𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐃 ★ 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 ⁵

•Chapter 18: Dreamcatchers•

We sat outside of Granny's as we waited for Emma and Killian to return. I was about to go inside the diner when to sound of footsteps filled the air and we all turned to see Emma and Killian walking towards us, hand in hand.

"There you are!" Regina exclaimed, "we've looked everywhere for you."

"Emma," Mary Margaret said, "what happened to you? Are you okay?"

"For now," Emma answered, "it looks worse than it is."

"Are you sure?" Regina asked.

"Aye," Killian responded, "we're ready to get this sickness out of us. Where's Merlin?"

"He's inside," David told them.

"Well," Killian said, "let's get on with it then," he began to walk towards Granny's, "I'll go get him. You wait here."

Killian walked straight passed us with a blank expression.

"Should we go after him?" Sam asked, "he seems kind of off."

"Yeah," Katherine stated, "there was too much...darkness in his eyes."

"Should we go?" Sam repeated.

"Yeah," I answered before we followed Killian before we approached the door.

As soon as we were a foot away from the entrance, we heard a clicking sound, causing the three of us exchanged glances before we tried to open the door.

"Why would he lock it?" Sam questioned.

When none of us could come up with a reasonable answer, we all peered through the window to see Killian holding a heart. Merlin's heart.

"This can't be good," I sighed before we rushed back to where everyone was standing, "Emma! You need to get in there! Now!"

***

As soon as Sam starts to try and use his magic, a thudding sound could be heard about us as it continues to get louder and louder. After about ten minutes, it continues overhead as white puffs of magic come from Sam's hands. When the thudding stops, chills run down my spine before my full attention turns back to Sam.

"Sam," I say, "I know you're kind of new to this whole magic thing but can you hurry up a little?"

"I'm trying," he grunts through exhaustion before I walk over and sit beside him.

"Watch my hands," I tell him as I demonstrate the motions, "you need to feel the magic in your heart. You have to believe in yourself."

"Like I believe in you," Katherine tells him as she kisses him on the cheek, "you can do it, Sammy."

He lets out another deep breath before he closes his eyes and, the next thing we know, the room fills with white smoke before we find ourselves back in our motel room.

"You did it!" Katherine exclaims as she pulls Sam in for a hug.

"I did," Sam sighs as a huge smile forms on his face, only for it to vanish when he turns to me after they end their hug, "I wish I could get your cuff off."

"Let me try," Katherine says before she reaches for the cuff and easily pulls it off my wrist.

"How did you do that?" I ask in awe.

"Maybe he enchanted it so that only those without magic can take it off," Sam suggests before Katherine puts it onto hers for safekeeping in case we need to use it later.

"Guess not having magic does pay off," she smirks

***

The next thing I knew, I was in the diner with everyone passed out on the floor and Emma standing over them.

"What are you doing?" I asked, "what's going on?"

"I know what happened to you, Everly," Emma stated as my heart appeared in her hand, "you're going to listen to me from now on."

After her words sink in, my eyes widen then I watch as she pulls the memories out of everyone and into a dreamcatcher before glancing over to me.

"I need to erase the memories of everyone who knew that I turned Hook into a Dark One," she finished taking everyone's memories then turned to me, "including you."

"Emma, wait, don't," I pleaded, "I need to remember what I did."

"You'll remember everything," she told me, "up until the day Arthur kidnapped us."

Against my wishes, she then held the dreamcatcher in front of me, stealing all of my memories of Killian as a Dark One. I stood there in shock as I watched Emma go into the kitchen and place the dreamcatcher into the cauldron.

"Emma," I said, "you don't need to do this!"

"Quiet!" she yelled and I obeyed.

Then she leaned down and cradled Killian's head in her lap before purple smoke surrounded us, taking us to Storybrooke.

***

After getting numerous texts from David and Mary Margaret, Sam, Katherine, and I meet up with everyone in the mayor's office. As soon as we get there, Emma hands back everyone's dreamcatcher.

"And we're meant to believe you're going to give back our memories, just like that?" Merida questions.

"We can trust her," Henry defends.

"Can we?" Regina asks.

"I believe we can," I answer, causing everyone to look at me before turning their attention back to Emma.

"Yes," she says.

"Okay," Regina responds.

After everyone lets out a sigh, we hold up our dreamcatchers in front of our faces and Emma waves her hand around as the dreamcatchers begin to glow and memories begin to return. We all look up to Emma to see her staring at her dreamcatcher in panic.

"Emma," David says, "what's wrong?"

"I remember," she whispers, "I know what he's doing. I know what they are doing."