Author's Note: This chapter includes many flashbacks related to new characters. With this being a Captain Swan story, these flashbacks featuring other characters will ALWAYS be relevant/connected to Emma, Killian and their storylines so I advise readers to keep track of all the information the flashbacks provide.
~.~
Storybrooke - Present Day
"Mom, you do know I'm old enough to take care of my hair, right?" Henry's slightly annoyed tone barely noticeable to Emma as she went through his wet hair, tweezers in hand in case they were needed. She had managed to wake up earlier than usual to buy a specific product to kill head lice.
"Sorry kid, but not when you have lice. Hold on a second, I'm almost done."
"It's ironic how magic can destroy powerful sorcerers but not kill bugs."
"It's a parasite, actually."
"Did you ever have them?"
"Having lived on the streets and in orphanages for most of my life, those little guys were practically my best friends," - as soon as her answer left her mouth, Henry cringed, realizing how dumb his question had been, but it was too late now. Thankfully, his mom hadn't seemed too bothered by it.
"Sorry, that was a stupid question."
"That's okay," Emma said, squinting at a tiny, white speck on his hair before trying to remove it with the tweezers, "the good part is that I now know exactly how to kill these bast- bad boys."
Henry laughed at her sudden change of vocabulary, "people swear all the time at school, mom. Besides, I'm almost 14. I can handle it."
"You turned 13 last week," she muttered matter-of-factly as she playfully messed up his hair before getting back to using the tweezers to get the suckers out.
"Ow, that hurts!"
"Sorry," she apologized, "just think about the waffles you're about to eat."
"Waffles, really?!"
"Yup. Killian's cooking them for breakfast," – Emma then took the hair dryer from one of the cabinets and plugged it into the outlet. His hair needed to be dry for the product to work.
When they finally climbed down the stairs, leaving behind a bathroom filled with the lemony fragrance of the head lice killer, they found Killian already sitting in one of the kitchen chairs. The table was all set, but there were no waffles anywhere to be seen.
Emma and Henry's disappointed expressions were so evident that Killian got up from his chair right away as he started justifying himself, "I read the carton, Swan, and those bloody things have a ridiculous amount of sugar. It's as if you're ingesting poison on the first and most important meal of the day."
At that, Emma and Henry shared a knowing look. Being married to Killian was easy, but their absolute opposite views on healthy eating habits was proving to be a major pain in the ass.
Uttering an exasperated sigh, Henry moved to sit in one of the chairs as Emma grabbed Killian's arm and pulled him aside.
"I asked you specifically to cook the waffles," – the annoyed tone in her voice let him know right away that she wasn't too happy with his insistence on making porridge for breakfast instead.
"I know, love, but I told you –"
"Yes, I know they're a sugar bomb but Henry really loves them and they're really good and," - she was almost out of breath by now, pausing to think about what to say next – "he has lice!"
"I'm failing to understand your logic, Swan," he said, tilting his head and furrowing his brows in at him.
"I wanted to give him a treat, to make him happy," she blurted out, hoping that would be enough of an explication, but seeing he kept sending her way a confused look, it clearly wasn't, "because he has six-legged parasites clawed to his scalp sucking the blood out of him."
"And eating waffles makes them stop?"
"No! But it makes him happy."
"So eating unhealthy food serves as consolation for having insects in his hair?"
"Yes!"
Killian looked away from her, his lips pursed together as he struggled to make sense of their exchange, "food is simply food. It shouldn't be a reward or a consolation prize."
"Okay, fine, I'll remember that next time you're devouring a tiramisu," Emma bit back as she crossed her arms in a defensive pose.
"I don't consider eating tiramisu a reward."
"I… ugh"- she wanted to say something more, but she suddenly stopped, shaking her head and thinking there was no point, "okay, here's the thing, the next time I ask you to cook something in specific, can you please just do it? We can have your healthy meal on the next day."
Not really believing he would ever understand her train of thought, Killian simply nodded at her, guiding her back to the kitchen table so they could eat.
"So how's your head, my boy?" Killian asked, pouring some orange juice in Henry's glass.
"Bitten."
"Well, not for too long. You should be okay by tomorrow," Emma reassured him, putting a spoon of porridge in her mouth.
"You should have just washed his hair with rum, Swan. The nasty little things would be gone in a second."
Enchanted Forest - 238 years ago
Sitting on the top of a hill, the Grammar School overlooked the entire village below, strategically positioned to keep the lower classes and the peasants away from its surroundings. A privilege only for sons of wealthy families, the school was mainly composed of boys with fancy clothes (and less than stellar manners) and three young girls who had been fortunate enough to have influential fathers who had convinced the monks to accept them in their grammar, logic and rhetoric classes.
Every day the students had a total of two recesses, where they could use the school's vast courtyard for their playtime. The monks had established strict rules for boys and girls, keeping both genders separated: the girls should spend recess in a small space on the right side of the courtyard as the rest belonged to the boys.
Anne, one of the three young girls, sat in one of the old benches near the wooden palisade delimiting the area around the yard, her eyes fixed on the boys running after a rag ball on the other side of the field. Never one to abide by rules, the 12 year-old was always trying to find ways to sneak into the boys' area so that she could play with them. To her, running after a ball was infinitely better than playing with dolls. As soon as she spotted one of the monks turning his back on them, the girl jumped from the bench and started running in the boys' direction until she joined them in running after the ball. They never welcomed her, not shy in letting her know that her presence wasn't wanted.
"We don't want you here."
"You're a girl, go away."
"You don't belong here."
But none of that had ever stopped her. Her mother had taught her to always fight for what she wants and what she wanted was to simply play with the boys. She didn't understand why she couldn't be there and she would keep insisting until they finally accepted her.
"We won't play until you leave!" one of the boys with ginger hair shouted at her as the others did as he said and stopped running after the ball.
"You only want me to leave because you know I'm better than you," Anne said, her voice reeking with confidence as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Shut up!" - her words clearly affected the ginger boy, who was now trying to push the girl off their playing area. When she was about to return the boy's push, one of the monks stopped her, separating the two right away. After yelling at her for having broken the rules, the monk dragged her to the table where the other two girls were playing with their dolls.
Sighing in frustration, Anne dropped her head in her hands as she stared blankly at part of the palisade in the distance. It was only when she spotted another girl looking at her through the other side of the fence that she set herself straight, wanting to better inspect the unfamiliar girl. She was dressed in rags and her mouth was set in a hard line, a blatant sadness in her expressions. Curious as always, Anne got up from the table, keen on making her way to the palisade and talk to the other girl. Before she could take one step further, the monk ordered them inside, his threatening eyes falling on the girl, not having yet forgotten her earlier trespass.
Knowing she had already gotten herself in enough trouble for the day, Anne decided to obey, turning her back to the girl who was still staring at her from the other side. Whoever she was, she would have to wait.
Storybrooke – Present Day
"Have you brought your lunch?" Killian asked Henry, looking at the dark blue schoolbag the boy was carrying. After breakfast, Killian had volunteered to take Henry to the school bus station and they were now waiting for it to arrive.
"I do. I wouldn't forget it when mom bought me scones."
"Aye, she woke up quite early to get them and that lice liquid for you," Killian added, knowing Henry would understand that waking up early to buy him whatever he needed was a very serious proof of Emma's love for him.
"I know, mom's awesome," Henry said, just seconds before the school bus arrived and stopped in front of them, "bye, Killian!"
"Have a good day, lad," – Killian's voice was barely a whisper as he watched Henry get in. When the school bus left, Killian stood still in the same place, his eyes following the vehicle disappearing in the distance while his mind went somewhere else. Watching Emma and Henry's close bond warmed his heart in a rather strange way that he could barely explain, but at the same time he would find himself consumed by a wave of sadness.
Whenever he saw Emma kissing Henry on the cheek before he went to bed, or when she playfully ruffled Henry's dark locks, or when she agreed to watch the movie she knew he wanted to see (even when she actually preferred another one), Killian couldn't help but be reminded that he had never known what a mother's love was like. He had never been fortunate to have a loving and caring mother who let him know he was her whole world, that she would do anything for him. He had never known that kind of love and, as much as he tried to ignore it, that scar remained with him.
It was only when the town clock's chimes brought him out of his daze that he remembered it was time to start his daily patrol as Storybrooke's deputy. Shoving his hand in his pocket, he turned around and started walking, determined to push away from his mind thoughts of his long lost mother. He had a wonderful life now and he wasn't going to allow himself to waste time thinking about people who weren't worthy of his attention.
Emma looked at the watch on her wrist and she cursed to herself. It was 8:15 and she still wanted to pay Belle a visit at the library before going to the station. After dropping all the dirty dishes on the sink, she grabbed her jacket and her keys and put her boots on. When she opened her door to leave, ready for another day of work, she found a pair of light green eyes staring at her.
"Morgana?" – Emma's eyes widened when she spotted the woman on her front porch, looking like a deer caught in the headlights as soon as she heard Emma's voice.
"I… uh…" Morgana muttered, blinking her eyes a couple of times, her cheeks flushing in response to Emma's weary gaze, "I was just about to knock."
"Do you need something?" Emma asked her, locking the door behind her before climbing down the porch steps to get Morgana to accompany her.
"I wanted to thank you again," – Morgana then handed her a small white box – "they're muffins. They used to be my specialty back in my land, albeit with a different name."
"Oh… thanks."
"Are you going to the station right now? Perhaps we could go together," Morgana suggested as a delighted smile lit up her face.
"No, I actually have to go somewhere else first," – Emma quickly shut her down – "but thanks for the muffins."
"Oh, okay," Morgana said, nodding her head as her eyes fixed on the white fence gate, "Well, I'll see you at Granny's."
As Emma watched her leave, a sudden shiver ran through her body. There was something still not quite right with this lady.
Enchanted Forest - 238 years ago
Another day, another recess she had to spend watching the boys having fun as Anne almost died of boredom. Taking yet another chance, the young girl ran from one side of the courtyard to the other, hoping this time the boys wouldn't push her away.
She was wrong.
As soon as she got near them, the boys stopped playing and started taunting her again.
"Go away!" the ginger boy shouted at her with an anger in his eyes she hadn't yet seen. Before she could do anything, he started kicking her as she groaned in pain, the rest of the boys surrounding her and laughing at her.
Just when Anne was about to defend herself, the ginger boy stopped kicking her. His whole body was shaking and he fell to the ground before the inexplicable happened: his screams of horror echoed in the courtyard while the lower part of his body started dissolving into gooey, blue and green scales. The rest of the boys ran away, crying out in shock, but the girl froze in her place, feeling as though she was unable to move and do nothing but watch the boy's legs and feet turn into a merman tail. It was only when one of the monks dragged her away from near the boy's body that Anne spotted the same girl from the day before on the other side of the fence. She looked scared, panic swirling in her eyes the moment she realized Anne had seen her. Anne started walking in the girl's direction, but she started running away long before she could get near her.
Storybrooke - Present Day
"Emma, hi!" Belle greeted Emma, watching her entering the library with a couple of books in her hand.
"Hey, how are you doing?" Emma asked as she approached Belle behind the counter, spotting Gideon sitting on his baby chair next to Belle, "How are you two doing?"
"So so. Lots of sleepless nights."
"I can only imagine," Emma said as she waved at baby Gideon who was currently smiling at her. Who knew just some months before his grown up version had actually tried to kill her? It all sounded so insane now.
"How's Killian? And Henry? I haven't seen them in a while" – ever since the Final Battle, the things between Emma, Killian, Belle and Rumple had been a little awkward. Killian and Belle maintained their friendship, but with Belle taking care of Gideon and Killian becoming the new deputy, they hadn't spent as much time together as before. Emma had thought more than once about inviting Belle to come over for dinner, but she probably wouldn't accept to go without Rumple and inviting him over simply wasn't an option. So lately it felt as though they were in this kind of weird limbo, not really knowing how to handle that situation.
"They're fine. Killian is doing his morning patrol, so I'm the one returning these," Emma answered, stacking the books her husband had borrowed on the counter.
"He read them all already?" Belle wondered as she read the titles to confirm they were the same ones Killian had borrowed just a week ago.
"Trust me, he's a fast reader."
"That's really impressive. Not even Rumple is that fast and he's" — the words died down on Belle's lips as she hesitated, knowing very well that Rumple and his darkness had become somewhat of a taboo subject for them — "a dark one."
Emma nodded in response, not knowing what else to say. Yes, Belle's husband was still the most powerful dark one of all dark ones to have ever dark oned, what was she supposed to say? She still didn't trust the guy and she never would for as long as the darkness was in him.
"How are things going between you two?" Emma decided to ask, still wanting to know if Belle was okay.
"We're… good. I know Rumple is still Rumple, but he's been very sweet lately. I really want to believe Gideon has changed him."
"As long as you and Gideon are happy…" – Emma didn't finish her sentence, knowing that Belle would understand that no one would judge her for staying with Rumple as long as he didn't hurt her or their child. For Emma, it was simply impossible to pretend that he had never tried to kill her, Killian and everybody else she loved multiple times in the past, and without ever showing any ounce of regret for it. She had learnt her lesson over and over again: never trust Rumplestiltskin. But for everyone's sake, she really hoped that this time Belle was right.
The morning patrol had quickly become a habit Killian had grown deeply fond of. The mornings were usually quiet in Storybrooke, with most residents about to open their businesses and on their way to work. A vast majority of the people would nod at him with a smile on their faces, letting him know that they not only accepted him as the deputy, but also recognized his authority. It was a feeling that never failed to uplift his spirits, taking him back to the time when he was one of the most respected sea captains. But unlike before, he hadn't needed to resort to violence or other gruesome methods to impose respect. No, this time around, he had actually earned it, simply by having chosen to become a better man and to atone for his past mistakes.
When there were no signs of any problems, he started making his way to the station, but the unexpected feel of someone pushing his shoulder had him quickly turning around, his hook up in the air, ready to fight. Just when he was expecting to find some bizarre monster or creature, as it was usually common in Storybrooke, he saw a tall man he had never seen before standing in front of him.
"I… He…" the man gasped as he tried to speak and catch his breath at the same time.
"Calm down, mate," Killian said as he watched the man bending to rest his hands on his knees, "What happened?"
"A woman tried to rob me! She ran in that direction," the man answered, pointing towards the street that led to the docks.
"Do you know who she is?"
"No. She… She was wearing a blue dress."
Hoping he would still be able to find the woman somewhere, Killian took off running towards the street the man had pointed to, but he had no such luck. There was no one in sight.
"Sorry, mate, I'm afraid we'll have to file a report at the station," Killian informed in his best deputy voice when he made his way back to the man.
"No, please, there's no need. She took nothing from me and I'm in a hurry."
"So you don't want to press charges?"
"Ugh…" – Killian looked reluctantly at the man, who all of a sudden seemed agitated, his gaze fixed on a black car passing by – "no, there's no need. But thank you for your help, deputy."
And then, just as quickly as he had appeared, the man started walking away in a hurried step, leaving a rather puzzled Killian behind. The people in this town were progressively getting madder.
The first thing Emma did when she arrived at the station was to examine the box Morgana had given her. She couldn't deny that the muffins smelled delicious and resisting the urge to eat the things was going to be particularly difficult, especially after a breakfast of porridge. However, no matter how much her stomach tried to control her brain, she wasn't going to be dumb to the point to eat right away something a stranger (and a suspicious one at that) had given her.
Carefully opening the box, a rich fragrance of raisins flew in the hair as she crinkled her nose in distaste – she had always hated raisins – before she peeked inside. Were those… oatmeal and raisin muffins? Bringing the box closer to her nose, she almost rolled her eyes when her suspicions were confirmed. Of course they were oatmeal and raisin muffins. Because God forbid she ate anything unhealthy these days. Taking one muffin out of the box, she took a small bite at first, wanting to be sure that they were safe to eat and weren't poisoned or something.
Sitting on the chair of her office, Emma decided to get some work done while she waited to see if she felt anything unusual. After ten minutes of waiting, nothing seemed to be wrong with her. She felt good and perfectly normal.
"Good morning, Sheriff," Killian greeted her with fake cordiality as he walked through the opened door of her office.
Emma wasn't sure if she was more sensitive to smells today, but as soon as he got in, all her nose seemed able to register was Killian's delicious scent: a mix of leather, crisp, salty air and a spicy hint of citrus of the cologne she had bought him months ago. She was unable to fight against the sudden urge to close her eyes and breathe in the familiar odor she loved so much, a whimper escaping her lips before she could quell it.
"Swan?" – Killian asked, his eyebrow shooting up at her in curiosity. The slight concern she sensed in his voice had her opening her eyes and her heart skipped a beat when she took in his appearance. She had already seen him today, but there was something to him now that made him even more irresistible. He had left his leather jacket on the coat rack outside the office and his vest was unbuttoned (something he had grown to do whenever they were alone at the station, claiming he could move more freely). Her eyes then fell on the dark red shirt he was wearing and the mesmerizing way it hugged his lean torso, exposing a small amount of chest hair that insisted on peeking out from under the collar and… was it just her or was it getting really hot in there?
Emma could see Killian's lips moving as he approached her, but she wasn't listening to anything he was saying, focusing instead on his very kissable mouth as she fantasized about grabbing his face in her hands and french kiss the hell out of him. Her cheeks flushed when her thoughts quickly became even more obscene, her body going numb all over from the familiar tingling sensation that needled at her from underneath her skin. Heat coiled in the pit of her stomach when she caught a glimpse of his tongue darting out to wet his lips. She had no idea what he was doing at this point and she didn't really care. All she cared about was the sudden rush running though her body, an incessant need to have him becoming her number one priority. She just really needed to fuck him. Right here, right now.
"Swan, are you –" she didn't' let him finish, pulling him down by the lapels of his shirt and smashing her lips against his, her tongue plunging forcefully into his mouth as Killian moaned in response. Before he had a chance to return the kiss, she got up from the chair, an undeniable glow of arousal in her eyes.
By now, Killian was quite familiar with the many different versions of a libidinous Emma, but he had never seen this one in particular. There was a confident sway to her hips as she made him walk backwards, unbuttoning his shirt in the process. His mouth went dry when Emma let her fingers brush against his crotch, feeling himself stiffen at her touch. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could even mutter a word, her hands traveled up his body, her nails softly scratching the skin exposed by his now fully unbuttoned shirt.
"Fuck me," she whispered with a husky voice, making them both walk out of the office before gently pushing him against the fire escape door. She knew no one would find them there since they were the only ones with the keys. Groaning in response to her hunger, Killian pulled her body towards him, her happy shrieks echoing in the station as he opened the door behind them and pulled them inside.
Enchanted Forest - 238 years ago
The mysterious girl was nowhere to be seen for the rest of the day. Anne had paid close attention to the same spot on the other side of the fence where she had seen the girl, but she had no such luck. Something about the girl had intrigued her, she was almost certain she had been the one responsible for what happened to the ginger boy. As she wondered about who the girl could be, Anne saw her father, William, walking through the school's wooden gate with Father Lancaster by his side. What was he doing there? The school day wasn't over yet.
The monk's simple, brown robe contrasted with the opulent linen suit Anne's father was wearing, making it rather obvious the two men belonged to different social classes. Anne watched as they walked towards her, lost in conversation as her father shook her head at whatever the monk was telling him. When she noticed the angry glare her father was sending her way, she realized that she was in trouble. The monk had probably told him about her lack of discipline. Again.
Shrinking back into her seat, Anne prepared for what was to come: an endless roar of shouts and yells about how she was dishonoring the family and his good name. He was always saying the same entitled things over and over again. So when the monk left and her father walked towards the table she was sitting in, she told herself she wasn't going to be afraid of him and of the awful things he was going to say to her.
"I expected you to have listened to Father Lancaster the last time," her father bellowed as he kneeled in front of her and took his silk top hat off, "my darling, you are part of high-class society, you shall not behave like an uneducated peasant."
"I just wanted to play with the boys, father."
"Boys and girls are not allowed to play together."
"But why not?"
"Because that is the rule, Anne," he said in a snarl, scowling at her.
"But –"
"You must not question it, you must obey! You will not shame me nor our family name" – she could feel his fury as he slammed his fist against the table - "You will do as you are told. Because that is how a princess would behave."
At that, Anne narrowed her eyes at him, "but I'm not a princess."
"You will be someday," he said confidently as he stood up and put his hat on, "I hope it's the last time your insolence interrupts my working commitments. If not, I'll have great pleasure disposing of those silly books you are so fond of."
Tears started forming in her eyes as she thought about losing the one thing she kept from her mother, but she wouldn't allow herself to cry in front of him. He wasn't worth it. Sometimes she wished she had never been born in a wealthy family, perhaps then her father wouldn't have this obsession of turning her into a flawless princess.
She watched as William walked away, greeting every monk he met on his way out. Of course. As her mother used to say, he had been a bootlicker and a coward his whole life.
William had grown up in a small, quiet village to a very humble family. He had always been a shy, insecure and morose kid who was made fun of because of his slightly awkward behavior, but anyone who actually got to meet him was surprised to see how ambitious he was. For a long time, he struggled to find the success he had always strived for, his need to reach the top and to become a respected and accomplished noble man turning into his main goal. He quickly let money and recognition get to his head, turning into a conceited, egotistical and shallow man hungry for status and power. There was simply one problem: no matter how much he accomplished, his old insecurities would never leave him. He was still someone with no backbone because he sought validation from anyone who could help him climb up the social ladder, wanting to please the right people around him. Plenty of ill-informed people who didn't truly know William, blinded by their own low-key disturbing admiration for the humble village kid who had made it big, failed to see how much he had changed and kept kissing the floor he walked on, but those who knew him were entirely aware of the attention seeking man he truly had become.
Greeting all the monks on his way out with a fake smile plastered on his face was simply a game of appearances. The clergy was powerful and it was in William's best interests to be on the monks' good side.
When Anne's eyes were following her father's body disappearing in the distance, she suddenly caught a glimpse of someone hiding behind one of the trees on the other side of the fence. Something told her that she knew exactly who it was. Looking around to make sure none of the monks were paying attention to her, she walked towards the fence. Once there, she spotted the same girl from before, curled up in a ball as she sat on one of the big roots of the tree.
"Hi," Anne said and her voice startled the girl who instinctively stood up and hid even more behind the tree, "You don't have to be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you."
The girl stood still, slowly peeking her head from behind the tree. Anne could see the look of fear in her eyes as she was clearly reluctant to move.
"I'm Anne," she insisted to see if she could get the girl to trust her, "would you like to play with us? I could help you get to this side."
Anne could swear she saw the girl giving her a half-smile, but just when the girl was about to move from behind the tree, Father Lancaster called out Anne's name, oblivious to the other girl's presence. Anne quickly turned to look in his direction, worried that she was going to be scolded again, but all he did was shout at her to go inside. When Anne turned back around, she found no one hiding behind the tree. She had ran away again. If only she had seen the girl sooner.
Storybrooke – Present Day
Emma didn't know how any of this had happened. When she hired Killian as her deputy, she promised to herself that they would always be professional and would never ever, ever have sex while on duty. And yet here they were, fixing themselves after a nice romp at the top of the station's indoor emergency stairs. At freaking nine o'clock in the morning.
"I don't know what's gotten into me," Emma said in a low voice as she closed the fire escape door behind her, "we can't let this happen again."
"We? I played a rather passive role in all of this, love," Killian teased, feigning offense.
"I don't think passive is a word that can be used to describe what just happened there," – Emma looked at him over her shoulder, trying to fight the amused smile that started forming on her face – "But I'm serious, Killian. As much as I love this and don't regret it for a second, it's really unprofessional."
"Love, we're still responsible adults doing their job. We're hardly the first people to have –"
"Hi, honey! Hi, Killian!" Snow's voice had Killian shutting up right away as the two of them stared awkwardly at Snow, David and the two strangers that had just walked in. Her parents and their amazing timing should be a case study, Emma thought to herself.
"You again, mate?" Killian's inquisitive look fell on the man standing next to David. It was the same strange man from earlier that morning. He appeared to be calmer by now as he held hands with a woman neither Killian nor Emma had ever seen before. She had long dark brown hair and her sea blue eyes attentively perused Emma and Killian. A cold shiver ran down Emma's body as soon as their eyes met, but the woman quickly looked away.
"It seems Ethel and Scott are two more victims of Hyde. We found them outside looking for Hook," David clarified, introducing the strangers to his daughter and son-in-law.
"My husband would like to apologize for what happened this morning," Ethel said as she gripped Scott's hand even tighter.
"Yes, I'm sorry if I made you feel as though you were wasting your time, Deputy. I was very nervous and not thinking clearly," Scott added.
Not understanding one bit of what they were talking about, Emma looked questioningly at Killian, hoping for a clarification. Never one to ignore his wife's requests, Killian explained that weird incident during his patrol and how the woman who had attempted to rob Scott still hadn't been caught.
"Can you give us a detailed description of this woman?" Emma asked Scott as she took a blank piece of paper out of a draw, preparing to write down any information he could give them.
"I can try, but it was all so sudden… I remember she was wearing a blue dress. And her light brown hair was tied back in a ponytail," – at the mention of light brown hair, Emma's eyes shot up, fearing the worst. She kept asking Scott for more details, but he didn't remember anything too relevant.
"Okay, there isn't much else we can do now. If we do get this woman, we may have to ask you to come back here to confirm she was the one who tried to rob you," Emma said, crossing her arms and leaning her butt against the desk.
"Honey, I was thinking," – Snow then approached Emma, "perhaps we could help Scott, Ethel and everyone in the same situation go back home. We could use Anton's magic beans."
"That's very kind of you, but Scott and I are actually thinking of staying in Storybrooke, if that's okay," Ethel said, reacting to Snow's proposition.
"No, of course not! You're welcome to stay," Snow reassured her, not wanting her to think she wanted them both out of town.
As they the rest of them kept talking, Emma was lost in deep thought, oblivious to the stolen glances Ethel kept taking at Killian.
Working at Granny's was more stressful than Morgana had expected. There were always plenty of clients and endless orders to take care of.
"Table 9, sister," Granny told her, handing her a pen and a notepad.
"Thanks," she nodded at Granny as she searched for table 9. Everything was still pretty new to her and she still wasn't very familiar with the diner.
"That's table 9," Granny said, pointing to the table that Belle and Rumple had just sat in. Once Morgana saw them, she dropped her notepad, a soft gasp escaping her mouth, "You alright, dear?"
Morgana didn't answer right away, her mouth still gaping open as she kept staring at the table and its occupants before she quickly picked the notepad from the floor and laughed, "yes. I'm so clumsy. It must be first day nerves!"
Adjusting her skirt, she walked towards the table, determined to act as normally as she possibly could. When she got to them, she leered at Rumple, almost as if she was challenging him.
"Are you here to stare at us or to take our orders?" Rumple sneered, not quite enjoying Morgana's assertive gaze. It was only at his remark that Morgana realized she was being too obvious. If any of what she had planned was ever going to work, she had to look as if she didn't know much about the man in front of her.
"Sorry. What can I get you?" she asked as her eyes traveled to Belle and baby Gideon before she wrote down their order, trying to control her trembling hand the best she could.
A couple of minutes later, she came back with their French toast, a cup of white tea for Rumple and coffee for Belle.
"Enjoy your meal," Morgana said with a smile, but waited until they started eating. Her eyes followed every single movement of Rumple, watching him take a sip of his tea. Belle practically jumped from her seat when Rumple suddenly spit part of the tea on the table as he calmly turned his face to Morgana.
"Who put pepper on my tea?"
"I'm so sorry," Morgana apologized as she started cleaning the table, "I must have mixed up the jars and put pepper instead of cinnamon."
"I didn't ask for cinnamon either," – Rumple pointed out as he started wondering if the woman had done this on purpose.
"Rumple, it's okay," Belle tried to break the tension that had settled between Morgana and her husband, "could you please bring him another cup of tea?"
"Of course, I'm sorry," – Morgana grabbed the cup of tea and dropped it on the sink behind the counter.
"If I were you, I wouldn't upset that one," Granny advised, looking at her over her shoulder.
"So I heard…" Morgana muttered, her lips curving upwards in a victorious smile when she was sure no one else could see it.
Enchanted Forest - 238 years ago
Anne had to react quickly. She had been waiting for the girl next to the fence, but when she finally arrived and saw Anne waiting for her, she turned around and started running. Anne could make out her body becoming progressively smaller as she ran deeper into the woods. Without thinking twice, she nimbly jumped to the other side of the fence, running after the girl and trying her best to go unnoticed. After running for a little while, careful not to step on any prominent tree roots that could make her fall, she hid behind a couple of bushes as the other girl sat down by a giant rock. Anne had no idea where they were, but the place was absolutely beautiful. The end of the tall cedar trees all around opened up into a secluded lake. The water was impressively still and she could make out the black shapes of fish moving in it. As she got closer, Anne realized that the rock the girl was sitting on was just above the water, the familiar position she found the girl in letting her know that it wasn't the first time she was there.
Anne stood there for a while, part of her was afraid that the girl would do something to her, but another part of her was curious to know more about her, almost as if she sensed the girl needed help.
"Do you like water too?" Anne eventually asked, deciding that she hadn't come this far to not say anything. The girl jumped in surprise at hearing Anne's voice, observing her carefully and trying to see if she was a threat. After some seconds of close visual inspection, the girl stood still on the rock and simply nodded her head in response.
"We could do something," Anne carried on, picking some stones up from the lakefront, "like this" and then she threw one of the stones into the water, skimming the silver-blue water three times. The girl watched almost in awe, a shy smile gracing her lips.
"How do you do that?" the girl finally asked, the first words Anne ever heard her utter.
"My mother taught me. You need a flat, round stone. You try it," Anne said, joining the girl on the rock and offering her the stone in her hand as she started exemplifying with another stone she was still holding, "put your finger here, on the edge of the stone. Now throw it as far away as you can."
The girl did as Anne said, but her stone sank right away.
"I can't do it," the girl sighed as she got up and prepared to leave.
"And you're going to give up without trying again?" Anne's insistence had the girl looking back at her, finding Anne with her arm stretched, offering her another stone, "my mother used to always tell me that the moment you stop trying is the moment you start failing."
The girl looked reluctantly at Anne but she eventually picked the stone from Anne's hand and tried again, smiling from one ear to another when the stone skimmed once.
"See, that was better!"
"Thank you," the girl said, eyes still on the ripples of the water's surface where her stone had fallen. "I do love water," she said after some seconds of silence, answering Anne's initial question.
"I do too. I'm going to have my own ship someday."
The girl laughed in response, "A ship?"
"Yes. I will travel the world on it, find the most brilliant treasures and explore unknown places. That's what I have always fancied to do."
"Like a pirate?"
"Perhaps."
Storybrooke - Present Day
"Are you sure?" Emma asked into the phone as Killian's divided his attention between Emma's conversation with Granny and the files he had looking at, "Okay, thanks."
"The woman who tried to rob Scott couldn't have been Morgana," Emma told Killian as she put her phone down on the desk, "Granny says she was already at the diner by the time the mystery woman tried to rob the guy."
"Back at square one, it seems."
"Yeah. Why am I not surprised?" Emma sighed in frustration as Killian got up from his desk to take other files from one of the file cabinets.
"Some kind soul offered us little cakes?" he asked, taking a peek at the box on top of the cabinet.
"They're called muffins," Emma chuckled, correcting him, "Morgana went by the house this morning as I was leaving. They're totally safe, you can eat them, if you want to."
"I figured it had to have been a gift. I would have found it highly unlikely if you had purchased oatmeal cakes.
Emma playfully rolled her eyes, "Yeah, you'll love them, they're super healthy."
"And bloody delicious too," Killian said after taking a bite.
"There's still something about her that doesn't really feel right. But I don't know if I'm just being paranoid, because I got suspicious of Ethel and Scott, too."
"Aye, he appears to be a very awkward man," Killian agreed.
"And she seemed really uptight and…formal, I don't know."
Killian's gaze fell on her and he studied her for a second before he put his muffin down, and walked towards her desk, pulling a chair and sitting next to her.
"What's bothering you, Swan?" Emma smiled to herself, he really could read her like an open book.
"It's just… After everything we went through, I feel like something bad is always about to happen. I see threats everywhere, it's ridiculous!"
"It's not ridiculous, love," he reassured her in that soothing voice of his that always managed to calm her down.
"But it's stupid because of course not every single new person in town is a mighty villain who wants to kill me or those I love."
"With Storybrooke's track record, I don't think anyone could blame you for thinking that."
"I know, but I hate feeling like this. It's as if I'm always on the edge and expecting the worst," she sighed, letting a momentary wave of sadness affect her as Killian put his arm around her, trying to comfort her as best as he could.
"Why don't you talk to Archie again? He helped you quite a lot when you were having those bloody visions."
"I've thought about that," Emma confessed, resting her head on his shoulder, "I think I will."
Killian could tell that Emma was about to say something else, but her phone started ringing, interrupting their conversation. He watched as Emma uttered nothing more than happy "uh-huh's", "great's" and "thank you's", a beaming smile on her face throughout the entire phone call.
When she hung up, he was about to ask her what had happened, but before he could say a thing, she was pulling him off the chair with an excitement he didn't witness often.
"C'mon, let's go!"
"Go where?," Killian said, a little confused with what was happening.
"I have a surprise for you," she whispered in between giggles, wiggling her eyebrows at him. If there was something she felt certain of was that he was going to love what they would be doing next.
With one hand covering Killian's eyes, Emma opened the door to the street, carefully guiding him outside.
"We should try this more often, Swan," he said, fully trusting Emma to take him where she wanted. He could hear the seagulls crying and the faint sounds of footsteps in the distance. They were definitely outside now.
"Just keep your eyes closed, don't peep," Emma said, taking her hand away from his eyes so she could take the cover off her surprise, "Alright, you can open them."
Killian furrowed his eyebrows as looked everywhere, trying to find something worthy of a surprise, but all he could see was Emma's yellow contraption parked in front of them. He suddenly felt really awkward. His Swan had prepared him a surprise and he couldn't even identify it.
"Sorry, love, but I think I'm missing something," he said, feeling embarrassed.
"The car is the surprise," and that left Killian even more confused, if that was possible.
Emma grabbed his hand and dropped the car keys in it, "Get in," she insisted, nodding her head in the car's direction as she smiled at him. He did as he was told, still not sure what she was trying to do.
She opened the passenger door and sat on the seat as she waited for him to get to the other side and slide into the driver's seat. Once inside, he noticed there was a control column and a knob fitted to the steering wheel. Emma could tell by the hilarious expressions on his face that he was trying to be graceful, but he also looked like he had seen a pig flying because he had no idea what was the purpose of any of those things.
"Remember how you once said you'd like to learn how to drive?" she asked him as his lips curved upwards almost instantly, "I decided to adapt the car so you can drive it."
It took him some seconds for Killian to process what she had just told him, but once he did, he slowly turned his face in her direction, his fixed gaze on her as utter devotion swirled in his eyes. He loved this woman with all of his heart and yet she managed to make him fall in love with her just a little bit more at each passing day.
Emma could tell that he was moved by her attentiveness, staring at her in slack-jawed wonder as he blinked in disbelief.
"Do you want to try it?" she asked him, running one of her fingers up and down his arm.
"Thank you, my love," he finally said as he caressed her cheek with his hook.
"You're welcome," she whispered with a soft smile before he pecked her lips, "There was the option of buying a new car that already had all of this built-in, but we had agreed we don't really need two cars right now so…"
"It's perfect, Swan. It'll be an honor to captain your vessel."
"You have to know how to sail it first," she chuckled, getting ready to explain how the new equipment worked, "You grip the knob this way, you see, and you can easily turn the wheel. I really loved this one because it's not just a common knob."
"What else does it do?"
"Do you see these buttons here?" – Emma pointed to the upper part of the knob where there were various small, light grey buttons – "they allow you to use a lot of functions when you press them: left and right indicators, the horn, wipers, screen washers and a couple of other things."
"Uh, I see. And how do we use this?" he asked, looking at the gear shift.
"Yeah, that one's a little bit more complicated," she said, putting her belt on and ordering Killian to do the same. It was going to be an interesting afternoon.
"I think I'm getting accustomed to this, Swan," Killian gushed as he kept driving her bug. They had been driving for about one hour now and he had proved to be a natural, "Of course, having a brilliant teacher like your-"
"Killian, stop!" Emma shouted, but it was too late. A loud bump was heard inside the car as they saw a big, black mass hitting the hood of the bug before falling on the floor in front of them, "Oh my God."
"What the hell?!" they heard someone cursing and was it… Regina? Emma and Killian quickly got out of the car, finding Regina getting up from the floor with one swift move before she shook the dirt off her black jacket.
"Regina, are you alright?" – she had a bleeding lip that Regina was quick to heal with a magical flick of her wrist.
"Now I am. Not thanks to you," she snapped, glaring at Killian. "If you plan on killing me, please let me know in advance so I can kill myself first."
"I'm sorry. I must've hit the wrong pedal," Killian apologized, his brows drawing together as he scratched his ear with his hook.
"You drive now?! Without a license?" – Regina's judging gaze fell on Emma, demanding her explanations.
"I'm going to get him one soon, but he needs to learn first."
"In that case, perhaps I should order everyone to stay in while you're having your lessons and ensure the people of Storybrooke are safe and aliveby the end of the day," Regina said in a snarl that didn't go unnoticed by Killian.
"Perhaps we should order everyone to stay in while you're the mayor… to ensure the people of Storybrooke are safe and alive by the end of the day," Killian bit back in a similar mocking tone as Regina glared at him.
"Guys, please…" Emma finally said, trying to stop their bickering, "Killian's a fast learner, this was only his first lesson and he was actually doing great until…" Emma's words died down as she looked at Regina.
"Until he almost killed me. But great first lesson! Congratulations, guyliner!"
"How's the lice, your majesty?"
"Good, thank you. It's a great thing I have two hands to scratch my head."
"Okay, you need to stop with the hand jokes already, Madame Mayor," Emma was now scowling at her, daggers practically shooting out of her eyes as she instinctively positioned herself between her and Killian.
"Yeah well, he needs to be more careful and you need to teach him better, Miss Swan."
"It was an accident. At least he didn't mean to hurt you," Emma snapped, the words coming out of her mouth without even thinking.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Regina asked defensively, looking just about ready to punch Emma. The funny thing was that not even Emma herself knew what she had meant with that.
Enchanted Forest – 238 years ago
"Do you go to the lake often?" Anne asked the girl as the two walked through the woods. After about an hour of throwing stones into the lake, the girl had said she needed to head back home and Anne insisted on going with her. She had never had many friends in her life, and the two other girls at school were far too different for her to even be able to talk to them. This girl currently walking by her side was the first person of the same age that hadn't made Anne feel stupid for not enjoying the conventional things girls were supposed to like.
"Practically every day. My parents let me wander around," the girl answered without any hesitation. The hour they had spent together had managed to make her feel more comfortable around Anne.
They walked in comfortable silence for a couple of more minutes, until a small hut came into view between the tall trees. Anne was astonished when the girl told her that was where she lived. She couldn't even understand how it was humanly possible to live in such a small and fragile structure. The walls were made of wattle and daub and the roof was of straw, nothing else adorning the exterior of the hut except for the small wooden bluebird house hanging from the tree right next to the door.
"Do you think we can go to the lake again tomorrow?" the girl's voice interrupted Anne's quick inspection of the hut in front of her.
"Yes, now you have to keep practicing."
"Good. See you tomorrow."
"Hey," Anne called out, stopping the girl from opening the door, "I still don't know your name."
"I'm Calypso."
Storybrooke – Present Day
Morgana was starting to realize that dinner time at Granny's was the busiest one. It seemed as if the entire town decided to eat at the diner, which turned the kitchen (and Granny's humor) in a living hell. She was lucky enough that now it was her turn to take care of all the orders of the clients sitting on the counter chairs.
"So you're Morgana!" Snow exclaimed, looking at the name tag on Morgana's uniform. Morgana widened his eyes at the unexpected visit, not exactly sure of what she would say or do before such remarkable figures, "Sorry, I'm Snow, Emma's mother, and this is David, my husband and Neal, our son."
"Oh… hi! Pleased to meet you," she greeted them with a warm smile, "This is a nice surprise. I must admit I was curious to know what it was like to finally be face to face with Snow White and Prince Charming. You hear so many things…"
"Only good ones, I hope," David said in between chuckles as he pulled a counter chair for Snow to sit down.
"Yes, we hope we aren't a huge disappointment," Snow said, sitting on the chair her husband had pulled for her.
"Not at all. Is there anything I can get you?"
While they decided what they were going to drink, Morgana let her eyes wander over them. They were so loving towards each other that she couldn't help but smile tenderly at them. A few minutes later she returned with their drinks – a pumpkin spice tea for Snow and a coke for David.
"So… are you enjoying working here at Granny's?" Snow asked, taking a sip from her tea.
"I am. Everyone is just so nice. I will never forget what Emma did for me."
"We're very proud of her. She has a big heart," David muttered.
"How is she, by the way? I haven't seen her today," –
"She's okay, enjoying a little bit of the fleeting peace Storybrooke has to offer and… life as a newlywed," Snow answered, unaware of the fact that Morgana had just blatantly lied to them.
"That's right. I heard she recently got married to…" Morgana's voice trailed off as she held in a smirk. This was going exactly the way she wanted, "…I believe his name is… Hook?"
"His actual name is Killian Jones. But he's also known as Captain Hook, yes," David explained.
"I never really heard of him in my land. He used to be a pirate, right?"
"He did. But thankfully he has changed his ways. He's a good man now," – as soon as the 'now' left Snow's mouth, Morgana's smile instantly vanished from her face, her mouth set in a hard line.
"Forgive me for my forwardness," - Morgana changed the subject - "but I am curious: how do Snow White and Prince Charming feel about having Captain Hook as their son-in-law?" - at Morgana's question, Snow and Charming exchanged a knowing look. That probably wasn't the first time someone had asked them that question.
"We focus on the present," Snow started talking, "Killian is the man our daughter loves. And he loves her back and makes her happy."
"As parents that's the only thing that matters." David added, "and he's also proven many times before that he's a changed man and deserves to have someone who loves him as much as Emma does."
"He has definitely taken a liking to him, in case you couldn't tell," Snow said in a fake whisper to Morgana, who laughed at the princess's attempt to tease her husband.
"Easy now, I'm just trying to be fair," David warned her, pouring more coke into his glass.
"I'm glad… The world could use more forgiving and welcoming people such as you two," Morgana's words were sincere as her mouth curved into a smile. She truly couldn't have been luckier, she thought to herself.
Coming home after a long day at work had never felt better. Henry had decided to order Chinese take-out and Emma had skipped cooking dinner, something she would always be thankful for.
After making sure Henry's head was now lice free, Emma and Killian wished him a good night and went up to their bedroom. Picking up one of the books she had borrowed from the library earlier that day, Emma put it on her nightstand before going through her closet to pick the clothes she would be wearing on the next day. When she was going through her sweaters, her phone buzzed with a text message.
"Dinner tomorrow night? Please bring your chocolate mousse! Xoxo," Emma smiled at the screen. Ashley's obsession with her chocolate mousse was never not going to be funny. The truth is she had to admit her chocolate mousse was pretty great, even though that was probably the only thing she cooked or baked that tasted amazing.
"Ashley's inviting us for dinner tomorrow. Is that okay with you?" Emma shouted so that Killian could hear her. He was currently on the bathroom, doing his daily routine before going to bed.
"Sure," he replied as he flushed the toilet.
At Killian's approval, Emma started texting Ashley back, letting her know they would definitely go and she would make the chocolate mousse Ashley loved so much.
"Bloody hell," - the bathroom's closed door muffled Killian's slight groan, but Emma still heard it.
"Are you okay?" Emma called out, as she moved towards the closed door.
"Aye," Killian answered but he didn't sound too convincing, a hint of frustration in his voice that Emma caught right away. Throwing her phone on the mattress, Emma warned him she was going to come in.
"What's wrong?" she asked him as she saw him standing in front of the toilet, his bare ass turned to her.
"It's only a small cut, love," he replied, turning around with his flaccid penis in his hand, letting her know the cut was there.
"How did that happen?" she wondered as her eyes darted down to his member.
"I've no clue. I am quite certain this wasn't here this morning," he added, remembering their illicit activities on the emergency exit stairs.
"Can I?" – with this being the first time she was going to be touching his penis for entirely non-sexual reasons, she felt the need to ask for his permission. Something he clearly found amusing, judging by the smirk that suddenly formed on his face.
"I will never deny you access to my penis, Swan," - she gave him a look, before she bent over him, gently touching his penis. When she carefully pulled the foreskin back, she spotted a small cut just below the head.
"Yeah, it's cut. Does it hurt?"
"Slightly."
"I could try to magic it away, but we don't know why it's there, it could be something serious," she told him, concern filling her voice, "You need to see a doctor."
"I don't think that's necessary, love, it's only a tiny –"
"You're seeing a doctor tomorrow, Killian."
"My love, it's a small cut in an otherwise immense area," he joked as he put his dirty underwater in the wicker laundry basket, "I will live."
"Sometimes small things can be a sign of serious issues. No, you need to have someone check that out."
"Swan…" he sighed in protest, watching her leave the bathroom.
"Is this because of your fear of hospitals?" she asked him, knowing very well how much he had always hated to even get in the hospital, even though he had never admitted he absolutely loathed going there.
"I'm a pirate, I'm not afraid of anything."
"Really, you're pulling that card on me? We're way past that, buddy," she chuckled, folding her arms across her chest.
"I wouldn't call it fear, love. I'm simply not fond of the place, particularly its rather distinguishing smell," he mumbled, following her into the bedroom as naked as the day he was born.
"Okay, we don't have to go to the Storybrooke General Hospital if you don't want to," she said as her eyes traveled up and down his naked form, distracting her momentarily. She had always loved looking at his naked self. Even when he wasn't sporting an erection he was simply beautiful, "we could go to this private clinic I used to go to in Boston. It's really good, it smells a lot nicer and nobody knows you there so the whole town wouldn't immediately know about your… injury."
"I still think this offers no concern," - he's now going through his underwear drawers, taking out his favorite black trunks and preparing to put them on.
"No, don't wear those," Emma warns him and he frowns at her in confusion, "wear boxers."
"I may as well not wear a thing, they're very loose and provide no support."
"Which is exactly why you should wear them. You're hurt, wearing tight underwear may make it worse," – that seemed to convince him. Smiling at her thoughtfulness, Killian put the trunks back in the drawer and pulled out some boxers instead.
"See," he started talking in a low voice as he approached her by the closet and hugged her from behind, dropping soft kisses on neck, "why would I need to go to the hospital when I have such a marvelous and caring wife who is always so concerned about my penis' well-being?"
"Your well-being."
"But you cannot deny you're partial to the penis," he insists in between kisses.
"You cannot deny that you're trying to get in my pants for the second time today to see if I let the hospital thing go."
"Is it working?"
"No," she laughs as she playfully swats him away, "and even if it was, we can't have sex with you like this."
"Why not?"
"It will hurt you and the friction could make it worse. So no sex until you're healed," – she casually said, paying close attention to him and trying not to laugh when his face suddenly dropped at her words, his eyes rolling in annoyance, "but you know… if you went to a doctor, he'd probably prescribe you something that would accelerate your recovery..." she suggested with fake innocence.
"Very cunning, Swan. I am aware of what you are trying to accomplish here, pirate."
"Is it working?"
Killian playfully glared at her, knowing that she had clearly won this exchange. He'd rather go to a doctor and be able to have sex than to skip the doctor but be celibate for an undetermined period of time. Not when his wife was Emma Swan.
"Good. First thing in the morning I'll call the clinic in Boston," - she pecked him on the lips as he put on his plaid flannel pajama pants.
"And what exactly will they do to me?" Killian asks her, getting under the covers as Emma walks to the bathroom.
"A doctor will look at it and examine it."
"Sounds truly delightful."
"Hey, is this a first for you?" - she emerged back in the room, her toothbrush in hand.
"Aye. I don't recall ever sustaining such an injury."
"It can't be an STD," she said before going back to the bathroom, "we've taken care of that when we started sleeping together and we were both clean."
"Don't fret, Swan. I'm fairly certain it's nothing."
She didn't respond right away, the sounds of her brushing her teeth coming from the bathroom door next to her side of the bed. While he waited for her to return, Killian picked up one of his books from the nightstand, flipping through it.
"First Henry with the lice, now you with this. What more will happen? We really can't catch a break in this place, can we?" – he heard her among the sound of the water running in the sink – "Magic sucks."
She then left the bathroom, turning the lights off and closing the door behind her. Her hair was in a loose bun and she was wearing her horn-rimmed black glasses, which meant she was planning on reading. Killian already knew that she were her contact lenses during the whole and only put her glasses on when she either wanted to read before bed or when she had to work at home. A part of him wished she would wear them more often, enjoying how they reminded him of Emma's younger self, a version of Emma he had never met.
"There are worse things than magic, Swan," he said as he pulled the covers up for her, inviting her to join him, "I have dealt with plenty of hardships in my life and a great deal of those had little to do with magic."
"Do you want to talk about it?" – Killian's features had suddenly gained a melancholic look and Emma could easily tell that he was referring to painful moments of his past. She rested her head on his t-shirt covered chest as she waited for him to answer. She always loved to know more details about his centuries old life, but opening up to her about it was ultimately his decision and she was going to respect it. If he wanted to share more of his past with her, he would do it on his own time and when he felt ready to do it.
He kept silent for a while, his gaze fixed on the end of the bed as his jaw muscle twisted, until he finally spoke, "I found myself thinking about my mother this morning. I seldom do whenever I see you and Henry, and how your love for him is written in your eyes," – he then turned to look at her, a brittle smile falling from his lips - "I do wish I could be like your boy and have beautiful reminders of my mother, of how much she loved me."
Emma's heart broke at his words and how his soft smile was nothing but an attempt to hide the anguish that had never left him. She already knew about the mother who had abandoned Killian, Liam and their father long before the two boys had been sold into servitude. Killian had only been two years old when she fled, but he had never shared much more than that.
"I don't even have any memories of her," he continued, "all the images I have conjured up in my mind are based on what Liam and my father told me about her," – images of a lively young woman who had always desired her freedom more than she had desired a family - "But I do remember one question that kept plaguing me: why?"
Emma nodded at him, her fingers gently caressing his chest, trying to comfort him as most as possible. She knew better than anyone that there was nothing she could say that would make the pain in his heart go away, but reminding him that he wasn't alone now did help. She never had many memories of the Peters, what with being so young when they sent her back to the foster system, but she had looked them up while she worked as a bail bonds person. Just like Killian, she had grown up with that question in the back of her mind: why had her parents abandoned her, why had the Peters given her up?
"I'm so sorry" she finally said, pressing a kiss to his cheek, but Killian still seemed enthralled by his own thoughts.
"And despite everything, I remember growing up and still being concerned about her because I did not want to believe she had willingly left us behind."
"You didn't want her to be capable of doing it."
"Aye. But time proved me wrong – she never came back. No magic involved. She simply decided we weren't worth it," he mumbled, welcoming resting his head against Emma's when she dropped her head on his shoulder.
"Have you ever tried to find her?"
"No. There was a letter, she wrote it before she left," he answered, before he scoffed and then shook his head, "she didn't even care to mention me or Liam, all too concerned about making it clear that the invitation to be a servant in the king's court was far too irresistible for her to decline."
Emma thought about how hard that must've been for him and wondered if his despise for kings and royalty also had to do with the fact that his mother left him to join the court instead, but Killian was pouring his heart and now wasn't the right time to bring that up.
"I only knew about its existence after Liam passed away. I found it hidden in one of his drawers. I suppose he didn't want me to ever read it, to protect me."
"It sounds like something he would do," she said, managing to put a sincere smile on Killian's face. She knew how protecting his little brother had always been Liam's main goal.
"Aye," Killian said, melancholy taking over his voice as they fell into a comfortable silence. Emma was the only person he would ever share these feelings with and he was grateful by how caring and supportive she always was. No matter how much he had suffered in the past, he was grateful that he now had a family and that they would never be alone again.
"Thank you," she said in a tender voice as she kissed his cheek, "you are a wonderful man. And I love you."
"I love you too," – his nose and eyes crinkled before he booped her glasses with his hook - "especially when you have those glasses on."
Emma just laughed in response, "really, why? They're so ugly!"
"They make you look like the Emma I envision in my mind whenever you share tales of your past."
"Oh, so the glasses do to you what your ponytail does to me," she states and he suddenly furrows his brows at her before she clarifies, "c'mon, ever since you told me about your Lieutenant days I can't picture you any other way."
"I'll have you know that lasted for a very short period of my life."
"Still long enough for me to never let it go."
"That ponytail is certainly something that magic could have decimated for all eternity," he pointed out, wishing that he had never worn the bloody thing.
"Okay, I get your point: magic doesn't suck."
"It doesn't have to," he said, his fingers toying with the strap of her tank top, "the truth, love, is that not all taxing and unpleasant events can be blamed on magic."
"I know. People don't need magic to be complete assholes."
"Indeed. That's why thoughts and threats that make you feel utterly powerless and concerned over the welfare of those you love will always be on your way, regardless of which realm you are in," he murmured, finishing his thoughts from earlier.
"Yeah, if it's not a grown-up baby trying to kill me, it's a cut in my husband's dick or parasites in my son's hair," she scoffed as she rearranged herself on her seat on the bed, her ass starting to hurt from being in the same position.
"Both enough to make you distressed. Which reminds me, shouldn't your appointment with the cricket take priority over my visit to the doctor?"
"No, you need to check that as soon as possible. I wasn't going to see Archie tomorrow anyway."
"As you wish," – Killian watched her taking off her glasses, maybe she had given up on reading, after all – "So this means I will finally get acquainted with the town you used to live in…"
"Yeah, I think you'll like it," Emma said, turning off the lamp on her side and laying down on the bed, "I've always preferred it to New York. It's smaller and cozier."
"I enjoyed New York," Killian retorted, following Emma and turning off his lamp as well, the bedroom plunging into darkness.
"Oh crap!" Emma exclaimed, turning the lamp on and picking her phone up from the nightstand, "I need to tell Ashley we can't make it to dinner tomorrow. We may have to spend the night in Boston depending on when the appointment is."
"As much as I appreciate Ashley and Thomas' company, I definitely approve this sudden turn of events," Killian hinted, a suggestive grin on his face before an exasperated sigh escaped his lips, "if it weren't for my injury, that is."
Enchanted Forest – 238 years ago
It had been months since Anne and Calypso had met, the pond becoming the place where they secretly met. They enjoyed any time they could spend together and tried to find new things to do together. Sometimes they would trek down the woods, collecting all sorts of uncommon tree leafs, but today Anne had suggested they tried to swordfight, pointing at two pointy tree sticks.
"I prefer the stones game," Calypso hissed as a happy Anne bashed her fake sword against Calypso's, "you are very good at this."
"I should be. One of my father's guards has been teaching me since I'm little."
"A future pirate has to know how to wield a sword…"
Then, when Anne was about to poke her stick in Calypso's stomach, her wood sword broke down in two before it could even touch Calypso.
"Whoa!" Anne shrieked, eyes widening as she looked at the broken stick on the ground, "How did you do that?"
"I… I don't know. I just thought about it really hard and then it happened," Calypso replied, but her voice was barely audible as she stared at her own hands, dropping her stick without even noticing, "please don't stop being my friend! I won't hurt you."
Anne didn't understand what had suddenly gotten into Calypso, but her voice was trembling and her eyes were looking everywhere, almost as if she was looking for places to hide.
"Why would I stop being your friend?" Anne said in her calmest voice, "because you have magic?"
"My parents are always scared that I will hurt them. They don't tell me but I know they wished they could change that about me."
"I don't know why, I think it's wonderful you have magic," – Calypso's mouth gaped open at Anne's honesty. The thought that someone could even think that having magic was a good thing was so rare that she didn't even know how else to react – "And I already knew about it. I saw you turning that boy's legs into a fin."
"I didn't mean to do that. I don't know how I did it," Calypso lamented.
"Why? It served him right."
"He did look funny," Calypso agreed as they both started laughing, "please, don't tell anyone that I can do these things. Please."
"I won't, I promise. You're my best friend, Calypso."
Calypso smiled at her in response, happy not only to have finally found someone that wasn't afraid of her and everything she did, but also a best friend. Perhaps her life could be different from now on.
Storybrooke – Present Day
It was already past ten when Snow and Charming left Granny's, baby Neal already fast asleep in the baby carrier on David's chest. When they were about to walk past the bakery to get to the truck, they spotted a female figure standing still a few meters ahead of them, the light from the street lamp casting a shadow on the sidewalk.
"Ethel?" Snow whispered as soon as they reached the woman, recognizing her from earlier, "What are you doing here? Do you need a ride home?"
Ethel seemed surprised to see them, slightly startled at their presence, "Hi. Uh, no, thank you. I… I'm just waiting for Scott."
Snow and Charming waited for her to elaborate, but she didn't say anything else, smiling awkwardly at them instead.
"Okay, good night then!" Snow exclaimed and David nodded at Ethel before getting in the truck.
Ethel sighed in relief as she heard the engine starting, the truck a mere spot in the distance in a couple of seconds.
"Oh, there they go," - Scott joined her in watching Snow and Charming driving away - "I had to go to the bathroom and lost track of them for a moment."
"Forget about them," Ethel scolded him, rolling her eyes at his stupidity, "how is she doing?"
"I didn't notice anything unusual."
"Good. I want you to keep your eyes on her. I will not let her ruin everything. Not again."
