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The day had almost been a success. Charming’s courage had been restored, as had Gold’s sanity. Although Killian’s heart had also been returned, a selfish part of him had wished it had not, because it would have allowed him to not feel the pain of what restoring those things had cost.
Emma was tucked into Mary Margaret’s bed. Her cheeks were still rosy, her chest rose and fell as usual, but there was no waking her. Zelena had given her the sleeping curse, and now she was lost to them. Killian had been there with them at first, had been the one to carry her and lay her down while Mary Margaret slipped off her boots and David pulled the blanket over her. He could not bear to stay with them, could not stand the thick cloud of grief hanging over them all, and so he had departed without a word.
He had been pacing the docks for half an hour. The skies were filled with gray clouds, the water a deep, steely blue, a mist in the air that chilled him to the bone, but he could not go back. There were no two ways about it: he was hiding. He knew that they expected him to try True Love’s Kiss, to try anything to bring her back, and he was afraid. Terrified, really.
It would not be the first time he tried True Love’s Kiss on Emma, and he was scared that he would fail again now, when it mattered most. It made no difference how deep or unyielding or true his love was if the feeling was not mutual, and he doubted very much that it was mutual. This was the first time it truly mattered, that her entire family was there hoping for his success, sitting at her bedside with tear-filled eyes that Killian could not bear to look into.
“There you are,” came David’s voice suddenly, startling Killian out of his thoughts.
“Any change?”
“Unfortunately, no,” David said shortly. It was clear that he wasn’t here to exchange pleasantries. He meant business. “Hook, I need to you to kiss her.”
“I know what you’re getting at, but it won’t work, mate.” Hook rubbed the back of his hair.
“How do you know?”
“Because it didn’t work last time. I’ve come to understand that these things require mutuality.”
“It will work,” David said, surprisingly not getting caught on the fact that Killian had tried before. His courage had returned indeed. “But we won’t know until you try.”
“I can’t do it.” His voice broke on the words. He cleared his throat.
“It’s her best chance,” David said. “Please try. Just try.”
“If I fail—“
“You won’t fail,” David said, putting a hand on Hook’s shoulder. “And even if you do, nobody will hold it against you. We’ll find another way.”
Hook wasn’t convinced. He turned away from David, feeling the prick of tears behind his eyes, a lump forming in his throat as he stared out at the water.
“I’ve seen the way she looks at you, Killian. I know that look,” David persisted. “It’s the same way Mary Margaret looks at me. I believe in you. Both of you. I know that you can do this.”
Killian’s vision blurred. “I’m afraid.”
“We all are. But you can do this. You can save her. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think it would work.”
Hook sighed. There was no deterring David at this point. He ran a hand over his face and took a deep breath before he turned around.
“All right.”
“All right?”
Killian nodded.
“Thank you,” David said, looking Killian straight in the eyes, meaning the words with everything in him.
They got into David’s truck and drove back to the loft. Hook couldn’t seem to get his hands to stop shaking, couldn’t seem to quell the fear. If he failed, it would break not only his heart, but the hearts of her family, of her son, of her friends. But he loved her, God did he love her, and he would try. David had more faith in him than he felt he deserved and that was enough for him to go on.
They climbed the stairs and stopped before entering.
“You all right?” David asked.
Killian nodded. “Yes. A bit nervous.”
David nodded, patting him on the arm one last time before they went inside.
Mary Margaret was sitting on the edge of the bed, running a brush carefully through Emma’s golden hair. She looked up when she heard the floorboards creak and immediately stood up to hug Killian.
“Everything is going to be okay,” she said softly, bringing back the lump in his throat. He nodded in thanks, and David and Mary Margaret left the room.
He stared down at Emma for a moment, eyes clouding up again. The rosiness in her cheeks was the only thing that kept her from looking like a corpse. His hands were shaking something violent now, and he had to clench them together to subdue it. This was all too familiar, this sight, the woman he loved laying lifeless before him. His heart ached.
He sat down on the bedside, reaching forward to stroke Emma’s hair, gently reaching beneath her head to cradle it.
Please, Emma, he begged silently. Please come back to me.
He pressed his lips to hers.
Suddenly, something washed over him, a strange sort of serenity. His hands stopped shaking. His heart no longer ached. He pulled out of the kiss, looking down at his girl, his darling girl, eyes wide with nothing but hope and anticipation. Suddenly, her eyelids fluttered open and she gazed up at him, a smile tugging at her lips.
“Swan!” he cried, voice breaking, pulling her to him in a hug, burying his face against her neck to hide the tears of relief that were suddenly spilling down his cheeks. She was alive, she loved him, she loved him, she loved him.
“You saved me,” she said, wrapping her arms around him. David and Mary Margaret were around the other side of the bed immediately, wrapping the both of them in a hug.
True Love. He was Emma’s true love, and she was his, and together, together, they had broken the spell.