A/N: So, we're getting to the climax here! I'm anticipating that we'll have only one more chapter after this one, so we're almost there...

Anyway, enjoy =).

The door inched openly silently, but even the slight movement alerted Killian from his light doze.

Emma crept out of her room and looked around, but didn't notice him in the shadowed corner. Everything was going exactly as he had planned.

She walked off down the corridor. Once he had judged that she was far enough away, he stood and followed, careful to avoid detection. He knew where she was going, where she couldn't stop herself from going, and he wasn't going to let it happen. He wouldn't let her give herself to Rumpelstiltskin if there was any way he could avoid it, short of killing her. And that would never be an option.

…

Emma clutched the dreaded black flower between trembling fingers as she walked down the tunnel leading to Rumpelstiltskin's prison. She didn't know what she was doing, but she couldn't seem to stop, no matter how she tried. Deep down, she knew that it was the deal that was making her do all this, but she was powerless to resist,

"Hello, dearie," the sing-song voice floated out to her along the tunnel. "Right on time."

"I don't want to do this," Emma forced out, her throat dry, as the cell came into position. "I want to fulfill our deal another way."

"Too late," the man giggled, his face sporting a grin. "You signed."

"You tricked me."

The man shrugged. "I am called the Dark One, dearie. What'd you expect?"

"Not to be signing my life away for an invisibility bracelet," she retorted, feeling the compulsion to walk to him and hand him the flower increase the longer she stayed still.

"We can't all be geniuses," he responded. "Now, the flower, if you please."

"Don't do it, Emma," a familiar voice ordered from behind her. "Don't listen to him."

She turned, and saw Killian stepping from the shadows, his face set in a menacing scowl, but his eyes soft as they looked at her.

"Ahh, the pirate, back to fight for his love. Well, his second love."

"She knows about Milah," Killian growled. "You're not going to drive a wedge between us."
The Dark One giggled again. "My plan is so much better than that, pirate. She'll be mine. Forever."

"Over my dead body."

"We already had this talk," the Dark One hissed, "I'm not changing the terms of our agreement. I'm taking her."

Surprised, Emma turned to Killian. "What does he mean that you had that talk?"

Killian wouldn't meet her eyes. "He's delusional, love."

"And he's lying," Rumpelstiltskin announced. "Your pirate tried to exchange his life for yours. Yesterday, wasn't it?"

"You did what?" Emma demanded. "Why? Why would you do that?"

"True love," Rumpelstiltskin interrupted gleefully. "And it's going to end soon."

Killian ignored him. "I can't lose you, love, not after everything we've been through."

"This isn't your fight, Killian," she whispered. "I'm sorry, but this is all my fault. It's up to me to pay for it, not you."

"Emma," he called her name in an agonized tone, but she took a deep breath and ignored him. It was too late to change anything.

...

Killian stood there, rooted to the ground by the fear immobilizing him. Fear that he was going to lose Emma the same way he lost Milah, fear that he couldn't do anything to save her.

"Goodbye, Killian," he heard Emma whisper as she walked away from him and towards Rumpelstiltskin's clutches. His grimy hand was already outstretched, grasping towards the flower she held in her fingers.

"Wait, Emma," he yelled desperately, "I know how to fix this. Just stop."

She turned and gave him a sad smile. "You're not a very good liar."

Sighing impatiently, he racked his brain for something, anything, that could fix this. "What if…"

Suddenly, Emma wavered, nearly falling over. The flower fluttered out of her grasp and onto the ground.

Killian rushed to her side, helping her back to her feet and ignoring the flower. "Are you okay?"

"It's getting worse," she gasped, steadying herself against him.

"Then give me the flower," Rumpelstiltskin ordered, "and it will all end. I'm getting impatient."

Emma was trembling in his grasp and he could tell that it was only his support that was holding him up.

"Love, do you trust me?" An idea came to Killian, an idea that he didn't know if it would work, but it was his last resort. He had asked her that question before, and she had told him that she didn't know. However, if this idea was going to work, he needed to know that she trusted him, fully and completely.

"Can we talk about this later?" she laughed weakly, still shaking. "Now's a bad time."

"Emma," he pulled her into his arms and whispered into her ear, "I need to know. Right now."

She leaned away from him and looked deep into his eyes. "Yes. Killian, I trust you."

"Then pick up that flower and hand it to me," he whispered even more quietly, paranoid that the Dark One would overhear and ruin his plan.

"What?" she breathed. "But...but that would…"

"Exactly. If you trust me, do it."

Hesitatingly, she moved out of his arms and picked up the little black flower, then looked back and forth between Killian and Rumpelstiltskin.

"Come here, dearie," Rumpelstiltskin coaxed excitedly. "Almost there."

"Emma, trust me." Killian's desperate plea struck something in Emma's eyes, and she moved towards him.

"You'd better be worthy of this trust," she whispered, and handed him the flower.

The second the petals grazed his fingers, Killian felt a shock run through his whole body, a shock of power. He could feel everything that Emma felt all at once - her fear, her love for him, her trepidation, her trust.

She gasped and collapsed against him.

Rumpelstiltskin screamed, a howl of rage and frustration that echoed around the whole room.

The room lit up with a brilliant glow, so bright that Killian had to close his eyes to protect them. Automatically, he pulled Emma closer into his grasp, trying to shield her in case something happened. In case anything happened.

He felt her sag against him until he was holding her up. "Emma?" he whispered, feeling the growing horror rise within him. "Love?"

She didn't respond.

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