Laying across the middle of the bed with Killian at her side, Emma rolled her eyes glaring at the ceiling, a clenched jaw. Her anxious thoughts, incapable of drowning out their bickering in the adjacent room, and her frustration rose after being unceremoniously dismissed from the conversation. Being treated like a naïve child, who had no input in the decisions that ruled her life. From the corner of her eyes she saw a resentful expression on Killians face. Watching as his mind ticked away, she knew that look, determined and reckless, he was plotting.
Suddenly snapping out of his internal thoughts, Killians eyes softened and he rolled onto his side facing her.
"Emma, you want to get some air?" he asked.
"Killian" saying his name with affection "I'm fine, Elsa is the one who's suffering" Emma frowned giving him a bemused look, as if his concern was misplaced.
"Fine... "Killian scoffed "Your heart, ripped from your chest, cursed by the wicked witch and you're fine"
Killian was rather blunt in his sarcastic tone, regret washed over his face before he placed his hand on her cheek.
"Emma" Killian pleaded for her, as if she wasn't right in front of him, but she remained petulantly silent.
Looking into Emma's eyes, he was desperately searching.
"How do you feel?" his tone begged for an honest response.
Emma shrugged, "I barely feel" Emma lingered in the word "anything" she sighed.
Killian's body tensed and he took in a sharp breath, sliding his thumb across her cheek tenderly.
"Emma" His voice broke "not feeling, it will take its toll"
He stared into Emma's eyes still searching, eventually the slither of hope in his expression faded.
"I shouldn't have left" Killian's face fell, his inner turmoil present in his tense movements.
"No" Emma shook her head "we can't blame ourselves every time one of us gets hurt" sighing upon seeing the agonised guilt in his eyes.
Killian wrapped his arms around Emma, holding her tight, a touch that usually sent electricity through her body was barely a flicker. Emma gasped, desperate to keep this flame alive she leaned into him, her hand gripping the sleeve of his jacket tensely. As if she could ignite her desire by sheer force, but it just made her feel numb.
The Dwarfs' quaint home, had become cramped with Regina, Granny, Ingrid, Jiminy cricket and Grumpy seated at the table. Snow White paced back and forth by the window, while David leaned against the wall, arms crossed, half his attention on Emma, in the next room. The bright orange sun setting in the distance coating everything in a warm auburn light.
"Our priority needs to be finding out whatever the witch is planning, what she wants with Regina's heart" Jiminy reiterated becoming exasperated, Regina opened her mouth to reply but she was cut off.
"I just need to find Zelena and kill her," Snow remarked, abruptly coming to a standstill.
"How do you suppose we do that?" Regina glared at Snow White, her tone revealing her conflicted thoughts "We barely know anything about her" as she thought on her words, her eyes became distant.
"You've got experience with hunting people down and killing them" Snow teased, giving her a pointed look.
"Snow no," David's eyes wide with disappointment he extended his arm out to her "we need to focus on saving Emma"
"Waking Elsa from the witch's sleeping curse" Ingrid suddenly piped up, placing her hands on the table.
"What about Red?" Gran's voice wavered "you let her run off with Anita, we need to find her" Gran's voice was encouraging, hoping to change the mood.
"We don't have time for all that," Regina scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"How can we even trust Regina, for all we know Zelena is controlling her, listening to us now".
Grumpy said, eyeing her with scrutiny from across the table.
"I protected my heart from that, years ago" Regina waved her hand dismissing this notion.
Regina announcing this did nothing to break the tension, amongst the opposing opinions in the room. All courtesies dropped, they spoke over each other getting louder with every iteration. Until it was just noise that nobody was listening to, the voice that usually broke through the egos, bringing their focus back remained silent.
Snow stepped away quietly, placing Emma's heart in a small bag securing it to her waist and enchanting the seal with protective charms. While their voices carried onto the next room, Emma sat up glaring at them through the doorway.
"That's it" Emma said through gritted teeth before getting up, storming into the room. Not a single one of them even glanced in her direction. "Stop it, all of you, this isn't helping!"
"Emma..." David stuttered, reaching out to her but she withdrew in a jerk movement.
"No, I'll tell you what we should do, stop fighting each other" Emma looked around at them all except Snow, averting her gaze.
"We are just trying to figure out what she wants" David's voice became low and soft, reaching his hand out to Emma again, he placed it on her shoulder.
"I know what Zelana wants," Snow said, stepping towards Emma and David, locking eyes with them.
Silence fell as all eyes turned to Snow, Emma stepped back slightly, feeling a sense of betrayal from her mother. They all wanted answers, anticipation in their eyes while Snow hesitated her eyes lingering on Emma's face, already looking guilty.
"Zelena is using Regina's heart, in a spell" Snow exhaled deeply "To go back in time"
"That's not possible" Regina frowned shaking her head "No ones that powerful"
"Your sister claims to have found a way, but she does need more power, that's why she came to me" Snow explained.
"Why would she want to go back in time?" Emma asked her tone accusatory, as her thoughts took her back to the nursery, recalling the despair in her mothers eyes, just before they first met the witch.
"To change fate, she promised to change mine, if I helped" Snow's voice was cold and eyes longing as she looked up at her teenage daughter.
"What?" Emma gasped, stepping forward. "You didn't say anything, all this time, I knew you were hiding something" Emma's broken words were barely audible.
"It doesn't matter, we need to focus on the now" Snow shook her head breathing out, as if letting go.
"How can it not matter?!" Emma yelled much louder than intended, somewhat embarrassed, as everyone gave her a pitying glance, she ran outside.
Killian went to follow but David stopped him, gently placing his arm on his shoulder, before following her himself.
"Emma, stop" David's voice heightened, his heart racing as soon as she was out of his sight.
"Leave me alone" Emma yelled as she ran towards the forest reaching the tree line just as her mother appeared in front of her in a cloud of magic, her expression of frustration.
"Emma, where do you think you're going?" Snow asked pointedly.
"Relax" Emma retorted, petulant "I just need some air"
Ignoring Emma's explanation, Snow stepped closer, her eyes examining her daughter for signs of the curse's effects.
"Is it your heart?" Snow asked her hand outstretched, lifting Emma's chin so she could see her eyes, but she stepped back abruptly.
"No" Emma said in a huff, glaring at her "It's you, disappearing, lying, taking hearts"
"Emma I only did what's best..." Snow's tone was firm and sure of her convictions, but Emma interrupted.
"For you, what about Regina?" Emma gasped "You could have found another way, you didn't have to..." Emma's voice broke the words caught in her throat.
Snow sighed looking in the devastated eyes of her daughter, opening her mouth to speak before stopping herself. David walked up slowly, his body tense facing Emma, with disappointment in his expression.
"Emma" his tone warning "Your mother, had to put you first" he's voice strained reaching his hand forward tentatively, trying not to spook her.
"Saving me, by hurting others seems to be happening a lot lately" Emma snapped back, refusing to look at Snow, instead directing her anger towards her father.
"I'm never going to stop trying to protect you" Snow stated firm her arms folded "I don't care what you say"
"Protect me" Emma scoffed, laughing slightly "You weren't even 'here' when the witch cursed Elsa and took my heart" Emma stared at the ground as she spoke, tears welling in her eyes.
"Come back inside, have something to eat" David instructed, his eyes darting between his wife and daughter nervously.
"No" Emma shook her head stubbornly "there's no point in even talking to you" her voice hollow.
"We're trying" David's expression pained; the words caught in his throat.
Emma shook her head, arms folded, she looked up to her parents with disappointment. From the moment they met in Storybrooke, they were all on the same wavelength, a constant flow of energy that was absent now.
"Have either of you two even tried to break the curse?" Emma snipped back, which silenced them.
Upon realizing she had stumped them, Emma smiled sadly before shaking her head and walking away.
"Emma, come back" David pleaded, devastated by this drift between them.
Ignoring this half attempt by her father to get her to stay, his desperate plea didn't carry much weight, without her heart. Storming off to where Elsa lay in a glass coffin, surrounded by daisies they'd taken from the field earlier.
David's heart raced unwilling to let their conversation end this way; he couldn't bear to have Emma upset with him, to be out of his reach. Stepping forward with a determined expression, readying himself for round two.
"Let her be" Snow caught his arm stopping him from following her "with everything that's just happened, a little angst is normal" she stated with a small smile, in an attempt to calm him.
"Normal, has no meaning in our life, our teenage daughter is missing her heart, her best friend is under a sleeping curse" He paused frowning at Snow "her mother is Damm Dark One"
"You want to do this now?" Snow sighed, as if this fight was an inconvenience.
David squirmed slightly, his eyes welled up knowing that in all the times they had been pulled apart, they always found their way back to each other. Standing before her now, he knew he hadn't found her yet, that she was lost in the dark he just needed to reach in and pull her out.
"Why haven't we tried?" David earnestly asked with a trembling voice terrified of the answer.
"David, please don't" Snow pleaded, desperation in her eyes, the first time he'd seen fear in them since they reunited.
His wife's desperate tone only further ignited his passion, his expression softened as the glimmer of hope in his eyes increased, believing all this could be resolved, with a simple kiss.
"It can't hurt" David smiled, his voice quiet pleading while they shared a longing glance. Every time they locked eyes, was the same as the first, their love remaining true.
"You know it will," Snow's voice croaked, shaking her head, but she did not back away.
Ignoring her warning he stepped closer, placing his hand on her cheek tenderly, he looked deep into her eyes, now he could see the spark. The tiniest glimmer of the women he knew, she smiled in response leaning into him, their lips touched, and it felt as it always did. Passionate and loving and overall peaceful for a moment, but there was no shimmering light, the darkness remained. David stopped placing his hands on her shoulders, he pushed her back slightly, his mouth gaped open in shock.
"It didn't work" David gasped out just as the warm light of the sunset disappeared behind the distant mountains.
"No," Snow stated coldly, her frustration clear in her eyes.
"You don't seem surprised" David's tone was accusatory.
Snow hesitated and her mouth moved, but words took their time "I didn't think it would" she admitted.
"What are we going to do, if true love can't break the curse?" David's voice broke, he paused trying to find her eyes as she looked away over his shoulder.
Snow Exhaled her expression pained, waiting for him to realise the truth, there was no shame or doubt in her eyes, her resolve was final.
"You don't want to break it" he tone changed as anger rose in him, glancing towards the direction Emma went in as his mind began to race. Agonised, he restrained himself, aware that he had to choose his next move carefully.
"We need the Dark One, I can't stop, not yet" Snow's expression became dark and threatening, not to try and take the power from her again.
David's eyes went wide as he gagged, unable to swallow this truth he fumbled backwards, away from her.
"Snow, how can anything be more important than your own heart?" David said, his eyes longing desperately pleading with her to reconsider.
"Our daughters" she stated cold and firm, her eyes narrowed.
"We can save Emma as heroes, not like this" he shook his head slowly in disbelief.
"Aren't you tired of risking everything" she smiled coaxing him, reaching out and she placed her hands on his chest leaning closer "barely getting a chance to hold onto our happiness, before it's ripped away" her breath on his cheek as her tone shifted to sad and loving.
"You believe the power of the dark one, will bring you happiness" he retorted, grief stricken he leant forwards, as if he was about to faint.
"When I found Emma" Her voice hoarse as she explained "she was cold, shaking, near death.."
David's face went pale looking up at her "Why didn't you tell me; it was that bad?" he gasped exasperated.
"Don't you see?" Snow put her hand on his cheek trying to calm him, but he recoiled away from her cold touch, "I was only able to save her, save you, because I'm the Dark One" Snow affirmed, smiling as she said it.
"But you've saved her, and lost her too" David stated heartbroken.
Snow froze, her smile vanished, only able to watch as David turned and walked away back into the house without her.
Inside the homestead the discussion continued into the night with no progress made. Before inevitably deciding not to decide, they all went to sleep, planning on going their separate ways at dawn.