AN:/ This is a story. A very angst filled story that makes me sad, but also feels kind of beautiful when I read it, really. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Thank you all again. Halo will be updated along with Sad, Beautiful, Tragic! Yay for being really late. There aren't excuses, but I love you all. Thank you.
Shards in the Snow
"Just remember, if you look in the face of evil, evil's gonna stare right back at you."
Emma blinked several times in succession, leaning forward and looking to Regina. "Dracula…as in…Dracula," She repeated herself, her voice slightly shaken with the fear that yes in fact it was the Dracula.
Regina sighs, running her hand over her face. "Yes, that Dracula," She says, her voice muffled by her palm.
A heavy silence dawns upon the room.
"Are… you sure?" David's voice breaks through. Its quiet, and very unsure which unsettles Emma more. "Positive," Regina says, a tone in her voice that simply states, this is in fact very real and very pressing.
Eyes turn to Rumplestiltskin, who stands motionless in the corner of the room. His foggy brown eyes look up and lock with Emma's as he nods once. No witty comment, or mysterious answer which shakes Emma to the bone because that meant Rumple-curse waving, most powerful being-stiltskin was scared.
Emma lets out a long breath.
Killian lets out a long breath and something along the lines of, 'you've got to be kidding'; She and Killian met each others eyes and their expression's mirrored one another's: fear and worry mixed in with the barest traces of anger and annoyance.
This most definitely wasn't good…no, it wasn't good at all.
"Didn't Van Helsing or someone like that kill him?" Emma asks, a slight wisp of anger catching onto her words.
"You don't know the story?" Regina asks, looking oddly put out.
Sure, things had been tense between her and Emma, but this flat out wasn't good for anyone really.
"As we've distinguished before hand, I'm not from your realm, I don't know the stories…I just know the shitty Disney and Bram Stoker stories and I was kind of praying that one wasn't true." Emma snaps half heartedly.
Regina sighs, and Emma sees she's testing her patience. 'Good' She thinks bitterly, 'Let her royal highness be tested'.
"What do you know, Savior?" Regina says, trying to level her voice out, as best as possible.
Emma's eyes narrow a fraction, before she sighs, giving in.
"I know that some man named Jonathan Harker visits Count Creepy, one thing leads to another and Jonathan meets the women vampires…somehow escapes…there's a woman named Mina or something," Emma says, her memory vague. She had read the book briefly as a gift from Neal but they were distracted by other things.
Regina huffs and her glance meets that of Mary Margaret; Mary Margaret starts, albeit a bit hesitantly, "Well there are a few…different versions. I've heard that Van Helsing used magic, but it wasn't good magic. There was also…the wood of the stake?" She says, it's more of a question really.
"Dracula is powerful…very, very powerful. Evil personified," Regina says, a feint trace of a smile on her face. It's gone as soon as it was there. "I don't remember the whole story, but it certainly didn't work but…my curse, the curse," She corrects with a quick look to Rumplestiltskin, a semblance of an apology in those brown eyes, "Stretched pretty far. Far enough to reach his realm? It's a possibility." She says.
"Ok, so let's say Count Creeps-a-lot is real, and he's here now, right? What can we do to make him…not here?" Emma asks, annoyance and agitation creeping into her tone.
"We can't do anything." Regina states.
Emma sees Killian clench his fist as he moves forward, his arm touching Emma's.
"What do you mean by that?" The pirate asks, with far too much agitation in his tone.
"What I mean is, I can't do anything. My magic quite simply isn't strong enough, Rumplestiltskin's magic isn't strong enough." Regina says, her eyes narrowing into slits. She didn't like not being in control, a feeling Emma could sympathize with.
"Ok, ok, cool it, both of you. What about my magic? I mean…you both are always saying I'm stronger than the both of you," Emma says, casting her look to both Regina and the imp standing in the corner, motionless and completely still.
She's met with a chorus of 'absolutely not's and 'no way in hell's'.
"She's right." Rumplestiltskin says, his voice causing the room to fall silent.
"Her magic quite possibly could be strong enough…but it's not just magic that we'll need. It's strength, physical and mental…cunning…body language," He says, albeit rather uncomfortably.
Yes, the Dark one was scared. Holy shit, things were about to get quite real in a short period of time.
"Most of which, you Miss Swan, possess. However, I don't trust that you'll be able to defeat him with just yourself." He admits, bowing his head, indicating that his input would be done for the rest of the conversation.
"Hell no, my daughter is not taking on some bloodsucker!" David's voice cuts through the room.
Suddenly everyone seems to burst out yelling at one another, bickering and arguing over her safety.
If the situation weren't so dire, she'd almost be touched.
"Enough!" Emma's voice calls out, effectively quieting the room with a fuming glance.
"Absolutely not Emma," Killian says, shaking his head fervently.
"Well it's a damned good thing you don't decide for me, then Hook." She says, purposely using his moniker against him.
His reaction was surprisingly subdued-she'd sort of expected him to bite back with a witty response or genuine care-but he didn't. He only clenched his jaw and moved towards the door, one foot out.
She snorts mentally considering what a great metaphor that is.
"You're the savior, you want to do the saving?" He hisses. "Fine. Be my guest, but don't expect to see me at your funeral." He says waspishly.
It's a slap, and it stings just as it was intended too.
And without another word, he left.
.
He doesn't come back.
.
She half expects to find him gone, as she walks quickly towards the Inn.
A general message had been sent out: No one is to be outside after dark.
She looks up anxiously at the sky. Maybe it was the early winter, or the vampire magic or some weird kind of magical residue left behind by Zelena, but a nasty storm was brewing and Emma had no intention of being in the middle of it.
Granny tells her that he hadn't checked out…he'd just walked in earlier today like the devil was on his heels and god knows what else.
She walks with a rage as she walks up the stairs leading to his room. He's just emerging from the room when she slaps him. It echoes through the calm inn. Her eyes narrow and he looks slightly stunned as he palms his stinging cheek.
"What the hell was that?" She demands incredulously.
He turns, moving to walk past her, when her hand shoots out and she grabs his elbow.
She can feel the leather straps that hold his hook underneath the wool of his sweater. She internally patted herself on the back for helping him select these outfits because damn did he look good in these jeans and that sweater.
He looks at her, his blue eyes burning into her. She wants to say he's remorseful but that would be a lie.
"That was me sticking up for your life," He says, his voice sharp and piercing as he yanks away from her.
"Sticking up for my life?" She asks, slightly running to catch up with him as he stomps down the stairs.
"Yes." He answers, not gracing her with a look.
"I offered it up!" Emma says, getting slightly angry. Who does he think he is?
"I'm well aware darling," He says, continuing his fast pace.
She finally dashes in front of him.
"What aren't you telling me, Killian Jones, and don't lie to me." She says.
He averts her gaze…and now that she thinks about it, he hasn't looked at her really, and the one and only time he has, it's been with a fleeting anger and sadness.
Self doubt and worry begins to plague her mind.
"He's dangerous Emma. He can kill you like that, and…I don't want to see you get hurt," He admits. He's being obscure; she can taste the beginnings of the lie, but he meant what he said.
He goes to push past her, before she touches her hand against his arm.
"How do you know him?" She asks, her voice surprisingly soft.
He finally looks at her, his eyes empty and blank, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders.
"How do you think I know him?" He asks, his eyes glinting for a second, as a crack of thunder sounds through the air.
He walks away, leaving her standing on the staircase.
Who did she think he was?
.
Her apartment is empty. Henry is staying with Regina for the night (perfectly fine with her really) and Emma was sitting on her couch, reading the few books Belle had lent her. The information was vague at best and slightly confusing.
Her conversation with Killian still muddled around her brain as she rolled around the words in her head.
Mina Harker…her thoughts drifted and she found herself writing Mina's name on the backside cover. She disregarded that Belle would probably be a little peeved.
Funny how Mina sounded like Milah.
.
She rushes into Regina's office, ten minutes late. (She brought the books back to Belle).
She's breathless as she stares at Killian.
"Emma," Her mother starts tentatively. Killian still won't meet her gaze but she figured it out.
"Milah was Mina." She says, breathlessly.
Rumplestiltskin's eyes snap to hers.
"And how'd you figure that dearie?" He asks snidely. Ok, definitely a sore spot.
"They're practically the same person, hell Jonathan even sounds a bit like Hook," She says her eyes wide.
Silence falls across the room, as eyes slide to Killian. He looks up at Emma, still not meeting her eyes.
"Knew you'd figure it out." He says, a humorless laugh in his voice.
He still can't look her in the eyes.
"Ok, can someone please explain to those of us here who don't know who those people are what exactly this means," David snaps irritably.
Glances shift between the Pirate and Emma. It's Emma who speaks first.
"Ok, well here's the abridged version: Milah ran away from Gold, and joined Hook's ship. Lots of love later, Hook falls in love with Milah. Gold, really angry and now fully loaded with his dark one powers goes to Hook's ship and kills her…in front of him, taking his hand." Emma says steamrolling over everything ignoring the hurt look in Killian's face. She doesn't have time for feelings.
Rumplestiltskin snorts. "We don't have time for you two to duke it out, ok? Anyways, I guess sometime where Milah or Mina was with Killian this all went down. The dates line up…but, what I don't get is how on Earth you met Count Dracula," She says confusion prominent in her tone.
Killian sighs deeply, a mired of emotions finally drawing over his face before he skillfully snaps it back to neutrality.
"We were docked in a small town. We had heard of a fortune teller there who could tell us the location of Camelot. So, we set off. There, I met Dracula for the first time." He says, his voice getting far off.
"He was different then, yes I'll admit that. He offered for me to stay at his home. Milah and I stayed there, but I knew something was wrong the moment we stepped into the castle. He didn't eat, he never was around during the day…it was baffling." He says, finally meeting Emma's gaze.
"One night, I accidentally cut myself shaving, and he knew. I had heard of vampires before…an old sea shanty sung about them. I just never knew that they were real. So I did the sensible thing, and left with Milah, rushing. There we came upon Van Helsing, who was much too interested in this to be a normal member of society," He says grinning.
"To remain obscure we used fake names, I used a member of my crews name, Jonathan Harker, and Milah went by Mina." He says.
Emma begins piecing it together. "You used wood from the Jolly Roger to kill him, didn't you?" She asks, curious. He looks down, his gaze parting from hers. "Aye, it seemed a logical thing to do. I suppose because the wood's enchanted it would have brought the bloody demon back to life, but the vampire swore revenge." He says.
"So let me understand this, you and Milah, Mina whatever the hell her name is, killed Dracula with the Van Hellsing character?" My father asks, furrowing his brow.
Killian sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Yes," He says, faking a smile.
"But why would you go after him in the first place?" Regina asks.
Killian sighs. "I don't know, we were young and stupid. Besides of which, the demon tried killing Milah on too many occasions, I had enough. Therefore, your highness," He almost hisses. "I acted. I don't like waiting around, I take action," He says, a glance in Emma's direction.
And then there's the arguing. Emma watches helplessly as her father and Regina place blame on Killian, why her mother says something to Killian along the lines of, 'Why would you do that?'
Emma can't take the bickering.
"Stop!" She says, but she's drowned out. Gold yells at Killian for putting Milah in danger. Finally Emma stomps her foot, and a weird shaking sensation goes through the room and for the second time in two days the room falls silent. "Look it doesn't matter ok, yes Killian was wrong in going after an all-powerful, blood sucking demon. And yes, should have he accepted a strangers house, no. But, we've all made mistakes, all right? Look, all that matters now, is that we fix it. Obviously Killian has some experience killing vampires, or detaining them in someway," Emma says.
Everyone nods, Killian's eyes staring at the clouding sky above.
"Hook," Emma whispers, taking a step forward. "You're gonna have to tell us what happened…why he swore revenge…how," Emma's voice is as soft as a summer's wind and she sees him finally snap.
"What is there to say? He fucked my wife!" He says.
The venom in the sentence (and the swear itself because Killian Jones never swore) is enough to draw Emma back as if she had been slapped.
He's hurting, and she can't touch and prod to much now, Emma chides herself.
She takes a deep breath, reigning her temper in much like her mother was doing with her father. Gold mutters, "Now he understands".
Killian didn't even look in the slightest apologetic, but the façade was beginning to peel away. Underneath the anger and the dismissal in his eyes, he looks dare she say it, panic-y, like perhaps this was the end of the world.
"Just let me take care of him," He relents, his voice more of a plead.
"Alone?" David says, snorting. "David," Snow says lightly, touching her husbands arm.
Emma's head is rattling. This was insane, absolutely one hundred percent cuckoo, and she may have to be sent to an asylum after this.
"There is nothing you can do," Killian says, looking to David with a ferocity in his glance she'd never seen. "He's my problem, not yours. And if I do have a change of heart, Prince Charming," He says, bitingly, "I'll be sure to call you." He finishes, a look of absolution on his face.
Emma can see the room slowly inching back to a fighting mode.
"Look, Killian," Emma says. His eyes snap to hers at the mention of his name.
"I don't particularly know the full story, nor do I believe you'll share it with me sober," She says. His eyes flash a little. "But I'm going to put it this way and there will be no arguing about the situation: I will take Dracula on, head first if it means I protect my son and my family and this damned town. Wether you chose to help or not, I don't care," She lies. If he sees it, he doesn't say anything.
"But either I'll win or die trying." She says, her eyes intensely staring into his. "I don't need to know his backstory, I just need to know what I need to do to kill him, to drive a stake into his heart and make sure my son, my friends and family are safe." She says fixing him with a stern look, so he wouldn't, no couldn't, look away.
He sighs, as if the whole affair bothers him.
"I don't want to be the bearer of bad news," Regina says, a small smile flashing to her face, "But it's getting close to dark outside and I'd like to get home to my son before the lights go out and the vampire decides to feed." She says.
Mary Margaret nods.
"We'll figure something out," She says, squeezing Emma's arm. "Grumpy's still with Neal, right?" My mother asks. My father nods. "Safe at home," He promises, kissing the top of her head. Killian goes to move, before I slam my hand down.
"You are coming with me."
.
They'd been sitting in her apartment for five minutes when finally the awkwardness got to him.
"What is it that you want, Emma?" He asks, his voice low and gravelly. "What I want is for you to be open and honest with me." She says. He looks down at her kitchen table, his hooks drawing patterns lightly but not hard enough to engrave the wood.
"And let's start with why you won't look at me in the eyes, and why is it that when you do, it looks as if it pains you," She says, very seriously.
He sighs.
Emma takes note of just how tired he looks.
His eyes are rimmed with dark circles, his beard a little more scruffy. His skin a bit paler than it used to be.
"It's not shame, if that's what you're worried about," He says. There's the derisive tone again. She sighs before an idea forms in her head.
She gets up from the table and walks to her liquor cart and pulls two crystal tumblers and a bottle of rum. A particularly high in alcohol bottle of rum she'd snagged a while back when she was in Boston.
She sets it down on the table in front of him-pouring each of them a double in their glass.
He gives her his best go round of a withering look, telling her he knew damn well why she was giving it to him, but he doesn't mean it.
He sips it, as if she'd put poison into it, before taking a drink.
"You managed to take him down last time, what I don't understand is everything that happened in the interim to get you to that point." She says, steeling herself for his response.
He sighs.
"You have to understand, things were different back then-I was different back then." He says, somewhat reluctantly. He takes a long sip of the rum, grimacing slightly before continuing.
"How?"
"Was I different?"
"Yes, how were you different?" Emma asks, looking at him.
She wouldn't admit, but when they were in Neverland, she could listen to him speak about his tales for hours. He was a wonderful story teller, his accent only adding to the allure, and three hundred or so years can give a man some stories.
"I was foolish, over confident, and blindly in love," He says.
Not too different from now, well except for the last one.
He looks up at her. "I was being greedy, as pirates usually are. In a port in the Enchanted Forest, we had heard about a teller in Transylvania, or Tabor as it was called in the Forest, that could tell us the location of Camelot. Milah and I planned to sail there, and live out our days freely. Camelot required some sort of magic to get there, but this teller supposedly could help us in our quest," He said, his eyes flashing to hers.
"Why did you want to go to Camelot?"
He takes a long sip, before setting the crystal tumbler down.
He sets a firm gaze, locking his jaw and turns away from her.
"I won't judge you," She whispers softly.
He turns to meet her gaze.
"We hoped that there the Dark One wouldn't find Milah, that…that we could start our lives there," He admits with a good amount of pain in his voice.
"May I continue," He asks, his voice rough.
Emma nods once, and allows him to continue.
"We sailed there. It was late at night, and we had docked into the port. I had told my first mate, Smee, to get supplies and replenish while we headed into town." He said slowly.
"We were walking along the trail, when it began to rain. We saw shelter in a castle about a mile up a hill, so, we went to it. Of course, the storm was particularly bad and lasted quite a number of days, the sun coming out in periodic bursts." He says.
"That's when you met him, Dracula," Emma asks.
He nods slowly.
"He was different then, underfed. The locals knew of him, they knew of his power and therefore protected themselves against it," He says.
"However, we were still unaware of his undead nature," He says.
"Naturally when he invited us into his home, free of charge or pay, we accepted. It was late, but he had a dinner prepared for us. We wondered why he didn't eat, but he brushed off that he had eaten earlier. I didn't read much into it, you should know that, Emma love," He says.
She's confused to why he's pleading.
"That night we heard odd things, Milah and I did. It sounded like a woman crying, and screaming for mercy. But every time the door would open, it would stop. We just assumed it was the rain, and part of it was." He says a small smile that has no happiness in it.
"A day later, I was shaving, I do have to do that from time to time but I cut myself." He says.
Emma shifts.
"A few minutes into dinner, Dracula, mentioned that I was bleeding, but…he wouldn't have been able to see it. Things were just…adding up, as you say?" He asks, looking to Emma.
She nods once.
"I had heard of vampires, like I said earlier, in old tales of sailors, but I never put faith into that sort of thing. I didn't quite believe that someone could…just be that," He says, his brow furrowing.
"But I made the deduction after I found the women in the room." He says.
The three sisters; the bride's of Dracula.
"The three sisters," I say. He nods once.
"Yes, he used my distraction to lure Milah." He says, his voice full of pain.
"But you weren't distracted, were you?" I ask. He shakes his head.
"No, I knew then what they were, who they were…I wanted to get out, but I couldn't. I couldn't leave."
"Why?" I ask.
"Magic, of course," He says, a sort of boyish grin going on his face. It disappears as soon as it was there.
"The castle was spelled simply put, some witch owed him a favor, and well, anyone who ate the food, could not leave, unless," He says pausing.
"Unless what?" I ask.
"They're given permission. He would have to let us go," He says.
That must have been a challenge.
Emma lets out a long breath and takes a long sip of her drink.
Yeah her realm really did a shitty job with these tales, she muses.
"Ok, continue." She says with a deep breath.
"As you can imagine, gaining his permission would be difficult. So, I did the best thing I could do," He says.
"You lied." She says, wincing.
He nods.
"It was imperative at the time, Emma. Otherwise, we would have died," He says.
Emma nods, and takes her hand in his and gives a reassuring squeeze. "I understand," She promises.
He lets out a breath.
"I promised him passage aboard my ship if he'd let us go. Apparently he had wanted to leave the castle for sometime. He took my offer. All he required was a coffin and dirt from his soil, the only way he could leave his homeland." He says.
"But you didn't take him aboard the Jolly, did you?" She asks. He shakes his head.
"No, I left him in a cave in the middle of town, and left. Not my most shining moment, but again, I wanted to leave." He says.
"So I fled to London, well then I suppose you know the rest of the story based off the book," He says.
She takes a deep breath.
His voice quivers as he speaks, the barest hints of fear seeping in, "I don't expect you to understand, but he almost killed her." He says.
"Killed her?" She asks.
He nods. "In the book, Mina gets bitten and…he seduced her, he's got powers even the dark one doesn't," He says.
"I found her in our bedroom, damned well near close to bleeding out, naked, and laughing, like she'd gone insane." He says. "A week in resting and she was fine, barely remembering the ordeal," He admits.
"What I don't understand is why you aren't angry then," She says her eyes meeting his.
He lets out a small laugh.
"Seriously you should be furious!" She says standing up, fury behind her now.
"You should be fighting, because you always fight!" She says angst slipping into her tone.
"You can't just let him come here and…give up!" She says fighting him on this.
He doesn't say anything which shakes her to the bone.
"Killian, I can take care of myself-and-and you and I we're strong together," She says, pleading for a reaction.
"And if something goes wrong? The wood isn't right, you or I aren't quick enough?" He asks. "Anything, any tiny, minuscule detail fails and you fall into his hands…" He trails off.
"Trust me love, I know you can take care of yourself, but you can't take in account for everything," He says, panic seeping into his usually cool, and calm voice.
There's dread sneaking up her spine and touching her nerves. He really was giving up. "You don't have a plan because you want to just let him kill you," She says, her voice so broken she sees him physically wince.
"You're that scared," She whispers, her voice the only thing touching the silence in the room.
"I'd do anything, offer myself up bleeding and ready if it meant that you'd live with your son, with or without me on this earth," He says.
She knows he means it.
She knows he'd leave her, just like everyone else ever had, and he wouldn't even give them a chance. She can feel those betraying tears in her eyes, stinging and burning their marks.
The world without Killian Jones just didn't seem like a very fair world.
Her hands are shaking. "You can't-you can't do that," She says, her voice shaking.
"After all you've been through, you're going to quit like that?" She asks, her fists clenching in rage and despair.
She feels him look at her, as her foot bounces. She's barely keeping that thread of composure any longer.
"You can't do-," The words 'this to me' get tangled in a mass of emotion in her throat.
Because really if he did this, what would make him different from the others?
Everything, a small voice in her head whispers betraying her.
"Emma," He breathes out.
Her name salvation against his lips.
The betraying tear slips down her face, followed by the second and the third as she sits motionless.
"Would losing me even be a loss?" He asks.
She's had enough.
"Yes, it would because damn it Killian Jones," She says, a sob escaping her throat.
His eyes snap open as he looks at her.
"I love you so much you damned pirate, and I didn't want to, I didn't want to love you, because you remind me of everything I'm not," She says holding a hand to her head, letting it grip the soft waves there.
"But I love you so much, and you don't even know!" She shouts, angry that she loved him and she was willing to throw love, and her, away.
"Sometimes I think I'm designed to be alone, and then you'll show up, smiling, making an obscene comment, and I feel better, my heart feels better because you're the only person in my life who has never left me, and when you thought about it, you came back!" She yells.
She collapses to the floor, burying her head in her knees and sobbing.
She feels his arms slip around her a minute later, and hold her tight.
She feels his nose and face resting against the top of her head, his hands dancing magically down her back, sending sparks of happiness and joy up her back.
But it would-could-be gone soon.
"I love you, too," He whispers.
She feels a wet, hot tear land on her hair as she presses into him.
.
Their third kiss is nothing like the previous two.
It's softer, much less urgent and passionate.
He brushes her tears away, much like he did in the enchanted forest.
She smiles at him, and sniffles a little as he lifts her into his arms.
He takes her to her bedroom.
"Let me love you,"
.
It's slow, unhurried and full of whispered 'I love you's .
He holds her after, her head resting where his heart beats soundly in his chest.
She realizes that they're breathing is in sync, and it's possibly one of the most comforting feelings she's ever had. Being able to breathe with someone else without thought.
She looks up at him, only to find him looking down at her.
"Promise me, we'll fight, together," She whispers, her voice soft and sweet under the moonlight.
"I promise."
.
Maybe she'll be a promise someone can finally keep.
.
In the morning, when her eyes open she doesn't feel full of dread.
She doesn't worry or fear.
She feels content, and loved.
Someone finally stayed.
She smiles at him, running her fingers down the side of his face.
His eyes open, sleepily.
"Good morning love," He says, in that wonderfully sexy mooring voice.
She kisses him.
Yes, it was a good morning.
She was a promise someone looked intent on keeping.
.
"We're going to need a White Oak stake." Killian's voice says.
Emma looks to the book Belle gave her this morning.
"I may have one in my shop," Gold says.
Emma nods once.
"Emma, are you sure about this, this is…going to be a lot," Mary Margaret asks, putting a hand on her daughters.
"Well, I don't plan on letting him destroy our town," Emma promises her mother.
Killian smiles softly, his hand coming to play with a stay curl.
"We're going to have to distract him," Regina says.
"Done," Emma says.
Killian's eyes flash to Emma's.
"Done?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.
"That was my job for three years to be a distraction." She says.
She's going to seduce him.
Its simple, playing the blonde card had always come in handy for her.
Again, per usual, she's met with a chorus of fervent 'no's' and 'absolutely nots'.
"No, let…her do her job. Besides of which, Regina and Gold will be right there, along with myself." Killian says.
Eyes snap to his, as Emma sends him an appetitive smile.
.
Emma shifts slightly, looking at herself in the mirror, a slightly annoyed expression.
Her hair was a little too curled, her lipstick a bit too thick, but in the end it would definitely be distracting.
"Jesus," Killian says, walking in the room. He's wearing his traditional pirate garb again, which makes Emma smile a little.
"No leather coat?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Can't afford the weight, I'm going to need speed, how I got him last time," he says seriously.
"It's never slowed you before, besides it's odd…seeing you without it," She says, fixing a button on the coat.
He grins at her.
She was as Henry would put it, 'being a mom'.
"Sorry," She says pulling back, sheepishly smiling.
He laughs a little and nods.
"He's quite a ways bigger than I am, Swan. He's got supernatural strength and speed…all I've got going is my speed and well you," He says with a small smile.
He kisses her cheek, a failed attempt at modesty where his hand wandered…
"Are you decent?" Regina asks, coming in the room, Gold closely following behind.
In his hands, a whitish looking stake, with odd black engravings. He hands it to Killian.
"This is it." He says.
This is it.
"You look…nice," Regina says, trying to be polite.
Emma rolls her eyes.
"I look like a slut," She says turning.
"Besides, it's not like I usually dress like this and to be quite fair, I don't plan on doing it, ever again."
Killian raises an eyebrow, before handing her a plain, wooden stake.
She tucks it in her bra, the only place she can put it.
"So how exactly do we lure him?"
.
Emma shrugged the jacket close around her.
All she had to do was act dumb.
She doesn't like the darkness lurking outside.
It's too ominous.
Emma sends a quick prayer to whatever God is listening.
The crickets which had been chirping fall silent.
She looks around, faking her concern. She knows exactly who this is.
Her heart thunders in her chest loudly.
"Good evening," A heavily accented voice drawls.
Emma jumps, actually startled.
Killian wasn't kidding when he said he was larger than he.
His strength gave him a rather filled out form, but he is not overweight, just muscular.
He held the kind of grace and arrogance about him.
He was handsome with dimples and slightly curly, dark brown hair. He had the kind of dimples girls she used to know would swoon over.
His eyes bother her.
Either a very dark brown or black. It was hard to tell.
"Oh, Hi," Emma says, smiling so her dimples came out.
"It's late, what's a pretty woman like you doing out here, by yourself?" He asks.
She lets out a tinkling laugh, and watches as a slow smile spreads on his face.
"Oh, I was just coming home from a friend's house. Nothing too dangerous," She says with a wink.
He steps forward.
"Oh, I see," He says, grinning at her.
She drops her phone and bends down, making sure to give a nice shot of her behind and her breasts. By the predatory look in his eye as she comes up, it's working.
"And may I ask your name," He says.
She stands straight, and tosses a smile.
"Wouldn't you like to know," I say turning.
She had perfected what she called the 'bitch' walk, ages ago.
She struts away, before he's right beside her keeping up.
"You are an enticing woman," He says, smiling.
"I know what I want," She says grinning.
"And what is it that you desire?" He asks.
She stops, bats her eyelashes twice before continuing on her path.
"That I desire?" She asks, her voice sultry.
"Adventure, a little danger…I'm not an easily satisfied woman, Mr…" Emma trails off, a smirk on her face.
He smirks.
"Alucard. Vlad Alucard," He says.
Emma spells it out. Dracula backwards, nice touch.
"Well, Welcome to Storybrook, Mr. Alucard." She says sweetly.
"Do you know of the curse?" He asks.
She freezes.
"So you do…but I don't think I've ever seen you before," He trails, his finger tracing a pattern on her collarbone.
"Meaning you must be the savior, Emma?" He asks.
She bites her lip.
"Emma," He says her name in a breathy whisper, and she feels dread shiver up her spine.
"Emma, Emma, Emma," He repeats, each time he says her name, digging the nail a little harder.
"Well, Emma, perhaps we should send a little present to your Mayor, who dragged me here," He says, his breath hot against her neck.
She turns.
"Make it worth my while," She whispers.
His eyes darken further.
But suddenly it feels like something is trying to get into her mind.
It feels like someone is poking a sharp object against cellophane wrap.
It pokes through, slightly painful, but then its as if someone is wrapping a warm blanket around her mind, and all she can see are the Count's eyes.
He grins, at her.
She's figured out that his eyes are in fact black, but with ribbons of burnt red running through, like electric currents.
He pulls her body forward and inhales.
"Yes, you most certainly are the savior," He says,
She can't move, but right now she's not so sure she'd want to.
An idea that isn't her own swirls in her mind.
He grins at her.
"Thank you, pet."
She nods mutely.
"Well, as much as I'd love to continue our little chat, daylight is coming soon." He says, eyes moving towards the sky.
Emma feels dizzy, her mind spinning as she stumbles backwards and falls against the building. When she looks up, Dracula is gone.
.
She had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, like when you're swimming and you want to put your feet down on something solid, but the water's deeper than you think and there's nothing there.
Her eyes open to a beeping sound on the monitor.
Her eyes wearily turn and find two things: one a hospital monitor, and Killian sleeping soundly in the chair.
Her chest is bandaged, and it hurts to move really.
She sees a blood bag, attached to a tube leading to her arm.
But she wasn't giving blood, no, she was receiving it.
That explained the full feeling she had.
"Killian," She says. Her voice is drawn out, hoarse, like she'd screamed for hours.
His eyes flicker open, sea meeting forest.
"Emma love," He says, his voice still thick.
Her mind is hazy. Like she's watching a slightly static television. Annoying.
"What happened?" She asks.
She winces as she tries to move.
"You don't remember?" He asks, clear confusion set on his features.
Was there something she was supposed to remember? Maybe it was the medicine, or even the predicament itself that had caused this haze, but it was difficult to even think.
She shakes her head.
"He attacked you, he knew we were there and wouldn't let us pass, something with magic…we finally broke through the barrier," He says, clear guilt on his face.
"He clawed down your chest, and you lost a good amount of blood," He says.
She faintly remembers the vampire trailing his finger around her pulse and collar bone…in what felt like a scratch…
She furrows her brow.
Apparently he was going to be even more difficult to defeat than they had originally thought.
.
She wakes up late in the night, around three in the morning, to an ache in her chest and a humming in her head.
It's a low rumble, faintly reminding her of the first beginnings of an earthquake.
Hopefully this wasn't the one that brought San Francisco to its knees.
.
She wakes up for the third time and its daylight out, the ache in her chest somewhat subsiding.
The humming has turned to quiet whispers.
Killian is no longer in the chair, instead he's walking back in the room with two mugs in his hand, both topped with whipped cream and cinnamon.
Emma smiles at him, and gratefully takes the mug.
He watches her with caution, and she feels like he's judging her.
He is. The voices in her head tells her.
She believes it.
.
They let her go from the hospital, and she's exhausted.
He goes to help her, but she can't look weak, not now.
She waves him off, and says a snide comment.
And he looks so hurt.
This isn't her.
She wants to say sorry but she can't, she physically cannot apologize.
She wants to scream.
Yes, something was definitely wrong.
.
She ends up vomiting on the ride home.
Thankfully she stops, and lurches into the trees, but she's terrified when she sees a streak of blood.
Her instincts tell her to run.
Her whole life she's spent running.
Running from her Foster Homes.
Running from the police.
Running from Dragons.
Running from danger.
How could she run from whats inside her head?
.
At night the ache in her chest is screaming, yelling at her.
She writhes in bed, trying to get the agony to stop.
Pleading with the voices inside her head to be quiet, that she'd do anything they'd want.
They would fall silent every once in a while, they're plaguing thoughts of how she wasn't good enough, or pretty enough, becoming static in the background to her rapidly beating heart.
They would just start up stronger than before shortly after.
He was playing her like a fiddle.
Emma Swan was not one to be played.
.
She manages to avoid human contact for three days.
Three days of not eating, drinking to stay somewhat hydrated.
Three days of trying to think through the plans, of barely sleeping.
The only time she can sleep is briefly during the day, where the voices are dimmed.
She isn't surprised when Regina, Rumplestiltskin, Killian and her parents trail in.
She's surprised to see Henry.
She's surprised that she doesn't feel a bloody thing.
She's surprised she isn't dead yet, really.
"Emma, what's going on? You've avoided all of us for three days!" Her father demands.
"I don't know what you mean," She says emotionlessly.
She's pleading with her eyes, but as she saw when she looked in the mirror the other morning, they are hollow, betraying no emotion.
"Emma look at yourself!" Her mother says, voice raised.
Emma tries to bite down the retort the voices make for her, but she can't.
"I look perfectly fine, unlike yourself. Still have that baby weight?" Her snide voice hisses.
She's screaming on the inside. This isn't her.
The voices laugh and tell her, Yes, it is.
Her mother's anger drains, leaving behind a pain as she swallows thickly.
Emma feels herself smirk.
"Emma, this isn't you," Killian pleads.
"I think it is, Hook." Emma sneers.
Emma's crying, trapped inside of her own mind.
She can see the cuts lining her wrists, her torso. The scratch marks the voices had told her to make.
She was at their mercy.
It was driving her insane.
"Emma," Killian says.
His voice is calming against the rough voices, but they start up again twice as strong if that was possible.
She needs to think of something sneaky.
"I've never felt the urge to jump off a bridge, but there are times I've wanted to jump out of my skin," She says.
Gold's eyes snap up, staring at her.
"What?" Her parents ask in unison.
"My body is..urgh…a prison," She says struggling, to keep her composure. The voices are scolding her, inflicting their pain ten times over.
"He's in her mind," Killian says.
Emma looks up, a proud smile coming to her face.
But she knows what she has to do next.
She walks over to where she keeps her knives.
Please not in front of her son.
Not in front of her son.
She knows what they want.
Regina ushers Henry out of the room, before rushing back in.
It's too late.
The knife pierces her arm, blood rushing out, coating the tile.
The voices yell in delight.
But Emma's always been stubborn. She writes it, in simple bloody letters, clutching her arm as her mother screams.
SAVE ME
.
She wakes up, handcuffed in the cell at the station.
Last time she was in here was with Graham.
She's lying on the cold floor.
"What are we going to do?" She hears her father ask in a hushed voice.
They won't do anything, they'll watch you die.
She yells at the voices, trying to bay them back.
"I don't know, whatever he did to her…he's in her mind. We can't leave her alone." Killian says, worry in his tone.
She hears crying, sounding awfully like her mother.
We're glad you made your mother cry. She abandoned you, left you to fend for yourself.
"I can look for a reversal spell…Rumplestiltskin do you have anything?" Regina asks.
She hears the pawn broker sigh.
"I might, but…magic works differently on her, we all know that. I just don't know how much longer she can hold out. Honestly it's amazing she isn't dead yet," The Dark One says.
Emma latches onto that sentence, trying to use sheer will power to get her through: she isn't dead yet.
.
She finally gets a moment of lucidity.
"Emma?" Her mother asks. She sees Regina, Gold, Killian, and her parents standing outside of the cell.
"I never get to be in silence." Emma whispers, a tear falling down her face.
She could see all of the marks on her arms, deep and painful. She could see the weight she'd dropped.
She was breakable.
"Those horrid voices want me dead," She says, giving an empty smile, staring at nothing.
"Emma, what do they tell you?" She hears Archie ask.
She looks up to meet his gaze and he gasps.
"Her eyes," He says.
"They're turning read," My mother says.
"I'm fighting, but its stronger than me." Emma says, blandly.
"Emma, what do they tell you?" Archie asks again, a much sterner tone.
"They tell me to kill all of you." She says responding. It's simple, and everyone goes silent.
"I have it all planned out. I'll take that axe and chop your head off Mother. I'll cut out my father's eyes, and have them watch me kill everyone else. Regina, I think I'll tie you to the back end of my car, and drive it into the marina. Gold, I'll light you on fire, for the whole town to see. And Killian, well, you know where you're going," She says sadly.
"I can't fight them much longer, he's stronger than I am. I don't…want…any one of you dead," She says, her throat getting tighter.
"Emma, you have to keep fighting. A few more hours at least," Her mother pleads.
Killian watches her, his gaze angry but sad.
"I know I've lost. He's going for you all next." Emma says.
"Regina, you have to protect Henry. Please, don't let him die." Emma begs, dragging herself against the bars.
She can feel the ache in her chest beginning again.
The whispers tugging at her brain.
"Emma, we'll help you," Killian says, kneeling so he's touching her.
She smiles sadly.
"Is there no way out of my mind?" She asks.
Suddenly a scream bursts through her mouth.
Her body feels like it's on fire, as her back arches.
"EMMA!" The group in reality yells.
EMMA! The voices in her head yells.
Thankfully, by some act of God, something bursts into the room, and whatever it is, lets her fall asleep.
.
She wakes up in the darkness, the voices muted to a low hum.
She's lying on cold, wet concrete.
The air smells like fish and tastes old.
She can hear the sounds of people struggling, of rope digging into skin. She can faintly smell lighter fluid.
A bright light thrums on, the buzzing sound.
She sees them.
Her parents, Gold, Regina, Killian…all tied up.
Mouths gagged.
She's free to move, but she doesn't really want to.
She closes her eyes briefly again, before a swift kick is delivered to her ribs.
She feels a crack, but it doesn't hurt.
She twists her head and is met with a very pleased Dracula.
"Very well done my little pet," He coos.
The voices in her head smile, and sing their praises.
She wants to be near to him, to have the voices be calm.
"I'm surprised you didn't die, truly. I thought for a minute there you would, but you provided a nice distraction. I'm glad you didn't die, though." He admits.
She smiles at him, standing up.
He grins at her.
He looks to the group, struggling.
"It's no use, they're impenetrable by magic," He says.
They only seem to fight harder.
"Look at your savior now," He says, not looking at her anymore.
"How once radiant and bright she was, dimmed by the darkness I've stirred inside of her." He says, smiling at her, his eyes glinting that unusual shade of red.
He sighs.
"It's truly poetic. Let it be said, that she is more stubborn than I'd given her credit for. But…well, every abandoned child shares a mentality shrouded in darkness. It was simple once I figured it out, for the most part. However, Hook, I must say, she fought a little harder when you were in the room. Much like Milah did," Dracula says grinning.
Killian growls under the gag, before Dracula walks to him, and unbinds the gag.
Emma stands motionless in the center of the room.
"Emma, Emma listen to me," Killian pleads, his voice sounding broken even to her ears.
The voices grow too strong and she gives into the depths, allowing her voice to fall away.
Dracula's laugh is booming.
"She's given up." He says.
And Emma stirs.
A period of lucidity.
They were rare.
Let's make them count.
She looks around the room, the fogginess obstructing her vision slightly.
She can see Regina's eyes burning into her.
Emma needed to fight because Dracula would not win.
Emma sends the witch a look.
Regina's eyes widen, but Dracula's slap hits her face, and she goes flying into the metal wall.
She's by the marina!
Her body aches, and cheek stings sorely as he's suddenly there, hand pressing against her neck, eyes trained on hers.
The voices are shrieking practically in her head, but she bites down.
Her oxygen is getting very low, and she begins to panic.
She brings her hands up to his, finding his skin burningly cold.
He only presses harder.
"Open your eyes Emma," He orders.
She doesn't.
She was stubborn.
Her mind flitters to Henry somewhere in the chaos that's become her mind.
Henry with his trusting smile.
His faith in everyone.
His love.
His adoration.
She couldn't leave him without his mothers.
A bright flash of light slices through the room, destroying the voices and sending the vampire flying back, shielding his eyes.
He lets out a surprise yelp.
She takes a staggering step towards the vampire, who lays on the floor.
"You shouldn't have been able to get rid of me!" He yells, angry.
She grins.
"I'm the fucking savior."
"And a mother, and a daughter. You don't fuck with me, Count Creepy." She snarls.
His eyes flash red as he lunges for her.
She hits him with another blast of magic, focusing all of her energy on her family.
Her mother with her warm smile, and kind heart.
Her father who loves so passionately and wholly it hurts.
Regina, who had become something akin to a friend. Regina who deserved a second chance.
Gold who was once an enemy, but had changed.
Henry, her son who believed in her of all people.
And Killian.
Killian who was everything.
Killian who kept his promises and loved her unconditionally.
Killian who gave up everything happily to be with her.
Killian who she loved.
And it was with those thoughts, that she let out the brightest magic she had ever given or seen.
It was with that that Dracula flew back, into the metal, weak.
Almost defeated.
Almost.
She sees a lump in Killian's pocket and she rushes over, feeling very tired.
"Emma," Killian whispers.
She looks up, a lightness that she hadn't felt in what felt like forever settling deep in her bones.
"I love you." She whispers.
She takes the stake, thanking God that it was indeed the right one, and turns, looking at the vampire.
Dracula was clutching his side, where she could faintly smell burning flesh. He growls at her.
"You could have had immortality," He snarls.
"And been a murderer?" She asks in a clipped tone.
He lunges, she strikes.
It's not dramatic, it's not epic.
The stake slams into his heart as his claws sink into her neck.
He screams, as he lights on fire, his claws coming from her neck with a sickening squelch.
He falls to the ground, convulsing, screaming on fire.
He's seizing on the ground.
The bindings that had left her family immobile disappear, as if they were never there.
The fire goes out, as Emma falls to the floor, only to be caught by Killian.
"Emma," He yells shaking her.
She keeps her eyes trained on him, raising a shaky, blood hand to his face.
"We did it," She says, smiling.
His crystalline tears fall onto her face.
"You did it love," He whispers.
She smiles feeling a freeness to her chest.
But it's cold on the other side, and she can't leave him. Not yet.
"I'm scared, Killian." She whispers.
He lets out a humorless laugh, his tears falling in ernest.
"Me too, love." He whispers.
She feels tears welling in her eyes, but she couldn't hold on.
Comforting hands were slowly pulling her away.
"Emma, you can hold on, right?" He asks.
She can't.
"Tell me a story," She says instead.
They had always been good at avoiding the problem.
He closes his eyes.
"A happy one," She says.
He lets out a sob.
Her voice is too far off for him.
"Once upon a time, a pirate fell in love with a princess. She wasn't an ordinary princess, no. She had the mouth of a sailor, the elegance of a Queen, they fighting spirit of a knight. She had the beauty of a flower that no other woman had ever matched before. And he loved her. He loved her so much it hurt," He says.
She smiles, laughing softly, her laugh hoarse and thin.
"And she saved him. More than once. She bested him, took down all of his masks, and smiled at him. They never needed to explain things to one another, because they just understood. You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you have some say in who hurts you," He admits.
Her eyes close softly.
"I love you, Killian Jones." She whispers.
"But I like my choices." He whispers, holding her.
The room falls silent.
Her parents sob, Killian sobs, Regina sheds tears, as Gold stands, motionless, his mind reeling.
"This wasn't supposed to happen," Gold murmurs, in shock.
Killian rests his head against Emma, sobbing in full force.
He doesn't care if he looks weak.
He kisses her, and lets his tears meld into her.
But something astonishing happens.
A bright blueish, gold tinged light flashes through the room, and she takes in a deep breath, her eyes fluttering open.
Emma Swan was alive, after all.
.
AN:/ And that's all folks! Almost 10K words later and I'm still trying to convince myself this is in fact a one shot haha. I was thinking about making this a series…of adventures, a collection of sorts. It was almost therapeutic, writing this really. Well, PLEASE REVIEW BECAUSE IT MAKES ME SMILE :) (I'd smile anyways really) Thanks guys! xx