Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-26830263-20170710210232/@comment-25926288-20170902123258

Well, it was obvious that they wouldn't kill Emma as everything they said implied nothing of the sort.

Plus, the timeframe also matters. Like season 1 was the only lengthy present day season. To put in perspective.

Season 1 (like 4 months)

Season 2 (like 2 months)

Season 3A (a little more than a week)

Missing Year (like 8 to 9 months)

Season 3B (like 2 months)

Season 4A (like a month)

Six week skip

Season 4B (like a few weeks)

Six week Camelot Quest

Season 5A, 5B, and 6 (like at best four months total)

So, Emma sitting out for a season while Hook, Regina, Rumple and Henry do whatever isn't somehting spectacular as it would be shorter than some of their quests.

Emma will likely be doing something. (Seeing how Emma was 30 in season 6 and it is almost 20 years later, I don't know if she'll be pregnant. We haven't seen a child visit with Emma and Hook in  the filming with Andrew.)