True Love: God Approved

Chapter 40

*Emma's POV*

"Shit!" I gasped as I woke and immediately sat up, finding myself in an oddly familiar jungle. "What the... where the hell am I?"

"I'm pretty sure you already know where you are," a small voice said and I looked around frantically until my eyes found a little girl coming to sit next to me. She couldn't have been more than maybe eight years old but her blonde curls nearly hit the ground when she sat and she had a strangely knowing look in her eyes. "You've been here before- in the real world, that is- and this area in particular means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

"Who are you?" I asked instead of answering. "Where are your parents? How do you know me?"

"It doesn't matter who I am," she answered with a slight shake of her head. "You brought us here, I'd really like to know why. Why here?"

"I brought us here?" I repeated, looking around trying to confirm where I thought I was.

"There was just too much magic going on so your brain kind of shut down," she shrugged, unconcerned. "You'll be in this sort of dream realm, a little like a sleeping curse, until it's ready to reset. Time is frozen for us, but wherever your body is they're all going on as usual."

"A little girl shouldn't know anything about a sleeping curse," I said with concern. "Seriously, why are you alone? You have parents, right?"

"I have great parents," she assured me with a giggle. "But you didn't answer my question. Where are we? And why is it so important to you?"

"Well... it looks like our camp in Neverland when we came to save my son," I replied, finally giving up asking about her for now and focusing on what the hell was actually going on. "But I have no idea why I'd come here, it's just where we slept while we were here."

"Nothing else happened here?" She prodded and I looked at her like she was nuts- what was the point of this? I just wanted to get back to-

"Killian," I whispered to myself, my entire demeanor changing as I looked around again. "This... this is where my fiance and I kissed for the first time. But I still don't understand why I'd be here, there are so many other more significant places for us."

"Maybe you only think they're more significant," she suggested.

"Look, kid, you're really nice and all, but can I wake up now?" I asked, much more antsy now. "I don't know how long I've been out, but even the length of this conversation would have him worried sick and that was before I was pregnant. You said you have parents, go find them."

"I...I can't."

"What? Why?"

"Well, one isn't in this realm," she told me quietly, picking at the hem of her dress and refusing to look at me. "And the other is a little... fragile and confused."

"Hey," I put my hand on hers gently and she looked up through her thick lashes. "I'll help you, okay? Let's go find them. Is it your mom or your dad?"

"My mom," she responded cautiously. "But we don't have to find her... she's right here."

"But we're the only-" I started then suddenly realized what she meant and stood up. "No no no, tell me you don't mean me. I-I'm only a few months pregnant, I... Allie?"

"Please don't be mad, momma, I just-"

"I'm not mad," I assured her quickly, kneeling down and putting my hands on her cheeks. I felt like an idiot for not seeing it before, a bubble of laughter escaping me as I studied her innocent face. "You know, you have your dad's eyes. You're... you're so beautiful."

She quickly moved to hug me tightly, her small arms surprisingly strong wrapped around my middle. I didn't know what was going on and I wanted to get back to Killian, but I wasn't ready to let go of my little girl yet.

*

"I need to go home, Allie," I told her a while later, now sitting with her in my lap. "Not that I don't want this time with you because you're... amazing, but Killian- your dad, I mean- and Henry and everyone, they need me, and if you're ever going to get to grow into this wonderful little person, time needs to start back up for me."

"I know, mom," she sighed. "But it's not up to me, or even you. You'll wake up when it's time."

*Killian's POV*

It'd been over a month, but the only change was the increasing pain in my chest and in my back from sleeping leaned on the side of the sofa. The witch sisters said the baby was alive, but frozen in time with her mother and it was starting to feel like I was, too. I wanted my Emma back. Missing her had become far too familiar, but it never got any less painful- I wanted to see her smile, hear her laugh, listen to her tease me for everything under the sun, even just catch a glimpse of those enchanting green eyes. But life continued to go on around us while I sat waiting for the love of my life to wake.

"How is she?" Snow asked one Friday afternoon about six weeks after it'd happened, sitting on the floor next to the other end of the sofa. I just shook my head, unable to say it again. "She'll wake up, Hook, I know she will."

"You've been saying that for a month and a half," I pointed out with a sigh, letting my head fall to rest against Emma's thigh. "Regina said the Queen doesn't know anything, and her and her sister can't find anything like this in their readings. Nothing has changed. It's not like a sleeping curse, I can't just wake her with a kiss, it's not that easy."

"But...what if it is?" She countered, continuing when I looked at her like she was mad. "Have you tried?"

"...No," I admitted quietly, avoiding looking at her. "What... what if it doesn't work?"

"It will," she replied without hesitation then stood. "I have to go pick up Neal, but just... think about it, okay?"

The thought that it might not work, that the most powerful thing in the world may not be enough, terrified me to my core. I wasn't one to cry, but I felt myself start to cry as I studied Emma's face the way I had more times than I could count. I couldn't take this anymore, I had to try.

I sat up on my knees, took a breath and pressed my lips to hers. I felt the pulse of magic I'd seen several times just before Emma took in a sharp breath and for that moment I had hope... and then that moment ended. She took in a few more shallow breaths but then went back to how she had been for the last several weeks. That was the last straw for me. I finally gave up and brought her up to the bedroom, changing her clothes as I did every day then went back to the kitchen to find all the alcohol we had in the house.