Disclaimer: I do not and will never own OUAT.
TRIGGER WARNING: A very tiny brief one sentence mention of planned suicide.
Chapter 6
Kindness can transform someone's dark moment with a blaze of light. You'll never know how much your caring matters. –— Amy Leigh
Though irritated and a bit dejected from Rumplestiltskin's refusal to help, David was somewhat reassured by the knowledge that Emma had magic. It made sense Emma had magic considering she was the Savior.
When he entered Granny's Diner, ignoring the hungover Jefferson, he caught Ruby's eye. Ruby nodded towards the back, indicating that the others were waiting. David walked through the hallway that connected the diner and the inn. Entering the sitting room, he found Blue with a few of her fairies, the dwarves, Granny, Marco, Ella, Thomas, Thomas' father Edward, Abigail, and Frederick.
It was good to see so many familiar faces in one space, especially since they hadn't caught up all that much since the curse broke a week ago. Gods, had it only been a week? So much happened since then that it felt like an eternity.
Ruby appeared behind him. "I think we're ready." She moved behind the armchair occupied by Granny.
David nodded and looked to the others. "I have good news and bad news."
Everyone braced themselves, knowing David wouldn't have gathered them unless the bad news was really bad news.
David decided that it was better to start with the good news and give them some hope. "Good news, Emma and Snow are on their way home." David began. "They found allies in the Enchanted Forest and are getting a portal back here."
Tension eased in the room as the dwarves cheered and everyone smiled in relief. It was better than good to hear that the Savior and Snow White would return, especially with many still struggling in the aftermath of the broken curse. There were still so many matters at hand.
"That's wonderful news, David." Ella said, happy to hear that one of her closest friends would soon be home. Snow and Emma did so much for her in the past; she owed them everything.
David hated to ruin the joy felt in that moment, but there was still the news of Cora. Everyone needed to be prepared.
Abigail noticed David's expression growing grim. "What's the bad news, David?" Abigail felt any levity was out the window once David told them. It surely had to be dire.
He took a breath, steadying himself to share the information. Not many of them knew much about Regina's mother, but Snow said Cora was the only person she'd ever seen Regina scared of, which counted for something. "A powerful sorceress named Cora is trying to come to Storybrooke. She's Regina's mother."
"Regina has a mother?" Thomas asked, flabbergasted. With how evil Regina was, it was easy to forget that she didn't spring up out of some dark abyss throwing fireballs and terrorizing everyone.
"I thought Cora was dead." Granny grunted. "No one heard from her since the Evil Queen wed Snow's poor father." What Granny did know from what little she gathered from Snow over the years was that Cora was bad news.
"Apparently, she's alive." David said. "Snow said she's the only person Regina's ever feared. Worse, Cora wants to have a family reunion. If she and Regina work together, then it's possible that we're in for a war."
"We're doomed then." Doc grumbled. "They both have magic. What have we got?" He shook his head dejected. "We still haven't found any fairy dust."
"Then we'll try harder." Leroy was emphatic. "We'll keep digging and find the dust. Once the fairies have their magic back, then we can face off against Regina and Cora."
It was then that Jefferson stumbled in, his face drawn in wide-eyed terror. "I didn't just hear that, did I? Cora? Cora is here?" No, no, no. Not her too.
"No, she's not." David said. "Not yet, anyway. How do you know Cora?" Had Jefferson dealt with her in the past like he'd had with Regina and Rumplestiltskin?
Jefferson swallowed as he remembered the torment Cora inflicted. "Regina banished Cora to Wonderland years before the curse. Not long before the curse, Regina trapped me in Wonderland and Cora took my head off, literally. She was known as the Queen of Hearts there and her reign of terror was just as infamous as Regina's was in our land."
"Fantastic." Ruby growled. "So Cora's just as bad, and if she does get Regina on her side, we're screwed."
Seeing how defeated everyone looked already, David couldn't not give them something to hold onto. "Maybe not. There's someone else who can fight them."
"The Dark One?" Edward scoffed. "He's unlikely to help us."
"I've already spoken with him." David told them. "You're right. He won't help us, but he says he won't help Cora either. They have a history."
"He has a history with everyone." Ella wasn't keen on conversations regarding the man, who tore her family apart for so long and continued doing so during the curse.
"Can we trust the word of the Dark One?" Frederick asked. "He has a tendency towards trickery."
"I don't know." David admitted, though his instincts were telling him that Rumplestiltskin meant what he said. "We have to hope that he won't."
"David, if Gold won't help us," Ruby started, her brows furrowing. "Then who were you talking about?"
It was Jefferson, who answered, surprising even David. "Emma. He means Emma."
"Emma has magic?" Ella asked. "Since when?"
"As a product of True Love, she was born with it." Jefferson spoke, pretty much speaking the very words Rumplestiltskin told David.
"How do you know all this?" David asked, still relatively suspicious of the man who'd once been an ally of both Regina and the Dark One.
"You'd be surprised at what I know." Jefferson said. "You think the changes before the curse happened because she's the Savior?" Jefferson shook her head. "True she was the one meant to break the curse, but the curse weakening didn't just have to do with Emma being the Savior. She's always had magic here."
"But this is the Land Without Magic," Blue spoke up. "It's impossible for her to have had magic here before the Dark One brought it."
Jefferson arched a brow. "I've been observing everyone under this curse for decades, especially Emma when she arrived. She's had magic, all right, she just didn't know it." He leaned against the fireplace. "Have you ever dealt with someone born of True Love before?"
"No." Blue admitted. "It's extremely rare for True Love to exist."
"Then how do you know what someone like Emma is capable of?" Jefferson's point was a good one. How many people out there knew anything about the inner workings of True Love magic, let alone what abilities were gifted to children born of such unions?
"So what if the Savior has magic?" Edward huffed. "Is she trained? Could she defeat Regina and Cora?"
"No, she's not trained." David said. "But Rumplestiltskin said that he believes Emma has the potential to be more powerful than both Regina and Cora." He wasn't exactly sure what that would mean for Emma, especially since all magic had a price, but he hoped that her magic being born from love meant it was different from the other forms of magic they'd all been exposed to over the years.
"I don't know how much help we can be." Blue said. "Fairy magic and sorcery are different, but we can try and help Emma learn."
"Well, then you better find a way to kill Cora too." Jefferson said. "Her heart's gone. Rumor is she took it out herself years ago and no one knows where it is."
Blue simply nodded in acknowledgment of his statement.
Leroy stepped forward. "Even if Emma has magic, it won't hurt to have more at our disposal. We'll redouble our efforts in the mines."
"Thanks, Leroy." David said.
"Come on, men." Leroy commanded and the dwarves followed his lead.
When they were gone, David turned to the others. "Look, I know that this isn't the best news, but there isn't a guarantee that Cora will come here. Emma and Snow are trying to get a portal before Cora does." He hoped they would succeed. "But, Cora's cunning. We need to prepare for the worst case scenario. We need to gather our allies and soldiers and prepare to fight." He looked hard at everyone as he spoke. "I know that this isn't our old home, but Storybrooke is home now and we need to defend it. We need all the help we can get."
The others nodded in agreement, but Abigail was the one who stated it out loud. "You have our support, David. We'll let our warriors know, but if people find out that the Evil Queen's mother might be coming to town, there will be panic."
David knew she was right, but they couldn't leave the entire town in the dark. "If Cora comes over and people don't know, then they're in danger. We have to let people know, so they can better defend themselves. There isn't a need to panic yet. This is all just preparations for a worst case scenario that might not happen. I have faith that Emma and Snow can prevent Cora from coming over."
Knowing he had a good point, Abigail conceded. "We'll tell who we can."
It wasn't long after that, after talking about allies they could clue in, the meeting broke up and only Granny and Ruby were left.
David sighed heavily as he sat down on the now vacated couch. "That went better than I expected."
"You're little speech at the end there helped." Ruby commented. "Do you think Snow and Emma will be able to stop Cora?"
"I hope so." David sighed. "They're both crafty and resourceful. Since Emma doesn't know she has magic, that'll have to be enough."
Henry reluctantly passed the storybook to Grace at the lunch table. Stop it. She just wants to find her dad. Still, he couldn't help but feel protective, or well possessive, of his book. The book changed everything for him for the better. It pushed him to find his real mom and fight back against the curse. It helped reunite his family. To anyone else, it was just a book, but for Henry it represented so much more.
As for Grace, she took care to open the book. Henry always had it with him, so she knew it was important to him. The last thing she wanted to do was damage it. "There's no table of contents." She said after finding the stories right after the title page.
"I think his story is on page one hundred and…twenty something." Henry couldn't quite remember the number, but he read the book so much, he was sure it was about there in the book.
Grace carefully thumbed through the pages, easily distracted by the artwork, wanting to read to sate her own curiosity. No, you have to find Papa. Focus.
Liam wondered if his own father was somewhere in there, but so far he hadn't had any luck and Henry didn't really remember Brennan's name. He decided to take his mind off of his father before he got too upset. "Hey Henry, is that Cora lady really worse than Regina?"
Henry winced. "In the book, she ripped out Regina's boyfriend's heart and crushed it right in front of her." He always felt sad reading that story, especially as that event was what set Regina down her path of darkness.
"Ouch." Liam grimaced. "Sounds like one evil lady." It was no wonder Regina also turned out to be evil. Her mother must've had quite the impact on her even before murdering her boyfriend.
"Yeah, I don't think it'll be a very good family reunion." Henry said. He wasn't sure how Regina would respond to Cora's presence, but since Cora essentially was Regina's start of darkness, Cora could very well keep Regina on that path. Henry wasn't sure if he wanted Regina to be good; he knew he didn't want her to be evil, especially because it would put other people he loved in harms way, but Regina hadn't treated him well in the past few years. When he was younger there were really good memories; even though everyone else never aged under the curse, the days and seasons changed. That allowed Regina to have lasagna nights with him, birthdays celebrated with friends who never grew up with him, being spoiled at Christmas, having a different story every night.
But there was still the bad. The confusion of growing up and leaving friends behind; friends who never remembered him. The neglect as he got older and more able to care for himself, allowing Regina to have more time with Sheriff Graham or doing who knows what else. All of the fights they got into where Henry knew that something was wrong and Regina didn't want to hear it, forcing him into therapy so she didn't have to deal with him. There was also her actions in keeping his grandparents separated, killing Sheriff Graham, trying to kill his mom, and ruining everyone's lives.
"Hey, Henry, are you okay?" Liam asked after a while.
Henry blinked, coming back to himself as he looked at his friends' concerned faces. "Sorry, what?"
"You completely zoned out." Grace said. "Are you thinking about your mom and grandma?"
"Yeah, they'll be home soon." Liam added. "You must be excited about that."
"I am." Henry smiled, but then it faltered. "I'm glad Mom and Grandma are coming home. But I was thinking about Regina. I don't know what she'll do if Cora gets here."
"Won't she join her mom?" Liam figured that was obviously the choice for the Evil Queen.
"I don't know." Henry shrugged. "She wasn't the best mom, but when I was younger she wasn't so bad."
Grace could understand his conflicted feelings. Though her cursed parents were good parents, she wanted her papa back. At the same time, she felt guilty. Her cursed parents were their neighbors in the Enchanted Forest. Grace owed them so much and they told her that she was welcome to stay with them as their daughter after the curse broke. But she couldn't stay without knowing where her papa was and if he wanted her back. Of course, it was a bit more complicated for Henry with Regina being the Evil Queen. He was a good kid and he loved Emma and his grandparents so much. But Regina still raised him. "I get it." Grace said. "I mean my cursed parents aren't evil, but I feel guilty for wanting my papa when they've done so much to take care of me."
"Yeah." Henry sighed. "I know she's done so many bad things to so many people, including me, but she's still my mom."
Liam put a comforting arm around Henry. "It's okay to feel like she's still your mom, but you shouldn't feel guilty. Regina made and will make her choices. You're a kid, what can you do about it?"
He supposed Liam had a good point.
"Don't tell David I said that." Liam said. "Then he'll never let us do anything."
That got a chuckle out of Henry.
Grace's brows furrowed. "Hey Henry, are you sure you know where Papa's story is? I went through page one hundred to one fifty and it's not there."
With how often Henry read the book, he knew that couldn't be right. "I've read the book so much, I know it should be around there." Henry pulled the book towards himself to look. As he flipped through, he realized something odd.
There were stories he'd never seen before. How did that happen? The book hadn't left his possession since they got it back from August, and he and Liam were looking at it just last night. "That's not possible." Henry shook his head. "We looked last night, but now…there are new pages."
"New pages?" Liam asked.
"So it added to itself?" Grace shrugged. "Isn't it a magic book or something?"
"I don't know about that." Henry flipped back to the front of the book. "Before the curse broke, a guy named August added Pinocchio's story by hand. He had my book for weeks. If the book could just add to itslef, then why would August have to go through all that trouble?"
"Maybe he doesn't know how the book works?" Grace suggested.
"He knows more about it than I do." At least Henry was pretty sure August knew enough about the book. "Maybe he knows how this happened?"
"Well, let's go find him." Liam said.
"I don't know where he is." Henry told them. "He's Pinocchio. When the curse started weakening, he started turning back into wood."
Grace and Liam shared disturbed looks.
"So he's like a living puppet?" Liam asked. "That's creepy."
"If he knows more about the book, then we should find him." Grace said.
Henry wondered if that was a good idea. He didn't know August all that well; the guy wasn't likely to hurt them, but after reading his story and learning August abandoned Emma when she was a baby, Henry felt sour towards the guy. It wasn't really August's fault since he was a kid, younger than Henry at the time, but still, his mom grew up with no one in part because of August. He never even checked up on her to see if she was all right. "Maybe later. Let's just try and find your dads first. Besides, I want to have a chance to read these new stories. Maybe that will be a clue for us or August."
Liam and Grace agreed and Henry began looking for Jefferson's story once more.
While the news that Cora was alive and well with the intention of coming over here wasn't good news, Rumplestiltskin knew he could get Cora to leave him alone. She was clever, which meant she wasn't stupid or foolish enough to cross him. He'd have to put Belle under his protection as well despite the fact that she was angry at him right now.
It was all that damn shepherd's fault. If he hadn't shown up while Belle had been here, then she wouldn't be any the wiser to Rumple's refusal to help the heroes. He wasn't going to unnecessarily put himself in her crosshairs, least of all for people he couldn't care less about. Belle would come around; she always did.
Hopefully, the Savior would stop Cora. Should she come over, that would throw a wrench into Rumplestiltskin's plans to find his son as he'd have to ensure the safety of the dagger. He didn't know for sure if the dagger could cross into the Land Without Magic, or how it would react. It was better to leave it here. At least, Cora didn't know all of his tricks, she just thought that she did. As if the Dark One would teach one lone apprentice everything he knew about magic. It always paid to have cards up his sleeves.
Now, if only the Savior would get back here. While he hadn't perfected the potion to retain his memories when crossing the town line, Rumplestiltskin knew he was making progress. He hoped to be reunited with Baelfire soon enough, but he couldn't go anywhere without her and her knowledge and skills, unfortunately. Though if she was contending with Cora, Rumplestiltskin didn't have much faith in her magical abilities. While Miss Swan was determined and had so much untapped magical potential, Cora was older, wiser, cleverer, and had much more experience in magical matters.
Not to mention, Miss Swan inherited her father's tact. That certainly wouldn't help her in any situation, let alone one where Cora was the villain. Snow White wouldn't be much help either. She never faced off with Cora, only Regina, and Regina was too impatient and too…emotional. Cora was more clinical and tended to lie in wait like a predator ready to pounce on her prey. Should it come down to it, Regina versus Cora, or Emma versus Cora, Cora would win.
If Miss Swan could just prevent Cora from crossing realms, that would be enough. Then he could focus on Baelfire. Though he wondered what his son would say, how he would react to seeing his father again. They hadn't parted on the best of terms and Baelfire would be a man now. He probably lived his own life. Did he have a wife and children? A family to call his own? Was he successful? Did he have a job he loved? Had he lived a good life?
If Baelfire was satisfied with his life, Rumplestiltskin doubted Baelfire would return to Storybrooke with him. Even if he begged for Bae's forgiveness, even if he got it, there was no guarantee that Bae wanted anything to do with him. Especially if Bae had his own family to think about.
No, he couldn't think like that. He hoped Baelfire was finally ready to forgive him. They could move on and rebuild the closeness they once had when Bae was a child. It couldn't be too late to make up for his past transgressions; he wouldn't allow it to be too late. Baelfire would forgive him and they'd be father and son again.
As for Belle, he'd have to make up with her somehow. A day or two and she'd cool off, then he could go back to charming her and reassuring her that he was a man worthy of her. He just had to convince her that having magic and using it was necessary. He'd make her see his way of things; it would just take some time and patience on his part.
Time and patience were two things he had for the moment.
The cemetery was empty as Whale stalked through the dewy grass towards the Mills Mausoleum. Rain moved in during the mid-morning, leaving behind moist air and wet earth. No one would be out and about at this time, especially on a week day when school was back to normal and people were returning to work.
Hopefully that meant there wouldn't be a witness to his actions. The last thing he needed was the nosy sheriff or the Evil Queen on his trail.
He reached the mausoleum doors. They were unlocked, likely Regina believed people would be too scared to come near it or that people wouldn't figure out her vault was here. Lucky for him, her arrogance made this so much easier.
It was dark inside. The tomb was placed in the center of the small room. Jefferson said the vault was underneath. Did the tomb act as a door?
Whale bent down, feeling along the bottom of the stone. A slight breeze broke through. So there was something down there after all. He'd thank Jefferson later. Standing up, Whale braced his body against the tomb and pushed with his entire body. It gave way easier than he thought. He assumed Regina used magic to enter somehow, but he supposed under the curse, she would've have to open it manually and made it easier on herself by either making the tomb lighter or making the mechanisms underneath bear all the weight.
Interesting. He didn't have time to further analyze it. The sooner he got what he wanted, the sooner he could return home. He also needed to hurry in case Regina decided a trip to her vault was necessary.
Once the tomb was out of his way, Whale stared down the stairs. No turning back now. He descended into the vault, relieved to find it empty when he reached the bottom. He looked around, mostly seeing crates, baskets, and trunks. There was no way he could search everything without it being obvious someone had been here. Time was of the essence. If there was a way to create a portal, surely it was important enough for Regina to lock away somewhere. Ignoring the crates, Whale went for the trunks. He opened one a crack only to hear hissing inside. Quickly, he dropped the lid. No way was he chancing death by snake. He search a few of the other trunks carefully, not knowing what other manner of creatures Regina brought over.
He found drawers and cabinets along some of the wall, and nothing jumped out at him.
Perhaps what he was searching for was further along? Cautiously, Whale moved deeper into the vault.
It was the bit of light that caught his eyes first. Behind tied back curtains, there was a source of light highlighting gold boxes. Whale walked into the room for a closer inspection. These weren't boxes. They were drawers. Curious, yet wary, Whale stepped back and carefully opened one drawer. A glowing red, beating heart stared up at him.
Whale grimaced. As he looked at the heart, he wondered if it could be useful to him somehow. It wouldn't hurt to take one. Well, it wouldn't hurt him at least. He slowly, gently took the heart out and slipped it into the satchel he brought.
With the heart secured, he closed the drawer.
Now, where else could he look?
Knowing that he needed to get out of here, Whale picked up the pace. There were more little rooms and alcoves in this vault than he anticipated. Checking one after the other, he turned up empty every time. Frustration built inside of him. Nothing he'd come across so far seemed to be able to create a portal. True, he wasn't well-versed enough in magic or magical items, so it was very possible that some items could create portals. However, his own deductions made him confident that he hadn't seen anything useful.
As his frustration peaked, he reached a set of closed double doors. Well, it couldn't hurt to check here too. He pushed them open with ease. Inside the room was a glass coffin with a body of a man laying peacefully as though he were just asleep.
Whale entered. He recognized the body. Memories of his trickery, aided by Rumplestiltskin and Jefferson, came to him. Now this, he could work with; he had a heart and now the one person Regina ever loved. Using Daniel against Regina to get her to help him was his only option.
Whale smirked, satisfied that his plan would work. "Hello, Daniel. It's good to see you again."
They were nearly to the Safe Haven when Emma realized it wasn't a good idea for her to have the ashes, the bean, and the compass all on her person. If Cora figured her to be the leader, then she might suspect that Emma had the items on her. Cora would suspect her or Snow to have them. Emma didn't trust Mulan or Aurora, not these past versions of them, and she still didn't know Marian well.
Her eyes glanced at Hook. Hook wasn't a candidate for trust. Cora likely didn't share her plans fully with him, and she would assume Emma wasn't one to trust anyone other than Snow.
Chewing her lip, Emma still felt their kiss, which they hadn't discussed, but Hook admitted to trusting her and he was keeping her secret. Maybe it was time to show she trusted him; she wasted so much time before.
Emma looked ahead of her. Mulan and her mother were leading, Aurora and Anton were talking, and Marian was a little ahead of Emma and Hook.
Time to take a chance. Emma silently reached out, gripping Hook's right arm to hold him back.
His expression questioned her, but Emma gestured at him to stay quiet until the group was further ahead. When Marian was no longer in earshot, Emma turned to him. "If we confront Cora at the Safe Haven, she'll assume that Mom or I will have the ashes and compass." Emma dug through her jacket pockets and pulled out the compass and the dried bean. "Cora's arrogant and doesn't trust anyone. She'll think I won't trust anyone other than Mom or the other women." Her eyes met his. "I trust you." She swallowed thickly.
Hook's surprise and delight was obvious. Her trust meant so much to him.
"You keep the compass and the bean and I'll keep the ashes. That way if we lose the ashes, we have a back up."
"But the bean is useless." Killian said, still confused. Truly, he was touched by her trust in him, but what was she up to? He gently took the bean and compass from her, securing them in the interior pockets of his leather coat.
Smiling with her future knowledge, Emma spoke. "It won't be forever."
Killian scrutinized her for a moment. "More of your secrets, Swan."
"You did say they were safe with you." Emma said. "I hope my trust is safe too."
His eyes softened. "Yes, Emma. I promise it is."
God, she wanted to kiss him again. The minute they were alone, Emma knew she'd tell him everything. She couldn't in good conscience start anything without be honest. That's why she regretted the kiss on the beanstalk. Him being in the dark felt so manipulative. Hopefully, telling him the truth wouldn't drive him away, but if it did, Emma needed to prepare for it.
"Thank you." Her tone was soft and appreciative of his trust in her as well. She looked and saw they'd taken too long. "We need to hurry and catch up."
Silently as they could, they picked up their pace, not wanting to garner attention. Though when they reached a respectable distance, Marian glanced back with a little grin, likely assuming there was something romantic.
Emma blushed a bit at Marian's silent assumption, but considering how blatantly Hook flirted with her and how she let him, their mutual attraction was likely noticed by the entire group. Hopefully Cora would reveal Lake Nostos and they'd be in Storybrooke soon, and Emma could take time after reuniting with everyone to speak with Hook alone. For the first time ever, Emma wished Cora wouldn't let her down.
After a while, the group took a water break to rest up.
Emma understood the need to stop, but she wanted to hurry. The sooner they got there, they'd confront Cora and hopefully save the people. She regretted not warning them sooner, but again she couldn't think of a way to warn them without sounding crazy. Still, she felt in her bones she should've done more. Maybe the changes she made were enough to change their fates. Cora had no reason this time around to kill everyone; not when Hook was on their side. Please, to anything out in the universe listening, don't let Cora kill those people. Please let everything I did change things enough.
"All right, Swan?" Hook whispered since he was close to her.
Was her expression troubled? "I'm fine." She whispered back, trying to look like they weren't conversing. "I'm just worried Cora will hurt the people at the Safe Haven." Emma said. She turned slightly towards him so he could better hear.
"She will if she thinks it'll gain something." Hook murmured. "Though considering her cruel streak, she might just do it for fun."
His words turned her stomach. Emma never thought about her doing it for fun.
"Time to move." Mulan called out.
"How long until we get there?" Aurora asked. Her dress wasn't conducive to traveling, something she hadn't considered before following the group, thirsting for her revenge.
"Another hour if we keep a good pace." Mulan told them. "Let's go." She started walking and the others followed.
"There's something more to your worry, isn't there?" Killian asked quietly. He was concerned over Emma's obvious upset. He knew there were things Emma was aware of that the rest of them weren't. He wanted to know, but it surprised him that he didn't want to know to satiate his own curiosity. He wanted to know to better help and better understand Emma.
Emma sighed, her brow pinched with worry. "I told you I can't tell you yet. I…" Emma glanced ahead of them. Maybe she could give him something? Some show that she would keep her word? Could it hurt? "I might know some things. I can't explain how yet, but I've experienced something like this before. People died and I'm worried they will again, because I couldn't warn them. Okay, I could've, but they wouldn't have believed me."
That was curious. What did she mean by knowing things? Perhaps Emma had prophetic gifts? "I'm sure you've done what you can, Swan." Always quick to reassure her. Killian never was much for optimism, but it seemed Emma brought it out in him. His desire to know more of her grew with every interaction. It was almost all-consuming enough to make him forget his life's purpose. Killian glanced at the tattoo on his right wrist.
Milah. He'd spent centuries looking for a way to kill the Dark One without becoming the Dark One. He kept dreamshade in his ship just in case there was nothing else, and of course to use on himself once his mission was complete so that he would reunite with Milah and Liam in death.
"I don't know." Emma's voice brought him back to the present, scaring away his past demons like a light snuffing out the darkness. "I feel like I should've done more."
"You said it yourself. They might die." Killian said. "Not that they will die. Even if you suspected something might happen, that doesn't guarantee it will."
Emma glanced at him with soft eyes. "You always reassure me no matter my doubts."
What did she mean by that? "A few days is hardly always." He shrugged off her compliment, noticing how something knowing flickered across her features at his words. When they met, Killian felt a kinship with her deep in his bones, like something clicked in place. Seeing her look at him as if she'd known him his whole life sent a thrill of anticipation through him. She wanted to share more with him; she trusted him. It made him feel light.
It felt like more than just...
A scream disrupted his thoughts and on instinct he, and Emma, ran towards where Aurora, Mulan, Snow, Marian, and Anton came to a halt.
They arrived at the Safe Haven. Bodies were everywhere.
No. Emma held onto Killian's arm for support. It happened again. I thought I changed enough. There was no reason for her to kill them this time around.
"What happened here?" Snow asked, shocked.
"I did." Cora appeared in front of them. Smartly, she was a good distance away.
Anger filled Emma's being as she raced forward. "How could you do this? There was no reason to kill these innocent people!"
Cora grinned as though Emma was a misunderstanding child. "Oh my dear, there was every reason to kill them. Now you all understand that I am not one to be crossed."
"You monster." Snow hissed, pulling out an arrow and notching it to her bow, quickly taking aim.
"Dear Snow, you think you can hit me with a simple arrow?" Cora waved her hand and all of their weapons, save for Killian's hook, disappeared. "No weapons now, pets. I have a proposal."
Magic itched at Emma's fingertips. "Try me, bitch."
Killian moved behind Emma, ready to stop her from getting herself killed, or pull her behind him should Cora attacked. Protectiveness overrode all sense of self-preservation he possessed.
Cora glared at Emma and Killian, though it was mightily interesting to see Captain Hook backing the Savior up. "You have the ashes, and I'm sure the dear Captain told you about the compass, which means you have the ingredients for a portal."
"If you think we're going to let you anywhere near Storybrooke, you're mistaken." Snow snapped.
"There's no need to make this difficult." Cora said. "You have the means to a portal, and I know how to make it work. We all want the same thing here. Working together will have to be a necessity."
Emma knew what Cora meant, but couldn't mention the lake herself. "What do you mean? Is there some spell or something?"
"Now, why would I share that with you?" Cora asked. "I have the knowledge and lording it over you is one of my only advantages." She waved her hand and a little boy with dark curly hair, probably around three years old, appeared at her side in a small puff of smoke.
"Roland!" Marian exclaimed, running for her son.
"Mama!" The boy cried.
"No, wait!" Emma called out, but Cora waved her hand again, sending Marian flying back into Mulan and Snow, knocking them to the ground.
"Ah ah ah." Cora tutted. Another small wave of her hand and Roland disappeared. From her dress, Cora produced a tiny heart. "Now, you will all do well to listen. You will travel to Lake Nostos. I will create the portal and, in exchange for my safe passage to Storybrooke, I will return the boy's heart to him and then him to his mother. Is that understood?"
Marian pushed herself up off the ground. "I'm going to kill you."
Cora laughed. "Many have tried. I will meet you at the lake by this time tomorrow, or the boy will die." With that, Cora disappeared.
White hot rage filled Emma, both at Cora and herself. She could've stopped this. Her future knowledge should've saved these people. If she'd been honest from the beginning, sure there might've been consequences or everyone would've thought her crazy, but she could've saved these people. Now, because of her fear, they were dead. Roland was in danger, and Cora was closer to making it to Storybrooke.
Emma turned to face the group. Killian looked concerned for her. Aurora and Snow were comforting Marian. Mulan stormed off towards the armory, taking Anton with her.
"Marian." Emma said, getting their attention. "We won't let her hurt Roland. We'll get him back."
Marian, upset as she was, nodded with determination. Her son wasn't going to be another victim of that monster.
"Here." Mulan and Anton returned with bows, quivers full of arrows, swords, and daggers. "She might have magic, but we might be able to surprise her."
As they all grabbed weapons, Emma knew she'd need to use magic herself. Cora was going to pay for this.
Unsure as to what to do with herself or where to live, Belle found herself in Granny's Diner, sitting at the counter looking over a menu she wasn't going to order from since she didn't have any money.
Her chin was in her hand and her eyes downcast. What was she going to do? First she was in the basement of Storybrooke General with no memories, then she was the wild Lacey, and now she was the broke, homeless, alone Belle. Until she left Rumplestiltskin's shop, she hadn't truly realized how dependent on him she was for everything.
"Penny for your thoughts?" A woman asked.
Belle looked up to see a young woman with dark brown hair and hazel eyes wearing a waitress uniform. "Unfortunately, I don't have any pennies on me."
The young woman shrugged. "That's what tabs are for, so if you want to order, we can always hunt you down for payment later."
That was tempting, but Belle didn't know if she'd ever be able to pay the diner back. "I don't have a job." Belle sighed, leaning back. "I don't have anything. I thought I had love and a home, but he doesn't want to change for me. Now, I'm on my own." The words escaped her before her mind even realized she was talking.
The waitress arched a surprised brow.
Belle winced. "Sorry. I didn't mean to dump my problems on you."
"That's all right." The waitress shrugged. "I get it all the time. I'm Ruby by the way." She held a hand out for Belle to shake.
"Belle." Belle smiled, taking her hand. Her stomach grumbled and a blush colored her cheeks. "Sorry."
"I have an idea." Ruby said. "Why don't you order, and then you can start working here. We could always use another set of hands. Then you could pay off your meal."
Belle hadn't thought about that. There was a brief time she worked at a tavern. How much different could a diner be? "I was a tavern girl once."
"See, you'll fit right in." Ruby said. "Now, what'll you have?"
"Um," Belle looked at the menu. "What's a cheeseburger?"
"A meat sandwich with cheese, onions, pickles, lettuce, and a couple of sauces." Ruby said. "You might like it. Comes with fried potatoes."
Belle grinned. "Okay, I'll try that."
Ruby wrote her order. "I'll talk to Granny about the job. You can stay here at the Inn too." Ruby disappeared behind a swinging door into the kitchen.
A weight lifted off of Belle's shoulders. Perhaps things were looking up.
She would make a life here on her own.
Archie only scheduled two patients today, and planned to use the morning for paperwork, but Regina showing up altered his plans completely.
She hadn't felt bad about it, not when Archie insisted she stay and talk. Their session lasted three hours, something Archie told her he never did, but wanted to make a first-time-only exception for her considering her situation.
Any appointments after would be the regular hour-long ones. Still, it felt good to start opening up. The start was awkward with her not knowing where to begin and Archie uncertain as to what questions to ask, but his empathetic assurance that she could talk about anything had her opening up about her childhood first.
Wasn't that where it all started? With her mother isolating her, because no one was good enough to play with her? Criticizing every accomplishment with how she should have done things and that she could do better next time? Punishing servants for being kind to Regina?
Her lonely childhood led to her desperate romance with Daniel. She truly did love him; he was her hope and light in a dark time in her life. Archie questioned if she loved Daniel for what he represented; a simpler life away from the pressures of Cora and court.
Regina knew her love for Daniel was real, but Archie may have had a point. When Regina was with Daniel, she was just Regina, a girl who loved horses, who loved to read, who's favorite food was cinnamon apple cake. She didn't have to be a Princess, minor as her father was in the royal circles. Her mother stayed away from the stables unless she had to be there, so the stables were Regina's escape. They were her safe place.
Daniel became that safe place as well, and Cora ripping that from her left a gaping hole that Regina doubted would ever be filled.
They finished their session there to be picked up in a couple of days. Archie encouraged her to keep coming. Even if she had an Evil Queen moment, he told her that people trying to better themselves always slipped back into old habits because it was easy. He told her that if she fell back into what was easy, she just needed to remember why she was trying to better herself and needed to be gentle with herself.
After all she'd done as Evil Queen, Archie's kindness and compassion touched her. Regina knew that this would be the first of many sessions.
Her heels clacked along the pavement as she strode to her car, when something moved out of the corner of her eye. Her head turned slightly before she realized what she was seeing.
Halting suddenly, Regina almost tripped over her own heels as she turned her body in the direction where she saw the man.
Nothing was there now.
Bust she could've sworn there was someone there.
Not just someone. It couldn't be but Regina thought for a moment there that she saw Daniel.
"That's impossible." She sighed, rubbing her temple. No, Daniel was dead. Perhaps talking about him and going into so much detail about her past with Archie overwhelmed her mind. She was just seeing things.
Ghosts of the past.
Shaking herself, Regina got in her car. She needed to go home and rest. Putting her mind at ease and figuring out her next steps over wine and ice cream was exactly what she needed to do.
Liam and Henry hopped off the bus, both discussing the book's changes when Henry stopped short.
"You okay?" Liam asked.
"That's Jefferson." Henry nodded ahead of them. "Grace's dad."
Liam followed Henry's gaze and saw a man with brown hair and blue eyes staring at the bus. The man's hands were stuffed into his pockets as he shifted nervously watching the bus. "Are you sure?"
Henry nodded. "I recognize him from the illustrations in my book." Of course, he looked a bit more mentally unstable in those drawings, while now he looked sane, but anxious.
"Do you think he's looking for Grace?" Liam asked. That twinge of jealousy returned. Grace's father was here, looking for her, but where was his papa? Was he looking for Liam? Did he even care?
"He's got to be." Henry said. "Let's go talk to him."
Liam wasn't too sure about that but followed Henry anyway.
Jefferson watched the bus, waiting for the familiar sight of blonde hair, his brain abuzz with all of the things he wanted to say to Grace when he saw her. What would he say? Would she be angry with him? Would she even let him explain what happened?
"Hey." Henry stopped in front of Jefferson, while Liam stayed back a bit.
Surprised at seeing the Savior's son approach him, Jefferson glanced back at the bus, before giving Henry his attention. "Your Emma's son right?"
"Henry." Henry said. "This is my friend Liam."
Jefferson acknowledged Liam with a nod. "Why isn't Grace on the bus today?"
So he was here for her. Henry smiled, happy for his friend. "She stayed at school to tryout for soccer."
"Really?" Jefferson asked. He didn't know Grace was into sports. Watching her repeat the same day every year only gave a glimpse into her life, but it also limited everyone in what they did. Perhaps now with her free will returned, Grace wanted to try new things.
"Yeah, she thought it would be fun." Henry said. "She's been looking for you , you know."
A wince crossed Jefferson's face. "I know." Guilt welled up again. He had so much to make up for if Grace would let him. "Is she angry with me?"
"Why would she be angry?" Henry asked.
"Because he abandoned her." Liam spat, his anger even surprising him. "He left her before the curse, remember?"
Henry startled at the venom in Liam's voice. That didn't come from any anger on Grace's behalf; Henry was certain Liam's anger was for his own father. Like Grace, Liam was left alone before the curse, but unlike her, Liam didn't have the luxury of cursed caregivers.
Jefferson grimaced at the other boy's words. "You're right, I did. I made a lot of mistakes, but I want Grace to know I'm sorry. I want her home."
"She isn't angry." Henry said. "At least, I don't think she is, because she's been worried about you. She wants to know that you're okay." Henry figured that any anger Grace did have would be for Jefferson to deal with as her dad, and it was between the two of them. Henry just wanted Grace to be happy and reuniting with her father would do just that. "She'll want to see you."
Though Henry sounded confident, Jefferson wasn't so sure. Still, he needed to take a chance and hope that Grace wanted him in her life. "Will she be on the bus tomorrow?"
"Why don't you come to school tomorrow before the buses leave?" Henry asked. "You know for sure that she'll be there."
"Maybe." Jefferson said. "Look, in case something comes up, don't tell Grace we talked or that I'll be there. I don't want to get her hopes up." Jefferson hoped he would be brave enough tomorrow to show up.
"Why not?" Liam asked, glaring. "She should know, and I don't want to lie to her."
Jefferson wondered why the kid was so angry. He didn't remember seeing him during the curse, but he only ever paid attention to Grace. He only started to watch Henry after Emma came to town, and usually only when Emma was with Henry. The kid was clearly angry at someone else and Jefferson was just the lucky punching bag of the day.
Henry shot Liam a worried look. Maybe they needed to get going. Clearly Liam needed to talk about something; or at least, Henry would push him to talk. He looked back at Jefferson. "Look, we can't promise we won't tell Grace, but please show up tomorrow. I know it'll mean a lot to her."
Grabbing Liam's arm, Henry walked past Jefferson. "What's up with you?"
Liam jerked away and kept walking. "He left her. He just left her all alone and now he thinks he can just come back into her life like nothing happened."
"That's not what he said." Henry said. "I don't think you're angry at Jefferson."
"I don't want to talk about it." Liam huffed, walking faster. He was a bit taller than Henry, so Henry had to jog to keep up.
"Do you still want to find your dad?" Henry asked as they hurried down Main Street towards the police station.
"I told you I don't want to talk, Henry." Liam snapped.
Henry ran ahead and stopped in Liam's path, forcing the other boy to a stop. "Is this because my mom is coming back? Because we won't abandon you when Mom comes home. She was an orphan, so she knows what it's like to be alone."
"I'm not an orphan." Liam growled. Though wasn't that the issue? His mother was dead, and his father gone or dead. He was all alone, even if Henry said otherwise. He'd never be a part of the Charming family. Just an outsider. Tears started to come much to Liam's embarrassment. He swiped at his face, turning away from Henry.
"It's okay to be upset." Henry gently patted his friends back. "I know you miss your dad and you're scared, but I am here for you. I promise I won't leave."
Liam breathed shakily as he stared at the ground. "There was a man." He remembered a man with an air of danger about him, though that may have just been the long black leather coat he sported. "He came to the tavern and talked with Papa. Then Papa left. I never saw him again. How could he just leave me like that? Why wouldn't he take me with him?"
Henry was at a loss for answers. "I don't know." He wished he could say more to comfort his friend. "Look, if we never find your papa, I know we won't leave you." He put an arm around Liam. "My mom's good at bringing back happy endings. Besides, I always wanted a brother."
Liam swallowed thickly. "Brother?"
Henry shrugged, suddenly feeling shy. Was that the wrong thing to say? "If that's okay?"
Touched by Henry's words, tears continued to come. Liam wished they'd stop. He felt like such a little kid. "Yeah." He sniffed. "I always wanted a brother too."
Henry beamed at him. "Come on, let's get to the station. If we get there and you still look upset, we can definitely wrangle dinner at Granny's with hot cocoa and ice scream out of Grandpa."
His words drew out a loud, watery laugh from Liam. "Sounds like a plan."
With the breakfast rush, he was certain that the wolves would be too preoccupied in the diner to check on their inn. After watching for a few days, George saw that both Granny and Ruby Lucas lived in the inn on the first floor away from guests.
George glanced around the foyer of the inn, ensuring that no one was there before he went through a sitting room to his left. There was a closed door he figured led to the proprietor's rooms. He tried the knob, surprised to find it unlocked. Perhaps the monsters figured no one would break into their home.
He entered to find a small kitchenette. There was another set of stairs.
As he ascended the stairs, he knew his plan would work. Turning the town on David would be easy if he gave them something to fear. David was friends with the werewolf and the full moon was near. She thought she had control over her beast, but George would prove her wrong.
His first step was to find her cloak. In the Enchanted Forest, George never saw Ruby without it and on the night David conquered his castle and George was captured, George watched Snow toss the cloak over the wolf and saw her transform back. The cloak was key.
He'd get rid of it, forcing the wolf to transform. In case she was in control, a victim would be needed. There was still time to figure that out.
At the top of the stairs, there were three doors. The first was a bedroom, which clearly belonged to the old wolf. George searched anyway in case the cloak was safer with Granny than Ruby. Setting his briefcase down on the bed, George looked at the space around him. Seeing a chifforobe, he carefully searched there first, but found nothing.
A trunk at the end of the bed caught his eyes. Kneeling down, he found the trunk was unlocked as well. Truly it was baffling to him how stupid these beasts were leaving everything out in the open. He found quilts on top. After digging a bit, a sliver of crimson caught his eye. Pulling out the cloak, George grinned.
He closed the trunk and folded the cloak before transferring it to his briefcase. It was a bit of a squeeze but he managed. he hurried down the stairs and out the door before breakfast ended and he risked the wolves finding him.
As he walked down Main Street, George smiled to himself.
His plan was unfolding beautifully. Soon David would fall from the town's pedestal and George would step in as the hero, coming out on top once again.
After traveling all night, particularly at Marian and Emma's insistence, the group finally reached Lake Nostos. They were earlier than the planned time and Cora was nowhere to be found.
They plotted different scenarios during their nightly travel, but none were confident they could overpower Cora.
Emma tried to figure out a spell to use to knock her out since tossing Cora around wouldn't guarantee keeping her down for the count. Not only that, but she didn't want to risk damaging Roland's heart if kept it on Cora's person. Emma mentioned teleporting the heart, which was something Emma knew she could do confidently, but Marian, believing Emma to be more of a novice than she was, worried about using any magic on Roland's heart.
Mulan suggested distracting Cora and letting Marian or Killian get close to pick pocket the heart back. That was the plan at the moment.
"Where is she?" Marian looked around, terrified that her son could be lost to her forever.
"She'll be here." Snow reassured, grimly. "Cora wants to get to Storybrooke more than she wants to torment us." Once they got Roland and his heart back, they needed to keep Cora away from the portal. The question was how they would manage it. There was no squid ink and Emma's magic, while useful, was untrained and Snow doubted she could restrain Cora long enough. Not that she'd want Emma to use magic. Magic came with a price and after the life Emma had, the last thing Snow wanted was her daughter to risk herself further by invoking some unknown consequence.
"It will be okay." Aurora spoke, offering comfort to Marian. "We will get your son back."
Emma walked away from the others, guilt eating away at her. She had a chance to change things and save all those people, and she hadn't warned them. Of course, she didn't think Cora would've gone the same route with Hook on their side now, but Emma should've known Cora would've pulled this again. Closing her eyes, Emma breathed deep. People were dead and it was all her fault.
"Swan?" His voice was soft behind her.
Emma slowly turned to face him.
Killian took in how upset Emma seemed. Guilt swam behind her eyes. Did she feel guilty about the Safe Haven? About Roland? "You couldn't have saved them. Cora wanted to make us know not to cross her."
Her eyes flicked over to the other women, making sure they were out of ear shot, before she whispered. "That's just it. I did know. I just thought things were going to be different. I thought Cora would come after us."
Her words confirmed for him that Emma must've had a vision. "Perhaps you couldn't change their fate. Maybe you warned them, they wouldn't have believed you, and they still would've died."
Emma stared at him for a moment. She changed his fate. Likely she changed Marian, Aurora, Mulan, Anton, and Roland's. Why didn't she just take a chance and tell everyone the truth, damn the consequences? Her instincts told her that revealing her time travel was an extremely bad idea, at least to anyone who wasn't Killian. Regina often warned magic had consequences, particularly the larger the spell the bigger the consequence.
Her adventure to the past might be the worse for everyone. "Maybe you're right, but I still could've tried."
"What would that have done?" Killian asked. "Cora still has magic, you're untrained, and weapons wouldn't have stood a chance. There were fifty people there and Cora overwhelmed all of them. You can't save everyone, Swan. Savior or not." He hated that Emma felt guilty for Cora's actions. Even knowing they would happen, Emma didn't think Cora would go through with it.
Though he was trying to reassure her, it wasn't working. Innocent lives were still on her head. If she took Cora out sooner, Roland would be safe and people would be alive. "Saving people isn't something I ever asked for." Emma admitted. "But now that it's my destiny, I should've done more."
"We can't change the past, Swan." Killian said, brushing a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "We can only stop Cora from hurting anyone else."
An odd look overcame her as she met his eyes.
Indigo smoke appeared near the center of the clearing. Cora smiled seeing they were all there.
Marian stepped forward. "Where is my son?"
Cora smirked. "Patience. I need my portal first."
"No." Snow snarled, moving to Marian's side. "Give us Roland, then do what you need to for the portal. You're not getting the ashes and compass without his safety ensured." She gripped her bow tightly, but didn't raise it yet.
Mulan pulled her sword. "She's right. The boy and his heart first. Then you get what you want." She pointed the sword at Cora.
"It's adorable that you ladies think you can threaten me." Cora laughed.
"Maybe they can't, but I can." Emma moved away from the edge of the clearing, fists clenched at her sides. "I might not be trained, but that doesn't mean I can't try and kick your ass in a magic fight."
Cora pursed her lips. "Cute."
"Look, you won't get the ashes or the compass unless we have Roland." Emma said. "Think of it as an act of good faith."
"And you really think that I believe you won't double cross me?" Cora asked. "I am not a stupid woman, Savior."
"No, you're not." Emma said. "How about this? You give us Roland and his heart, then we'll give you the ashes." She wasn't going to give Cora the real ashes. They were in her pocket, but she remembered the duplication spell Regina taught her in her training. If anyone wondered how she managed to make a duplicate, Emma could lie and say she just tried it and it worked.
"Emma." Snow's tone warned of the danger.
"If we want Roland back, we need to play fairly." Emma snapped. "I think a little boy's life is more important than Cora getting what she wants." Emma turned to Cora, glaring fiercely. "Well, are you going to bring Roland or not?"
Cora contemplated Emma for a moment. Would she trust the Savior's good heart? "Very well. I'll hand over the boy, but his heart remains with me until the portal is open. The ashes?"
"Fine." Emma gritted her teeth. She reached inside of her jacket, where the real ashes were, and cast the duplication spell. Another vial appeared in her hand. Emma held it out for Cora to see.
The vial disappeared in a puff of indigo smoke, reappearing in Cora's hand. "Thank you."
Cora waved her hand and Roland appeared next to Marian.
"Roland!" Marian dropped to her knees, hugging her son to her.
"Mama!" He cried, clinging to her.
Emma shared a look with Killian, she silently conveyed that he needed to get the heart if he had an opening.
Killian nodded ever so slightly.
Cora turned to face the center of the clearing and raised her hands. Closing her eyes, she used her magic to call upon the waters deep underground.
While Cora worked her magic, Mulan walked along the edge in order to get behind Cora. Snow raised her bow, knotting an arrow. Aurora and Marian stepped away with Roland to keep him from the fight they knew was about to ensue. Anton, who wasn't much of a fighter, stood at the ready if needed, but he looked worried. Killian and Emma both slowly walked towards Cora, Emma calling upon her magic and Killian pulling his sword from its scabbard.
They surrounded her, except Snow who kept her distance for her arrows, as a geyser erupted from the ground.
Cora's eyes opened and before Mulan could get her from behind, Cora turned and magically threw Mulan away.
Anton took a chance and ran for Cora, hoping to knock her down, getting magically tossed away for his efforts.
Emma's magic reacted as she wanted, pushing Cora away from the water. "I'll keep her distracted." She told Killian.
He understood. He just needed to get close to Cora.
Cora threw magic back at Emma, knocking the Savior off her feet.
Killian swooped in, ducking Cora's magic, but finding his sword meeting her shield again.
"You chose the wrong side, Captain." Cora said, clear disappointment in her tone. "Do you think she'll let you get your revenge?"
Killian scoffed, pressing his cutlass against her shield, keeping Cora's eyes on him as his hook grabbed hold of what he needed. "I think that you catch more flies with honey." He winked at Cora as Mulan came up behind the witch, swinging her blade.
Unfortunately, the older woman brought up a second magical shield, blocking Mulan's sword.
"Enough of this." Cora snarled. Her magic pushed outwards, knocking Mulan and Killian far from her. Killian rolled a bit and panicked as he nearly landed on the satchel he swiped from Cora.
Anton tried to lunge again, catching Cora by surprise as they rolled onto the ground.
Cora's magic threw him off of her. "Don't touch me you oaf."
Emma pushed herself up, and used her magic to pull branches from surrounding trees, throwing them Cora's way.
Seeing this, Cora turned the branches to dust.
Mulan lunged for Cora again.
Killian, taking advantage of Cora being distracted, opened the satchel. Inside lay a tiny heart. He pulled the heart from the satchel and hurried over to Marian, Aurora, and Roland.
"Thank you." Marian's relief nearly brought her to tears. "How do we get it back in?"
"I think we just shove it back in." Killian handed Roland's heart to Marian. He'd prefer her try it, not wanting to risk harming the boy.
Marian set Roland down and knelt next to him. "Little rabbit, this might hurt, but Mama promises it won't hurt for long, okay?"
"Okay, Mama." The boy said.
Marian pressed his heart against his chest. Taking a breath, she shoved, and it entered the little boy.
Roland cried out, but Marian swept him back into her arms to comfort him.
"Let's get closer to the portal." Killian suggested.
Emma and Mulan were both directing Cora away from the water.
Snow was aiming her arrow but she couldn't get a clear shot with Mulan so close to Cora.
Anton went to Snow's side. "What else can we try?"
"I'm not sure." Snow's eyes were seared to Cora, looking for an opening.
Back with Marian, Aurora, and Killian, Marian argued with the pirate. "Why? I don't need to go to Storybrooke. If Roland's here, Robin is too."
"Because if we leave Cora behind, then I fear you will face her wrath." Killian told her grimly.
Meanwhile, Emma closed in on Cora, punching the older woman hard in the face. "Killian, Mom, get to the water."
Snow shot an arrow at Cora as the witch sat up.
Cora shouted in pain as the arrow dug into her right shoulder.
Emma hurried over towards the water and pulled the ashes from her jacket.
Anton and Snow were at Emma's side soon enough.
Snow looked surprised. "You didn't give her the ashes?"
"Hell no," Emma said. "I asked my magic to copy the ashes. It worked." Not entirely a lie.
Aurora, Marian, Roland, and Killian were near the pool of water the geyser created.
Mulan hurried over to join them.
"I can't go with you." Marian argued, glaring at Killian. "I need to find my husband."
Emma uncorked the ashes and tossed them into the water. The ashes swirled around, turning the water purple, briefly, until a blue portal opened up inside.
Killian took the compass from his pocket, passing it to Snow, who was closer to Emma.
"Let's go." Snow started towards the water.
Emma felt herself pulled back by magic. She grunted as she hit a tree, before things went black.
"Emma!" Both Killian and Snow exclaimed.
Killian ran for her.
Snow attempted, but Cora appeared behind her, pulling Snow back towards the water.
"Give me the compass." Cora snapped.
"No." Snow tried to pull away from Cora, but Cora was stronger than expected. "Let me go."
Killian reached Emma's side. "Come on, Swan." He rolled her onto her back. "Wake up, Emma."
Mulan rammed into Cora, hoping to knock her off of Snow, but it only caused Snow and Cora to lose balance and fall to the ground.
The compass flew threw the air, landing at Aurora's feet. The princess picked it up. "Snow, I have the compass."
Cora turned her attention to focus on the princess.
Mulan stepped before Aurora, guarding her. "Don't even think about it."
"The portal is closing!" Marian's panicked words caused Killian to pick Emma up and sprint for the water.
Seeing this, Cora disappeared and reappeared behind Aurora, pulling her into the water.
Aurora desperately grabbed onto Marian, pulling Marian and Roland in.
Mulan and Snow lost their footing as they pushed themselves up, falling into the water.
The portal was closing.
"Hurry, come on." Anton encouraged Killian.
"Go ahead!" Killian shouted, running as fast as he could. "We're right behind you."
Anton looked unsure but jumped into the portal.
Just as Killian leapt into the water with Emma, the portal closed. He turned at the last second so that his back hit the water and Emma would land on top of him instead of him losing footing and crushing her.
He struggled to push himself up with Emma still in his arms, but he managed. He kicked at the water angrily before adjusting Emma in his arms. They were stuck here and now soaking wet. Killian swallowed feeling as though he let Emma down.
Holding her unconscious form close, Killian whispered to her. "I will find a way home for you, Swan. I swear on my life I will get you home."
For now, he need to start a fire and warm them up before they took ill.
Tomorrow was another day.