(This is the original ending written for this story. Chapter Three is an alternate ending that I also wrote because I couldn't make up my mind. Hope you like it!)

Death do not feel like the victor
Cause my poor life makes you none the richer

She ran out of the apartment, and made her way into the woods. She shouted for him, and kept her weapon close by, knowing full well that these woods were probably the most dangerous place to be right now.

She heard a shuffling behind her, and when she turned around, he was there.

She sighed in relief and walked toward him. "God, Hook. Are you okay?"

He just looked at her. He looked like he wanted to say something, like something was aching to get out of him, but nothing came.

"What's wrong with you? Tell me what's wrong."

A shrill, accented voice spoke from behind her.

"He can't, dear. Not unless I tell him to."

Emma spun around and finally, saw her. The witch. Her brows furrowed in confusion. "You...Zelena...You're the witch?"

Emma turned to face Killian again. She whispers to him, "She's controlling you, isn't she?" He doesn't nod, but confirms her suspicion with his eyes. Yes. I'm sorry, love.

Emma stood in front of him protectively. "Give it back."

Zelena laughed, setting Emma on edge. "Oh no, I don't think I can do that."

"What do you want with it anyway? And why'd you go after Henry?" Emma asked, voice growling with anger.

"It's not his heart I want you stupid girl," the witch said as she made her way towards the savior, "I want yours."

Emma stepped back and tried to understand.

The witch could see her confusion, and continued. "Your heart is the product of true love, the most powerful force in all the realms. I need its power to complete my revenge."

"You can't have anything until you give him his heart back," Emma said.

"Hah!" the Witch laughed. "And why on earth would I do that?"

Without skipping a beat, Emma answered, "because you can take mine instead."

Killian's eyes pleaded with her, his fists curled in at his sides with anger. Don't you dare, Swan. Don't do something rash.

The Witch sighed. "Tsk, tsk, foolish girl. How daft do you think I am? I can't take your real heart. It can't be taken. Luckily for me, you keep some of it with your boy. Then I realized that my sister protected his heart. I thought all was lost, until this one here," she said pointing to Killian, "was just dumb enough to fall right into my trap. It's not what I had originally wanted, but he'll do just fine."

"No, you can't-" Emma started, but the sound of Killian screaming stopped her. Zelena had pulled his heart out from under her cloak and was squeezing it.

Emma fell to the ground in front of him where he had collapsed, holding his shoulders up, choking back tears.

"No, no, no..." She cried.

"Emma, you have to go," he whispered.

"Not a chance."

The pain subsided for a moment, long enough for him to look at her, really look at her. Her eyes spoke into his. I'm so sorry.

He cried out in pain again, clutching at his chest, heaving and gasping for air, trying to fight against the clutch of the witch.

Emma watched, helpless. Images of Graham dying in her arms flashed through her mind, then the sight of Henry lying dead on the hospital table, and then Neal...

"NO." She yelled. "It's not supposed to end like this!"

Emma flung herself from the ground and charged at the witch. "Let him go!"

As she swung her sword, the witch vanished into a green cloud of smoke.

Killian's screams subsided from behind her. He was attempting to sit up now. Emma had stopped the witch long enough to make her stop crushing his heart.

"Emma," he choked out. "Love, you have to get out of here."

"I'm not going anywhere without you."

His eyes lit up with fear suddenly. "Emma, look out-"

She felt her body stiffen. She tried to move, but she was frozen still from her shoulders to her feet. So was Killian.

Emma could feel the presence of the witch nearby. A moment later, the witch was behind her, laying Emma's head on her shoulder, and holding up the shiny pointed edge of a blade to her neck.

Her hot breath made Emma writhe beneath the spell. "You pathetic excuse for a savior. You can't defeat me. Wicked always wins."

Emma struggled against her, but with no luck. Killian watched on, terror etched across his face.

The witch looked down at him as she held Emma close. "How does it feel, pirate? Knowing that the woman you love is about to die, and there's not a thing you can do about it."

Laughing, the witch turned her attention back to Emma. "And what about you, savior? If you could even call yourself that. You're no savior. You're nothing but a lost girl, an orphan, destined to be alone and afraid for the rest of your miserable life."

The words bore into Emma's spirit. She tried to push them away but the thoughts invaded her mind and ate away at any courage she had left. Don't listen to her Emma, she's lying.

The witch continued, seething. "You couldn't save your son, your family, or the man you love. You can't even save yourself."

Emma's eyes flew open as the fear collided into her, leaving her defenseless.No, No, she thought. I was supposed to save them...bring back the happy endings...they need me and I've let them down...I've let him down...

Zelena could feel Emma relaxing against the spell, no longer fighting back. A grin crept onto her face, victorious.

"Well, pirate," she said, looking at Hook again, "This is it. Any last words?"

Tears were running down his face as he struggled against the spell. Then his face turned from fear to anger. In a deep, unforgiving growl, he said,

"You're no match for Emma."

And Emma, who had almost completely given up her resolve to fight, to live, could feel a new strength welling up within her, stronger than anything she'd ever felt. Hope.

"Excuse me?" The Witch sneered. "It's a little late for that, dear. She chose love. And just like my mother always taught: love is weakness. Now, where were we-"

As the witch spoke, Emma had closed her eyes, summoning as much of her magic as she possibly could. She could feel it, rising up, bubbling, boiling at the surface, until-

In a flash of golden light, the freezing spell was lifted, sending a wave from within her, rippling out and around the three of them. The witch fell to the ground, stunned.

The spell lifted off of Killian as she hit the ground. He fell forwards, and then looked up at Emma with a sly smile. There's my girl.

Zelena tried to move, but was frozen still by her own spell, which had transferred back to her after Emma's blast of magic.

"What?" she whispered to herself. "How could this be?"

Emma walked over to her, eyes bright, righteous anger boiling within her. She picked up her sword and held it at the ready.

"You were wrong, Zelena."

She stole a glance at Killian, who nodded her to continue.

"I'm not an orphan. Not anymore. I'm not lost.Not anymore. And I am the savior. I always have been."

"Pl-please, have mercy," the witch implored.

"Sorry," Emma noted. And mustering up as much of her courage as she could, and in the truest sense, just like her own mother, she said,

"This is my life and I will fight for it!"

The blade slammed into Zelena, who cried out in anguish. Her wound began to sear outwards, and her skin turned to ash, floating away with each blow.

"That was for my parents," Emma growled. She raised the sword again, and brought it down upon the witch.

"This is for my son!" She raised the sword again.

"And this," she said, raising the sword higher, "this is for Killian!"

With one final blow, the sword crashed into the witch, who's eyes flared open as she gasped for breath.

Her cries were muffled by the swirl of green smoke lifting up from within her, and as she let out her last breath, the rest of her body crumbled and floated away with the smoke. She was gone.

In her place lay the sword, and a heart. His heart.

Emma picked up the heart and held it close. Everything was silent for a moment. Her chest was heaving, heart beating rapidly, ears ringing.

All was quiet, until he spoke her name.

"Emma?"

She turned to face him. There he was, across the clearing from her. He was here, he was alive.

"Hook."

They closed the space between them, enveloping each other in an embrace. They held each other there on the battlefield for what felt like an eternity. Emma buried her face in his chest, feeling the rise and fall of his breathing. And then she remembered...

She held out his heart in between them. He looked down at her, and held her hand as she pressed it into his chest with a magical glow of amber, past flesh and bone.

He inhaled sharply as it settled back into its home within him.

"Thank you," he said, grazing her jaw with his thumb. "Emma..."

His lips crashed into hers in passionate fury, the light and warmth and love of it all, rising between them as they wrapped their arms around each other, pulling each other as close as two people could possibly be.

They rested their foreheads together. When they finally caught their breath, he said, "I'm so sorry, love."

She looked up at him. "What are you sorry for? For saving Henry and sacrificing yourself for me? No. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I shouldn't have said those awful things to you or treated you the way I did before. I guess I was just scared...but that fear was nothing compared to what it felt like when I realized I could have actually lost you."

He pulled her head down to his chest and cradled her there, planting kisses onto the top of her head. "Shh, love. I've got you. I'm here now...you saved me. I knew you would."

Emma laughed a little bit to herself. "That's kind of our thing, huh? Saving each other."

"Aye, it surely is."

Emma pressed her ear to his chest. It was warm and his heart was beating and he was here and alive andhers.

"I love you, Emma Swan."

She raised her head again to look into his eyes, deeper than the ocean blue. She had never felt anything like this before. This is it, she thought. This man, who had fought so hard to win her heart, who had proven to her over and over again that he wasn't going anywhere, was still here. And she knew in her heart that he always would be.

I fell in love with the world in you.

Fighting for each other, saving each other, encouraging each other...surely this was true love.

"I love you too, Killian."

He traced her jaw again and smiled. "It's about bloody time, love." And they both laughed.

Beautiful, magical girl. Handsome, selfless pirate.

"Well love," he said as he stepped to the side of her and held out his hand, "shall we head home?"

Emma took his hand, intertwining their fingers together and holding tightly. And she was never going to let go of him again.

She smiled. "I'm already there."