CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

Emma sat trying to resist the urge to knock Neal out cold again, fortunately Regina seemed to be sharing the same sentiment and they shared a knowing look that bought a small smile to Emma's lips as she tried to tune out the 'bonding'.

Henry despite her warnings seemed quite taken with his father, much like he had with her it seemed dear old dad was his new exciting obsession; Neal himself seemed relatively unscathed after his little one on one session with Gold even if he was sporting quite a shiner and a split lip that Emma found she was quite proud of. Neither man had really spoken about what happened, but when they'd come back that night, Neal was still there, his handcuffs were gone and they seemed to be talking however stiltedly. It seemed Gold was pleased with that arrangement, he had even sidled up to her and given her arm a gentle squeeze muttering a quiet 'thank you' that seemed to be for her ears only.

But that didn't help settle the unease she was feeling about the whole ugly situation or her apparent continued involvement in it. Neal was making arrangements to travel back to Storybrooke with them for a short visit. Apparently the asshole had convinced some poor sap of a woman that he was a decent human being and gotten engaged, it caused a flash of jealousy that Emma shoved aside rapidly, she wanted nothing from Neal, but it still stung that she had apparently not been worth the same.

Neal himself seemed apprehensive, a little confused perhaps, but genuinely thrilled to be talking animatedly with Henry and clearly the prospect of meeting his Gold's new girlfriend which according to Henry and Neal seemed to prove that he wasn't quite the monster they'd all assumed he was; not if he was able to love something.

Emma had no idea that Gold had a girlfriend and she wasn't convinced that the whole Beauty and the Beast thing coming true was quite as cute in person, given as Gold was still pretty beastly on the inside as far as she was concerned; but clearly in her absence the newly 'found' she read between the lines and glares 'released from Regina's imprisonment' Belle had rekindled her old romance with Gold. Hook had just snorted derisively at her ignorance of this, muttering something about it being one of the many plans he'd let fall by the wayside. Of course he knew. He knew every dirty little secret the town held apparently. If she ever did return to her job as Sheriff she made a mental note to deputise him.

Then there was her little issue... Emma bolted to the bathroom, emptying the contents of her recent meal into the bowl with more than a little annoyance. "Shit." She muttered, washing her mouth out and splashing water on her face as she stared at the bathroom mirror. What the hell was she supposed to do about the 'bad burrito'? Granted seeing Hook alongside the man that had so thoroughly crushed her heart and trust the last time had shifted things into perspective a little. Compared to Neal, Hook was most definitely the 'bad boy'... how the hell did that make him the better choice? But it did, Emma bowed her head, staring at her still flat stomach as she brushed it lightly. He wanted this, wanted her, and he most definitely wasn't going to be running out on her any time soon. And he was prettier she smirked to herself in the mirror, Neal hadn't aged nearly as well in 300 years it seemed.

Of course it was too much to ask that her swift exit go unnoticed, Gold met her at the door, Hook had somehow become caught up in the talk about Neverland with the boys and was for once paying her no 'apparent' attention, although with him that didn't necessarily mean he wasn't aware of everything going on behind him, but either way, she had no excuse but to stare the older man down and deal with him on her own.

"Feeling unwell Miss Swan?" He smiled sympathetically, but she saw right through it into his prying eyes, eyes that reminded her of Neal's... perhaps that's why she'd known right of the bat not to trust him.

"Like I said, I had bad burrito yesterday." Emma smiled thinly back at him, not giving him the chance to say anything further as she pushed past him. But he grasped her arm at her bicep firmly, leaning in to her ear a flare of magic igniting inside of her and rushing outwards towards Gold's.

"Your 'bad burrito' is a girl."

His whispered words sent a shiver right down Emma's spine and she turned meeting his knowing and surprisingly gentle smirk head on, apparently her recent actions had earned her some measure of respect or goodwill in his eyes, because she was almost certain that he wasn't telling her to try and use it against her. That wasn't exactly encouraging, because she had no idea what he thought he was getting out of telling her what she already suspected.

"I'll bare that in mind." Emma nodded, trying to dismiss it, still not quite willing to think of this as real... or a girl no less. Her heart did a little flutter that she dismissed as she tried to shrug Rumple off, but he didn't release her instead his eyes dropped to her chest and Emma bristled before she realised he was looking at the enchanted pendant around her neck.

"You need to remove that." he informed her quietly, his words for her ears only, which she at least appreciated, the last thing she wanted was to add 'this' to the drama in the room.

Emma pulled her arm free, feeling the familiar buzz of the connection to his magic fading as her pendant took hold of her leash again. "Convenient Gold." She snarled, not believing a word, "Now that you've got what you want and I've served my purpose you want it back." Emma leant in until they were nose to nose. "Read my lips... bite me." After the doozy of a deal they had to make to get her the damn thing in the first place, its fallout still fresh, she was hardly in the mood for him to test her.

But Gold wasn't done, Emma heard him following her as she stalked back into the room. "Miss Swan, I don't think you're listening to me."

Emma ignored him, heading over to Regina, who right now was looking better company than the table which her asshole of an ex was sat at, or his creep of a father hobbling along behind her.

"The baby will die if you continue to wear that pendant!" Gold's words rang through the air dangerously, sounding eerily like a threat.

Emma met Hook's eyes first as he stood slowly from his seat, his face schooled into a mask that had been just a fraction too slow to hide the flash of fear she'd seen reflected there.

"What baby?" Henry was quicker than anyone else and Emma tried not to look at him, instead turning in fury on Gold.

"How dare you!" Emma snarled, stalking towards him, but Hook was in front of her, stopping her from doing the very same rash thing she'd been trying to prevent him doing since they left Storybrooke.

"You're pregnant Miss Swan?" Regina's voice chimed in from behind and Emma glanced back noticing she was at Henry's side, who looked more than a little confused, but not necessarily as upset as she had worried he might be.

"That is none of your business... any of you." Emma seethed, pointing her finger at Gold. "I helped you, and this is how you repay me?"

Gold was expressionless. "It's because you helped me Dearie that I'm telling you this. The pendant is suppressing your magic the only way it can, by suppressing your life force. They are one in the same you see." Emma felt her stomach sink, and Hook slid his arm around her waist, she was in half a mind to bat him away, but right now she really did want his support, but Gold wasn't done, "Normally, whilst I wouldn't recommend this form of suppression as a permanent solution, it is relatively harmless. But add a developing foetus into the mix..."

"Emma," Regina moved to stand beside her, trying to break her eye line to Gold. "He's not lying, you should have told me you were pregnant, I wouldn't have pushed you so hard during the sessions." She went to reach for her arm, before she reconsidered, clearly remembering what had happened the last time. Who knew, apparently the Evil Queen really was a sucker for babies.

Emma gave Regina a sideways look. "Trust me this is a fairly recent development, and forgive me but I didn't think we were quite up to that level of girl talk." It came out snide, but she did appreciate the woman confirming Gold's assessment because she sure as hell wasn't taking his word for it, which was slightly disturbing because it meant that somewhere along the line she'd actually started trusting Regina's word...

Henry grasped her hand, tugging at her until she had no choice but to give him her undivided attention. "You're really having another kid?" he asked hesitantly, his eyes falling on Hook, "With him?" he all but accused giving Emma pause, she'd no idea he wasn't particularly fond of Hook but Henry's eyes flicked back to his newly found father who at least had the good sense to stay quiet in all of this and she got the sinking feeling associated with understanding his pre-teen brain. Clearly he had been entertaining the ridiculous notion that his biological parents might get back together and they could all be a real family. His next few words confirmed it. "What about Neal?" he pressed, tugging her hand as if he wanted to try and pull her towards him.

Emma held her footing, giving him an apologetic look. "Sorry kid, trust me, I know what it's like to suddenly find your parents again and have them both in the same room... but Neal and I are most definitely not going to have a happy ending." She wished she could have sugar coated it, but she'd promised herself not to lie to him again.

Henry looked crestfallen. "So... he wasn't your True Love?" he asked hesitantly.

"I loved Neal." Emma told him honestly, putting the emphasis on the past tense as she bent down to him grasping his chin and trying to make him understand that just because she didn't love his father, didn't mean she didn't love him. "And I love you, remember, I broke the curse for you." Which she thought should have convinced him, but she underestimated his feeling of rejection in this she tried to stroke his cheek but he flinched out of her reach back into Regina.

"Now, but what about then?" he accused, "You gave me away; you didn't love me enough to keep me." Henry argued, sounding close to tears.

"Henry..." Emma tried, wanting to argue but he had already dissolved into tears and buried his face in Regina's midsection as her arms enveloped him. Emma opened her mouth and closed it again futility there really was nothing to say, how she was supposed to fix this? Because Henry was right, she hadn't loved him enough to keep him that was the whole point. She'd been so selfish and caught up in her own bitterness that all she'd seen when she looked at him was his father's betrayal and her shattered dreams. Regina shook her head violently warning her against another word, leading Henry away to the bedroom and shutting the door cutting off the sounds of his sobs as she did exactly what a mother was supposed to do and comforted her son.

Emma felt nauseous, only this time morning sickness had nothing to do with it, the pain in her chest blossomed and the pendant around her neck blazed as she crashed to her knees, clutching her arms around herself as she fought to keep a lid on what her emotions were sending into turmoil. Hook's arms were around her, keeping her as grounded as he could. "Easy Love, easy, breathe." He instructed, whispering soft calming words into her ear.

"Take the pendant off her, now!" Gold roared, striding forward as if to do it himself. Hook raised his hooked appendage to him, warning him away. Gold sneered back, cautious with his newly mortal body. "Much as it would give me great pleasure to see your heart shattered once more Killian Jones, I have no wish to see harm come to Miss Swan, now take that blasted thing off her before it kills them both."

Hook raised her chin, but she was barely able to focus on him, "Do it." She hissed, he needed no further encouragement, tearing it off her chest and stuffing it inside his own shirt rather than placing it in Gold's outstretched hand Emma noted with mild satisfaction. The familiar weight was lifted and Emma sagged, trying to slow her breathing against the burning sensation that was exploding in her chest. Hook's hand cupped her face, drawing her to him.

"Emma." Regina's voice startled her out of her focus on Hook as she emerged from the bedroom with the commotion. "Try and remember what we have been working on. Pour that energy into something constructive." She was stood hands on her hips, like the expectant school mistress that Emma had started to see her as during their sessions, before the 'accident' which she really wanted to just forget all about. Henry was stood in the doorway, apparently their argument momentarily forgotten now that she was in trouble. "Try conjuring a hat again dear, you know how much you like to do that."

Emma stared at her through a growing haze of her rampant magic, trying to school her mind into forming one cohesive thought and pushing it into existence. The hat formed, drawing her energy into it like a cyclone, until it was spinning like a demented top, but it was working, it was getting easier to think, the mass inside of her subsiding as she gave over to the sensation of funneling it all into creation.

The energy left her, ramping down to manageable levels that she hastily slapped a lid on inside of her as she sat back on her knees, staring at the still pulsating top hat which was quietly spinning, a purple haze beginning to envelope it. For the first time since she returned from Neverland, Emma didn't feel like she was going to explode... she actually felt, more herself, whoever the hell that was now.

"Cool." Henry moved as if to touch it and Gold grasped him sharply by the back of his shirt, all but tossing him back into Regina with a look of derision as if he couldn't believe someone who shared his genetics was really that stupid.

"I wouldn't do that Dearie." Gold warned at their all rather stunned looks, his eyes on the hat like it was poisonous.

"Gold, what the hell do you think you're..." Regina started.

"Oh I'm sorry, I take it you would have preferred it if Henry was transported to god knows wherever that thing would have taken him." Gold finished.

Emma frowned, reaching for the hat against the protestations of the others, but they were too slow as she grasped the still slowly spinning thing in her hands, the purple haze dissipated and it was just a hat again... In fact it was just like Jefferson's, again. Damn him, he'd really given her a hat fixation with this damn thing after her little experiences in his mansion. Maybe she'd been scarred for life by his complete insanity.

"My god." Regina managed weakly, "Did she just..."

"Oh yes." Gold was smiling, but it was so wide Emma wasn't sure it wasn't more of a grimace. "It would seem that the Mad Hatter is no longer the only one in possession of a portal device."

Emma frowned, looking between the two of them and both she, Hook and Neal, seemingly asking the same question as one.

"What?"

But Emma got a sinking feeling as she felt a soft buzz of power coming steadily from the hat clutched in her hands.

Gold sighed. "Your magic is a raw and potent thing Miss Swan, much like the magic of True Love that birthed it. It would seem that you have created the impossible, a second Portal Hat."

"How do you know it's not just the Mad Hatters?" Henry piped up, "Maybe she just transported it here?" he might have been supporting her in a roundabout kind of way, but Emma noticed he was flat out refusing to look at her... which stung, something had snapped between them and Emma really wasn't certain she'd ever be able to fix it.

Regina placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. "Because that one was destroyed Henry when the wraith attacked me, the last of its magic was exhausted when it transported Emma and Mary Margaret to the Enchanted Forest." She looked just as unsettled as Gold. "And besides Henry, this hat," she gave Emma a cursory glance, and Emma reflexively tightened her arms around the hat, feeling an irrational desire to protect it, "it clearly belongs to Miss Swan, much as the Hatter's was his. Whilst others might try and take them, may even borrow them for a time, it will always return to its rightful owner, it's guardian." Emma reflexively loosened her grasp on it, trying to resist her words but found she couldn't just drop it.

"Oh for heaven's sake," Emma muttered, getting to her feet, which she noted were surprisingly stable after her little outburst, she was usually exhausted after working magic like that. "So I have a magic hat I need to take care of now on top of all... this?" she held her hands out exasperatedly indicating the whole damn mess she seemed to have found herself in.

"Indeed you do Miss Swan. A hat that may well present a golden opportunity for the displaced residents of Storybrooke." Gold seemed to relish saying that in front of Regina who paled slightly, clearly the prospect of returning to the Enchanted Forest and retaking her mantle of Evil Queen wasn't sitting well with her.

"See!" Neal exclaimed startling them all, clearly like Emma they'd forgotten he was there as he got to his feet pointing between them all accusingly, "This is exactly why I kept off the radar. Magic is nothing but trouble." Neal muttered, pulling a beer from the fridge and opening it roughly, downing half a can before he glared back at them. "I changed my mind, I like this world, no way no how am I going back to the Enchanted Forest, I'll take the mod cons, a cell phone and Burger King, over a hovel and the tendency to get killed by horrible curses any day. That's my happy ending."

Hook gave him a resigned look his eyes on the beer can. "You got another one of those?"