Rating: T

Spoilers: 4x08-9

Summary: Killian has finished collecting magic for the hat and goes to Gold to face his fate. Gold has told him that it is his last day and at sunset he will have to kill Emma using his hook. 3 part One shot(maybe).

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my love for the show and books (one of which I might have to read).

Three days ago

'And don't you underestimate mine!'

Ingrid walked over to her mirror raising her hand, feeling the new power flowing through her. Feeding it out, the mirror smashed into thousands of pieces floating in a dark cloud emanating from the centre. The cloud rushed out of the cave, rising up into the sky. As the last shards left her lair, the Queen fell to her knee's, almost passing out. The magic was not yet enough, it needed time to build, to grow, so it could encompass the entire town. Slamming her hand on to the ice-covered ground she shouted out in frustration. Rumple may have been right for now but given time, two maybe three days, she would have enough to achieve her goal.

Two days ago

Emma, David, Snow, (Belle had offered to take care of Neal), Elsa, Regina and Robin stood in the Sheriff's station surrounded by books from Regina's vault. They had already spent the entire morning scouring the books for any help to stop and break this spell or at least a way to slow it down to give them more time. The cloud had almost doubled in size over night. Even though the spell had yet to take place, the effects had started to seep through the town's people, just a few minor skirmishes between old rivals for now, mind Leroy acted no differently.

'This is useless.' Emma slammed the book she had been reading down on the desk in her office causing a few others perched on the corner to fall to the floor. 'We should be out there trying to find Miss Dairy Queen 1982 and forcing her to stop this.'

'Don't fret Mi'lady, we'll get through this.' Robin placed his hand on her shoulder but looked up catching Regina's eye's, causing her to smile, hiding it with her hair flushing slightly.

'Who's making eyes now' muttering under her breath, glaring out towards the ex-evil queen.

Turning towards her daughter, Snow spoke with the reverence only a mother can give. 'Remember Emma, we need to have hope. Hope is a ver-'

'Very powerful thing mom, I know. Can't you just give it a rest already with the hope, happy endings and all that crap. It's making me sick.' The tone of her voice oozed with a vindictive bitterness she had not shown since leaving foster care.

'Emma!'

'Dad no I have enough. We are not in fairy tale land, this is not a tale from a book where love conquers all.' Slamming her fist into a near by filing cabinet causing the bottom draw to open and the files to fly into the air, shocking her out of the growing hatred boiling inside her. The room felt into an uncomfortable silence. Emma kept her head down. Looking at their faces might not help the current situation. She had to keep her emotion in check. She would not be played with by the Queen again. Emma could hear people shuffling behind her and the sound of a door opening and closing.

'Sorry.' Shaking her head. 'I-I don't know what came over me.' Leaning against the wall, she lifted her hands to her face rubbing her temples to relieve some emotion pressure.

Regina, Robin and Snow started to pick up the fallen files and placed them on the near by desk as Elsa sat down next to her creating a small amount of ice for her hand. Emma winced slightly as it was applied.

'Thank you.'

'Don't worry.' Looking into her eyes, Emma could see the concern etched in her face. She was the only one who understood the loss of control she was going through. Sitting in silence for a moment, the only sounds coming from the others returning their interest in the magic volumes. Snow looked over giving her the eye, checking she was ok. She moved her head back leaning it on the wall behind. 'I just feel so helpless sometimes. I finally have some sort of control over this and I can't do anything to stop what happening.'

'Emma, if there is one thing I have learnt about this town, about your family, it's that you, all of you, really don't like to give up'. This gave a small but genuine smile to Emma's face, recalling the words David spoke the night they had brought her back to the loft.

David strode back in the room with a book in his hand. 'I think we might be coming at this from the wrong angle.' Putting the it down on the desk.

'The Snow Queen, really Charming.' Regina spoke with an almost condescending tone. 'Next you will be telling me that Lord Voldemort is really behind all this.'

'Hey, we just all need to calm down.' Robin placed his hand on Regina's shoulder. 'We can't let this get the better of us.'

'Robin's right. I pulled this book from the library earlier for Henry. Although this world may have a few of our stories wrong, some more than others.' Remembering Neverland and how wrong this world had been about that. 'All of these stories have some basic truths hidden within them. David remembers reading as a child.' Elsa gave David a confused face as Snow whispered 'Cursed David.' 'Oh right.'

'In the story Kai gets a shard of ice glass in his eye causing him to see nothing good in the world making him cruel and destructive. There was something about 3 kisses-' picking the book back up and flicking through the pages finding the one he wanted. '-and in the end Gerda frees him with the power of love, her tears melt his heart and burn the ice shard from his eye's breaking the spell.'

'But we all ready know that Love will thaw but that will only help those who have love. What do we do with those who don't, we can't leave them to perish.' Snow stepped forward, worry for her subjects clearly evident.

'As much as I hate to admit it, you maybe onto something.' Regina words trailed off as she became lost in thoughts. 'Need to go back to my vault, Miss Swan can you pick up Henry from school.'

'Killian's got it, he promised to take him sailing again, plus I thought this might run a little long than planned. It'll keep him out of trouble.' (Keep them both out of trouble). Grabbing her bag, Regina and Robin disappeared without another word.

Later that evening when Henry came home, Emma could tell that something was up. She couldn't quite work out what it was but there was something there. Turning to face her son head on, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that Killian hadn't come up with him to say hi. She had not seen him since the manor, only speaking to him on the phone to make arrangements for Henry. Even in this small amount of time apart she missed him, the constant innuendos but also his tender side, the soft moments when his walls fell for her. It was not like him to miss a Snow Queen meeting but he had 'other things to do'. Spoken with his usually flirty lilt.

'Hey kid, what's up?' She placed her hand on his shoulder as he sat next to her by the kitchen counter.

Looking around the room for signs of others in the loft he spoke up. 'Where are Grams and Grandpa?'

'Picking up Neal from Belle's, now spill it!' Emma had spent enough time to know when Henry to see when he had another operation planned. He always made a face not unlike his father would make when coming up with the next heist.

'Ok, I'll tell you but you have to stay calm and not freak out.' He took a deep breath. 'Ithinksomethingiswrongwithkillian.' Stumbling over his words, clamping his eye's shut. Only opening one after a short amount of time look to her for what her reaction would be.

'What!' Utterly shocked. He could not have said what she thought he said.

Another deep breath. 'I think something is majorly wrong with Killian.'

Killian and Henry had been a mile out at sea for about an hour. The Captain had put his first mate through his paces, testing him on everything from knots to naming the parts of a ship, even those not present on the small vessel that they had borrowed. Killian wanted to give him a full sea-fairing education. He knew that he was a smart kid, Killian had often commented that he was much like his father at this age. They spent the rest of the time regaling and listening to stories about Neal's time aboard the Jolly.

'Haa, It took him almost a month to find his sea legs lad.' Chuckling to himself but his smile didn't reach his eye's. 'Which is why your mother insists on wearing this luminous life saving contraption.' Again smiling and turning to look him. Henry putting his lack of a true smile down to the whole complicated family tree thing. He knew that Killian had cared for his father like his own son, that much was plain. His face at the funeral spoke more than any words could, but then again, maybe not. He didn't have his mothers superpower but he knew the Captain enough to read into him, to see something was eating at him that the others had not spotted. Getting up to get a drink from below deck, he lost his footing and fell backwards.

'Killian'

Henry tried to grab on to anything to stop himself from falling into the sea. Just when he thought that he would be spending the rest of the afternoon in wet, damp clothing, 'Henry,' Killian caught him by the arm, careful not to us his hook, pulling him back aboard. He landed on top of the Captain, his head resting on his chest, the man obviously shocked by what could have happened. There was no heart beat. No, he must be wrong. Taking Henry's face in his hand, Killian croaked out.

'Gods lad.' Standing Henry up and wrapping him tightly in a hug. ' Your mother, both your mothers would make me chum if I should bring you back in any other state than ship shape.'

While pulled against his chest, Henry could hear nothing, confirming his suspicions and hiding his shock at the loss of his heart with the shock of almost falling into the sea.

'Do... do you think you could take... take me home?' Killian's face fell. 'I just want to get back on dry land and... and er...see my mom.' Henry knew he would be hurting the Captain in the short-term but after what had happened with Graham, or suspected happened with Graham he couldn't give the game away.

'Of course lad, get yourself below deck and settle your nerves.' He could tell that Killian thought he had spooked him and let him down. If he only knew.

Thousands of thoughts ran though Emma's head, most too quick to acknowledge. Flashes of Graham dying in her arms, Neal telling her to find her Tallahassee, Killian standing in the middle of the road staring into her eye's. 'If there is one thing I'm good at, it's surviving.'

'I've got to go and talk to him.' Breathing fast, panic filling her from head to toe. The same fear she had felt seeing Henry being taken through the portal to Neverland. 'I... I... I have to... I should... I need to.' Grabbing her jacket from the back of the chair and stumbling to the door. Henry shouted at her. He had only every done this once and even then he didn't have his memories.

'Mom you can't do this. If you talk to him, who ever has his heart will know that we know that he doesn't have his and that could be bad for...' Unable to finish the last words. He didn't have to. Emma knew what he meant. He ran to her wrapping himself around her, part in a hug and part in not allowing her to leave. 'Bad for us.' Adding the last words in an almost broken sob.

'I have to do something Henry. We can't just-'

'I know mom, but we have to be clever about this.' Looking into her son's eyes, Emma could see that the damm pirate had become a large part of his life, just as much as he had her own. They had both known loss, both felt its pain. 'I have an idea.'

'What are you on about Kid?' Remembering the look he had on his face when he entered the loft. Emma was loosing it inside. So many emotions, anger at Killian for being so stupid, his hand had come with a steep price it seemed, but he would never give up his heart willingly, so there had to be more to this. She felt overwhelming hate towards the man who did this to him. Oh she had a good idea who did this, which Crocodile had his heart. The lights in the flat started to flicker, her breath heavy rushing from her nose. Trying with all her strength to keep her magic under control. 'Are.. are you sure?'

'Yes mom, I'm sure, let Operation Codfish commence.' A slight smile fell on both their faces at the choice of code name.

'Ok kid, what's the plan?'

A lot of ground work in this one but I need it for the finish.

So stunned by the response that this fic has received. It is so beyond flattering. Even with the pain, you have all given me the push to get this out before the next episode but we will see. No promises. By the looks of it, this fic might end up spanning a bit more than 3 chapter but we will see.

Must admit I don't know much about the non-once Snow Queen story so if I have anything wrong sorry.

Reviews feed my muse, don't let him go hungry. ;P