Some stories don't have happy endings. Even love stories. Maybe especially love stories ― Kristin Hannah
The men were in the kitchen talking enthusiastically. They had finished the nursery just like Killian had predicted. The pirate opened the fridge and grabbed three beers. It was time to celebrate. He put the beers on the kitchen table and sat on the chair next to David. A few minutes later he heard his phone ringing.
He saw Will's name on the screen and rolled his eyes. Will's call could only mean that he had done something stupid. He showed Robin and David his phone and the men rolled their eyes.
"What did you do now, Will?" – Killian asked, pinching the ridge of his nose already prepared for one of Will's big stories.
The way Killian pronounced Will's name made the men smile. They looked at the pirate waiting for his typical snarky comment but Killian remained in silence.
David and Robin watched him as he rose from his chair, hardly keeping his balance. He was pale. David noticed that Killian's right hand was trembling. Before he could ask if something was wrong Killian let the phone fall to the ground.
He looked at David and Robin and opened his mouth but the words refused to get out of his mouth. He could feel the room spinning, making him feel dizzy.
No, no, no … this can't be happening.
He could still hear Will's words echoing in his mind and his heart beating against his ribcage. He tried to take a step forward and almost stumbled.
"Killian, what happened?" – David asked worried, approaching him. Killian felt David's hand on his shoulder.
He wanted to speak but the words got stuck in his throat. He felt like he couldn't get enough air. It was like he was in a cage.
"E-Emma …" – he managed to say with a tremble in his voice – "She …" – his voice broke.
He could feel an actual physical pain every time Will's words invaded his mind. He took a step forward avoiding David's touch.
"Killian" – David insisted, feeling his heart racing – "What did Will say to you? What happened to my daughter?" – he asked, grabbing Killian's arm and preventing him from pacing around the room.
"A car …" – Killian said at the same time he tried to control his breathing – "A car hit her, Dave" – his voice broke on Dave.
For a few seconds David's heart stopped and he almost forgot how to breathe.
"Did he call 911?" – he said, trying to control the amount of emotions that were invading his body.
"He did" – Robin spoke. David turned his attention to Robin and noticed that he was holding Killian's phone – "She's in the hospital. According to some witnesses she was hit by the car as she pushed Belle out of the street"
Before David could speak Killian headed to the hallway. He grabbed his keys and made his way to the front door.
"Killian, wait!" – David said as he saw the pirate reaching the door knob.
"She is in the hospital, David!" – Killian shouted back – "She is in the hospital because of me!" – he snapped his head.
"What are you talking about?" – David asked, walking towards him. Robin followed him.
"Milah did this" – Killian said, tightening his hand around the door knob.
As soon as Robin said that Emma had saved Belle's life he knew that Milah was the one driving the car. She said that she wanted to destroy Rumpelstiltskin. She said that Belle was her target. He should've seen this coming. He could have prevented this. He should have talked to Belle and warned her about Milah instead of following Rumpelstiltskin's orders.
"I shouldn't have listened to the Crocodile" – he continued to say through gritted teeth.
This is all my fault – he said to himself – She's here because of me. I dragged Milah into our lives and now Emma can be – he opened the door, trying to erase that thought from his mind. The simple thought of losing her was unbearable.
David asked Robin to take care of Neal and followed Killian.
Rumpelstiltskin was at the hospital talking with Doctor Whale when he heard noise coming from the hallway. They both got out of the exam room. Rumpelstiltskin immediately saw four nurses yelling things to each other as they guided two stretchers into the hospital. He almost lost his balance when he saw the person that was lying on one of the stretcher.
"Belle?" – he yelled as she watched his wife pass by him.
The nurses continued to run.
"What happened?" – Rumpelstiltskin asked, running alongside the stretcher.
Whale touched his shoulder, pushing Rumple out of the way as the nurses ran towards two double doors.
"You can't come in there" – Whale said.
"She's my wife!" – Rumpelstiltskin exclaimed, grabbing Whale's arm.
"You have to wait here and let me do my job" – Whale said calmly, releasing himself from the Dark One's hold – "She's in good hands here. I promise" – he added before entering in the room.
Rumpelstiltskin remained in silence facing the two double doors. He tried pushing them in, but they wouldn't budge without a key card. He considered using magic to open the door but the magic never left his fingers.
The image of Milah invaded his mind. This was her doing. He was sure of it. He should have been more careful. He should have predicted this – prevented this.
He remembered Belle lying on the stretcher … and Emma.
Why was Emma injured? Milah needed her alive. Her target was Belle not Emma, at least until the baby is born.
He sat in the waiting room, trying to control his breathing. Belle's image invaded his mind and he tried to remain positive.
Yes her clothes were ripped but she had only some scratches on her body and he was almost sure that she had opened her eyes as soon as he yelled her name. She had survived a bullet, she would survive this too.
Emma's condition on the other hand seemed pretty bad. The Savior was unconscious and covered with blood.
He remembered his talk with Whale before the women entered in the hospital. They had been working on a machine capable of detecting and informing the amount of magic present in a human's body. This machine was capable of determine the percentage of magic that a person could bear. According to Whale the machine was ready.
Rumpelstiltskin also remembered his talk with Killian and the rest of the Charming family.
"She said that as soon as the heart leaves its body the baby will die" – Killian explained.
"I didn't find anything about that but it makes sense" – the Dark One said – "The heart usually is the source of power of the most people who are born with magic. I thought that Milah was just going to take away the baby's magic but I guess this explains the sacrifice part that I've read about"
"The sacrifice part that I've read about" – he repeated to himself as the image of blue blood invaded his mind.
He needed to talk to Whale. It was time for the machine to start working. He needed to confirm his suspicions. This little detail could change everything.
He had read that the prophecy required a sacrifice and he assumed that it was referring to the baby, especially after the pirate told him that the child would die once the heart leaves its body. That was a crucial detail. Ripping a heart wasn't the same thing than crushing a heart but in this case it was. He had thought that that was the sacrifice but now he had a feeling that he was wrong.
Twenty minutes later a nurse informed him that Belle was okay. He followed her in silence.
"I'll give you a few minutes alone" – the nurse said, stopping in front of a closed door.
Rumpelstiltskin watched the nurse walk away down the hallway. He reached the door knob and took a deep breath before opening the door.
He immediately saw Belle turning her head so she could look at him. She smiled as soon as their eyes met.
"Rumple" – she said softly, extending her hand to him.
Rumpelstiltskin approached her, reaching the edge of the bed. He carefully grabbed her small hand.
"I'm sorry" – he softly said, kissing her hand.
"Rumple, you have nothing to be sorry for" – Belle said, caressing his hair – "This wasn't your fault. Caroline –"
"Her name is not Caroline, Belle" – Rumpelstiltskin interrupted her, cursing himself for being so blind. Milah had been near Belle this whole time and he didn't even notice – "Her name is Milah" – he added, closing his eyes.
"Milah?" – Belle asked confused, realizing whom this Milah person was.
"She's alive" – Rumpelstiltskin said – "Bae's mother is alive" – he explained trying to hide the nervousness in his voice.
"I don't understand" – Belle said, running a hand through her hair – "How is that possible?"
Rumpelstiltskin took a deep breath before explaining what he should have explained to Belle months ago. He told her everything: how Milah faked her own death, the linking spell, the prophecy and the undying spell.
"I should have told you sooner" – he said, staring at Belle's eyes – "I'm so sorry Belle. I was just trying to protect you"
"Emma …" – Belle suddenly said – "She pushed me away. She saved my life" – she continued to say, remembering Emma's body lying on the ground – "Is she alright?" – she asked with worry.
"I don't know. I didn't talk to Whale yet" – Rumpelstiltskin explained trying to calm her down.
"Rumple you have to help her!" – Belle whined, reaching for his hand –"She saved my life. You have to help them!"
"I know, I know" – Rumpelstiltskin said calmly, caressing Belle's hand – "I will"
"The prophecy … sometimes the same prophecy has different versions with different information" – Belle continued to say, trying to figure it out a way to help her friends – "Please tell me you found a loophole" – she added, looking at her husband.
"I didn't" – he said after a few seconds of silence – "But I think I found something else … about Emma"
After dropping off Neal at the Charming's loft Robin went home.
Henry and Roland were on the couch watching TV. He made his way to the kitchen. Regina heard his footsteps and turned her body to the kitchen entrance.
"What's wrong?" – she immediately asked, noticing the worried expression on Robin's face.
"Emma is in the hospital" – he said in low voice, sitting on one of the kitchen chairs.
"What?" – Regina said horrified – "What happened? Is she hurt? The baby?" – she asked as she approached Robin, sitting in front of him.
"She was hit by a car" – Robin explained.
"What? No … we spent the whole day trying dresses and then we left the store and –" – Regina babbled, refusing to believe in her fiancé's words.
"After she left the store she saw a car moving towards Belle" – Robin explained, caressing Regina's hand, trying to calm her down – "She pushed Belle out of the street but she wasn't fast enough and the car hit her. Will called 911" – he said – "Killian believes that this was Milah's doing"
Regina clenched her fist, trying to control her nerves.
If Killian's life wasn't linked to Milah's she would gladly kill her slowly – she thought.
"Where's Killian?" – Regina asked after a few seconds of silence, fearing the worst.
"At the hospital" – Robin said – "Don't worry, I don't think he will go after Milah … at least not for now" – he added, reading Regina's thoughts.
"I hope you're right" – she said softly – "Now is not the time to make stupid decisions"
Regina was familiar with Killian's temper. He could be impulsive and reckless. The pirate would completely lose himself without Emma. He wouldn't be Killian without Emma as Emma wouldn't be Emma without Killian. Neither of them would work anymore without the other. Operation The Three Musketeers revealed that truth – Killian was completely lost when Emma disappeared and became the Dark One. They needed each other otherwise they were doomed to fall apart.
They heard the boys laughing in the living room. Regina felt her stomach contracting and then twisting into a knot.
"Henry …" – Regina murmured – "What am I going to say to him?" – she said, running her fingers through her hair.
"Maybe we should wait for any new information about Emma's condition" – Robin suggested – "There's no need to worry the boy before we know for sure what really happened" – he said – "I'll call David to know about Emma"
"You're right" – Regina sighed – "We'll tell him once we find out more about the accident and then we can go to the hospital" – she added, rising from the chair – "She's going to be okay. She's the Savior, right?" – she said like she was talking to herself.
"Of course" – Robin immediately said, approaching his fiancée – "She's strong" – he added, pulling her into his arms. Regina rested her chin on his shoulder – "Don't worry, everything will be alright" – he said, caressing her hair gently.
"I know" – she whispered, trying to believe in her own words.
As soon as David stopped the truck Killian immediately got out of the car. He entered in the hospital and immediately asked about Emma. Once the receptionist told him the door number of Emma's room he turned his body and made his way to the room, ignoring her protests and her instructions for him to wait in the waiting room.
He was so focused on finding Emma's room that he didn't even notice a nurse by his side, following through the hallway, only when she touched his arm he noticed her presence. The nurse tried to explain to him that he needed to wait for the doctor's orders before he could see Emma. Killian released himself from her hold and continued to search for the room.
After what it felt like an eternity he found the room. He ignored the nurse's complaints and opened the door.
The sight of Emma lying on the hospital bed made him sick. He could feel an actual physical pain in his stomach as he looked at his Emma and the beeping machines around her. The blood drained from his face and his hand started to tremble.
"Sir, she's okay. She's just resting" – the nurse said, following Killian as he moved towards Emma's bed.
"Are you sure?" – he asked without taking his eyes from Emma.
"Yes, we've already ran some tests and –" – the nurse tried to explain.
"Why isn't the doctor here?" – Killian asked. He snapped his head and looked at the nurse, feeling his heart beating against his ribcage.
Emma was injured. She needed a doctor. Where the bloody hell was Whale?
"He'll be here in a minute. He's just running some tests and –" – the nurse explained, trying to calm him down.
"She's twenty four weeks and two days pregnant. Is the baby okay?" – Killian suddenly interrupted her.
"Sir –" – the nurse tried to speak as Killian glared at her.
"Did you check the baby?" – Killian insisted – "She's twenty four weeks and two days pregnant"
"We're still waiting for some tests' results but –"
"So you don't know? That's what you're telling me?" – Killian said, raising his voice more than he intended to – "She's twenty four weeks and two days pregnant" – he repeated nervously.
"Babies at this age are very well protected" – the nurse stated, trying to sound confident.
"I know that!" – Killian exclaimed remembering the parenting book that he had bought after finding out about Emma's pregnancy – "But she's twenty four weeks and two days preg –" – he felt someone grabbing his hand, preventing him from finishing his sentence.
He looked at his hand and saw Emma's fingers closed around his wrist, dragging it down to her belly.
He looked again at her beautiful face as she opened her eyes. She had a few bruises on her left cheek and on her arms but other than that she looked fine. The only evidences of the accident were the long wires and beeping machines around her body.
He immediately sat at her side and pulled her into his arms, burying his head in the nick above her shoulder, where her breastbone met her cleavage. The nurse stepped out of the room, giving them some privacy.
"Swan" – he sobbed, feeling the way her back lifted and fell with each breath she took.
"… ry me"
"Don't ever scare me like that again" – he whispered, caressing her hair, trying to stop the trembling of his body.
"… arry me"
He pulled back so he could look at her. He saw her smile and smiled back, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Are you okay?" – he asked again – "The baby?" – he said touching her stomach, searching for any sign of injury.
"Killian" – she softly said, cupping his face in her hands so she could catch his attention – "Marry me" – she said, staring at his deep blue eyes.
"What?" – Killian breathed as he looked at the beautiful woman in front of him.
"Marry me" – Emma repeated, tracing the scar on his cheek with her fingers.
God, how she loved him.
They had never talked about marriage, it just never came up... but after hearing the worried questions that Killian threw at the nurse she was incapable of controlling her thoughts and words.
She's twenty four weeks and two days pregnant – she could still hear Killian's voice and smiled. He was already an overprotective dad.
She wanted to marry him. She never thought that she would want to be a married woman but all that changed when she met him. She loved him; each day she loved him a little more. She wanted to marry him.
"No…" – Killian pouted, removing Emma's hand from his face as he got up from the bed.
"What do you mean no?" – Emma said as she watched Killian walking towards the other side of the room – "I'm in a hospital bed Killian, you can't say no" – she added, trying to remain calm.
Killian turned his body to her and Emma released the air she didn't know was trapped in her lungs. He was smiling.
"You're depriving me of a dashing proposal, Swan" – he chuckled, approaching her as he remembered the ring hidden on the crib.
"You're so old fashioned" – Emma said, touching his hand again.
Killian crashed his lips against hers and Emma grabbed the back of his head pulling him closer.
"What about the baby?" – Killian murmured as he rested his forehead against hers – "Is she okay?"
"He's fine" – Emma said as he guided his hand to her stomach – "I know he is. I can feel it" – she added smiling.
Killian looked at her and Emma saw the question in his eyes. She bit her lower lip and nodded.
"She was going to kill Belle" – Emma said softly, remembering the moment she had seen Milah on the driver's seat – "I needed to do something" – she added. She didn't say I'm the Savior but it was there.
Fear and rage invaded Killian's body. He was supposed to be the one doing something to stop Milah, not Emma. He could hear the rushing roar of blood that filled his head. He felt powerless and he hated it. Emma was on a hospital bed because of Milah's lust of power and vengeance.
Emma was looking at him with a worried look.
"I know that you're the Savior, love, but please …" – Killian finally said, regaining his voice – "please be more careful …" – he said, trying not to think about Milah and her threats – "I can't lose you" – he added, unable to hide his emotions in his voice.
Before Emma could reassure him that he wouldn't lose her Whale entered in the room.
"Where the bloody hell where you?" – Killian immediately asked as soon as he saw Whale – "Is she okay? Is the baby okay?"
"Surprisingly yes. They're both fine" – Whale said, peering between a file folder and an anxious Killian.
The way Whale spoke made Emma's liar detector turn on.
He looked at Emma's face and noticed the confuse look on her face.
"It was bad Emma, really bad" – he explained approaching the bed – "I thought you wouldn't going to survive. You were bleeding into your chest cavity. You got contusions and broken ribs that led to respiratory compromise. The chest trauma caused the exsanguination and loss of cardiac pump function" – Whale looked at Killian and noticed that the pirate was pale – "When we were already in the OR your blood started to turn blue and you started to heal … I had never seen anything like that before"
Whale's words started to echo in Emma's mind. Suddenly her eyes widened as she remembered the time when she had cut her hand during the spell that showed her that Killian was alive. The cut in her hand had healed almost immediately. She didn't pay attention to that at the time because she was completely focused on finding Killian but now all started to make sense.
She had also cut her hand when Killian returned, after their little fight in the kitchen. She remembered the plate breaking and the blood flowing from her hand. After she washed her hand the cut was much smaller than before – it was just a scratch.
"It was him … the baby" – Emma said, realizing all the times that the baby had healed her before – "The baby saved me" – she added smiling.
Killian looked at Emma and remembered the prophecy: the child's heart will have the power of immortality; the power to save and cure; the power to concede an eternal life.
"It seems that daddy isn't the only survivor in the family" – Emma's voice caught his attention and he smiled at her.
"There's something else you need to know" – a familiar voice made Killian's smile disappear from his face. He turned his head and saw Rumpelstiltskin approaching them – "But before that I want to say thank you for saving Belle" – Rumpelstiltskin said looking at Emma – "I'm in your debt. I'll do whatever I can to help you"
"Is she okay?" – Emma asked.
"She's fine" – Rumpelstiltskin said before turning his attention to Doctor Whale. They shared a look and the doctor spoke:
"Mr. Gold and I created a machine that calculates the amount of magic present in someone's body; the amount of magic that a person can bear" – Whale explained – "After your magical recovery I ran some tests using this new machine. According to our calculations your body will not be able to resist to the amount of magic that the baby will release during childbirth" – he continued to say, feeling the tension in the room – "The energy that you will waste … I don't think that your heart will be strong enough to resist …."
"What does that mean?" – Emma suddenly asked, trying to understand Whale's riddles.
Whale took a deep breath after looking at Killian and Emma. They were waiting for his answer.
"It means that if you have this child there's a very good chance that you will die" – he finally said.
As soon as the words left Whale's mouth Killian's eyes widened in shock. Before he could open his mouth to speak Rumpelstiltskin spoke:
"He's right, dearie" – he said, noticing Killian's reaction to the news – "Do you remember the sacrifice part that I mentioned?" – he asked not waiting for a response – "I thought it was referring to the baby and the heart issue but it wasn't … it was referring to the mother" – he explained turning his attention to a speechless Emma – "For this baby to live you'll have to die"
Suddenly Milah's voice invaded Killian's mind:
You know, it's kind of ironic because this illusion that you have about this little life of yours is what will make you want to fulfill the prophecy … You may not see it now but I know that when the time comes you will be the one to want to crush the child's heart – he remembered her words.
She was not just playing with his mind, she knew about the sacrifice part. She knew. She wanted him to blame the child for Emma's death. He didn't understand her words at the time but now it all made sense.
His heart stopped. Could Milah be right? Could he let himself revert to Hook?
Unconsciously he looked at his hook. Emma was his light. What would happen once the light was gone? He was starting to wonder if he could trust himself to be Killian without Emma; to be a father without Emma.
How was he supposed to feel about the child that took her away from him?
And if you think things can't get worse, think again … So much angst coming!