Once Upon a Time The Golden Bird's Love

**So…"Essie" isn't finished, obviously. There will be more of it, but I have to write this one shot I have been aching to write.**

**I hope you guys like it. **

**Part 1**

Emma felt her heart abruptly halt on the spot when she heard what Belle had just said. If she had found out about Killian's missing heart earlier, she would have suspected Mr. Gold immediately, for his eternal feud with her boyfriend wasn't a secret, but what HAD been a secret was all that Killian had been experiencing over the past few weeks. If she'd only known, she could've rescued his heart before he had been forced to perform Mr. Gold's bidding, but maybe she was too late. Her pirate could've already been dead, but she refused to believe it. The nightmare wouldn't sit in her mind for a second. Tears were threatening to fall, but she wouldn't LET them fall. Her knees were growing weak, but she wouldn't LET them be weak. If she was going to save the one person in all of Storybrooke who. . . just. . . got her through and through, then she'd need to keep herself entirely intact.

"I…I never thought that…Rumple could stoop as low as this. I'm beginning to think that he never actually loved me to begin with. What husband lies to his wife like this? What husband hurts his wife's friends like this?"

The second question took Emma off guard, for she had never thought that Belle would care for Killian as a friend. She bit her bottom lip to prevent it from quivering as it had been for the past five minutes. It had been quivering ever since Belle had uttered her very first sentence. "Hook's life is in danger." had been enough to turn Emma into a frenzy, but it felt nice to know that Belle was at the very least seeing Mr. Gold for who he truly was. Emma knew that that Belle's love for her husband wouldn't fade overnight. Belle had fallen for a Rumplestiltskin that cared.

Was there still a part of him that DID care?

Such a question remained to be answered, but not at the moment.

"Your husband is a man who can't let go of his crutch, no matter how much he wants to. He wants to free himself from the dagger? Bullshit. And even if he does, he's going about it all wrong. He's obsessed, and while I don't know much about Mr. Gold's life except for what Hook has told me in the past…seems like he lost himself a long time ago. I…I have to get Killian's heart back. He's a good man, Belle. Maybe he wasn't at first, but you should know better than I do that people change…I think…when he kissed me at the sheriff's station before the curse came…I…I can't lose him. And he knows this. He promised."

Emma gulped when she felt her father's hand land on her shoulder. Her parents had been there the entire time, which eased her beating heart a little bit, but it wasn't enough. Furthermore, she was feeling a strange power surging through her body as she shook a little from head to toe. The power felt entirely different from anything she had experienced before, and it was blossoming very slowly. She wished that whatever was happening to her would happen a little faster. What if this power was the answer to saving her lover's heart? She knew that emotion controlled her magic, and the emotions that Killian instilled within her were overflowing at the moment.

A faint, glowing light was wrapping itself around Emma.

Tears fell down Emma's plump cheeks. She turned to her parents, who were looking at her with all the love in the world. She swallowed the heavy lump in her throat before saying, "If there's one important thing I've learned from you guys over the years, it's been to never give up. To keep pushing until you can't push anymore."

"We'll be here, Emma. We'll always be here. We love you. But you have somewhere you need to be. Hook needs you. We've all…kinda…taken a liking to him."

Emma nodded at her father's statement. She knew they were still learning to like Killian, but they didn't hate him anymore. That was the most important thing, and the two of them knew better than anyone what it was like. True love was a never-ending battle, and their battle lasted a long time before they could settle. They had to fight tirelessly for their own love to prevail. All odds had been against the bandit and the shepherd finding eternal happiness, but they won, and Emma could win as well. However, they couldn't help her because…if Emma wanted that same happiness, she'd have to prove to Killian that she cared for him just as much as he did for her. His love for her was crystal clear, while her love for him lurked in the shadows. Her parents would only be another obstacle if they were to fight alongside her.

Emma flipped around to begin her search when she heard her mother say, "But you know what, Emma? We'll at least come with you part of the way. In case something goes wrong. Mr. Gold is dangerous. You know the damage he could cause. We'll be a way's away and help you plan a little. But the rest is up to you."

A slight smile peaked its way onto Emma's lips as she stiffly embraced her parents. She knew her they would always be present in her life, and she would never leave them if she'd ever lost Killian. Either way, she'd remain strong. Or. . . she'd at least pretend to be strong for her loved ones. She was better at being strong and acting strong, and everyone knew this. As soon as the three of them pulled away from the tight embrace, Snow and Charming finally noticed Emma's glowing skin, and it illuminated as brilliantly as true love ever could.

A golden feather peaked its way out of Emma's golden mane as Belle said, "That must've taken a lot of guts for you to just admit. Your feelings, I mean."

"Yeah. It's rare to hear that coming from me, isn't it? What the hell am I thinking? I just said that as if it were the easiest, most casual confession in the world. Just like…I had pizza with cinnamon on it for dinner last night. There. I admit it."

Belle felt a wave of nausea overtake her senses from the disgusting image, but after witnessing the glow as well, her confusion settled her nausea immediately. The vibrating light was steadily growing stronger as each second ticked by. Emma's mind raced as she realized that standing around wasn't going to solve the current crisis. A stab of excruciating pain erupted from her chest as her entire body appeared to be going through a metamorphosis. As the light finally consumed her, Regina and Henry walked from Granny's Diner and came to a standstill within the group.

"What the hell is happening to YOU, Swan? You're blinding us."

Henry silently asked the same question as Regina, only not as harshly as she had asked it. The scenario left him uncomfortable and clinging to her as if Emma were transforming into a clown, and he had always been terrified of clowns. The Joker scared the shit out of him, but this was no Joker. This was a transformation everyone should have seen coming eventually, but from the looks of it. . . there had to be a trigger. Emma's eyes widened and she let out a quiet scream when she looked down and couldn't see or feel her feet and legs anymore because of the glow.

"I…I DON'T KNOW! My heart is on fire, and things seem to be growing out of me! Mom! Dad! What's happening?!"

Everyone stayed speechless and squinted their eyes as a burst of wind and light shot away from Emma. The power wasn't holding back any longer, and the entire transformation had only lasted over a minute, even though it had felt so much longer. . . and as soon as the light had vanished, she was gone. In her place rested a swan. A glistening, golden swan with eyes as green as meadow grass stood on its flippers and flapped its shimmering, shining wings in a panic. The silence amongst all of Emma's friends and relatives was daunting and made her own wings and cries even more hysterical.

"MOM?!"

"Emma! Is that you?!"

Emma's vision spun as her family surrounded her and asked her the same questions over and over again. Why are you a bird? Will you turn back into a human soon? Can you fly? Is this a good thing? Do your wings magical? What does this mean? How will Hook react to this? She flew up into the air and into the woods to escape the bombardment, but everyone was following close behind her. All she wanted to do was find Mr. Gold. She would resort to pecking his eyes out if that's what it took to retrieve Killian's heart. She avoided violence whenever she could, but Gold's deceitfulness towards Storybrooke had caused enough damage to deserve a little payback. Even as she flew through the clouds, she overheard Belle and the others trying to formulate a plan. If Emma could only contribute, she would've felt more at ease, but all she could do was whistle and cry.

Emma's long, slender feathers danced in the breeze, and her beak parted to let out a final determined whistle, hoping that somewhere. . . somehow. . . Killian would look up and know that his Swan was coming for him.

**To be continued…**

**Any thoughts? Reviews always appreciated. **


End file.

Once Upon a Time, Fantasy, Romance