"Rumple."

They threw him to the water and Emma felt a wave of panic course through her as she understood what was happening. They were were drowning him, they were drowning Hook. He flailed there, trying to breathe, trying to get out, but couldn't- And she couldn't either. She tried to get him out, desperately, but to no avail. Emma was scared, she was terribly scared because she knew that in a very short time the flailing would stop, the movement would stop, and that would mean..

No. That wasn't going to happen. She was the saviour, wasn't she? And Zelena was just a villain. She couldn't win. She wouldn't win. Emma was going to figure out a way to stop her, save Hook and keep her magic. All at the same time. Hook was a survivor, he could get out of this just as he'd gotten out of so many other troubles. She could do this, they could all get out of this. But as much as he tried to get the man out of the water, she couldn't. For the life of her she couldn't get him out and each attempt was becoming more and more desperate. He wouldn't last under there, couldn't. Everybody had its limits. That was why she had to take him out.

"Try all you like." Zelena said, smug. "You can't free him."

Emma looked at her both angry and surprised. Why would she do this? How could she do this? Of course, Emma knew the answers to all these questions, she knew about Zelena's goals, about her plans and how she was in the middle. Rationally, logically, the Saviour knew. But there was a part of her that couldn't comprehend the fact that Hook could be in danger, that he could be a victim, that he could die in the hands of a foe. She'd grown so used to putting distance between them, not trusting too much, expecting him to betray them all... There was no way she was going to let him die a hero. No way at all.

And then, in a puff of green smoke they were gone. Rumple and Zelena disappeared, leaving her with a limp, unconscious pirate. She tried again, with all her might, to take Hook out of the water, but the effect of the spell lingered and she couldn't. Couldn't save him when he was drowning. And Killian was not moving anymore - couldn't be breathing after all that time submerged. This was bad this was so, so very bad.

"Come on!" She yelled at no one.

After an excruciatingly long minute, she was able to get him out of the water and he fell unceremoniously on the grass. And he was pale and soaked and lifeless. His limbs fell and his eyes were closed and his chest wasn't moving and, oh, god, what if he was already dead? What if he never woke up again? Fuck, Killian, fuck! Wake up! She searched for a sign of life, somewhere. He needed to be okay, he couldn't be like this, he...

Without much thought, Emma started shaking the unconscious man, trying to get him to react.

"Hook, Hook, wake up!"

Come on, open your eyes. Don't do this. Wake up. Live, Killian, please, live. Don't leave me like this.

"Killian!"

But there he stayed breathless, moved only by her constant shaking. She knew this wasn't going to be that easy. She knew Hook had water in his lungs, she knew shaking him was not the answer. She knew he was dying. He was practically already dead. Like Graham before him, like Neal. She couldn't save them and now history was repeating itself. With Hook, no more smiling pirate, no more love, no more him.

But no, things were not like that with him. He was different. He who had overcome so many obstacles, even his own self to be with her. He who had helped them so many times, on so many different occasions and who had received only judgement and nasty looks and even nastier words. He, who had loved her, who had come back for her and who had been pushed away, hurt so many times. He, who didn't have anyone else. He who had lost all the people that he had loved and yet had given up on his revenge for her.

As she looked down on his pale face she realised that the last he heard from her was that she would never kiss him and had practically laughed at the notion of having a future with him. While he was putting himself in the line of fire for her sake, as usual. How could she had been so cold? She had never really thought that she could lose him, had taken him for granted. After all the abuse he'd received, verbal, emotional... BUt he had remained. He was a resilient guy. And he was there for her, had faith in her, loved her for who she was and even if it scared her she was thankful. And she should have said something.

She wanted him back. Badly. This couldn't be the end. He couldn't die for her, not like this, not thinking himself hated and unloved and alone.

"Killian, come back to me."

I cannot watch you die, Killian. Please, don't do this. Stay. Stay with me, ignoring everything I say to push you away, as you always do. Don't go.

She looked around, trying to find some magic solution. But there wasn't, she knew that there wasn't. And Killian wasn't going to come back, not if he didn't know something - the one thing she knew she had to do. Choose wisely, Zelena had said but now Emma understood that there was no choice at all. She had to save Killian, no matter the consequences. He was too important.

"Son of a bitch."

And so she did it, she lost all her magic. For him. To get him back.

And she was scared, oh so scared, in every second that passed. The world had ceased to exist. There was only Killian sprawled in the floor, lifeless. Her family didn't exist, nothing did. Only him - dying. Because even after losing her magic to revive him he was still, eyes closed. But he had to be back, didn't he? He was a survivor. In a moment, she felt all hope leaving her. She would have to continue this fight without him, without the cheeky comments, the loves, the bluest eyes - Killian. Her Hook, her friend.

"Come back to me." She whispered again brokenly. As if that would change things.

Luckily, only seconds after he came back to life, coughing up water and giving some deep and horrible sounding breaths and coughs. She moved his head to the side while he spewed even more water.

Relief washed over her, as she put one hand under his head and the other held tightly his coat. You're back, she thought, you came back. Hook seemed confused and asked what she had done, like it was some unspeakable crime. Saving him. As if her magic was somehow more important than him. But she couldn't answer, couldn't say anything because all she could do was marvel at the sight of him alive and breathing.

He was alive. He was looking at her and moving and breathing and HE WAS ALIVE. And he was looking at her and breathing harshly and coughing and eventually retching more water and trying to sit up but feeling too shaken and he was there and he was alive, looking at her, as usual. And he was alive.

"Swan?" He asked, confused. She hadn't said a single word since he woke up and Hook didn't know if it was because she lost her powers or if it was something else. She didn't seem angry at him, which was a novelty."Help me up, will you?"

She took his hand and supported him while he shakily got up, trying to hold on standing, never taking her eyes off of her.

"Is something the matter?"

She wanted to say that she was extremely glad he was alive. Wanted to say that he had scared her half to death, and never to do something like that. She wanted to tell him that she needed him by her side, that the thought of him dying was too painful to bear. But she didn't. She couldn't, she had to focus on the fight ahead, on Zelena - no time for feelings. Besides, there were things she wanted to admit. So she shook her head and helped him walk.

This didn't change her resolve to leave. She would leave this town and then no one could scare her like this. She wouldn't see Hook dying in her arms. Not him, too. He wouldn't leave her, willing or not. Hook was still very shaken, coughing loudly every once in a while. And he was still drenched and shivering and not being able to walk upright. He had nearly died. For her.

Emma sighed.

"You sure you're up for this?"

"I'm fine, Swan." He rasped, and coughed again. "Let's get moving."

Emma helped him into the car, simply grateful that he was there. There with her. As usual.

She would deal with feelings later. Now she simply looked at the drying, coughing pirate, at the soaked leather, at the blue eyes...

Still there.

That was what mattered.

It wasn't until some weeks later that Emma admitted what the incident had meant. She was simply watching him sleep, having woken up earlier than him. And there she was, looking, instead of doing something useful - just watching him, sleeping peacefully. They had so little of that. Peace. So she just watched him in that moment, sunlight coming from the window and the slight rise and fall of his chest. It was magic, mundane as it may be. When Hook finally woke up. He saw her staring and frowned.

"I was watching you breathe, idiot. Only that."

"Why?" the half awake pirate asked.

"It's comforting. I remember sometimes, when I took you of the water after Zelena and Gold drowned you. You were totally still, not breathing... And you scared me to death."

"Apologies, m'lady."

"Just don't do that again, all right?"

"For you, I'll try my best."

Sometimes the image of the pirate, still and lifeless in the grass still haunted Emma. Sometimes she dreamed of losing, like she'd lost so many other people. But then she looked, and he was there.

All is well that ends well.

A/N: If you read my other story, you know how this goes. A series of oneshots in which our beloved pirate is injured or ill and someone takes care of him or reacts to it. Sometimes it will be Emma, other times various people from Storybrooke. Hope you enjoyed, sorry for the mistakes.

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