Hey all! Thank you all so much – you guys are awesome! This one was really difficult to write. I hope you enjoy…

I do not own OUAT.

"It's Emma."

Snow paled.

"What is it?" David asked, his demanding tone fragile. Snow offered a hand and he took it without removing his stare from Whale's slumped figure.

She couldn't breathe. "Just tell us," she interjected before the doctor could open his mouth, "whatever it is; just tell us." She gulped and closed her eyes as if by not being able to see him, she was somehow not going to get hurt. Sure it was completely irrational, but she was going to cling to anything that allowed her to draw a single droplet of hope and if that meant blocking out her vision so that she didn't have to face the man who may or may not deliver the news she never ever wanted to hear, then she was going to do that.

David's hand tensed in hers.

"There was some fluctuation on the monitors," he informed them coolly – his doctor persona taking over.

"What does that mean?" her husband asked, his frustration noted by the way he squeezed her hand like it was a stress ball. Thank God she was numb, otherwise that would hurt.

Whale sighed and scratched his chin before shoving his hands into the pockets of his coat. "It seems that Emma has slipped further into her coma."

"Wh-what? When? How?" Snow's panic was on the verge of escalating into full-blown hysteria and while she tried to regulate her breathing, her eyes darted around the room, landing on some kind of commotion outside of the room. She arched her neck around Whale's stance to get a better view but his words snapped her back.

"Well, I-" The noise of his pager beeping stopped him short and he raised a hand in apology as he whipped out the device.

Snow felt David's touch on her trembling hands as they waited.

But as Whale's gaze rose to meet hers, she was sure that no amount of comfort would help her. The doctor's face was a translucent shade of ghost. "I'm sorry, I have to go," he asserted, heading for the door.

"What is it?" Snow cried, breaking from Charming's hold.

"Just please stay here," he ordered as he yanked open the door and rushed out to meet the oncoming traffic of nurses.

Holding her stomach as the lump in her throat enlarged, she bore herself no look at her husband or grandson for fear of what she would find in their eyes. Sounds and voices became muffled as she launched herself out of the room and down the hallway, completely unaware of how her body was still functioning well enough so that she could propel herself through the ward.

Faint thumps of footsteps behind her alerted her to the fact that her family had followed her suit but whether it was to stop her or to see what was going on, she wasn't sure. She just kept going – no, she had to keep going, had to keep watching as Whale's frame came to an abrupt halt at a room and he disappeared into it with a trail of personnel behind him. The brunette stopped. Her world spinning. She knew that room.

Emma's room.

The heat of the sun blistered her bare skin and she opened her eyes quickly, trying to catch her breath. The sun situated directly over her, the wind practically non-existent, she struggled to her feet – her body a lead weight. Robotically, she gazed around her. Storybrooke Main Street. She'd know this place anywhere; it had become a symbol of so many things to her and made her feel safe and secure.

She'd never felt worse. In fact, she was beginning to wonder if it was even possible to feel worse than what she did right now. It was such an odd feeling – it was like she was wasting away slowly. There was no way to describe the action other than it was excruciating on every level.

She looked off into the distance, feeling the urge to walk. She wasn't sure the destination but she just felt she had to. Something was compelling her move. To go forward.

The first move was the hardest; her legs were like two-tonne boulders. Yet somehow she managed to gain some kind of momentum, all the while her arms wrapped around her torso trying to keep everything inside of her in place. It was no easy feat. Each step was like a step closer to something truly terrible and yet she couldn't stop. She knew she had to keep going.

The street was empty – no cars, no people. Which was creepy. It wasn't until she passed Granny's that she came across the first sign of human life. Ruby was leaning against the fence, her red hood up; her Storybrooke attire forgotten as she wore what appeared to be some kind of corset dress.

"Emma!" she exclaimed as she caught sight of the blonde. "I've been waiting for you."

Emma narrowed her eyes. "Waiting for me…?"

"Yeah. I wasn't sure if you were going to come. Granny was supposed to be here but she got tired and went out back to oil her crossbow," the woman shrugged and smiled as if it was the most reasonable thing in the world.

"Wait…where's here?"

Ruby gestured all around her. "Here," she said, kinking an eyebrow.

"Okay you're being very cryptic and while I usually enjoy deciphering codes, I'm still a little confused as to what's going on here."

Ruby held up her pointer finger signalling for Emma to wait. Confused and having nowhere else to go just yet, she scrunched her face to dull the agony she was being subjected to. Why did it hurt so bad? Turning her back to the blonde, Ruby took something off the fence and twirled around quickly to look at her expectantly.

"What you got there?"

Ruby thrust the object into the air, obviously deciding that words were optional. It didn't take long, though, for Emma to realise what she was holding.

"Where did you get this?" she questioned, taking her baby blanket in her hands and running her fingers over her stitched name.

"Granny made it for you before you were born. She wanted you to have it – just in case."

"In case of what?"

Ruby laughed as she removed the blanket from Emma's hands and draped it over her shoulders. "There. Perfect."

"Ruby, it'd be really nice if you could just be a little bit clearer as to what is going on." That didn't seem like too much to ask.

"Don't worry; it'll become clearer as you go," she advised, suddenly becoming serious. "But just so you know, I love being your godmother – even though I've never really had the chance to do that," she tagged on with a smirk and a wink.

"Okay," Emma emphasised in absolute bewilderment. Nothing was making any sense except for her body doing its best to buckle her knees. Luckily, she remained upright. For now.

"Now go, you still have a few more stop-offs ahead of you." The brunette backed away slowly, her eyes locked to the blonde. "Goodbye, Emma." And then she disappeared. Into thin air. Yep, thin air! One thing was for sure: she wasn't in Kansas anymore.

Or reality. She wasn't in reality anymore. This was another dream; just like when she was in the apartment with her parents.

That compulsion rearing its ugly head again, Emma continued her journey not knowing where she was going to end up.

Snow's eyes were glued open as she peered through the window into Emma's room as doctors and nurses swarmed around the blonde doing who-knows-what to her. She couldn't control the tears that tumbled down her face as she raised and pressed a hand to the glass wishing she was in there, holding her daughter's hand.

David stood next to her staring at the scene, too. He didn't say much but from his expression alone, Snow knew he was crushed. If only someone would tell them what was happening. If only she could hear what they were saying instead of trying to read their lips and their actions and their exhausted expressions. She knew it wasn't good.

Emma wasn't moving.

It was like it was a dream and she really, with every fibre of her being, wished that it was. Just this once she could just wake up in her own bed and everything would be back to whatever normal was her family.

She was wrapped up in her distress that she didn't hear Regina's arrival until a glance over to her grandson showed the boy enveloped in her arms, crying profusely. Regina held him close, not displaying any kind of emotion. Yet she did look somewhat disturbed at the scene taking place before her eyes.

Emma, Snow thought, if you can hear me, just open your eyes.

Following the road, Emma grappled with the ever present pain and a fear gripped her soul as she wondered if it would ever go away…or if it was a sign for what was to come. Her head not able to cope with the weight of her blonde locks, she let it drop and trudged her way forward.

"Feeling the weight, Emma?"

With ridiculous effort, the blonde raised her head to see three men standing over her. Three men, by the way, she never thought she'd see together.

"What is going on here?" She sounded like a broken record but everything was just getting so muddled and foggy.

"Whatever you think is going on. You control this," one scoffed.

"Funny; I remember you being less annoying," Emma jibed, "and that was after you drugged me and kidnapped Mary Margaret."

Jefferson chuckled sardonically. "Always a delight to be in your company." He removed a top hat from his head and plonked it on hers. "Ah, it's a perfect fit."

"Seriously, what is going on? And why are you guys here?" Honestly, she felt like she was going to cry.

"We each have to give you something," Graham clarified.

"For what exactly?"

The three men exchanged glances before answering in unison, "It'll all become clear."

"So, what, are you all being paid to say that?"

"Sorta," Graham laughed, taking something out of his pocket. "Now, a sheriff always needs to wear her badge," he said, pinning the badge to her black top. "It's a mark of respect, a symbol of pride and honour."

She had been avoiding his gaze but now she had to shift her glance to him. To Neal. She hadn't seen him in about eleven years but he still looked the same. He smiled at her; the same smile she saw whenever she looked at Henry. "It's good to see you, Emma. You're looking…" he trailed off, probably because she looked ghoulish. Heck, she felt ghoulish. "How've you been?"

"I'm guessing you're not here to make small-talk so why don't you just tell me what you're doing here." She couldn't help but be snippy, but she was still angry with him.

He nodded his head and grinned crookedly as he held up a keychain. The swan keychain she wore around her neck. Reflexively, she reached up to her neck and felt it bare for the first time in eleven years. "I got you a present."

"How did you-"

"Why don't I put it on you? It belongs around your neck."

"So I've heard." There wasn't much more she could take of this. Her resources were exploding and she knew there wasn't much more she could take before she collapsed.

"Here." He scurried behind her and moved all her blonde locks to one side. Bringing the necklace over her head, he clasped it at the back. He didn't say anything else when he joined the others facing her.

"What about you? What did you bring for me?"

Jefferson raised an eyebrow and fixed his ascot. "You're wearing it."

"The hat? I mean, I get why I have all these other things – the blanket, the necklace, the badge - they all mean something to me but I don't see how your hat fits into the equation."

He let out a dramatic sigh. "Yes all these things mean something to you, including the hat. This hat," he walked over to her and fixed its positioning on her head, "signifies a very important time in your life. You fell through it and ended up on a wild adventure in which you became closer to your mother. The time you spent with her was very precious and you hold those memories, though some truly terrifying, close to your heart and are thankful for them each day." He sounded so bothered about the whole thing, like a disgruntled bank teller.

"You best be on your way," Graham said, stepping backward along with the other two.

"It was good to see you again, Em," Neal saluted huskily.

"Always a pleasure, Swan," Jefferson concluded before clicking his fingers and making them all vanish in the blink of an eye.

That was way too much information to digest at once but at least some things were beginning to make sense. Reluctantly and quite miraculously, her legs moved again and she was on her way – this time her body doubling over in agony.

"David what's going on? Can't you go in there and find out?" Snow pleaded, unable to take much more. Whale must have only been in there for five minutes tops but Snow honestly thought that a lifetime had passed. She couldn't stop the tears streaming down her face and the uncontrollable trembling that had taken over her body.

She just couldn't deal with it.

David never replied.

Emma was breaching the outskirts of the town and she knew in her heart that she didn't have much left. And yet, somehow, as if by magic, she was still going, still able to put one foot in front of the other. Facing the ground she plodded along only to be stopped by something in her way.

Eventually she made it upright to meet the curious glare of Mr. Gold.

"Ugh, what do you want?" This meeting people thing was losing its perks fast.

"Oh, don't worry, dearie. I shan't be taking up too much of your time. I'm a busy man you know."

"So I've heard."

He swayed his cane from side to side, one hand behind his back.

"So I take it you're here to give me something? That seems to be the pattern," she said, her voice cracking.

"You're quite perceptive for someone who looks like they're about to give up."

"Who said I was giving up?"

"Oh, no one. But you sure look like your throwing in the towel."

Emma rolled her eyes. "What do you want, Gold?"

He brought his arm out from behind his back to reveal a sword. Her father's sword to be exact.

"That's…" she started, marvelling at its gleam in the sunlight.

"Your father's most prized possession. The object you used to defeat the almighty dragon."

"Yeah but I don't see why I would-"

Gold handed her the weapon. "How did you feel when you held it for the first time? Powerful? Strong? Worthy? This was the first thing other than that blanket you have that belonged to your parents - it connected you with them. You felt like you belonged. And that, my dear, is a very precious feeling."

Things were starting to click but Emma still had no idea what was going on or why she couldn't stop walking to wherever it was she had to get to. She held up the blade in front of her face, admiring the craftsmanship but when she lowered it, Gold was gone and she was on the road that led out of Storybrooke.

How do people keep doing that?

Her legs operating involuntary, she trekked until she saw the 'Welcome to Storybrooke' sign and her blood ran cold. With effort she ground her limbs to a halt and stared ahead, completely unsure what to do next.

"Mom!"

Henry. She searched all around for sign of him and spotted a figure running through the woods towards her. "Henry?" she called, hoping he'd show himself.

He made it to the clearing. "Good," he breathed, "you're still here. I'm not too late."

"Too late for what?"

"Here," he ran over to her and handed her the book of fairytales he carried with him everywhere.

"Your book? Why are you giving me this?"

"Because your story's in there," he explained solemnly. "Flick to the last page."

Manoeuvring so that the handle of the sword was now under her arm, she did what she was told. She had destroyed the last few pages of the book back in Archie's office in what felt like years ago but now, as she flipped through them, there were new pages. Each page depicted a big event that happened since she arrived in the town even down to the time she spent in the Enchanted Forest. She ventured to the last page and gasped at what she saw.

It was a picture of her in a hospital surrounded by loved ones – all crying. "What is this?" she asked her son.

"This is the end of your story if you choose it to be."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you have a choice." Mary Margaret and David emerged from the trees to meet them in the middle of the road.

As if on cue, a spear of pain reverberated through her body and she fell onto one knee. "What kind of choice?" she strained.

Mary Margaret sunk to her level, lifting the blonde's up with her finger. "The choice to live or not."

"She's crashing!" Dr. Whale screamed over the buzz of the nurses. "She's crashing!"

Snow didn't need to be a master of lip-reading to know what he was yelling. Her legs gave way and David caught her before she hit the ground. "Emma!" she yelped as he lifted her back onto her feet.

"They'll get her back," Charming assured, "they'll get her back."

Regina tucked Henry under her arm but the kid was visibly shaking into her blazer, his sobs soft but frequent. Even Regina herself was wide-eyed as she clutched her son.

"Emma, please!" Snow created a fist and thumped the glass several times calling her daughter's name.

This isn't happening! This cannot be happening!

David was doing his best to restrain her but he, too, was anguished.

Whale grabbed hold of the defibrillator while the nurses prepared Emma's body. Snow threw her face into David's shoulder, unable to watch what they were doing.

"Clear!"

"I…I… I don't understand!"

"Everyone you have encountered on your way here gave you something that was important to you. Something that defines you; something that you hold dear to you and your life. These things are the components that make up who you are, who you're going to be. You can choose your own destiny, blaze your own trail. These things you are given are to help you, to guide you in making your choice. We're here to give you something, too," David announced with a sad smile.

"We're here to give you our love. There's no worldly possession we can hand you that will ever be as important as your knowledge that you are so fiercely loved. You have to believe that, Emma. We couldn't possibly be prouder of you and we couldn't love you more if we tried," Mary Margaret breathed emotionally, caressing the blonde's cheek.

"So we want you to know that, no matter what you choose, we will always love you. That's not something that will ever change. "

"And so will I," Henry interjected.

"I still don't understand," Emma whispered as the pain and the fear collided in her system. Every object she carried weighed her down and she felt like she'd never be able to feel normal again.

David got down on his knees to look at her, a single tear rolling down the side of his face. "If you decide to end the pain and cross the border, all of these things given to you stay here on this side as a reminder of who you are and of the legacy you leave behind. But if you decide fight through the pain and stay here, you have the chance to finish what you started and complete your destiny. You are the saviour, Emma Swan – the choice is in your hands."

"I know it's hard, sweetie and I know that you want the pain to go away." There was nothing she wanted more. A piercing screech developed in her ear and sent her splaying onto the ground, her body aching from the very top of her head to the tips of the toes. Make it stop! Make it stop! "And it's not going to be easy," her mother continued, lying on the ground next to her to look into her green eyes, "and I know that crossing the border seems like the only way to find peace, but Emma, your story isn't finished yet. Our story as a family isn't finished yet. Please stay with us."

"Clear!"

Still no response. Whale ran a hand through his hair and looked to the window to see the broken frames of Mary Margaret and David. Emma had saved them all, she was the saviour.

She had to wake up.

"Charge again!"

"Come on, Emma," he whispered.

Emma's body jolted forward, her hands grazing the border line. "Make it stop!" she cried - the pain far too overwhelming to deal with. She wanted to stay but the border was like a magnet pulling her in. "Make it stop!"

"Emma, please!" Mary Margaret snatched the blonde's shoulders and turned her over so that she was facing the sky. "Stay with us. You need to stay with us!"

"You can't go yet, mom," Henry begged.

"Fight it! You can do it!" David insisted.

"I don't think I can!"

"Yes, you can! You are so much stronger than you know! You are magical, Emma Swan, and you have so much within you. You can do this. Don't give in to it."

"No…I can't! It's too hard!"

"EMMA!"

Snow clenched her hands so tight that she drew blood. Succumbing to grief that had ensnared her the whole day, she let the sobs pour out of her onto her pillow, her body shuddering as each one was released. She couldn't remember a time when she had cried so much and there was nothing anyone could say or do to help her. She had to let it run its course.

It was the middle of the night. Sob after sob erupted; the pillow admirable in its quest to muffle them as best as it could. She knew Charming was awake but she knew he wouldn't say anything.

Snow needed this. Holding it all in for days was eating her from the inside out and today just caused the dam to burst. There were too many emotions to describe: fear, panic, grief, disbelief, heartache…

And relief.

Snow had never been so happy to hear the words, "She's stable" in her entire life and figured that she would never experience a moment like that again. Whale's grin was from ear to ear and if they didn't have such a weird history, she may have kissed him then and there in her elation. Charming wouldn't have approved, though. He was completely overjoyed – something the brunette hadn't seen in him since the moment he locked eyes on the blonde after twenty-eight years – and if his ribs weren't still so tender, he would have picked her up and swung her around. His ribs didn't stop Henry from attacking him in a hug, though. To see Henry go from utter heartbreak to ecstatic in the space of a breath was a real sight to be seen.

It was only until they got back to the room when the emotion of the day took its toll out on Snow and she found herself knee-deep in tears. It was all just too much to take in.

Emma's body finally responded and her vitals were back to normal. She still hadn't woken yet but as long as her heart was beating, Snow felt like she could breathe again.

"How are you feeling?" David tentatively asked over their breakfast which consisted of two slices of toast and a glass of orange juice.

"Well considering I shed about three days' worth of tears last night, much better," she smiled, spreading butter on a slice.

"I'm glad," he said sincerely, flashing her a crooked beam.

A knock came from the door and Whale entered.

Naturally, Snow tensed in his presence. Whale's updates had a habit of doing that to her.

"What is it?"

"She's awake," he shrugged with a smirk.

Wow. That was difficult! Haha how was it for you guys? I had half a chapter written out with a completely different direction and I decided to delete it and start all over again with this idea – I just had to write it down! But it was much more difficult than I thought it would be but I really hope you guys liked it because I tried so hard to make it as dramatic as I could. As always, I really hope you enjoyed what you read and if you have time please review and let me know what you thought or if you have any feedback or suggestions please feel free to tell me! :)