A/N: Hello! I know, I know, long time no update. It seems I was a tad optimistic about being able to post new chapters while moving to another country. Yes, I am now living in Switzerland. Anyway, I'm so sorry it took this long to update! I have many excuses, some better than others, but I won't bore you. I will, however, promise to make it up to you. This Thursday (or Sunday, it depends when I can find the time to write, hopefully Thursday), in addition to a new chapter, I'll also have bonus content for you! And even better, you get to decide what it is! Let me know what you'd prefer; a shortish early 20th century AU based on the song 'No Charge' by Caro Emerald (well worth a listen, if you haven't already heard her song 'That Man' on Agent Carter), or a chapter on the origins of Henry. Anyway, here's the late chapter. Cheers, and enjoy!

CHAPTER 11

EMMA'S UPPER BODY slammed into something hard, and her legs slapped icy cold water. Gasping and winded, she scrambled further up onto the cart, making sure she had a firm hold on Henry. Thankfully, she hadn't landed on the small creature. Finally sitting on top of the supplies, she cast around for her companions.

Grumpy floated a few feet away from her, the tug of the river carrying him closer to the cart with each passing second. He grabbed at a few loose objects as he came, bits of wood and sack that had been shaken out of the cart. She looked, but there was no sign of Killian.

Then she saw a shoe, bobbing on the surface as if it had just risen from further below. Emma didn't stop to think; if she had, maybe it would have occurred to her that what she was doing was insane. She dropped Henry and leapt back into the freezing water.

She was fighting against the current, and every muscle burned with cold. Her lungs prickled and her throat felt like fire, but she refused to scream. Luckily, the water was fresh, so she could open her eyes, but doing so sent a spike of pain through her head, already aching with the cold. But there he was, his ridiculous leather coat dragging him down.

Sending up a quick thanks that she found him so easily, Emma surfaced and struggled to swim fast enough to stay in place. The current was bringing him to her. When he was directly below, she dived.

Immediately, her temples ached and she gritted her teeth. She tried to drag him to the surface, but his coat pulled them both deeper. She tugged at it until his arms were free, and it drifted away in the current. Kicking hard, she brought them both to the surface.

One breath, and then Killian's weight forced her back under. Emma tried to wake him up, poking him hard in the side, pinching his arms, tugging his hair. Finally, he coughed and thrashed, so she backed up a few strokes. Killian got his bearings admirably fast. Not speaking, she pointed in the direction of the cart and Grumpy, who was shouting something. They couldn't hear over the rush of water.

"If we live through this," Killian panted, as they swam for safety, "remind me to thank you."

Emma didn't reply; she was getting very tired, her movements growing sluggish. Her teeth were chattering, which she discovered when she tasted blood and noticed her lip had been bitten clean through. Everything was numb, except for her lungs, which burned like fire.

She only noticed that they had reached the cart when Grumpy grabbed her arm and threw her onto the supplies. Henry whimpered and began licking every bit of exposed skin he could find. Emma flopped onto her back, but a gust of cold air made her huddle into a ball, shivering all over. She could faintly hear the men talking, but sleep was calling her name. She drifted…

"WE NEED TO get out!" Killian roared over the sound of the water. "She'll die if we don't get her warm, and fast!"

"There!" Grumpy replied, pointing. Ahead, a ledge was cut into the cliff. A net on a long stick rested up against the wall, and there was a tunnel beyond that led up. Killian dove into the water and swam hard, reaching the ledge and clambering up. He ran to get the net, then held it out for Grumpy to grab.

He missed the first time, and Killian had to force his frozen muscles to get him ahead of the cart to try again. This time, Grumpy got a hold, and they began to reel him in. Once the dwarf could hold the ledge himself, Killian reached for Emma and pulled her ashore. When she was safely on solid ground, he held the cart as Grumpy hauled himself up. Together, they managed to pull the cart up out of the water.

Grumpy began digging through their supplies for blankets and something to start a fire with, as Killian began to rub Emma's arms. Her head lolled to one side, and Henry curled up in her lap, trying to share his own heat.

At Grumpy's triumphant cry, Killian span and helped take out the blankets. Together they wrapped Emma in as many as they could, keeping one each for themselves. Luckily, they had been at the bottom of the cart, under the water-proof tarp, and they were barely wet. The tinder and logs weren't so lucky.

Killian left Grumpy to it, and went to check on Emma. The lass was still shivering, not generating enough heat for the blankets to trap.

"She's frozen." Killian called to Grumpy, who knew more about this sort of thing than he did.

"If she's not making her own heat, you've got to give her some!" The dwarf replied. Killian winced, knowing Emma would not like it when she woke.

If she wakes, whispered a part of his mind. He ignored it.

Gingerly, he carried Emma so that they'd be closer to the fire when Grumpy managed to light it, a little ways inside the tunnel so that they were out of the icy air. The girl was shamefully easy to lift, and Killian resolved to make sure she ate better, raging silently at coin-pinching orphanage directors.

When he sat, it was with Emma on his lap, rearranging the blankets so that they were wrapped around both of them and not between them. Immediately he began to sweat, but Emma still shivered, so he wrapped her more snuggly.

After a minute, she stopped shaking. A minute more and she blinked blearily.

"Killian?" She asked, slurring the word a little in a mouth gone numb.

"Yes?"

"Remind me never to take a mine cart again."

He chuckled, and before he could formulate a reply she had fallen into a true sleep, her head resting just under his chin.

Killian glanced up to see if Grumpy would make any comment, but the dwarf was innocently poking at his small fire, not even looking at the two.