So a thousand apologies for taking so very long. Like so long. I don't even have excuses for this, it's just sad. I just couldn't get this onto paper so I sat down tonight and forced myself to just write, and it actually came out pretty well. I wish I could have devoted more time to each of these characters and their relationships with Emma but there just wasn't time, at least not in this story, not where it needs to go. Regardless, for those of you who have still stuck with me (thank you so very much) let me know. this one's not so much action, but I think the end will tell you what's in store coming up next :) Things are coming together real soon folks.

Also just as a reminder - in this story Charming goes by James (i've been getting a few questions about that recently). It's due to a) that's the way I wrote it in the beginning and b)In the Enchanted Forest he was James for his entire "prince" life and I don't think he was called David until Storybrooke (even though in a recent episode his early EF name was David) regardless it would be too complicated to change at this point.

"Hey." A voice floated distantly into her ears. Emma felt something brush her nose. She batted it away. Annoyed at the intrusion, she groaned turned over, not ready to wake up just yet. "Sleeping beauty." The offending voice rang out again. "Up an at 'em."

Emma slowly opened her eyes, a glare her first look of the day, to find Daniel hovering over her. "What have I told you about calling me that?"

"That it's a sure way to annoy you." Daniel shrugged, sitting back on his heels. "Which means it's a sure way to get you to wake up."

"Wait." Emma propped herself up on her elbows, the light of the day registering with her. "It's morning."

"That would be why I'm waking you up." Daniel nodded.

"You didn't wake me for my watch shift." Emma accused.

"That would be because you didn't have a watch shift." Daniel popped a fruit from the basket into his mouth.

"Why not?" Emma's eyes narrowed. "I'm just as capable and qualified, if not more so than everyone else here."

"Yes." Daniel agreed quietly. "But you have a much more significant role in all of this than the rest of us. Your quartet of guardians decided you needed rest."

"Because rest is going to make a huge difference in what I have to do." Emma rolled her eyes, snatching the fruit Daniel was after.

"We all know that." Daniel said quietly. "It just makes them feel better to pretend like they're making a difference in helping you."

"I know." Emma sighed. "It's just…"

"Making you feel different isn't helping you." Daniel finished knowingly. "You'd rather attempt to act normally so you can at least pretend all this isn't happening."

"For once I'm thankful you can finish all my thoughts." Emma gave a small nod.

"You're going to…" Daniel trailed off, knowing full well he was unable to finish the sentence. He couldn't lie to her. They both had seen too much in this life, they had spent their entire life learning about this world and the deadly powers that lay within it, they both understood what today meant for her. He looked up when she reached out and took his hand.

"I know." Emma whispered, letting him know what he had almost said was ok.

Daniel shook his head. "You're not supposed to be the one making me feel better."

"Maybe I am." Emma gave a small shrug. "Maybe this whole making the person who is making the sacrifice feel better about it thing is backwards. I mean if everything plays out the way we worry it might, I'm not the one who has to live with the consequences. I mean that's what I told Will. Sacrifice isn't just made by one person. It's made by everyone who cares about them. Maybe I should be the one giving you hope about the future, about what you have to do when this is all over."

"And what exactly is that?" Daniel's gaze was fixed on the ground but the inescapable pull of Emma's gaze drew his eyes up to meet hers.

"Live." Emma said softly. "Go on to live a full and magical life filled with adventure and happiness and everything that makes you feel alive."

"You make me feel alive." Daniel protested.

"You deserve a life where your happiness isn't intertwined with me." Emma said sadly."

"That may be but that life will never exist." Daniel shook his head. "Not after everything we have been through together."

Emma nodded slowly, carefully choosing her next words. "Then know I will always be with you in everything you do. You've taken a piece of me Daniel, a piece that will always belong to you. You're right. Our lives have been intertwined, we'll never fully be free of the influence the other's had on us, but that also means we'll always carry each other in our hearts, in whatever we do."

There was a moment of silence before Daniel spoke up, his question surprising both of them. "What does it feel like?"

"What does what feel like?" Emma asked slowly.

"Knowing what might happen?" Daniel's question came out slowly, as if he both needed to but were afraid of hearing the answer. "Knowing that you might…"

"Knowing that I might be walking into my death?" Emma finished for him? "It's…. strange. I don't really know how to explain it. I mean we've always known there is a potential risk in everything that we do. Inn theory I've always known I was going to die. But there is something odd and terrifyingly surreal about suddenly having a potential countdown, a proverbial hourglass with only a few grains of sand left in it. It's… nothing you ever want to experience. There's a price to knowledge, and it can be pretty heavy."

"All that time we spent searching for it." There was a bitter edge to Daniel's voice.

"We were young and impulsive, we still are, just a little bit less so. I wouldn't take it back for the world." Emma said firmly. "It gave me some of the best memories, it let me live more life in these sixteen short years than most will live in a full lifetime. And I am so incredibly thankful for that."

"So am I." Daniel assured her before glancing over his shoulder. He saw the adults packing up camp, almost ready to set off on the final leg of their journey. He turned back to Emma. "We should get going."

"The final leg of this journey." Emma sighed, taking the hand Daniel offered to help her stand.

Daniel gave her a sad smile. "We'll be there before you know it."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Emma said quietly as she began to follow behind him.

Emma let her mind drift as they walked, shooting down everyone's effort to make conversation. She knew they were only trying to take her mind off the situation at hand, she knew it was selfish to refuse them what might be a final conversation with her, but she couldn't find it within her to make small talk. The only one who didn't attempt to strike up a conversation with her was Evan. He knew she needed the time and for that she was eternally grateful. She let her memories drift back to what it had been like before this all started. She thought about her life with her parents, how happy she had been, how safe she had felt. She never worried about her future, she simply knew she was loved and that her parents would take care of her. Or at least she had known that until the end, until Regina's manipulations had caused her to misinterpret a conversation and run away, a decision that changed the course of her life.

She reflected back on the years she had spent in Altair, the adventurous and carefree fun she had found with her friends, the trouble the had gotten into, the excitement they had. She realized that outside of Diana and Daniel she hadn't seen her friends in a very long time. While she was figuring out her life it hadn't seemed that important, it had been something she could have done at any time, and now she was faced with the fact that she might never see them again and she hadn't been able to say goodbye. The two sets of memories were so clear but they seemed so different, like they belonged to two completely separate lives. In some ways, she supposed they did. If she had spent her life in Eirian she would have never become the person her experiences in Altair had helped her become. If she had always known who she was, she supposed her life in Altair would have been marred by the knowledge she was separated from her family. As much as others may disagree she was thankful for the circumstances that made up her life. There was sadness and lost time, but there were also incredibly experiences, people, and entire worlds she would have never known. The life that had been given to her was one she wouldn't trade for the world, even if it meant it would be cut short. In that moment she knew she was ready for whatever was to come. She had been given more than most and was prepared to die if that meant she could protect those who had made her life worth living. She was still terrified of dying, of potentially failing, of leaving behind those she loved, but she was ready to step up and take on the role she had been born for.

Daniel had been right. It didn't take long for them to reach the clearing they had chosen. Emma took in the area carefully. The pull it had on her was shocking and undeniable. "This place, the feeling it gives me… It's so strange but I can't quite explain it."

"I can." Snow's voice was rigid and emotionless but Emma knew that meant her mother was trying her best to keep whatever she was feeling in check. "This place has some pretty strong feelings associated with it."

"I'm so sorry." Emma closed her eyes, feeling like an idiot for not considering her mother's feelings, what this place represented to her. It was where her life had changed forever, where her family's lives had changed forever. She could still see the scorch marks her manifestation had left, a stark reminder of the power that had been emitted that night. She shook slightly at the memory, the fear of being alone, the pain of her magic. She looked at her mother, realizing as much pain as she had felt that night, her parents had probably felt more. "I'm so sorry I had to bring us here. It makes sense that my magic would have drawn me to the place where the veil between worlds is the thinnest that night, but that can't make that any easier on you."

"It's ok sweetheart." Snow's voice was once again the gentle mothering voice Emma was used to. It amazed her how quickly her mother was able to shift her emotions, to slip so easily into her role as a parent. "You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault."

Despite her mother's assurances Emma still felt a pang of guilt for bringing her mother back to this place, the place where she had lost her daughter, where she might lose her daughter again.

"So what do we do now?" Red looked to her goddaughter.

Emma glanced back out at the clearing. "I call him here."

"How do you know he'll come?" Evander asked.

Emma took a deep breath, turning to face the group standing behind her. "I'm what he wants." Emma gave a small shrug, accepting the fact. "He'll come." Knowing the time had come to say goodbye she turned to Evander first. "Evander, Thank you."

"For what?" Evander's eyebrows knit in confusion.

"For always looking out for me, for going beyond your job description of protecting me and being my friend. Thank you for trying to make me smile when you knew I was sad, for making sure I never felt alone." Emma smiled fondly at the memory. "I know it can't be ideal to be tasked with looking after a princess, but you always treated it as if it were the greatest honor."

"That's because it was the greatest honor your father could have bestowed on me. He trusted me with his most precious possession," Evander smiled gently. "You. There was no greater honor I could have been given.

Blush tinted Emma's cheeks as she cast her eyes to the ground. "Emma it has been a pleasure to be allowed to know you, to see the incredible woman you have become. You have so much of your parents in you, but you also have something unique, a strength and determination that exceeds even that of your mother and father. You are strong enough to do this."

Emma gave a small nod before turning to Evan, her mentor, her big brother for so much of her life. No matter how hard he had been on her, no matter how many times he had to taken on the role of the authority figure, he had always made sure Emma and her friends knew how much he cared for them. "Evan… I can't even begin to…" Emma's voice faltered.

"There's no need, I know." Evan gently cut Emma off, both knowing what she was going to say and realizing how hard it would be for her. His years watching over her had allowed him to learn many things about the guarded young woman, including what she needed in this moment. "I am so proud of you Emma. Juliana would be as well. It has been the greatest honor to watch you grow into the woman before me." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Red and Snow look away, pained looks in their eyes. "An honor I realize even after my short time here, is one that was given to very few. You just need to go out there and do what you are trained to, trust that you are capable of all the things we see in you. You are truly incredible Emma. Everyone who knows you see's that."

"What if it's not enough?" Emma asked quietly.

"Then everyone will know that you gave everything you had." Evan promised. "And you will be honored in our world forever. But you need to remember that he realizes how powerful you are, how much you are capable of. You need to remember that he fears you as well or you wouldn't be in this position right now. Keep that fear in mind, it will give you power."

"Thank you." Emma gave a genuine smile, the advice from her mentor, as usual, easing her warring mind.

"There's no one I believe in more than you." Evan continued. "And it's not simply because of your power. It is everything I've seen you do, everything you've accomplished, everything you've overcome. You are capable of so much Emma, more than you know."

"Did you just give me a compliment?" Emma smirked, trying to lighten the mood in preparation for the difficult goodbyes that she knew were yet to come.

"Don't let it get to your head." Evan laughed before a serious look settled. "Whatever happens, I am so proud that I've had the honor of being your teacher."

"And I am eternally grateful that I had the opportunity to be your student." Emma accepted a hug from Evan, a rare gift from the usually stoic man."

"Aunt Red." Her voice betrayed her emotions as she moved to stand in front of the woman. Her stunning aunt, not only because of her beauty, but because of the strength inside of her, because of everything she had endured. She regretted not telling her godmother how much she looked up to her, how thankful she was to have a role model who understood what it was like to be feared, what it was like to be different, and who had showed their world that being different didn't make you something to be feared.

"You don't have to say anything." Red put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "I know. I know you love me, and hope you know how much I love you."

"I do." Emma promised.

"Then that's all we need." Red said simply. "Because nothing we can say will ever be able to describe what we feel."

Emma nodded in understanding, tears beginning to form in her eyes, but somehow she managed to hold them back. "I love you."

"I love you too." Red pulled Emma into a hug, holding her close. "So very much."

"To the moon and back?" Emma asked quietly, referring back to a childhood saying they had shared when Red had watched over her while her parents were gone. Each time Red had tucked her in and told Emma she loved her, asking her if she knew how much. Eventually Emma had caught on, always responding to the moon and back. The phrase was something so simple, but to them, it meant everything.

Red stepped back, running her hand over Emma's hair. "Always."

Emma took a deep breath as she walked to her mother, the goodbye she had been dreading the most. "I am so sorry that I have to put you through this, again." Emma's voice wavered, her eyes filled with regret, her heart heavy with the guilt of putting her mother through pain, with the fear of saying goodbye to her. "I know this isn't fair to you, and I know that I can't begin to understand the pain you're going through, that you might go through. I wish there was another way. I'm just… I'm sorry."

"No." Snow cupped her daughter's cheek, effectively stopping her unnecessary and painful apology. " You don't ever have to be sorry for anything…."

Emma cracked a small smile, leaning her head into her mother's hand. "Can I get that in writing?"

Snow reached up, delicately moving a tendril of her daughter's golden hair from her face. "Sweetheart if you come back, you can have whatever you want."

Emma's eyes locked with her mother's, the emotion swirling in both their eyes telling a far greater story than either of them could voice. "It's going to be ok."

"How can you promise that?" Snow didn't want to show her daughter any doubt but she couldn't help voicing the very real fear that consumed her thoughts.

"Remember how I told you that Regina's magic is different than mine? Hers is learned, taken from spells and books and potions, whereas mine is innate?" Emma began, earning a small nod from her mother. "Well there's one thing that connects out abilities, it is the essence of magic itself. As unlikely as it may seem for how we train in Altair, magic is not an intellectual endeavor, it's emotional. You have understand why are you doing it, you have to feel it. Any emotion that is strong enough can fuel magic, but some emotions are more powerful than others. Love produces the most powerful magic. That it why I am as powerful as I am, because my magic came from love, and it is at it's most powerful when the emotion fueling it is love."

Tears were beginning to well in her mother's eyes as she asked the next question. "How are you going to channel love out there? In the midst of everything that's going on?"

"The desire to protect others, to give them a shot at a better future, even if it means sacrificing yourself? That's love. You and dad taught me that." Emma saw the sad smile form on her mother's face and knew she had said the right thing, something that could give her mother any hope to cling to. "I'm not going out there for notoriety or fame, I don't care if people tell stories about me or know who I am, I simply want to save those that I love. I just want to do what is right, as terrifying as it is."

"I am so proud of you." Snow said softly. "Words cannot express how proud your father and I are of you, how much we love you, how thankful we are to have had this time with you."

"I love you mom." Emma's voice was thick with emotion. "No matter what has happened between us, no matter what we've done, I couldn't love you more, and I need you to know that. I know you still live with regret. I can see it when you look at me. I want you to forgive yourself, I did long ago."

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive myself, but I'll try…" Snow studied her daughter's face, trying to take in every small detail of her daughter. Although she had memorized every detail of Emma's face long ago, she couldn't shake the fear that she might miss something, that one day Emma's face might begin to fade from her memory. Snow brought her hands up to hold Emma's face, pulling her to her and pressing a gentle kiss into her forehead. As she pulled back a small, sad smile spread across her face. "It's time for you to believe in yourself Emma, I know we all do."

With one final hug, Emma turned to the last member of their party, the last goodbye she would have to make. She knew Daniel perhaps best of anyone else in this group, but she found herself having difficulty finding the right words.

"This is harder than I thought." Emma admitted, giving a small shrug as she tried to push away her emotions. "I know we've more or less said goodbye multiple times but we've always had more time, if there was something I forgot to say…" Emma looked down at her hands, her voice quiet. "If there was something I couldn't say." Emma took a deep shaky breath. "There are so many things that I'll never be able to tell you, that I'll never be able to thank you for. You are the best friend I have ever had, the best partner I could ever ask for. You are the most incredible person I have met. You've given me so much, even when I don't deserve it. You've always supported me, even when my ideas were idiotic at best, potentially deadly at worst."

"What can I say? Near death experiences with you are actually quite thrilling." Daniel gave a weak laugh. "I wouldn't give up one second of my life with you Emma. Outside of Diana, there is no one who knows me more, who understands me better than you. I don't know what I'm going to do without you."

"You're going to be amazing." Emma promised. "You already are. I need you today Daniel. I can't focus unless I know you all are safe. You and Evan need to keep them safe, no matter what happens out there. You can't help me. You have to protect them. If he see's the chance he will use you all against me. He knows I'll do anything to protect you all, including giving my life. So you have to promise me that you will look after them."

"I promise." There was a hint of reluctance in Daniel's voice. He wanted to help her, and he knew this was the best way how, but in some ways it still made him feel inadequate.

Emma look to Evan who nodded solemnly. "You don't need to worry Emma."

Emma smiled gratefully before turning back to Daniel. "Even if this is my last day in this world, I have had sixteen wonderful years; sixteen messy, imperfect, emotional, incredible, and beautiful years that although I missed so much, I wouldn't ever trade because they made me who I am, they allowed me to know you, they gave me the greatest friends I could have ever asked for. So yes, my life had been imperfect, it has been unfair, and it might be cut incredibly short, but it has also been a blessing and a beautiful mess every day I've had. I've had a lot more happiness in these sixteen years than most will ever have, and that is in large part to you. So please don't regret anything and promise me you will fight to live a life as full as the one we have lead thus far."

Daniel's eyes were locked on hers, tears pooling in his eyes as she spoke. He took a deep breath. "I could never really say no to you."

"It's always been your weakness." Emma laughed, wiping a tear from her eye.

At a loss for words Daniel pulled Emma into a tight hug. Emma wrapped her arms around him tightly, not wanting to ever let go. She could hear crying, and although she didn't know where it was coming from, it didn't really matter. It could have been any of them, it was an emotion they were all feeling.

Finally Daniel released her, holding onto only her hand. With a tight squeeze, he left her with one final order, something so simple, but something that spoke volumes of his belief in her. "Just be you, that's enough."

"I will." Emma promised. Her eyes scanned over the five people who were watching her intently. She closed her eyes as she turned around, knowing she'd be unable to find the strength to leave if she met their gazes. She walked slowly, willing herself not to cry any more, she couldn't show weakness.

"Emma." The desperation in the voice calling her name caused her to turn just as Daniel caught her arm.

"Daniel?" Emma studied Daniel with confusion, trying to understand why he had come after her.

Their eyes met for what felt like an eternity until Daniel began to move closer, his hand gently caressing her cheek as he slowly pulled her toward him. Though the movement was slow, Emma couldn't pull away. Part of her couldn't deny it to him, but another surprising part of her didn't want to. Ignoring the fact that they were being watched, she tilted her head as their lips locked with one another, her eyes slipping closed as their arms wrapped around one another. She was surprised to find her hand grasping the back of his neck. It was if her body was acting without the control of her mind, doing something she had never fully understood she wanted. The kiss was passionate and deep, the result of years of being there for one another, of caring so deeply for each other, of loving one another.

The kiss felt as if it had lasted both an eternity and only a few short minutes. Daniel's hand fell from her cheek as they parted, remaining close, their foreheads touching, both unable to catch their breaths for a moment, seemingly suspended in time, before the full weight of what had just happened hit them. They released their holds on one another, both looking down as they stepped apart.

"I'm sorry, I just… I had to take the chance, just once." Daniel looked slightly guilty for what he had just done. "I couldn't live with myself if I hadn't…"

"Daniel it's ok." Emma whispered. "No regrets, right?"

"Right." Daniel nodded. "I love you Emma."

Her voice was barely above a whisper, a sad smile spreading across her face, holding back the tears she thought she no longer had the ability to cry. "I love you too."

With one final look at the people she loved, catching the knowing smile on Evan's face, and the mix of surprise and contentment on her mother's, she turned to face the clearing. The walk was slow but purposeful, her head held high as she took her spot in the middle of the clearing. A final glance over her shoulder gave her the comfort of knowing Evan and Daniel had honored her request. Their magic had shrouded them, rendering them invisible to anyone outside their protective spell. And though she was glad they had that small bit of protection, she was surprised how much it pained her to not be able to see them one last time.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to face forward, her resolve strengthening as she worked up the power to do what she needed to, to accept her destiny. She held her hand out in front of her, allowing the magic to radiate through it. Slowly, the raised it above her head power coursing through her body as a pillar of blinding white light shot from it.

Red's eyes grew wide as she watched from a distance. "What is she doing?"

"She's summoning him." All five turned in surprise at the new voice, stunned to see Serafine standing behind them.

"How?" Daniel asked slowly. Despite spending the majority of his life studying under her, he was still constantly surprised by Serafine.

"Daniel you should know never to doubt me." Serafine chastised.

"It's more fear." Daniel turned to look at the clearing, where their greatest enemy would soon be. "This is an incredibly powerful spell. If you can find us, what's going to stop him?"

On a hilltop far away, armies were gathered. Men stood by patiently, waiting for orders from their commanders, waiting to march into battle to fight for their kingdoms. Gasps rippled through the crowd, causing the kings and their generals to look up from the table where they had intently been studying a war map. While most stared at the scene in shock, the dread of familiarity settled over James as he watched the beam of light penetrate the sky.

"James?" Thomas recognized the look on his friend's face. "What is it?"

James closed his eyes, trying to cast away the fear that was filling his body and focus on what he needed to do for his family. His daughter was fighting her war and he needed to fight his. His eyes open, meeting those of his closest friends. "It has begun."

Power reverberated through her body as Emma worked to contain her magic, her arm recoiling as her hand clasped, the pillar disappearing. Her arm dropped to her side, the winds around her shifting. There was a palpable change in the air, feeling electric as magic buzzed around her, dark magic. Lifting her chin, Emma steeled herself against what was to come, her eye catching a faint swirling in front of her. Soon the swirling became darker and faster, forming a black pillar coursing with energy before it finally faded, revealing the man she had for so long feared.

"Hello princess." The cold voice sent an involuntary shiver down Emma's spine. "I've been waiting so long for this."

So obviously we'll be having some action coming very soon!

For the guest who left a review about Emma and Daniel - hope you liked their moment, it's been a long time coming.