Title: Outside Looking In
Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or its characters.
Summary: Prompted. Killian finds something else when he tries to bring Emma back to Storybrooke.
Note: This is the first in the New York AU series that I have been posting on Tumblr. Just cleaning it up and making it available here. Minor Spoilers for 3x11.
It had taken some doing.
Killian had spent the better part of the year clawing back to this land, to this world. It had taken a curse and some clever magic gifted to him in order to get in front of this door. Now, he shifted his weight back and forth on his feet, anxiously, rubbing the place where his hook was missing. Finally, he gathered his courage and rapped twice on the entrance.
A couple moments of heavy anticipation later, the dark door swung open. He froze, his face lighting up at the sight of her. She looked as lovely as ever with her glowing skin, sleep-tousled hair, and bright eyes. The scent of cinnamon and maple wafted out from the warm apartment, scents he had long ago associated with her. He grinned. "Swan."
Her face fell, eyes narrowing.
He shook his head. He needed to explain himself quickly, or this could go bad. "You don't remember me—"
"What do you want, Killian?" she replied flatly.
His eyes widened, mouth falling open in shock. "You remember me?" he asked in bewilderment. He thought that was the whole point: Swan and the kid would have a whole new set of memories, a lifetime of normalcy in striking contrast to their real lives.
"Yeah, I do. Why are you here?" she pressed, leaning against the doorframe heavily. He now noticed how on her left hand, above that twisted bracelet that never left her arm, a simple platinum band blinked in the low light.
His chest tightened, but he chose not to comment. "There's a new threat to your parents. I came to protect you, as it were," he mumbled. That wasn't everything, of course, but it was all she needed at this moment.
She sighed, pulling her fingers through her hair. The action pulled the man's soft shirt around her torso, framing the small distention of her stomach.
"You're with child," he commented, stunned. He had accounted for many things on this trip, but her being both married and pregnant were not among them.
She rolled her eyes. "Thanks for pointing out the obvious. If we're going to continue talking about curses, at least let's not do it in public," she said, widening the door to allow him entrance.
He stepped inside, blowing out a low breath. The apartment was light and uncluttered but lived-in. The boy was seated at the kitchen table, a plate of half-finished pancakes in front of him. He brightened with a smile as he saw him. "Hook! Does this mean everyone's okay?"
His brow furrowed, because this was all too strange. He was supposed to be struggling to explain magic and curses and other lives, not constantly being confused at how they know everything and were moving on in their lives. "How do you know?" he finally asked.
Emma hid a small smile, pressing a hand to her belly. "Curses are strange, I guess," she said with a shrug.
"Mom kissed Dad and it broke our curse," Henry piped in proudly, sticking another bite of pancake in his mouth.
He gaped at them both for a moment. "How in the hell did Neal get over here?" he asked incredulously. Granted, he hadn't seen the man in a long time, he knew that Baelfire crossed over into their land and had not stayed behind with Emma and Henry.
Emma snorted, grabbing up her dish and bringing it to the sink. "Neal's not here. Henry has another Dad: my husband. He's known him long enough."
He grimaced, bringing a hand to rub his temple. "So, you found your true love, eh?" he asked, and tried to ignore the pang in his heart. He knew somewhere in him that this woman was not his true love; he had lost that centuries ago. But he had hoped for a bright spot of happiness in his bleak existence, and thought she would have been the one to bring that.
Henry nodded enthusiastically, obviously not in tune with his distress. "Yep! 'Cause not even death could stop true love!" he said brightly.
Emma chuckled over the sound of the running water. "If you want to call it that, sure. I guess technically it's true, but I don't like to think of it that way," she replied.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked, feeling his face twitch in distress at her admittance.
She shut off the sink and turned, pressing her lips together. "He died in Storybrooke. There was some mix up with the new curse, some idea that things couldn't change with the original curse or something. He came back, and he ended up with us."
He felt the wash of disappointment come over him again, the resounding thud of his hopes dashed. "Glad you found something to make you happy, Swan."
She smiled faintly. "Yeah, Humbert, now, though," she said, lifting her ring to his view, and she twisted it fondly. "It was better in order for him to legally adopt Henry," she explained, but the look on her face said that she enjoyed the title of "wife" as well.
Killian sunk against the table, opposite both of them. "So, new curse in Storybrooke. Your parents are in danger, so I figured the Savior would be the right choice in fixing it," he said hollowly.
She nodded, grabbing up Henry's empty plate. "I guess I've been away from the job long enough, right?" she said, her lips tightening.
He hesitated. He glanced back down at the barely visible swell of her belly, the tension sweeping back into her form in a way that made him realize just how relaxed she'd been before. "It isn't your job," he finally said.
She gave him an impatient, condescending look. "I was written into a curse. I have true love magic. It's who I am, and I'm not running from that."
He opened his mouth to reply, when a key jangled in the door. He turned, swallowing hard as he prepared to meet the new man.
He was different than he expected, he supposed, but then again just the person he'd expect Emma Swan to fall for.
He was tall, dressed in a long trench coat, vest and tie underneath and a shining detective shield on his waist. A platinum band that was just a little thicker than his wife's encircled his ring finger, but otherwise he was unadorned. He had curly dark hair, dark blue eyes, and a tired smile split across his features even as confusion lit them at his presence. "Em?" he asked, and the accent struck him slightly, so similar and yet so different.
He watched as Emma's face, her body, her entire being unfurled from the tension, the brightness he caught in her eye when she first opened the door increasing exponentially. Everything before seemed a shadow to this beauty. And it was all in response to him.
Emma crossed the floor, reaching his side and pressing a light kiss to his lips. They indeed looked like a couple that just fit together, perfection of pieces. Hook felt the last inkling of hope in his soul flicker out.
"New curse," he heard Emma murmur. The man's eyes fluttered shut, pulling her protectively closer.
"Safe?" he responded, his voice even quieter, eyes seeking out Henry cautiously.
"Dad, this is Captain Hook," Henry announced with a bright grin, hopping down from the table and running up to the couple. "He said Storybrooke's back, so we'll get to see grandma and grandpa and my other dad and everyone again."
The man's smile is cautious as he turns to him. "Graham Humbert, formerly the Huntsman. Pleased to meet you," he said.
He swallowed back his pride and took the offered hand. "Killian Jones. It seems there's a lot to catch up with."