, her bow in hand, another arrow already knocking into place.

"Regina!" Snow exclaimed, taking a slow step forward. "How dare you come here and-" She was cut off by a mystic purple glow consuming her whole body before dimming out. "What-Why can't I-"

Regina smirked. "Squid ink. Always useful to have a little insurance wouldn't you say?" She said sarcastically. "Come on Captain, get your Swan, we're getting the hell out of here."

Killian removed the hood and cape from his uniform, pressing and tying it firmly over the wound in Swan's chest, before pulling her up bridal style. He could feel her breathing against his neck, making him pull her closer. She needed help, her magic was still weak and the wound had yet to stop bleeding.

"Lead the way Bandit."

I am so sorry for the delay, My computer with this story on it broke and I was only able to extract the story from it yesterday. I am so glad it didn't crash as I'm terrible at backing up my files.

Updates may be quick for the next week as I try to catch up to where its supposed to be.

Now, This chapter is sort of a turning point, there will be loads of angst ahead. Its necessary for certain things to happen. Just bare with me for a bit.

Guest Reviews:

andria: Now that you mention it, I do remember the magic part of the cuff, which now makes a lot more sense. I liked Robin, and am sad he's gone, I wish they had done so much more with his character.

Anna: I'm glad you liked the fast reunion, I'm glad you think this story is 'bloody freaking awesome' I loved writing Aurora in this. She was so amusing. Evil characters are everywhere dearie. Never apologize for loving a good villain! As for Snowing, you'll see.

Guest: I'm glad you like how I put in Regina and my reunion, you may have to wait a bit for Henry's reunion. maybe a chapter or two more.

So this Author's note isn't longer than it has to be, I'm only ranting about Firebird.

So Spoiler alert.

(but its been more than 2 weeks, so I don't know if that's necessary.)

Firebird 5x20:

Ok, seeing how Emma learned all her tricks was adorable, like seriously, I wish Emm had spent more time with a mother/mentor figure and I loved Cleo, it was a trip to watch. They are officially True Love in a sort of unconventional way. That departure was heartbreaking, and I'm sad to see how Hades lied to Zelena. I really thought they would have been happy, but of course it's Once, no one can be happy.

Don't forget to review!

~Luna