A/N: I'm glad that you guys seemed to enjoy the last chapter, even though I did end it on a cliffhanger. I hope you enjoy this one just as much. Thanks for sticking around! Probably just one more chapter after this one, maybe two depending on what the next one turns into as I haven't fully planned it yet. Thanks for the reviews, favourites and follows! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All aspects of Once Upon A Time belong to ABC and the show's creators.

"Nice to see you again, Ems."

Emma was yanked into the empty stage area before she realized what had happened. The door closed behind them, trapping her. As the ballet was repeating again tomorrow the staging had been left up and the curtain left down, creating a completely isolated room. All the stagehands were gone. And would be until tomorrow afternoon. It was dark; the stage lighting turned off, making everything hazy and distorted.

The strong hands forced her against the wall, the one against her mouth pressing hard enough to push her lips back from her teeth. There was pressure in her skull from how hard the hand was pressing against her teeth, actually moving them in the gums. Emma tried to bite into the rough flesh and get free as her eyes adjusted to the dark theatre but every one of her muscles froze when she got a look at who held her.

Neal. So this had been the reason for the mysterious plus one mistake. She should have known something suspicious had been going on. Neal must have snuck in before Emma, claiming to be her date. He would have been able to give her name and he was dressed as if he had just attended the ballet. No wonder the doorman hadn't doubted him and allowed him entrance. Emma knew better than anyone how good a show Neal could put on when he wanted to.

Nothing had changed with Neal. It was as if Neal had walked back in her apartment the day after the chair incident. The possessive eyes that raked over Emma like she was naked were just as terrifying. Eyes landing on her scarred shoulder, Neal smirked, but it wasn't the kind of smirk she loved to receive from Killian. This one was nasty. "You healed up nice, Ems," he bit. Emma wanted to snap back but Neal pressed too hard against her teeth, completely limiting her ability to move her mouth. Brown hair in disarray, it only helped to give Neal a wild look. This was Neal in all his angry glory. This was the Neal she'd always known. The suit he wore didn't help make him look civilized. Or maybe this persona he was projecting had nothing to do with his appearance. Maybe it was because Emma knew what Neal was like. Knew that no matter how refined he looked he was still the monster of her nightmares.

The hand that had been on her arm moved so the forearm sat against her neck, resting on her clavicles. She couldn't struggle against him, not only because Neal held her too tightly, but also because the situation was all too familiar. The tighter the arm pushed against her windpipe the faster the flashback swept over her.

Neal smashed her against the fridge door, the back of her skull cracking against the white door, staining it with blood. She could feel it trickle down the back of her neck, soaking the neckline of her t-shirt. This was the first time he had ever restrained her. It scared her more than the punches and kicks. Because now he had full control over her. Neal was too strong for her to escape.

Emma didn't shut her eyes because that would make things worse for her. Neal gave her another shake, the force actually moving the fridge behind her. A guttural sound clawed its way from Neal's throat. Emma tried not to whimper in return. Not that she would have been able to make a noise anyways, not with the pressure against her neck, blocking out all the air. Her vision began to grow black and her limbs tingled with oxygen deprivation. As things went black Neal let go and stomped out of the apartment.

"What do you want?" Emma choked out between gasps of air once she had broken from the flashback and Neal had eased up the pressure against her teeth. "How did you find me?"

Neal leered at her and leaned closer. "A police officer shot on the line of duty? That's major news, Ems. Not hard to find you when you're in all the newspapers."

"I didn't go to the police," Emma croaked, mind whirling. There had to be a reason why he would come back, after years of silence.

Neal had left the university after Emma kicked him out, never to be seen again. But that hadn't subsided her anxiety that he would return, that he would come back and finish her off. She'd done so well with hiding her tracks, taken all the precautions she could while she was preparing to leave the life that still so involved Neal. She'd left the university behind without telling her professors where she was going. She'd left in the middle of the night so no one would see her go. David and Mary Margaret had waited weeks, not because there wasn't a job open in Storybrooke, not really. They had waited, moving back to David's hometown for a buffer period before following Emma in case Neal was still around and keeping an eye on them as well. The years without Neal had lulled her into a false sense of safety. Because of that she couldn't figure out why Neal would come back.

"You replaced me," Neal replied, anger sparking in the dark eyes. It was the same anger she had seen in the moments before the chair crashed down against her shoulder. The same anger that haunted her every time she looked in the mirror.

"What are you talking about?" Emma asked, trying to feign ignorance. Neal must have seen her and Killian together when he came looking for her. Of course he would get jealous. She should have known better than to believe she could be involved with someone else and not stir up trouble. Not only had Emma put herself in danger but she had also risked Killian's life. Emma's heart sank when she realized that. Because Killian had never been anything but caring towards her. He didn't deserve to die at the hands of her jealous ex. She had to protect Killian. She could practically feel Killian's presence on the other side of the wall, enjoying himself in the ballroom. It was a comfort among the fear Neal instilled in her. She would die for Killian.

"I never told you we weren't still together. You kicked me out but you didn't do anything else. I never gave you permission to become involved with someone else."

"You don't own me."

Neal rocked her backwards, slamming her into the drywall. It gave way, bowing under her with a sickening crack. Emma gasped as the dizziness washed over her. Her ears filled with a hum, as if a thousand bees were inside each eardrum. It was only Neal's arm against her clavicles that kept her from crashing to the floor. Her knees buckled though, leaving her in a semi-hanging position, pinned between the wall and his forearm.

"How could you be here with that man?"

"Because I love him," Emma replied, struggling to get her legs under her again.

"You love him?" Neal gasped. The momentary shock hardened into a metal glint. The groan of Neal's teeth crunching together replaced the buzzing in Emma's ears. "Well then I'll have to kill him."

No. No. Killian would not die because of Emma's mess. She shouldn't have said anything. Neal was jealous and territorial. Emma had known that. Knowing that had been the only way she'd survived their time together. She used to be able to deal with that. And now she had gone and said probably the worst thing she possibly could. She knew he would do what he said. She knew how Neal would act, even if she had forgotten earlier.

She had to get rid of Neal before he could reach Killian. And to do that she had to do something she never had before.

Emma shoved forwards, pushing Neal back. It caught him off guard and allowed Emma to force a few feet in between them. Neal came back at her, grasping for her throat. She dodged it as best as she could with the dizziness that still held her down. She didn't move as fast as she could have and ended up with Neal's palm cracking against her ear. A whimper escaped her lips as the force pushed her into the wall with another thud. It made her eyes black out for a few moments, plunging her into a void of a nightmare.

By the time she had righted herself and got her vision back, Neal stood before her with a large switchblade, lips pulled back in a way that resembled a rabid dog. It hit her then, just how bad a situation she'd gotten herself in. Neal was going to kill her. And then, once she was dispatched with, Killian would soon follow suit. All she had to hope for was that Killian would be with David when Neal went after him. David was a good fighter. David could protect Killian for her.

Emma drew up her arms in front of her face, fisting her hands, as she cycled through everything she had been taught about knife fighting. The biggest thing when fighting someone with a knife was that you couldn't be scared of getting stabbed, because in a knife fight, it was sure to happen. Maybe if she got stabbed it wouldn't be life threatening and she would still be able to take Neal down and protect Killian.

Neal lunged forward, slashing down. The knife tore into the black fabric of Emma's dress but she was able to jump out of the way before the edge bit the skin of her thigh. Emma brought her hand down, hitting towards the knife in an attempt to knock it from his hand. Neal reacted faster than she had counted on, drawing the knife up her forearm in a long slash.

Emma gasped, pulling her injured hand against her chest as blood dripped down from the crook of her elbow. Emma glanced at the cut. It wasn't deep, it was just long. Good. She wouldn't bleed out from it. She could still fight.

She forced herself to stand straight and look Neal in the eye. She wouldn't be afraid of him, not anymore. Neal had put her though years of torment, years of being afraid of experiencing a flashback that would reveal her secret to someone who wasn't supposed to know because they so often came with little warning. However this ended Neal would know that he had no control over her. Not anymore.

Neal's head whipped around as the stage door opened. Emma turned as Neal's knife directed itself towards the intruder. Her heart started to race when she saw who it was. Killian. He must have noticed Emma was missing and assumed something bad had happened. Maybe he thought she had found somewhere to have the earlier flashback in peace. Emma doubted he had thought Neal would arrive. Or maybe Killian had and that was why he looked so frantic when he threw open the door and rushed inside. Killian was panting, his face pale as he scanned the area for Emma. When he saw her his eyes immediately settled on the blood that covered her pale skin.

"Get out of here," Emma cried as Killian stepped closer.

"I'm not leaving you," Killian replied, much more calmly and determined. His eyes never left Emma as he moved closer. It was as if Neal wasn't even there.

"Neal's going to kill you, Jones. Please, I can't lose you too."

"I'd listen to her, Jones," Neal hissed, baring his teeth again.

"You shut up," Killian snapped, turning from Emma for just a moment. "This is Emma's life. Not yours."

"Exactly why you don't belong in it either." Neal jumped forward slamming into Killian and forcing him back before Emma could react. Killian moved forward, trying to push Neal further from Emma. The two men grappled and pushed against each other for a few moments before pushing off each other and stumbling backwards in opposite directions.

Emma closed the space between them and put herself in the middle of the fighting men before they could close out on each other again. "Look Neal, please. I didn't go to the cops last time. I won't this time either if you just leave." If there was one thing stronger than Neal's territorial jealousy it was his survival instinct, his need to look after himself first.

"There's one problem with that, Ems. Now you're the cop so that deal won't fly anymore."

Neal lifted the knife and slashed towards her violently. Before Emma could react Killian had pushed her out of the way and caught the blade. Blood immediately poured onto the stage and Emma was as stunned as Neal was.

Neal froze in shock when he saw how the knife bit into Killian's hand without Killian flinching. Killian stood straight, as if nothing had happened. That was when Emma realized which hand Killian had blocked the knife with.

"How?" Neal murmured, more to himself than Killian. But Killian had heard.

"I can't feel my hand you bloody bastard." In the seconds Neal stood watching the blade as it rapidly turned red, Killian swung out and hit Neal's jaw. Hard. Neal's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed unconscious, the knife clattering to the stage beside him.

Ruby, David and Mary Margaret burst through the door after that, a crowd trying to follow them. When David took in the scene, Neal unconscious in a heap, Killian and Emma both bleeding, he turned and, using his best police officer voice, forced everyone back and shut the stage door.

Mary Margaret rushed over to Emma as David knelt to Neal, checking his pulse before pulling out his cellphone and holding it against his ear. Emma shook her friend off and moved towards Killian. She needed to touch Killian. To know he was okay. To thank him for saving her life. Emma reached her non-bloodied arm out almost hesitantly to the spot where Killian stood, rooted to the stage, staring at Neal.

She took his injured hand in hers and cradled it against her chest. It was still pouring blood. "Killian," she cooed gently when he didn't immediately look at her. "Hey, Killian, we're okay."

Killian looked at her then and pulled his hand away. But it wasn't in a way that was hurtful. No, he did it so he could wrap his arms around Emma, pulling her tight against his chest. Emma could feel the rapid beating of his heart against her own skin. She made hushing noises and rubbed his back as best as she could without getting any more blood on his suit.

"Neal was going to kill you," Killian whispered, burying his head in the crook of her neck. Wetness pooled along the ridges of her scars as his shoulders began to shake.

"I know," Emma replied softly, bracing him upright. "But you saved me, Killian. You saved my life."

"I couldn't let you die," he murmured back when the shaking had stopped. They held each other for a long moment, only breaking apart when her friends came over.

"Graham's on his way," David told her as he took Emma's injured arm into his hand, examining it. "Neal's under arrest for assault with a weapon. Jail's his next stop." The clean handkerchief David produced from a pocket was quickly ruined as he dabbed at the long cut that had finally begun to clot. Mary Margaret did the same for Killian's injury, gasping when she saw how deep the cut really was. She pulled the scarf from her hair and pressed it into the cut, hushing Killian when he flinched away.

"You two need to get to the hospital," Ruby said after she had appraised the bloodied mess they were in. Emma knew she would be fine with a little pressure and a bandage but Killian was growing paler the longer they stood on the stage. The puddle at his feet was growing much too rapidly for Emma. Stitches were obviously needed and while David had stitched her shoulder up after Neal's last attack she wasn't going to let him do the same for Killian, especially not when Killian's hand was already so compromised. She wanted a doctor to examine it and make sure the nerves that had been connected still were. She couldn't stand the thought of Killian losing what little movement his hand had because of someone who had come after her. "Come on, I'll drive." Ruby pulled her keys from the little purse she carried and waved them slightly.

"Go out the front," Mary Margaret suggested, pointing off the stage so they wouldn't have to go back through the ballroom.

Emma nodded and put her hand out for Killian. Killian grasped it, still shaking slightly and allowed Emma to lead him off the stage and out towards the parking lot.