Emma leaned against the railing of the ship, not even sure how she was still holding herself up. Her shoulders were shaking, unable to tell if it stemmed from the breeze off the sea or the despair in her heart. The noises invading her ears were beginning to become too much, but she couldn't escape them. The sun had gone down an hour ago with everyone retreating to their rooms with it but not her. She didn't understand how everyone could sleep with sounds coming from the island. The noises, though muffled through the hull, echoed eerily in her quarters, and she had to get away. It wasn't until she made it out onto the deck that she realized what the noise was.
Crying. All she could hear was crying.
She knew the island had children on it, even if it was just from the story she read as a kid. There hadn't been much talking yet about what they were to expect when they were finally able to go ashore. Hook and Gold had both been ambiguous about what they were up against, but Emma knew if Gold feared it, they were in for trouble. But she had to keep hope. Her parents had reminded her that finding one another was the family trade, trying to lighten her mood. She'd only responded with a tight smile, doing her best to believe them.
Emma jumped when she felt a blanket wrap around her, turning her head to see Hook smoothing it down her right arm gently, taking her off guard. His long coat was missing from his attire, as well as his typical black vest, and he sent her a comforting smile as he stepped to her left. She wrapped the blanket tighter around her as she sent him a questioning look.
"You looked to need it more than I, love," he said, taking in her shaking form. "Though it seems you weren't cold at all."
Silence stood between the two for a moment before she sniffed. "It's that noise. It's like the air is full of misery and hurt."
Hook grunted his affirmation, turning his attention back to the island, a look of indecisiveness crossing his face, and Emma took notice. He knew the noise all too well, and his mouth was suddenly moving before his brain could stop it. "The children of Neverland. Crying for a home they don't have. Crying for families that are gone." He stopped for a moment, swallowing around the lump in his throat. "Never able to leave."
She let out a gasp and her eyes drifted shut as the cries of the children filled the air for families that no longer existed to come and find them. She imagined Henry out there. He'd never left her thoughts since he'd been taken but now… She imagined him on the island, calling out to her, hoping and praying that she would save him and losing hope every second that she wasn't there. A tear formed in the corner of her eye before sliding down her face. "Never?"
He cringed as he realized his choice of words. "Well rarely." His mind drifted to a little boy that had spent time on this very deck, and his eyes saddened. "Bae was able to leave. I left." More than once. He reached over to take her hand in his, surprising her once again with his gentleness. "We'll find Henry. I swear on the Jolly that we will."
A sad smile spread across her lips. "Don't make promises like that." Her gaze fell on the island as silence overtook them once more, the noises coming back into focus once their conversation faded. She let out a frustrated huff, trying to make her despair. "How did you deal with this noise? When you were here the first time."
"Well…" He paused for a moment. "It wasn't quite as loud back then…"
That did it. The cry she'd been holding in came out suddenly, strangled by her hand as it flew to cover her mouth. Her shoulders shook more violently than they had already, her knees wobbling a bit more. She started to sink down the side, unable to support herself, but strong arms encircled her, bringing her down to the deck of the ship gently. "Oh, God… He is out there. He's alone." She let him bring her into his embrace more without fight, having no will or want to get away. "The very thing I didn't want to happen to him and now he's out on some damn island. He's out there, and he's one of tho-"
"Nonsense. He's a strong lad. He is not one of them, Emma." When he realized she'd been talking to herself and wasn't listening to her, he lifted her face to look at her. "Emma, listen to me. He is not one of them."
She shook her head, trying to believe but unable. "You can't know that! I hear him. All I hear is him, and…" She took a strangled breath, the crying getting the better of her. "I can't take it. All I hear is him."
"Emma, breathe, love," he soothed, his hand sliding down her hair, trying to calm her down. "Take a deep breath and listen. Close your eyes and really listen. Not to the island but to what's around you." He looked at her insistently, waiting for her to comply. When he saw her eyes close, he let out a quite sigh of relief. "Now listen. Listen to the sound of the sea. Do you hear that? The sound of the waves hitting each other, of them lapping at the hull of the ship? Focus on that. Focus on the wind catching the small bit of sails your father failed to tie up properly." He let out another sigh of relief when she let out a strangled scoff accompanied by a small chuckle.
Emma started to relax back into his hold until her head rested on his shoulder again. She let the sounds he was describing wash over her, ebbing her away from her misery. She let the sound of his voice be her anchor, holding her in place. In the back of her mind, Henry sat there, but right now, everything he described was taking over her senses. The steady thump of the water against the hull of the ship matched the beating of his heart, and, for a moment, she wondered if he was that in tune with the sea. She took deep, calming breaths until the rise of her chest matched his, the hand smoothing her hair down adding to the recovery of her breakdown.
He didn't know if he instinctively went with the rock of the ship, but at some point, he'd begun to sway her as well, doing anything he could to ease the worry in her mind. He knew she hadn't slept since they'd arrived days ago if the noise had been bothering her. But Emma being Emma, he knew she'd never say anything. But this change in her, the trust she had in him now, he wasn't going to push it away. If she was willing to break down in front of him—willing to let him behind those walls he so effortlessly scaled anyway—he going to do his best to be there for her.
His hand continued to move down her hair, until her breathing slowed to a pace slower than his own. He moved his head from atop hers to see her sleeping form in his arms, smiling down at her now peaceful face. He rested his head back on hers for a moment, contemplating laying there for the rest of the night, but it would do neither of them any good in the morning. He knew she needed a proper rest. He did his best not to jostle her too much, maneuvering his arm below her knees, and using all his strength to heave them both from the deck. He steadied himself, making sure she was still asleep in his arms before moving the two of them below deck, keeping her as still as possible. He reached the door that was hers, thankful that she'd left it open in her haste to leave earlier.
Slowly, he placed her on her bunk, carefully pulling the blanket from around her shoulders to drape it over her still form. His hand smoothed her hair down once more, taking in her tear stained cheeks, pain streaking through his chest for her. He knew this would be a long journey for all of them, more so for Emma, and if she needed someone to hold her hand—to comfort her—throughout the trek, then he would do that for her.
He bent down, placing a kiss on her forehead, taking in her sleeping form once more before making his way to the doorway. He suddenly stopped, a small smile making its way to his face, realization finally hitting him. The feeling had always been there, but after tonight, and for the rest of their time with each other, he knew there'd be no more denying it. She needed a rock, and he needed a reason.