Definitely wanted to get this out before sunday and we see how things work 'for real'
Awash (Part 3)
Awash: Still afloat, but sailing so low in the water that sea washes over the surface of the deck.
"But if I lose..."
"I won't be left behind again, Swan. Not this time."
When the pumps finally stopped Emma pulled away and Killian sighed, "Are you sure you want to try again, Swan?"
"I have to."
"I wish I could kiss you ... for luck," he said with a small smile.
"Me too," she responded without thinking; then, as if realizing she had spoken aloud, she flushed crimson and vanished from his arms.
Dropping his head back in frustration, he groaned. Life had gotten significantly more difficult since she learned to do that.
Pulling himself to his feet he returned topside watching Emma pace back and forth on the distant dock. He tried to quell his own nerves but his mind kept drifting to less than pleasant places her next jump could take her. Deep into the depths of the sea or high above him, she could end up half way through the bloody deck for all he knew. She vanished, appearing a moment later on the bow of the ship facing him with eyes closed. She didn't open her eyes, as if afraid to look, so Killian took his opportunity to scoop her up into his arms bridal style and spin her around crying "That's my lass!"
His injuries protested at the strain and he set her down again, hoping she didn't notice. She didn't, she was too distracted by her success. "I want to do it again!" She cried and before he could respond she was zipping back and forth until she made herself slightly dizzy and needed to stop.
A few minutes later Killian held his hand out to her. "You need to practice taking someone with you?"
Emma's smile fell instantly. "I've never done that..." She bit her lip nervously, "What if I don't bring ... all of you."
"Don't worry love, Henry would love it if I got a peg leg."
Emma smiled half-heartedly and put her hands on his shoulders. Her hands were shaking slightly and Killian raised his right hand to cover hers. "I'm not worried, love."
Emma leaned forward and for a moment Killian almost forgot about the curse... but she turned and kissed his cheek again lightly. "Thank you."
"Don't say goodbye, Emma, we're just going to the dock."
She nodded, familiar determination sparking in her eyes. "To the dock." She squeezed her eyes closed, but Killian kept his open, watching her until darkness took his sight.
In what felt like only a blink of her eyes Emma felt wood under her feet and cracked her eyes open. Killian was beaming at her and she sagged in relief as he laughed, "Once more, Swan, it's unwise to leave a vessel too long without her captain."
She nodded and vanished again. Once back on the ship Killian glanced down, then held up his left arm to Emma. "Forgetting something?" The hook was gone. She glanced back toward the dock and the hook returned to its normal position. Killian smiled, "It appears you're something of an expert now."
"Apparently." Emma responded glancing down as her phone buzzed "We have to do this tonight, now actually."
"You're not going to tell them, are you?"
She didn't respond. She didn't have to.
"What about your parents?"
"They got to make a decision for my best shot. I'm returning the favor." She glanced down at her phone again... "The baby is coming, Killian. Mary Margaret just went into labor. There's been enough children without parents in this town already."
"And Henry?"
"He has more family than he knows what to do with now. If I fail... they'll think of something. I'm going to the hospital, Zelena will probably be there soon. I'll bring her here as quickly as I can."
"I'll be here."
She smiled, "I know." She turned away and then stopped, turning back to him a look of nervousness on her face. The lost girl peaked out at him from behind her walls and she hesitated before speaking. "This is it...I... Killian, tell me you love me?"
He smiled sadly, recognizing a farewell when he saw one.
"I have love, many times."
"I- I want to hear the words."
"I still think you are going to win, Emma, but as you wish. Somewhere between a beanstalk and a cave I fell irrevocably in love with you. Whether or not you ever feel the same way, I will always love you."
She nodded, eyes steely. "Motivation, you said...well here's mine. I want to live through this, Killian. For Henry and my family and for all the things I still want to do. And I want to kiss you, Killian. I want to kiss you until neither of us can see straight and if a green witch stands in my way, I will just have to destroy her."
Killian didn't even get the chance to respond before she disappeared.
Zelena was the one out of her depth, and he was going to enjoy watching her realize it.
Emma arrived at the hospital and all hell was breaking loose. Robin's men were on the ground just starting to stir, Robin was nowhere to be seen. Emma followed the path of destruction to where Robin knelt by a prone Belle.
"Get her out of here, which way am I going?"
He nodded, scooping up the unconscious woman and nodding down a hallway.
From there it was easy to follow the sounds of panic and Emma ran to a room at the end of the hall.
"Zelena," Emma cried.
The Witch glanced up with a smile holding up Emma's little brother. "Would you like to meet your brother, dear? You're a little late." Everyone else in the room was frozen in place.
"Unfreeze Mary Margaret and give her back her son."
"And why would I do that."
"Because for some reason you want that child alive as badly as I do. What harm does it do? If you crush me so easily as you think you will it's easy enough to come back and take the child. But I know that you are going to hurt that boy, so if you try to leave now I will do my best to destroy you. He may be caught in the crossfire. "
Zelina seemed to ponder for a moment before she waved her hand at Mary Margaret.
"Would you mind holding him, dear, while I kill your daughter?"
Mary Margaret clasped the baby tightly eyes wide and horrified and started to move forward but Zelena waved a hand in her direction again, freezing her back in place.
"Such well-behaved puppets," She taunted, taking a step toward Emma. Zelena reached out to clasp Emma's throat in green-gloved hands and Emma panicked, almost forgetting what she had to do. She had never gone so far, what if she missed? What if she landed in the ballast again? Zelina stopped her breath closing her airways with a tight grip and Emma remembered the dark of the ballast tank ... cold water pressing in on her, her lungs screaming for oxygen. She tried to breathe, but Zelena's grip was too tight. All this planning and Zelina was going to win because she was afraid of drowning? Not likely. Closing her eyes Emma thought of the docks, of the boat and finally of him.
Suddenly she could breathe again. The pressure was released so quickly that she fell to her knees gasping for breath and vision swimming. She heard a splash, felt water under her hands and knees and then she was lifted to her feet again.
"No time to rest, love, time to move."
Zelena laughed. "This is your plan, dear? Well I'm afraid to tell you I'm not afraid of a little water. You've miscalculated greatly."
Killian pulled out his sword and stepped in front of Emma while she caught her breath.
"Ah, yes, the brave pirate, who keeps trying to be the hero and failing so miserably? You think your little blade is going to do anything to me?" Zelina began to circle them, eyes venomous.
"Why don't you come over here and find out?" Killian spat back at her.
Zelina waved her hand at Hook, who raised his eyebrows. "Problem, Love?"
"Not at all," Zelina responded quickly, but Hook laughed.
"Sure? You look a little concerned."
Zelina stepped forward hand raised striding toward Killian, nothing happened until she was no more than a step or two in front of him. Then he felt himself pushed backwards, as though by a repulsive magnet until he slammed into the side of the control room. It probably wouldn't have hurt ...if it didn't manage to put pressure on exactly the same place he had been thrown into the wall the previous day.
"You're a clever boy," Zelena muttered.
"Hardly a boy!"
"Oh but you are, you're a little boy who thought he had me figured out. So I can't freeze you in place when I get too close to the water...what difference does that make, mate? I don't mind killing you close up. Besides, I don't think you've thought this through thoroughly. Have you considered what else we could change if I win...what else we could...tweak?"
A moment later Killian was released from the wall by a burst of white light, falling forward with a splash onto the deck just in time to avoid a fireball flying by his head. Looking for the source of the attack Zelina turned and saw Regina armed and ready with another fireball. "Did you really think I would let you deal with her yourself, Miss. Swan... this is something of a family affair."
"This whole town is a family affair," Emma grumbled.
"Nice timing, darlin', but if you could possibly avoid incinerating my ship and my person I would be much obliged."
"Don't make me regret saving you pirate," Regina commented irritably.
"Actually, I think you just tried to kill me. Thank you Swan." He moved away from the wall as he spoke, watching with a smirk as Zelena's eyes flicked back and forth between them.
"Details," Regina grumbled.
"I'm with Regina, I'm still not always sure I shouldn't have let the ogre's take you." Emma agreed with a small smile.
"Enough!" Zelina screamed, eyes manic, "enough, with your inane prattle. I am going to change the laws of magic, return things to the way things should have been! Do you even understand what that means!?"
"Oh yes," Emma commented, shifting away from Regina and forcing Zelena to glance back and forth between her and Regina now. "It means you're just like every other foster kid I've ever met, whining about how things should have been. You think I haven't heard that before?"
Zelena turned back towards Killian who was now moving towards her. "You've chosen the wrong side, pirate. They'll never accept you, you are only a pirate to them. What if you could change that? A small detour to prevent your brother from falling victim to the dreamshade?"
Killian faltered, lowering his blade ever so slightly and Emma stepped forward, "Shut up."
Zelina ignored her and continued, "Or perhaps you would like a chance to destroy the Dark One, before he has a chance to take your precious Milah? You could destroy him before he even marries her, if you prefer. Would you like that? You could be her one and only."
In a flash of sudden movement, Killian lunged at Emma, twisting behind her and placing the sharpened edge of his hook to her throat. Zelena took the opportunity to turn towards Regina, dodging a fireball before getting close enough to freeze her in place.
"Don't try anything naughty or I will take your throat with me across the ship," Killian said coldly.
"Killian? Please, what are you-"
"Do be quiet, Emma. The grown-ups need to talk." Emma ground her teeth as the sharpened point pressed into her throat. "So if I remove her magic, you will help me get them back? My brother ... my Milah?" His voice broke slightly on her name and for a moment Emma felt a flash of pain in her own heart.
"Why not," Zelena said with a small laugh.
"You're forgetting one detail," Emma said darkly, "what the hell makes you think I'm going to kiss you."
"Oh, I don't plan on giving you a choice, darling." He lifted the handcuffs from her jacket pocket slowly. "Do me the favor of putting your hands behind you, that's a good girl, wouldn't want to make a mess on this ship. It isn't mine, after all." He clasped the cuffs around her wrist with a smirk. "Oh don't look so put out, my pet, I know you've always liked them."
"On you," Emma spat.
"Maybe next time," he growled, glancing up at Zelena again "Now...I'm something of an expert on exacting revenge on those who've wronged me. If I take her Magic, and you betray me, I will find a way to destroy you."
The witch shrugged nonchalantly, "I'm changing the laws of magic, we can change whatever we like. If you go back for your Milah before she marries the imp then Henry ceases to exist, you remember. Or if you kill him Regina never learns to use her magic. I win, either way."
Killian nodded, moving slowly around Emma until he was facing her, his back to Zelena. "Are you ready for a magical moment, Emma?"
Emma turned her face away and Hook tightened his grip on her, reaching up with his good hand to clasp her jaw tightly. Zelena laughed as he leaned forward, and suddenly a pulse of brilliant white light shot into the sky, exploding like falling stars before fading into darkness.
"Damn you," Emma hissed, pulling her head away as Hook released his grip on her jaw and resumed his position behind her.
"What would you have me do with her now that she's defanged," Hook inquired, pushing Emma in front of him towards a gleeful Zelena, keeping his hook tight to her throat. "If you've no objection I would like to spend some...quality time with her tonight in these restraints ... you know, before she ceases to exist."
Emma's face contorted into a look of disgust.
"Do as you will with her, but do it quickly. You don't have all night."
"Don't need all night."
Zelena laughed again closing the remaining distance between herself and Emma with a single step. "Enjoy your evening, Savior."
Suddenly a pulse of green light exploded through the ship and Zelena stumbled backwards.
"You don't mind if I borrow this for the occasion, do you?" She held Zelena's pendant in her hand handcuffs hanging loosely from her wrist.
"How..." Zelena stuttered, staring up at Killian "You wanted to change the past, you took her magic..."
"I'm just full of surprises, aren't I?"
"YOU!" She leaped forwards toward Killian and Emma and then was suddenly gone in a flash of purple smoke, reappearing with a cry hovering about halfway between the ship and the dock.
"It seems we have another guest to the Storybrooke penal system, Miss. Swan," Regina commented, "How nostalgic." Regina glanced over at Emma, "I thought he was cursed, how did you take the necklace?"
Killian spun Emma toward him so Regina could see their profile before clasping her jaw as he had earlier, using two fingers to cover her lips as he did so. With a flick of Emma's fingers white light erupted into the sky again, eliciting a scream of frustration from Zelena which carried easily over the water.
"You know that probably bruised my neck, pirate," Emma said challengingly.
"I admit, there are far more pleasant ways to come by such an injury."
"and were the handcuffs really necessary?"
"I'll leave that solely to your discretion, darling."
"Must you always be quite so crude?"
"No, but it's highly recommended."
"Oh just shut up," Emma said finally, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply.
Regina groaned, "if you don't mind, I'll get to work on that sleeping curse." She vanished in a haze of purple smoke, taking Zelena with her.
Killian pulled away slightly only to pull Emma closer again in a tight hug.
"When did you know? Was it when I left the cuffs open?"
"Actually, no."
"...you knew, certainly? You weren't fighting hard enough for me to believe the charade to have taken you in."
"You used my name."
"I use your name frequently, Swan."
"No. You called me Emma... You haven't called me Emma since..." she flushed slightly.
"Since Neverland," he finished.
"Would you do it, if you could? When you said her name, you sounded so...I almost thought..."
His brow furrowed, "You can't change the past, love, not without a price. One I'm not willing to pay." His hand drifted to the shoelace at her wrist. "Would you, Swan?"
She was silent for a moment and Killian watched as her hand flew unthinkingly to her necklace. Eventually she shook her head too.
"Who was he?"
"A good man. He gave me a chance, showed me how to...I don't know, put down roots, I guess."
Killian nodded.
They were marked. both of them. Scarred by love and loss and more pain than anyone could be expected to live with. It was beyond reason to expect them to offer themselves up to be crushed again. And yet his thumb brushed her wrist gently and one of her hands still draped over his shoulder. And when his lips drifted down to hers again she wasn't afraid anymore. Because she was strong, and he was steadfast and maybe...just maybe... they were quite the team after all.
AN: So, Did I make you doubt him again, just a tiny but even though everything you've seen so far screams at you that he can be trusted? That was the goal, to put you into Emma's shoes where I think she is at the end of the last episode. I think she still trusts Killian but feels unnervingly like she shouldn't And I wanted to see if I could replicate that feeling in readers. Let me know if it worked?!
