Emma woke up with a groan, and a dull ache in her wrists.
She had royally messed up. Not only had she gotten tangled up in the intrigue of a crazy town, but she had kissed the man who had adopted her son. How would she face him now? To his credit, Killian had remained silent on their journey back, and Emma was grateful for that. She had raced into the house, her face flushed, without even looking at Killian. She had been up all night, tossing and turning, thinking not only of Killian (and the way his lips moved over hers) but also about Regina. About magic. She woke up late, and begrudgingly pushed the sheets of her. She needed to talk to Henry.
She dressed quickly and tiptoed to the staircase and peered down. Nobody seemed to be home, or if they were, they were not downstairs. Good. She hurried down the stairs and was about to head out the door when she heard voices in the front. She quickly ducked through the doors of the kitchen, making sure to leave the door slightly ajar.
The voice that spoke made her blood run cold. It was Regina. Presumably the woman was dropping Henry off. Emma peered at her watch and frowned. It was later morning on a Monday. Shouldn't she had dropped Henry off at school instead? Maybe she had…but if that were the case, why was she here?
"I just don't trust her." Regina was saying.
Emma bristled at this. She knew exactly who Regina was referring to.
"I do." Killian was soft but resolute in her answer.
Regina did not answer for several seconds, and Emma leaned closer to the door in order to hear if she was whispering.
"Perhaps."
Emma was now confused. What was Regina playing at? She heard something being placed down heavily in a table.
"Perhaps I was a little…quick to judge her. Please, give her these turnovers from me. As a peace offering."
With that, Emma heard her depart, her tall heels clicking down the hall, fading into the distance.
"Bloody hell." Killian swore. Emma peeked through the crack in the door. Killian was glaring at the plate of turnovers that Regina had left on the coffee table. He reached out for the plate but the shrill ring of his cellphone made him stop. He answered it curtly.
"Mr. Smee? This better be good."
Emma's eyebrows rose in surprise. What was wrong with Killian? He was acting very differently. He sounded stressed and angry. Was it because of her? She felt a little guilty. She watched him hang up his phone and huff in annoyance. She stood up and pushed the door open further. He did not notice her as he pulled on a jacket and stormed out of the house. Emma emerged slowly, wondering what the hell that was all about. She padded over to the coffee table to inspect the turnovers herself. Knowing Regina, they were probably apple. She picked one up and sniffed it. It smelt delicious, and it made her stomach growl.
"Emma?!"
A shrill voice almost made her drop it.
"Kid? Shouldn't you be at school?"
Henry stood at the foot case, staring at her in horror. He ignored her question and marched over to her, snatching the pastry from her hands.
"Hey!"
"Did Regina make this?" he demanded.
Emma shot him an astonished look.
"She did actually. As a peace offering."
"No!"
Henry screamed angrily, clutching the pastry harder. Emma could see the frustration on his face, forming tears in his eyes.
"She wants to hurt you, Emma! Can't you see that? You're the Saviour and she wants you dead!"
At the very mention of the word saviour, Emma started.
"Henry," she said softly, wondering how to tell him that she kinda sorta might have started to believe him.
He looked at her through his tears.
"I have to show you. I have to." He said mournfully.
Emma did not like the tone of his voice. It sounded like he was going to do something dangerous.
"Henry?"
He lifted the turnover up, maintaining eye contact with Emma the whole time. He slowly sank his teeth into it and took a begrudging bite and swallowed audibly. He continued to stare at her, but now his gaze was sorrowful.
The without warning, he collapsed.
The ride to the hospital was one of the longest rides that Emma had ever experienced. She stared in horror at the unconscious boy, trying to process what had happened. He was still gripping the turnover in his hand. The paramedics asked her what had happened, but she had been speechless. They had pushed her aside and she watched numbly as they placed him on a stretcher. She only snapped to attention when they asked her where his parents were.
"I'm his mother." She declared hoarsely.
And now here they were, in a cold clinical hospital room, Henry depending on a number of machines in order to keep him alive. She paced the floor of his room, biting down on her thumb. She looked up as Dr. Whale entered the room, closely followed by Killian.
"Now that the parents are here,"-neither Killian nor Emma chose to correct him-"I can discuss the diagnosis."
He looked up at the chart he held in his hands.
"It doesn't look good." He turned to a stony-faced Killian, whose jaw clicked angrily.
"What is it?" he asked through clenched teeth.
"Poison. Nothing I've ever seen – it's working fast. I'm really very sorry."
And he sounded genuine in his condolences. Emma couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her face. Killian strode over to her and gripped her shoulders tightly.
"What happened?" he demanded in a quiet anger.
"He…the turnover…" was all she could get out. Killian let go and moved to his son's side, squeezing Henry's free limp hand tightly, and pressing a long kiss to his forehead. He stroked Henry's hair, whispering softly into the boy's ear, pleading for him to wake up.
It was then that Regina burst in, looking completely unhinged. She pointed a finger at Emma.
"You!" she screeched.
Emma's sadness dissipated, only to be replaced by anger.
"You!" she snarled in response. "You did this! You poisoned that turnover!"
"And you were supposed to eat it!" Regina screamed back.
Emma, though still angry, was taken aback. She did not expect an admission of guilt. Regina looked as shocked as she was, but plowed on.
"I loved Henry! I was more of a mother to him than you ever were!"
She tried to move towards Henry's bedside, but Emma got in her way.
"What kind of mother poisons her son?" Emma bit at her, anger vibrating in her arms, itching to hurt the woman in front of her.
Regina stopped in her tracks, her actions seemingly catching up with her, and she choked back a sob as she stared at Henry.
"Enough!" demanded Killian, straightening up. Emma turned to look at him, and she was frightened at what she saw. He looked like a stranger to her, with storm-filled eyes and a cold mouth.
He moved towards Regina with his fists clenched, and Emma instinctively lifted out a hand to stop him from getting closer.
"Let me through, Swan." He thundered.
"No." Emma said, standing her ground. "I can't. This isn't you."
He let out a harsh laugh.
"Oh, you know me, do you Swan? I'm a cruel man. I hurt people. I hurt people who hurt the ones I love."
He pointed a threatening finger at Regina.
"Mark my words, your Majesty. I'll rip your heart out."
Both Regina and Emma were stunned at his choice of words, but while Emma was more confused, Regina was terrified.
"No…it can't be…" she said, staring at Killian as if he were a ghost.
He nodded grimly, and a sneer grew on his face.
"Not entirely, but bits and pieces." He informed her, pushing Emma's arm aside. Emma let him, too confused to do anything else. What was going on?
The noise of the heartrate monitor interrupted all of them, drawing their attention back to Henry, just in time to see his heart rate flat line. Regina and Killian let out twin howls of sorrow, and Emma rushed over to Henry, hot tears burning her face.
"I'm sorry I didn't believe you sooner." She whispered frantically, as if her admission and apology would somehow bring him back from the dead. Squeezing her eyes shut and biting her lip to keep from crying out, she rested her head on his chest. She took a deep breath and looked at his closed eyes.
"I love you." She whispered, and kissed his forehead.
A warm glow erupted from the spot, enveloping her and sending tingles down her spine. She felt herself being pushed back, and she stumbled in surprise. Henry's eyelids fluttered open.
"Emma?" he croaked.
She scrambled over to him, her overwhelming joy rendering her speechless. She hugged him tightly.
When she pulled away, she saw that he was smirking.
"I knew you'd save me." He informed her. She closed her eyes and let out a giddy laugh.
"Never do that again, kiddo."
Suddenly she remembered that she wasn't the only person in the room. She turned to face Killian and Regina. Both wore expressions of happiness and horror. Regina stared at her hands and at Emma's face.
"You! The curse! I!" she spluttered. She made a movement as if to rush to Henry's side, but the boy reactively scrambled backwards. She stopped in her tracks, pure sadness taking over her face for a second. Then her mask slipped back on and she vanished in a puff of smoke. Emma would have been shocked if she hadn't just woken her son with a kiss. Emma wanted to laugh. This was crazy. The whole thing was crazy.
"Dad?" Henry called out, and Emma turned to look a Killian, who was paler than she had ever seen him. She started to take a step towards him, but he shuffled backwards.
"Henry." He started. "Henry, I'm so sorry." And he turned on his heel fled from the room.