A/N: Well...I know, I know, it's been a MONTH since I last updated...sorry...?

I swear, I WILL finish this story—there's only two to three chapters left!

Thank you for all the lovely support :)

You know I love it when you review and favourite and follow—not only does it make me HAPPY, it inspires me to write more! Thank you so much :3 Mwah!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.

Previously: Emma saw Gold and began to chase after him. Meanwhile, the others discovered Doc's mangled body and realized the shrinking barrier wasn't the only danger in their realm.

Chapter 4

Emma stepped hard on the gas pedal, driving fast and quick toward the running old man. She smiled, allowing a touch of hope to enter her mind. If Gold knew anything about this new curse, then she would be happy. And at the rate she was going, she would catch up to him in no time—it was her car versus his incapacitated feet.

Gold must have known there was no use in running, for he slowed to a halt and turned to face her, his expression impassive. Emma slammed on the brakes and exited the car, hands raised if she needed to defend herself—the man was unpredictable. But this was her home turf. She was the one in power here.

"Surprise to see you here, Miss Swan," murmured the man coolly. "I don't suppose you've come to ask me to come back to Storybrooke?"

"No," she growled. His nonchalant tone was already beginning to annoy her.

"Then why have you sought me out?"

Emma sighed and decided to get straight to the point. "They're in trouble. Everybody—my parents, Henry, Hook, Regina...Belle."

Gold seemed uninterested at first, but perked up at the name of his ex-wife. "Belle?" he asked in confusion. "Has something happened to her."

"To everyone," she said firmly. "Everyone in Storybrooke just vanished...except for me."

"Well, I can see that," he said dryly. "Where did they go?"

"From what I learned by reading an old journal entry, to a realm called 'The Between'." Emma watched Gold carefully, searching for a change in expression or stance. "Does it ring a bell?"

The man hesitated. "I've heard of it," he admitted. She wasn't surprised at his answer—Gold had heard of everything one way or another.

"Good," she said resolutely. "You're going to tell me everything you know about it and how I'm going to get them back. Because if I don't, they'll all die. And I know you don't want that."

Gold seemed taken aback at this information, and turned on his heels without a word and strode off. She stood there for a moment, surprised, but then rushed after him without hesitation. "Hey!" shouted Emma. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Follow me," said the Dark One simply.

Emma paused for a mere moment before running after him, following the man up a rickety fire escape in the next back alley they happened upon. She didn't bother helping Gold up the steps, though he was evidently struggling. They climbed to what appeared to be the third floor, and the man fished his keys out of his pocket before unlocking the side door and letting her in.

It wasn't very impressive.

The room was small and square, only a single little window allowing light to enter. It was a dreary little place—it reminded Emma of one of the apartments she had lived in after she had been released from jail. She wondered briefly where Gold was getting the money to pay for this place, but shook the thought out of her head. There were more important things to worry about.

"Tell me how to get them back," she said, immediately after Gold had made himself comfortable on one of the small, patchwork chairs.

The man sighed, the lines on his face more pronounced than ever. "I don't know," he said quietly. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" she shouted furiously. Had she come all this way for nothing?

"I don't know how to get them back," he repeated grimly.

"Then what did you bring me here for?" hissed Emma. She was just about ready to punch him in the face.

"I said I don't know how to get them back," said Gold yet again. "But, I didn't say I don't know how to get you there."

That kept her silent for a while.

Emma knew the others only had a little while to live—she knew that eventually the realm they were in would destroy them. If she went, then she would be destroyed along with them. On the other hand, if she stayed, she could keep trying to bring them back from out here.

Would she succeed before they all died?

Emma wanted so badly just to see her family and loved ones again. She wanted to hold them in her arms...it had been so long. Sometimes she dreamed of Killian, but always woke up crying out and reaching for a man who was never she asked Gold to send her there, then would it really be that bad? The worst that could happen was that she would die along with the rest of her family. She would die here anyway, if she failed and they didn't survive this. She couldn't live without them.

There was also the chance she would be more help to them in the other realm than she would be here. Maybe she could work with Regina—maybe they could combine their magic! Emma knew the chances were slight, but even the tiniest sliver of hope was enough for her.

She turned to face Gold, determination covering her every feature.

Emma would get them back, if it was the very last thing she did.

"Send me there," she ordered the Dark One.

He smiled crookedly, eyes glimmering with a long forgotten passion. "Very well."

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Doc's sudden death had taken everyone by surprise. The citizens of Storybrooke (or previous citizens of Storybrooke) were in a panic. No one knew how the dwarf had died and most importantly, if the murderer would come after them. Whatever killed Doc was evidently dangerous.

David and Snow had gone out to investigate the possible causes for Doc's death, along with Belle. They had gone back to where he had been found, determined to discover the reason he had died so abruptly and who or what had attacked him.

That left Killian, Regina, and Henry back at camp, attempting to calm the agitated crowd. They weren't getting anywhere, but Killian knew things would be a lot calmer once Snow and David returned. No one in the campsite would listen to him and Regina—they simply didn't trust the two of them enough.

Killian aided in the burial of Doc's body. There wasn't much left to bury, but he and the dwarves did the best they could. The entire population came to mourn for Doc, their heads bowed and an eerie silence descending over the air.

Only a minute passed before Grumpy spoke.

"Listen up, you lot!" shouted Leroy, interrupting the brief silence. Killian looked up to see the dwarf standing on a tree stump just a little ways away from the rest of the crowd. As to what he was doing up there, Killian had no idea. "They," continued the dwarf angrily, gesturing to him and Regina, "have been keeping a secret from you!"

Killian's eyes widened as he began to understand what the dwarf was trying to tell the rest of the people. He knew he couldn't allow it to happen—it would cause uproar and even more unrest within the people. Apparently, Regina had had the same thought, for she joined him in rushing toward Grumpy atop the tree stump.

Grumpy glimpsed the two of them coming toward him and hastened his speech, his eyes blazing with anger. "The barrier around this place is shrinking!" he roared. "And your so-called leaders have neglected to tell you that we'll all be dead in less six—no, five months now!"

Killian stood still in his spot, glancing around. The people were getting angry, that much he could tell. They would revolt against them soon enough. Not that he blamed them—he would do the same in their position.

"One of us," continued Grumpy, "is dead. Your 'leaders' have betrayed you!"

There was a brief moment in which Grumpy looked almost defeated, before he stepped off the platform and stormed off to his tent. Killian watched him go, leaving him and Regina to take care of the riled crowd before them.

They were shouting angrily and pushing closer to him and Regina, fists raised and eyes narrowed. And all Killian could think about was bloody Emma. All he could think was how she would have handled it. They all would have listened to her. She was a Saviour, a hero, a good person. How would Killian calm the people of Storybrooke, with only the aid of the former Evil Queen? Both of them weren't necessarily best known for their good deeds.

"You lied to us!" shouted Archie from the front. The usually peaceable man seemed angry, his glasses falling off his face.

"I know," replied Regina. "But you must understand, it was for the best."

Panicked questions filled the air, like, "Are we really going to die in less than five months? Is the barrier really shrinking? What about Doc's death?"

Killian watched them for a few moments before he snapped.

"Enough!" he shouted suddenly, stunning the crowd into silence. Henry looked up at him from Regina's side, and that little nod was all he needed to keep going.

"Listen," growled Killian. "I know you all are angry, apprehensive, scared... hell, I'm scared too! I know you want to go home. I know you want to crawl back into beds and for once, live your life without any fear."

"Like that's ever going to happen," snorted Granny.

"In a town like Storybrooke, there's always going to be another villain to defeat. Another problem to overcome," admitted Killian. "But we've always won in the end, haven't we?"

"We had a Saviour then," said Sleepy mournfully.

The mere mention of Emma sent a pang through Killian's body. He missed her so much...it had been an entire month and he hadn't spoken to her, much less bloody seen her. He wanted to hold her in his arms again, to kiss her.

"I know you did," he answered after a while. "And although it's true Emma saved you all, it is also true that you are completely capable of saving yourselves. Regina and I are here, even if Emma is not."

"So what?" called another one of the dwarves. "You're Captain Hook and she's the Evil Queen. We're better off dead!"

Regina glanced at Killian and he could see the hurt in her eyes, no matter how much she tried to mask it. "We will do everything we can to save you, and ourselves. I swear it to you."

"An oath from Captain Hook is worth nothing," snarled a woman near the front.

"Then don't take it as an oath from Captain Hook," he replied quietly. "Take it as an oath from Killian Jones."

They quietened after that, their shouts and yells fading to murmurs and whispers. He knew none of them completely trusted him or Regina, but at least he was getting somewhere.

Killian stayed where he was, gazing blankly out into the distance. He heard Regina leave without a second glance back, although he swore he heard her whisper a soft 'Thank you' before heading to what he assumed were her living quarters.

He stood there for another few moments before he Henry came up to him, smiling softly. "You were great," said the boy. "Really, you were."

"Thank you, lad," replied Killian. "But I don't think they trust me, at least not yet. Perhaps when the King and Queen return from their outing there will be some progress."

"You did as good as Grandma or Grandpa would have done," said Henry firmly, reaching up to lay a hand on his shoulder. Killian realized with shocking clarity that the boy was nearly as tall as him now. A few moments passed before Henry spoke again, this time with a softer tone. "Mom would be proud of you."

Killian's eyes saddened and he turned his head back up to stare at the horizon ahead. "We'll get back to her," he reassured the boy. "Or knowing Emma, she'll get back to us."

Henry laughed. "I hope so."

They stayed like that for a few minutes, the two staring out together at nothing in particular. Killian thought about Emma and how she would have loved to see him and Henry getting along—she had always wanted that for them. He knew the boy hadn't liked him very much only a few weeks ago, and now they were almost as close as a father and son. The thought brought a new kind of warmth into his cold, barren heart.

Killian ran a hand through his hair as a blast of wind blew through the air. He looked at Henry in confusion—there was no wind in this realm. He opened his mouth to speak to the boy, but was interrupted by a sudden bright flash, followed by a loud thump.

Killian looked up at what lay ahead of him and his breath caught in his throat. He didn't dare believe it for fear of her disappearing, but there she was in front of him, in a tangle of limbs and blonde hair.

She lifted her head to stare at him, and the confusion on her face was instantly replaced with one of recognition and excitement. "Killian?"

He stared at the woman in front of him.

"Emma?"