Penance is a Sacrifice

Chapter Four

Later that night, Emma spoke with her mother about her vision of her father being attacked, while David and Killian talked separately and played on the living room floor with Neal in Emma's and Killian's home as they all waited for Regina and Henry to arrive too. While Snow showed her concern for her husband as she turned her head to look over at him, the Princess returned her attention to Emma and assured her daughter David would be alright despite her own fear she might be wrong if they didn't find the threat before Emma's vision occurred.

However, the week of the Prince's birthday passed by and in that time, Emma had two more visions, although neither showed her much more than what she'd seen before in the first one. They failed to reveal who David was meant to fight against and they ended each time with her father being temporarily blinded when sand was thrown in his face.

The only differences was that she could finally see some sort of knives were used as David fought his attacker, and she somehow sensed whoever it was would succeed when she saw one of the blades enter her father's lower right hand side despite the images still being broken up into fragments.

True to his word, Killian kept a close eye on her father for her as he stuck close with him while David taught him the duties of being sheriff which included how to use the law enforcement database on their computers within the station. A task which for a two hundred year old pirate proved to be quite challenging like all technology.

Finally, the evening of David's birthday celebration came and everyone who lived in Storybrooke gathered together within the largest meeting room at Town Hall to wish the Prince happy birthday. There was plenty of food prepared by Granny, who had help from the fairies and a few other volunteers, and there was music for people to dance to as well.

Henry spent most of the evening with Violet as they danced and talked about school and an essay they had been assigned to write for a school project. Meanwhile, Regina talked with Zelena, Granny, Marco and August, and Archie about possible plans for the future of their town and themselves. Across the room, Emma and Killian, Snow and David, Belle and Gold, as well as Blue, Grumpy, and Doc all stood together while they talked amongst each other about tonight's festivities and past birthdays celebrated since the first dark curse had been broken.

"So Hook… all of us here have pretty much celebrated our birthdays in some capacity or another, except for maybe Gold's too, but I don't think we've never celebrated yours," Grumpy said mockingly at some point within the middle of their conversation. "Why is that? And just exactly how old are you?"

"Leroy?!" Snow immediately retorted on account of one of her closest friends asking her son in law such an impertinent question so bluntly. "That's a little personal, don't you think?"

Killian, while grateful to Snow for her convening on his behalf, looked over at her and smiled as he responded, "It's all right. It's a fair question. However, the truth is that I can't answer it. I honestly don't know. I know I've lived for well over two hundred years thanks to Neverland. I had my own ways of keeping track of how long I remained trapped there because of Pan and my thirst for vengeance."

He quickly glanced over at Gold, who made no face of contempt or scowl, then the Captain continued, "But I… I never knew when I was born. My mother died before I could know her. And my father… My father took her death pretty hard and we had nothing growing up. We had to steal what little we could to survive. My brother's and mine's birthdays were never thought of. And then we were… we were sold. Into servitude and as you would imagine there was no celebrating after that either. I'm sorry, but… would you all excuse me?"

"Killian…?" Emma whispered worryingly when her husband stepped around her and walked away from everyone upon feeling discomfort rise in the pit of his stomach, as she saw the look of sadness cross his face on account of the bad memories being dredged up.

"I'm sorry," the dwarf who started the conversation genuinely stated when Emma turned her head around again to glare at him. "Honestly, I am. I meant that… as a joke maybe. I asked it out of fun. I had no idea how tragic his past was."

The Savior shook her head and put down her drink she was holding, then started to go after the man she loved, until David gently laid his hand over his daughter's shoulder to stop her while he spoke again saying, "Let me go after him. We've been talking a lot this week. He might feel a little more comfortable continuing to do so. Don't worry, Emma. I'll see to it he's okay."

Emma quickly hugged her father as she answered, "Thank you, Dad."

"Is… everything okay?" Archie asked in concern when he, Regina, and Henry walked over to find out what was wrong upon seeing their friend leave, followed closely by the Prince whom they were all there that night in honor of. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I'm not sure right now," Kilian's wife replied sternly when she turned back to face the rest of her family and their friends. "Dad's with Killian right now. We dredged up his painful past when Grumpy asked him about his birthday. I should have thought to ask him about this a long time ago so this wouldn't have happened. But I didn't."

Snow rubbed her daughter's back while she responded, "You had no way of knowing this would happen, Emma. And even if you had asked him, being asked by anyone else would have still hurt him even if you could have interfered before he could answer."

Emma sighed, then answered, "You're right. It would have."

"Don't worry about it, Leroy," she added when she turned her head to look over at their friend again. "You couldn't have known either. And I know you didn't mean anything by it. So does he. Why don't you all go back to having a good time. Dad and Killian will be back soon and everything's going to be like nothing ever happened… I hope."

"We all do, honey," Snow replied quietly, though she was just as worried about Killian and her husband like her daughter was.

While Emma was grateful for her mother's and father's assurances, she was hardly comforted. She just wished she had had the sense to cut Leroy off before he could open his mouth. But that wasn't all that was bothering her. Emma realized during this conversation that she never had thought to find out herself when her husband's birthday was so she could celebrate it with him, even if it was just the two of them.

Unfortunately, despite her current concerns, she had no idea something much worse was about to occur. Emma didn't forget about her visions completely, but her thoughts about them didn't cross her mind either. At least not until later when another came on again as the attack at last occurred.