A/N So I know you guys didn't like Henry's reaction on the show and I promise he doesn't compare her to Regina but… I needed him to get a bit upset so things could occur (plot development purposes I promise). By the way, I just want to point out I could never hate you guys even when you're giving constructive criticism (speaking to you Rapunzel215)! Anyhow, just thought I should point out and emphasise that this is the catalyst to the big event involving the heart I mentioned as a hint. Hence the title of this chapter. This is not the big event. It is the cause. And I hope you all love it. Read away!

Chapter 27: Catalyst

Emma waited quietly for the school bell to chime, signalling the end of the day for the students inside. She'd been at the station since the early morning and David was taking the rest of the day so she could talk to Henry as soon as he got out of school. It was time he heard about his father, the truth this time.

She was sitting on a bench in the park opposite the school; her bug parked a few metres away. It was an oddly nice day in Maine, the blue sky could clearly be seen and the sun was casting comfortable warmth over the small town of Storybrooke.

The bell rang out and Emma straightened up, watching in amusement as children ran from the school like ants from a nest, eager to go home. Standing up so she had a better view, she quickly spotted Henry. He was walking next to a pretty young girl, talking and gesturing wildly. Emma smiled; the kid was obviously besotted with her. Sad that she would have to drag him away, she called out to him.

Henry quickly snapped his head up, searching for the source. The girl next to him saw Emma waving before he did and pointed. His smile widened as he saw his mom and he said a quick good-bye to the girl before running towards the blonde. He grasped her tightly in a hug.

"You're back! How was New York with Gold? Did you find who you were looking for?" the words tumbled out of his mouth one after another. Emma chuckled, ruffling her son's hair affectionately.

"It was interesting; we found who we were looking for. I'm sorry I didn't have time to say good bye myself," she replied to his questions, revelling in the warmth and affection he was showing her. Henry disengaged from his mother and followed her as she started walking over to a bench seat.

"Hey kiddo, who was that?" Emma asked and motioned her head in the direction of the girl, nudging Henry playfully as she took him over to the bench and sat down. He blushed and cast his eyes down, obviously embarrassed.

"Grace – she's Jefferson's daughter."

Emma nodded, that was the guy who had detained her and Mary Margaret and – even if it was a scary experience – she couldn't blame the poor guy. He'd been ripped from his daughter and, now that she knew about the curse, had been punished with the knowledge of the truth. It was any wonder he was sane enough to have planned Emma's kidnapping in the first place.

Having a kid made her more sympathetic to his plight now, especially since she didn't think he was completely psychotic anymore.

"She seems nice…" the saviour smirked knowingly and Henry punched his mother lightly. When the embarrassment wore off, he looked up at her in confusion.

"You don't usually pick me up, especially since we can't find that guy who attacked you. What's going on?" he asked. Emma should have been horrified that he knew about Talice but, in all honesty, trying to pull something on this kid was like trying to outrun the rain – almost impossible.

The only reason he'd believer her about the story regarding his birthfather was that he trusted her wholeheartedly. That and he was so infatuated with the idea of a hero father that he was blind to the signs she was lying.

"I have to tell you something," she said nervously, wringing her hands. Henry picked up on her tone and became concerned, his face dropping.

"What's wrong? Is everyone okay?" he asked, suddenly concerned for the welfare of the town. This kid was way too good to have been brought up by the Evil Queen. Emma bit her lip, shaking her head at his last question.

"No, everyone's fine… I just… do you remember when I told you about your father?" she started hesitantly and her son's eye brows knotted.

"Yeah."

"Well… I may not have told you the entire truth about him," Emma said. Henry closed his eyes and shook his head.

"What do you mean? What part?" he asked, opening his eyes again to stare into his mother's.

"All of it?" she replied, watching with relief as the confusion drained from Henry's face only to be filled with disappointment. The relief dropped and a weight suddenly hit the bottom of Emma's stomach. Her son had never looked at her like that.

"What's the truth, then?" he asked evenly, controlling his voice and keeping it steady.

"I met your father when… well we were both thieves. Eventually we fell in love," Emma's throat constricted when she said those words, it still hurt to talk about after everything, "and wanted to settle down. But your Dad was in trouble so I had to help him… basically I ended up taking the fall for his crime and I found out about you when I got into jail."

Henry shook his head, angrier than before, "My Dad put you in jail! He wasn't a hero, he was a coward?" Emma felt her heart break as her son started to cry hot angry tears.

"Henry, I couldn't tell you before because I never thought you'd have to meet him," she pleaded, trying to implore the young boy. She tried to touch him comfortingly but he jerked away from her touch, jumping up from the bench to stand in front of Emma.

"What do you mean you didn't think I'd have to meet him?" he asked and his mother's head dropped slightly in shame.

"We ran into each other in New York and he found out about you… he came back to Storybrooke with us. He wants to meet you."

Henry took a couple of steps back, clenching his fists in anger, "I don't want to meet him! I can't believe you lied to me! You lied!"

She stood up, reaching for Henry as he turned and sprinted down the street. She was about to chase after him when her phone vibrated in her pocket. With the risk of Talice still on the loose, she hesitantly took the call. Her son was probably running home to Regina, or her parents' place or maybe even Grace's.

Heart breaking as he ran into the distance, she answered only to be harried by the person on the other end. It sounded like Leroy.

"Emma! You need to get down to the docks, now!"

"What's going on? Why didn't you call David?" she asked, slightly irritated that no one around here seemed to note that her father was on call as well. Leroy heard the disdain in her voice and replied in an equally hostile tone.

"I called you because I thought you should know that Gold has just come down to the docks and he's attacking Hook! He lifted the invisibility curse from the ship and I can see them fighting!"

"I'll be right there," Emma replied, running in the opposite direction her son had gone; towards the docks. She was pissed; that bloody pirate had aggravated the most powerful man in Storybrooke for the fifteenth bloody time and she was going to bloody kill him. Just last night she'd sought comfort from him and now she felt about ready to skin him – if he could have just kept to himself she would have caught up to her son and they could have been talking right then, fixing the mess she'd made.

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Killian was contently leaning on the helm when he saw the wiry man walking up the wharf. His movements were fluid but blunt; the movements of an angry man. Standing straighter, he watched as Rumplestiltskin reached the dock next to the Jolly Roger. With one lithe flick of his hand, the invisible enchantment surrounding the vessel shattered – the feint bubble around the ship burst. He stepped onto the ship, eyes immediately seeking out the pirate.

"What are you doing here, crocodile?" Killian asked, walking down to the main deck.

Rumplestiltskin growled, "What did you say to my son?" A burst of magic tossed the pirate against the banisters, his back hitting the metal hard. He cursed at the pain it sent shooting up his spine, pulling his sword out defensively.

"I didn't tell him what happened to Milah, if that's what you're inferring. You did enough of that, didn't you?" Killian replied accusingly and the old man in front of him narrowed his eyes.

"I told him the truth, pirates were the reason his mother died. You were the reason she died."

The revelation hit the pirate like a bullet, paining him greatly as he considered the crocodile's words. It was true; if he had never taken her from the coward then she never would have died. She would have been sad and lonely but at least she would have been alive. Rumplestiltskin smirked when he saw the flinch it tempted in his opponent.

Fine, Killian thought, if we're playing dirty.

"So what's up with good old Bailey? We bonded over some beverages at the local tavern; he told me you abandoned him. Even your own son couldn't bait some courage out of you," he sneered.

The wiry man shook with fury, procuring and catapulting a ball of fire in one fluid movement. The pirate only just dodged it, the sphere of magic landing in the water with a sizzle. Rumplestiltskin growled and started striding up to Killian.

He held his sword at length, stepping away from the banister so they were circling each other threateningly.

"I never repaid you for what you did to Belle," the old man said ominously, his limp completely eradicated with all the fury he felt. That much power was dangerous in one person, but he intended to use it on this scum. The pirate would wish he'd never crossed paths with the Dark One.

"You've always been a coward, Rumplestiltskin. What magic are you going to hide behind today?" Killian replied, his tone equally low and menacing.

"No magic," his opponent replied and suddenly the pirate was reeling back, landing on the ground. The bastard had hit him with his cane. Blow after blow struck Killian, in the shoulder, ribs, leg, face. He was finally able to role away and regain his stance. Rumplestiltskin followed him, throwing another ball of fire at him. Killian ducked, grabbing his sword which had been dropped on the ground.

He could taste the blood from his lip as he advanced on the crocodile. He struck out at his shoulder, missing by an inch as the other man moved back. Again and again he barraged the man, and each time the imp was able to scurry out of it. He had the crocodile with his back pressed against the stern when Rumplestiltskin smiled darkly.

He did something with his fingers and suddenly the sword disappeared in a flume of grey smoke.

"Now that you've finished having your fun, it's my turn," he said, stepping forward as the pirate stuttered back. The crocodile clenched his fist tight and Killian felt the air vanish from his lungs, it was what Emma had endured back at the lake. He writhed in agony, trying desperately to breathe in. And yet, all he could think of was the swan girl and how she had experienced this. It both angered him and gave him strength, if she could survive an ordeal like this so could he.

Before his vision could cloud, Rumplestiltskin unclenched his fist and smiled disturbingly. Looking down at the pirate with a deranged expression, the thin man stepped closer.

"I've been waiting a very long time to do this. I'm going to wait until you are begging me to die then, and only then, I will crush your heart like I did that bitch. Maybe you can reside together in hell."

The words were whispered but delivered the blow of a truck. Pain mingled with fury as Killian stared defiantly into Rumplestiltskin's emotionless eyes.

"You coward," was the last two words he said before he screamed in agony. He didn't know where the pain was coming from, just that it felt like the air was pressing in on him, crushing him. The air smothered him and it became hard to breath, like trying to inhale oil. With painful abruptness, everything returned to normal and the crocodile was suddenly flying across the deck, hitting the mast with a loud bang.

Killian turned his head, still gasping for breath, and relief washed over him like a cool bath. His swan had arrived and she looked bloody angry.

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"What the hell is going on?" Emma asked, looking from Gold to Killian.

She had sprinted up the docks to the Jolly Roger, only to suddenly hear her pirate scream. It had made her run faster, almost flying down the wharf. When she landed on the ship, an overwhelming surge of protective power filled her and, with magic she didn't know she could control, hurled Gold away from Killian.

She hadn't intentionally flung him into the hard wood of the mast, but it didn't make her feel bad either. The two of them stared at her, Gold with anger and Killian with the tiniest hint of relief.

"What is going on?" Emma asked again, stepping forward. She could feel the magic still crackling in the air and her fingertips were tingling incessantly. It was a strange and rather satisfying feeling.

"I intended to kill this newt. Now, if you would please leave," Gold said, flicking his gaze from the blonde to the bloodied and bruised pirate. Anger filled the saviour and she turned to him, striding forward and shoving him back against the mast with a ripple of unwarranted power. Gold stared at her in shock as he tried to manoeuvre his hands – his body was being held completely immobile.

"And you said you didn't want to turn out like them," the old man cackled, his eyes suddenly unhinged. He was frantic to move and his head whipped to either side, looking for a way to escape her spell.

"I am nothing like them," Emma spat, lifting the spell that was holding the Dark One motionless. He flexed his arms, looking at the saviour curiously as she stepped back and turned slightly so she could see both men.

"Now, what happened?" she asked in the commanding voice that Killian had heard so many times. He smirked at her but she didn't relent. It was a moment of silence before the pirate spoke up.

"I was minding my own sodding business when he arrived and attacked me. I did nothing, love," he said smugly, leaning against the banister. She watched him carefully, he wasn't lying but it wasn't the entire truth. Perhaps Gold could shed some light.

"Gold?" Emma asked expectantly.

"My son didn't come home last night. He came to see me earlier, asking questions about his mother. When I refused to tell him the truth he left and is staying with Neal until I tell him. This one here told him to question her death!" Gold pointed an accusing finger at the pirate and Emma could see a transparent tendril of dark power edging its way towards Killian.

Shooting her hand forward, she halted it in its path and stared at Gold until he realised.

"And you're here to kill him because he told the truth?" Emma asked incredulously, still blocking the tendril of magic. Gold withdrew it frustratedly and glared at her.

"I already told you Miss Swan, what he did to Belle is not forgotten. This just reminded me of what I had to do," he said, turning his glare on Killian.

"You are going to leave. Now." She ordered, her jaw clenching tightly.

"What makes you think you can stop me?" Gold asked, smiling wickedly and procuring a ball of fire, similar to the one he'd thrown earlier at Killian. The pirate was standing up and he had caught his breath. He returned the crocodile's glare unflinchingly.

"Leave!" Emma growled, snatching the fiery sphere from Gold's hand and holding it in her own palm. The power was flowing freely now, her veins burning with the feeling of the magic. For a fleeting moment, she swore she saw fear glisten in those bottomless dark eyes, but it was gone and replaced by indifference in a moment. He started walking towards the wooden plank leading to the docks, eyes trained on the saviour and the flames she had encased in her hand. Before he could take a step off the dock, Emma felt her pocket vibrate again. Tossing the magic into the water next to the docks, she answered it – eyes never leaving Gold's. He had stopped and was watching her face intently.

"Emma?" a frantic voice answered, she was pretty sure it was Regina.

"Regina?" Emma replied, eyebrows knotting in confusion.

"Emma is Henry with you? Did you pick him up or something?" she gushed, desperation saturating her tone. The blonde's eyes widened.

"No! Why?"

"He never came home and he's not at your parents' and he's not at Granny's and I don't know where he is and I can't find him!" she said, hyperventilating as she spoke.

"What? I talked to him straight after school! I thought he ran home to you!"

"I can't find him, Emma! I've used a spell that searches the town and he's not here! He's not here!" Emma felt her heart split at the words and Gold's eyes creased in confusion at the blonde's sudden change in demeanour. From behind her, Killian stepped forward to stand beside her. He was watching her too, worry obvious on his features.

"Emma what is it?" he asked softly, touching her arm with his only hand.

"Keep searching, I'll be in town in a minute," Emma said into the receiver and snapped it shut, trying to calm her breathing, "Henry's missing."

HENRY IS MISSING! *cough cough* catalyst *cough cough* So what do you guys predict next? I really really hope the next chapter is a HUGE plot twist and I really need to know what you guys are expecting/thinking! I am putting some finishing touches on it as this uploads. Review your reactions! And don't forget to follow and favourite!