The Swan Princess

-4-

"Love, you can't be serious." Killian called after his wife, who was rushing down the corridors of the castle frantically. "In a few weeks our child will come, and you honestly think we can just leave?"

"You heard Henry. Whoever that lady is, she's gonna try and take our baby. I can't risk it!" Emma shouted back. She pushed open the door to their room and grabbed a bag from beneath the dresser. When Killian entered the room, she was emptying the drawers, filling the bag with clothes.

"Swan..." he sighed.

"I grew up without my parents, Killian. I can't do that to my own child." A tear ran down Emma's cheek as she began to breathe heavily.

"You did with Henry." The words came out before he had a chance to stop them.

"What?" Emma looked at her husband, her fear turning to anger. "What did you just say to me?"

"I didn't mean it, I'm so sorry..." Hook began.

"No, you're right." Emma said as she wiped tears off of her face. "I abandoned Henry. I won't do it again."

The moment she said his name, he ran into the room.

"The man at the stables said three horses will be ready as soon as you get down there, mom." Henry nodded. He saw his mother's actions and took another bag from the floor, emptying Killian's drawers next.

"Where will we go, love?" Killian asked. Emma shrugged, tying off one bag and beginning another. He took her hand, forcing her to stop working.

"I trust you're making the right decision." he smiled. She nodded.

"I think I am. I can't lose you, or Henry, or this baby." she whispered as she embraced him.

"Done." Henry called out from across the room. "When do we leave?"

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Except for three black horses riding through the night, the forest was still. A woman dressed in peasant's clothes, blonde hair hidden under a cloak and excpecting a baby any day, led the group. Behind her rode a young man, no older than fourteen, nearly falling asleep as they rode for hours. The last of the group was a man missing one hand, the king of a kingdom he'd never thought would accept him.

The three rode silently through the night. After what seemed like eternity, Emma turned her head to see her son, almost passed out from fatigue.

"We can stop here." she said to the two, quietly so no one could hear but them. "Make a fire and sleep for a while."

"I'm not even tired." mumbled Henry as he dismounted his horse. He ran out a few paces, collecting branches for firewood.

"You alright there, Swan?" Killian asked as he helped his wife down from her horse.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Tired, maybe. But I'll survive."

"I'll take the first watch. You get some sleep." he said as he removed her hood and kissed her forehead.

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The crackling of the fire was quiet, and the night was dead. Henry lay asleep across from the couple. Hook pulled Emma's slightly shivering body closer to him, while she buried her head in his chest. His heartbeat thudded in her ears, and she found the sound to be soothing. She was asleep in minutes.

All is well, thought the King. At least, for now.

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Emma woke up to silence. The fire had died out, and the night was still. She breathed in slowly, rolling over to face her beloved. The empty space where Killian had been before startled her enough that she got to her feet immediately.

"Hook?!" she screamed into the silence. Even Henry had vanished, and their horses were nowhere to be found. "Where are you?!"

"He's not here." a low voice said from behind her. Emma spun around quickly. There was barely enough light to see the tall lurking figure in the distance. A woman hidden under a dark cloak began to make her way towards the lonely Queen. "He's abandoned you."

"No he didn't." Emma growled. "Where's my husband? Where's my son?!"

"Since we're on the topic of children..." the woman began. Suddenly she vanished from sight. Emma blinked a couple of times, unsure of what just happened. From behind her, a pair of hands wrapped around her, one covering her mouth, the other clutching her baby bump. "This child is mine."

"Get off of me." Emma mumbled into the woman's hand. "It's not yours."

"You really think so?" the woman cooed. "Who are you, that claims she's fit to raise a child? Remember what happened last time... Your son's father abandoned you and the baby. Do you not believe that will happen again?" She released her grip on Emma and turned her, so they were face to face.

"Hook wouldn't do that. He loves me."

"Neal loved you." Emma glared at the woman. "He abandoned you anyways. Your child is more fit to live with someone who won't abandon it."

"You don't know anything about me." Emma said defensively. "I can definitely raise a child."

"You say that like it's actually true." the woman laughed. "Believe me, when this child sees who it's parents are, it'll make the choice for itself."

Without warning, a bright light began blazing through the forest, accompanied by a high pitched squealing. Emma screamed and covered her ears to tune out the frequency, but she wasn't strong enough. She collapsed to her knees, screeching as loud as she could-----

"Swan? SWAN!!!" Killian shouted, shaking his wife awake. Emma sat up, gasping and choking. She was covered in a fair layer of sweat, and by the marks next to her ears, it was evident she had been clawing at her ears.

Completely disoriented, Emma sat panting for a minute before she heard Killian speak again. "Swan?" Her head spun around to look at him.

"Why did you come back for me?" she asked, a tone of darkness in her voice.

"Back? Love, I never left." the King's brow furrowed. "Are you alright?"

Emma began sobbing. "I had a dream and you had left me... There was this woman... She told me I wasn't fit to be a mother..."

"That's not for her to decide." Henry said suddenly, sitting up and looking at his mother with concern.

"No, it's most definitely not. And I promise, I will never leave you. We're in this together." Killian smiled as he embraced his wife. Henry crawled over to the two, embracing them both.

"One big happy family." he whispered in his mothers ear.

Emma gasped suddenly, pulling away from the two.

"Swan?" Hook asked. Emma groaned loudly, her hands flying to her stomach.

"Oh God!!" she cried out, curling up on the ground in a fetal position.

"What's happening to her?!" Henry shouted, kneeling next to her and squeezing her hand. "Mom!"

"She's gone into labor, Henry." Hook realized. "Oh God, she's having the baby."