They stand reunited in the center of Storybrooke, hugging and recounting their adventures during this latest curse. Emma has rarely allowed herself to be embraced so fully by her family (literally or figuratively), but she stands with her father's arm around her shoulders as her mother and Regina share the details of their fight.
It's absurd, really, but Emma has discovered that questioning her life and the attendant curses too closely gets her nowhere, so she just accepts it as part and parcel of having Prince Charming and Snow White as parents and living in a world with magic.
All of them together, another foe defeated, was making her feel quite warm indeed, despite the whirling snow blanketing the town.
Henry startles suddenly, looking around. "I need to apologize to Killian. Has anyone seen him since the curse broke?"
Emma frowns at his statement, finally pulling away from her father's embrace in order to stand in front of Henry and Regina. How has she not realized Killian was missing from the family reunion? She glances around the street, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"Why would you need to apologize to Killian, kid?"
"I was pretty mean to him when he came to find me during the curse. I told him I never liked him and liked him even less now that you and he are…you know…together," he sums up both sheepishly and with enough of a grimace to reinforce the fact that he is, indeed, a teenager.
Emma's frown deepens at this particular revelation, but she remains silent as he continues.
"And then I Home Aloned him with some marbles and ran out. And I honestly don't really hate him and I know he bathes because he doesn't smell gross and I know you're happier than you've ever been and he's Captain freaking Hook, which is cool, you know?"
The majority of the adults in the circle attempt to hide amused smiles at Henry's ramblings, but Emma's face still creases in a frown.
Regina's lips curl into a wry smile. "I'm very much looking forward to hearing how the pirate's bathing habits came up for discussion."
Emma, however, was too busy trying to puzzle out Killian's motivations and current whereabouts to see the humor of the situation. Why would Killian be looking for Henry when he specifically said he would be chaining himself up at the docks?
Unease starts to crawl up her spine, and she fights to keep her voice calm as she inquires, "has anyone seen Killian since the curse broke?"
She doesn't even wait for a response before she spins around, squinting through the snow, but there are no blue eyes coming towards her, no glimpse of black leather on the streets. His absence is increasingly alarming. (He rarely leaves her side these days.)
She pulls out her phone but he doesn't answer her call, and she knows, without a doubt, something is wrong. He loves that phone ("It's a bloody marvel, lass, how this land has managed to make its own magic") and he always answers when she rings.
"I just needed to see you…one more time."
The way he kissed her like he was a dying man and she was his last meal.
She takes off running.
A little drabble I couldn't get out of my mind - please let me know if you liked it!