Time for a new chapter, but first, let's just chat for a second.
Today is actually my birthday! It's funny because normally I spend the entire day out doing things with my friends and family, which would mean that I wouldn't have time to post a chapter. But I DO have time today because I'm spending the morning and early afternoon at home since my best friend is at work until 4:30. Then we're doing stuff. But that's ok! I'm fine with staying home. Gives me more time to write and go on twitter and GET TWEETS FROM COLIN O'DONOGHUE.
I KID YOU NOT. HE TWEETED ME BACK LIKE A HALF HOUR AGO AND BLOODY HELL I CAN'T HANDLE THIS INFORMATION. Cause I tweeted him saying that a happy birthday tweet from him would make my life, and I didn't really think it would work. I tweet him all the time. Plus he's probably busy filming or something. But then a minute or so later my phone buzzes and IT IS HIM and HE TWEETED ME HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Ok. I'm ok. Still shaking and I still might cry, but seriously, that's my story...and this is like the best birthday ever.
And so, now I'm here, sharing this next chapter with you. I hope you enjoy it! =)
Family
Chapter 7: Fairy Tales
8 Years Ago
The day was quite like any other, despite the fact that his wife was rushing around the apartment like a mad woman, trying to pack up the last of her things she'd need over the weekend while telling him over and over what number to call if Henry got sick or died or what to do if he lost a tooth. Killian had only laughed, reminding her that their son was only two. There would be no need for the tooth fairy to come during the night, at least not for a couple more years.
"Everything will be fine" he told her, again, as he sat with Henry at the table, casually eating half his son's cheerios. Each time he stole one, the little boy would give him a look of complete and utter betrayal, but all Killian could think about was how this was most certainly his son, especially since he knew he made the same face every time Milah would steal food off of his plate.
She paused for a moment, looking around the kitchen in the middle of her panic, "I know, it's just…I hate leaving you boys. You have all the numbers, right?"
He sighed, slowly standing and moving to wrap his arms around his wife in an embrace, "I promise you, we'll be fine. After all, this isn't the first time we've been left here all alone. If anything, I think we're a little excited, right Henry?" he asked, turning to look at his son, who giggled and yelled "yes!" in response.
Milah's expression softened, "I can see I'm loved" she joked, to which Killian responded with a kiss.
"Of course you are My Dear, now come on. You'd better be going. You still have to pick up Alice and then you have the whole drive before you get there, and you don't want to be late." He grabbed the bag she had packed and slowly ushered her out the door, pausing in the doorway to hand her the duffle and press a final kiss to her lips.
"You'll be alright here alone?"
"When haven't we been?" he joked. "Now go on. Have a good time."
Milah smiled once more, kissing her husband. "I love you" she whispered softly.
"I love you too."
With Milah finally on her way to the bachelorette party with Alice about an hour away, one that would last the whole weekend, Killian could think of no better way to spend the free time with his son than by reading his favorite book. When he had returned to the kitchen, Henry had already finished his cheerios, obviously intent on making sure it was he who at the rest of them and not his father. Killian scooped him up and carried him back to his room, settling the boy on his lap before pulling out the leather bound book.
Milah had found the collection of fairy tales a while back at a rummage sale. It was an odd story to say the least, considering she hadn't even planned on stopping at the small house, but something led her to look through the tables. The first time she passed the books, she apparently had not seen the large leather book sitting on the table. In fact, she swore that it hadn't been there at all. But the second time she passed, just as she was about to leave, the book was suddenly there. She had bought it, of course, figuring that tales such as these would be a great addition to the collection for their son, and now it had ended up being his favorite set of stories, always adorably asking his parents if they would read the "tales" to him.
They started out with the story of Cinderella, about the stepmother and the stepsisters taking over the life of the young girl, all up until she was sent to the royal ball by her fairy godmother, or in this case, Rumpelstiltskin. She danced with the prince and left at midnight, leaving her shoe behind. Killian was just about to read the part about the glass slipper not fitting the stepsisters when the phone rang, undoubtedly Milah checking in already. And it hadn't even been an hour.
"Everything alright?" came her voice instantly at the other end of the line.
Killian looked down at Henry, who looked obviously annoyed at the fact that his father had stopped the story to answer the phone. "We're perfectly fine. Now pay attention to driving and have a nice time. No more calling, and if you do, I'm not going to answer, or at least not until tonight. I'll give a full report then."
A sigh was apparent through the phone, "Alice is driving, but I'm still going to call, you know that, right?"
"Aye, I do. But that doesn't mean we have to answer. Now, if you'll excuse us, your son is quite unhappy about you interrupting our tale time."
"Sorry Henry!" she yelled a little louder in an attempt for her son to hear her through the phone, causing Killian to pull the device away from his ear. "I love you two!"
"And we love you" Killian finished, bringing the phone back to his ear. "Have a nice trip."
The phone call ended and they returned to the story, where Cinderella lived happily ever after with her prince. Before their lunch time they read several other stories, slowly making their way through the book. Killian couldn't help but laugh at the different stories his son would enjoy. In particular, he wasn't too fond of the story of Rumpelstiltskin, at least until the fearsome Captain Hook came in. Then his son's face would light up as he waved his arms about in an attempt to "swordfight."
Following lunch they sat down to watch some movies, and then to color with some of the new crayons Alice had brought over as a birthday present for the young boy. Killian was pretty sure they had just about every color in the book now, including the pink ones with the little sparkles. How coloring with glitter was efficient, he had no idea, but Henry sure seemed to like it.
All throughout the day, the phone continued to ring, but Killian was always certain it was Milah, calling again and again to check in on them. But Killian wasn't about to ruin this odd day off alone with his son. The cruising business had been busy lately, meaning that he wasn't home more than he was, leaving very little time for him to spend with Henry, at least in ways like this. After dinner, the phone rang again, but again he ignored it, instead picking his son back up and carrying him to the bedroom once more, pulling out the book of fairy tales for the second time that day.
They read the story of Peter Pan that evening, much different from the tale Killian remembered reading in school or watching on the Disney film, where Peter was the hero and Hook was the villain. No, here Pan was the evil child, looking for eternal youth. The story was a bit frightening at times, but Henry seemed to like it well enough, just as he did all the other stories.
When the phone rang for what must have been the fifteenth time that day, Killian found himself awoken by it. He must have fallen asleep on the chair, Henry sleeping in his arms. Carefully moving to lay his son down for the night, Killian stood up. If Milah had really been calling all day long, he had better answer at least once. After all, he had promised that he'd give her a report at the end of the day. As he stood, the book of fairy tales landed ungraciously on the floor, but in his rush to catch the phone before it stopped ringing, he left it there.
With a yawn, he reached for the phone, picking it up and giving the customary "hello." It was sort of sarcastic, as he really had figured it was Milah. After all, she would be just about the only person calling at this late hour anyways. What he didn't expect was to hear his best friend on the line instead.
"Jefferson?"
"Killian. Thank god. I've been trying to reach you all day. Something…something's happened."
It was hard to make out the rest of what he was saying, as Killian rushed back to Henry's room, the phone still to his ear as he grabbed a few things so they could leave right away. He didn't like waking his son back up, especially when he was already resting so peacefully, but it wasn't like he had much of a choice. As Jefferson explained what was going on, Killian picked up a few words: Milah, Alice, accident, hospital. He had no clue what was really going on, but he was certain about one thing, he needed to get to the hospital…now.
When they did finally arrive a while later, Henry was still asleep, Killian carrying him in his arms as they walked through the doors of the emergency room. Jefferson was there, waiting for them, alone, having placed Grace with a babysitter earlier in the evening, and he stood when he noticed his friend. He opened his mouth to say something, but slowly closed it again, his eyes closing and head drooping as he shook his head slowly.
Time seemed to move in slow motion as Killian dropped to his knees, tears springing to his eyes as he clutched Henry closer. The boy woke up due to the sudden motion, confused about what was going on, but in a way that Killian was sure only Henry could, he wrapped his little arms around his father's neck, burying his head into Killian's chest.
And just like that, another person Killian Jones loved with all his heart, was gone.
Present Day
The morning felt just about like any other, the sun filtering in through the half open curtains, the sheets of the bed spread around him. The only difference? Emma was lying next to him, or rather half on top of him, her eyes fluttering open as well. "Good morning" she whispered, nestling her nose into the curve of his neck, lightly kissing the skin she found there.
"Morning Love." He tightened his arm around her, his ears picking up on the bustle of the city outside. But in the bedroom itself, all was quiet. They sat there for a while longer, tangled up in each other, until Emma spoke quietly.
"Tell me about her." Her fingers found the tattoo that was imprinted on his right arm, lightly running them over it. She had seen it before, many times, but never asked him about it. It was an intricate tattoo, a heart with a knife running through it. No, not a knife, more like a dagger. Underneath in delicate font was the name Emma already knew well: Milah.
"What do you want to know" Killian asked, pressing a light kiss to her forehead.
She sighed, "I don't know, just anything about her."
Killian slowly closed his eyes, breathing deeply before continuing, "She had dark hair and these striking eyes, but that's not what I loved about her. I loved her spirit. She never wanted to give up, on anything. On anyone. She wanted to travel, to see the world and everything in it. Milah wanted to experience it all, but she never got to."
Emma knew how hard it was for him to talk about her, because it would be the same way if someone asked her to talk about someone from her past. But here he was, baring his heart for her, the same way he had done time and time again. They were both silent for a while before Emma shifted so her back was against his chest, her head resting on his shoulder as he stretched her arm out. Slowly moving the shoelace that sat there, she revealed a tattoo of her own.
"I got it when I had just turned 18, mostly as a reminder that I was finally an adult and could do whatever I wanted, but partly because this guy I was with suggested it. Said it was a better idea than going off and wasting money on lottery tickets or smoking or alcohol. Now I kind of wish I had picked the booze."
Slowly, he reached his hand out to catch her wrist, his thumb running lightly over the flower inked there. "Did he hurt you?" Killian asked quietly.
She shook her head, "No, not really. Emotionally, yes. Physically? No."
They felt into silence again, his thumb continuing to rub reassuring circles over her wrist. "I wish I could have met her" Emma says finally, snuggling closer to his warm body.
"I don't" Killian says easily, and it shocks her enough for her to turn to look up at him.
"Why?"
He sighs, "Emma, I loved Milah more than anything in the world. But there is no universe where she would be able to live and I would be able to meet you. Having you here…" Killian continued, taking a moment to pause, "It's like she's giving me a second chance. Like she's giving Henry one too."
Emma smiles before rolling on top of him once more, straddling his hips. She knows all too well about second chances. Taking his face into her hands, thumbs running over his cheekbones and eyes searching his, she simply says "I love you. You know that, right?"
"I know" he rattles off with a smirk, causing Emma to hit him on the shoulder.
"Really Killian? Han Solo?"
"Couldn't resist" Killian replies, rolling them over so he's on top of her, his lips peppering kisses over her face before moving down to her neck. "But just for the record," he says with a whisper in her ear, "I love you too."
As he moves further down her body, Emma lets out a long sigh, her grin growing wider. "I know Killian. I know."
~K&E~
Emma was just sitting down with her dinner on her couch, ready to watch The Princess Bride, when the phone rang. She sighed, setting her food back on the coffee table and reaching over to grab the handless phone, noticing the number immediately and answering with a smile, "Hello Killian."
"Emma, thank God you're home" he rattled off, and she could instantly tell that he was frazzled and frantic, not unlike what he was like when he left Neverland because Henry had broken his arm. "I got a call in today for a private cruise on short notice and I can't really turn them down because they're offering triple our normal rate, but Jefferson and Grace aren't home and Regina is off visiting Robin on tour and Henry can't stay here by himself and…"
"Woah Woah, slow down" Emma said, trying to calm the man on the other end of the line. She stood from the couch, grabbing her food with her free hand and bringing it back to the kitchen, placing it in a Tupperware bowl and throwing it in the fridge for some other night. "I'd be happy to stay with Henry. I have a night off anyways."
She could hear Killian sigh into the phone, "Thank God. I owe you one."
"I'm sure you can find a way to make it up to me" Emma smiled, knowing he would get the hint. "I'll be there soon."
~K&E~
Emma arrived at the apartment with just enough time for Killian to give her a quick kiss and a thank you before running out the door. She laughed as she shut the door behind her, making her way to the living room, where Henry, already in his pajamas, was held up on the couch playing a video game.
"You're awful quiet."
"Not quiet" he replied, his eyes never leaving the screen, "concentrating. I finally reached level 23" he pointed out as if it were the most obvious reason in the world as to why he was so intent on the game. Slowly, Emma walked around the couch, taking off her shoes as she did so.
"Mind if a fifth level wizard joins you?"
Henry let out a laugh, "On level 23? Good luck."
They played for a while, side by side, until Emma knew that she wasn't going to be a help any longer. Henry was right. A fifth level wizard on level 23? No way. "You know, I never thanked you for what you did last week."
Henry glanced at her briefly, "What do you mean?"
Emma grinned despite the awkwardness. How do you thank your boyfriend's ten year old son for giving you the weekend to yourselves? That's not normal. "Just, for setting up the whole weekend thing."
"All part of Operation Cobra" he responded quickly, hitting pause on the game. "Grace and I have been working on this for years, so it's nice that Dad finally has someone he trusts. I just want him to be happy, and it sure seems to me that he's happy when he's got you around."
"Well I'm happy I could help, because to be honest, you guys both make me happier than I can remember being in years." Henry smiled at her and then went silent, lips turning back down as he seemed to stare off into blank space. "Hey, what is it?"
"I know my Dad was really happy with my mom, and when she died he took it really hard. I don't remember her much, mostly just a few moments and the pictures that are around here, along with the stories everyone tells me. A lot went on after her death, and I don't think Dad has ever been able to move on, that is until now. But the thing is, sometimes I can't help but wonder if my parents moved on too. Like my real parents. Did they have another kid? Did they break up? Are they out there somewhere?"
A wave of guilt washed over Emma. She hadn't brought up the idea of Henry being her son in quite some time, but she was one of those people regardless. She had given her son up for adoption, whether or not it was the same boy sitting in front of her, and she couldn't help but feel a bit responsible for his unhappiness.
"It's not that I don't love my life, and not that I'm not thankful for the parents I was given" he continued, "but it's just hard sometimes, you know? I've never been alone in my life, but you still feel that way sometimes, and I don't want Dad to feel like that."
Slowly, Emma nodded her head, putting a gentle hand on Henry's shoulder, causing him to look at her. "I do understand. I don't know if your Dad told you this or not, but I was an orphan too. I was only a few hours old when my parents abandoned me on the side of a road in Maine. I never found them. I've asked the same questions my whole life."
Suddenly, his face grew brighter, "one second. Stay here" he commanded her before rushing off to his bedroom, returning a moment later with a giant leather bound book. "This is my fairy tale book" Henry explained to her, resuming his position on the couch and opening it to one of the pages. It was well worn, obviously a very old and often read book, "My mom got it for me when I was really little. She found it at a rummage sale and ever since it's been my favorite book. Dad would read it to me when I was little, and I learned to read from some of the easier stories, working my way up to the more difficult stuff."
"You've read this entire book?" Emma asked, running her fingers over the edge, letting the hundreds of pages flip through her fingertips.
"Multiple times over, yeah" Henry laughed. "Like I said, it's my favorite. But that's not the point. You see, whenever I think about my birth parents, there's one story in here that makes me feel better about it. You probably know like half the story already, but this isn't just any old fairy tale book. The stories are kind of weird."
Emma raised an eyebrow, a habit she was starting to pick up from Killian, "What do you mean?"
"Well," Henry said, flipping through the pages until he found the exact one he wanted, "you probably know the story of Snow White and Prince Charming, but I bet you don't know about their daughter."
Emma laughed, "They have a daughter?"
"Yep, at least in this story they do. Actually, the story always reminds me of you, or at least it has since my Dad told me about you."
"And why is that?" she asked, looking at the picture of the couple on their wedding day, holding each other close as the Evil Queen threatened them.
He smirked, "Because their daughter's name is Emma."
Her mouth fell open, "You're kidding. Really? Where does it say that?" she asked, starting to look through the following pages, up until she landed on the page with the baby princess, wrapped in a knitted blanket, her name written on the front of it in purple lettering. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Nope, this is a real book. No kidding here" Henry commented sarcastically, causing Emma to playfully hit him.
Over the next while, Henry and Emma read the story together, about how Prince Charming and Snow White sent their young daughter through a portal so she could come and save them on her 28th birthday. But the reason Henry showed her the story was because although Emma's parents gave her up, they had to do it to give her the best chance they could, and as Henry read the story, the real Emma looked at him with adoring eyes, remembering her own decision to give her son his best chance.
"But you see" Henry said, interrupting her thoughts, "part of the story is missing. I guess we know that eventually everything works out ok, but there's nothing on the time Emma spent in the real world. She goes through the portal and the next time we see her she's on an adventure with Captain Hook, trying to fix the past."
"Fix the past?"
"Yeah, the Wicked Witch of the West accidentally sort of sent Emma and Hook back into the past and they may have screwed some stuff up, so they had to fix it" he explained simply. "It's alright though," Henry continued, turning the page to reveal the portrait of "Princess Leia" and "Prince Charles" dancing, "everything turned out ok. They fixed it all so Emma would still be born and as far as I can tell they lived happily ever after."
Emma looked at the picture, laughing a bit at the fact that this Emma looked quite a bit like herself, and the Hook in the story didn't have a waxed mustache or perm, but rather looked somewhat like Killian, "Let me get this straight. Princess Emma ends up with the pirate with a hook for a hand?"
"Exactly. And you know what's even weirder? My Dad and I always really loved the character of Captain Hook, and now you're here and you look just like Emma in the book."
"Well then maybe these fairy tales aren't that far off after all" she laughed as they carefully set the book on the coffee table. "Now how about a movie. I've got a pretty good idea on which one we should watch." A few minutes later, they were settled in on the couch once more, game system turned off and TV switched to the DVD player that held Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Maybe the story wasn't quite the same as in the book, and Emma had to admit that she liked Henry's version quite a bit more than the one on the screen, but it still brought a smile to her face.
And an hour or so later, it was on the couch that Killian found them laying, fast asleep, as the end of the movie played. Snow White was just saying goodbye to the dwarfs before riding off into the sunset with her Prince, and Killian didn't want to wake them just quite yet. He sat on the edge of the nearby chair for a while, his eyes wandering from their sleeping forms to the open book, still showcasing the picture of Prince Charles and Princes Leia dancing on their adventure to the past.
As the story ran through his mind, he lightly chuckled, and moments later Emma awoke, looking at him with a confused expression when she noticed the amused look on his face. "What?" she whispered, slowly untangling herself from Henry, who had been asleep with his head up against her shoulder. Killian motioned for her to follow him into the kitchen, where he promptly because to make a cup of hot cocoa for the both of them. "What are you laughing about?" she asked again when they got there.
"Just the fact that in the story, Captain Hook calls Emma 'Swan' all the time."
Emma shook her head with a giggle, "the parallels increase with each passing page. Henry and I were discussing the same thing earlier, about how it's almost like I am the Emma in the book. Although somehow I doubt I'd be a princess."
Killian set the kettle on the stove to heat before turning back to her, "What do you mean, Swan?" he said, stretching out her last name, "I think you'd make a rather lovely princess."
"Just because you tell yourself something doesn't make it true" she returned to him with a wink. "You know, Henry told me that he got the book from Milah."
He gave her a soft smile, "Yeah. She picked it up at this rummage sale once. It was just kind of there, and when Henry was little it was the only book he would let us read to him. As a result, he knows every inch of that book better than anyone else."
"I can see why he loves it so much. We were talking about his birth parents and he told me about how the book helped him realize that his parents probably gave him up so he could have his best chance, just like Snow White and Charming did for Emma. Gosh it sounds weird using my own name all the time."
"You talked about his birth parents?" Killian asked, the kettle behind him beginning to whistle. He turned and poured the water into the waiting mugs, giving them each a stir before handing one to her.
"Just for a few minutes. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure there's no one in this entire world that he loves more than you, but I get where he's coming from. I was an orphan too. You just kind of ask yourself…"
"Why they gave you up. If they actually loved you" Killian finished for her before taking a cautious drink of his cocoa. "I was in the system for a while as a kid too, up until when Liam could take care of me himself. I wasn't there long, but I totally get it. My mother died when I was little and my father abandoned us when I was around three."
Emma quickly set her mug down on the counter, "Killian, I'm so…"
"No need to be sorry Love. But I'm glad that Henry has someone to talk to. He doesn't really remember Milah much and, well, as a ten year old, how do you bring something like that up to your adoptive father?"
Emma laughed a bit at his joking tone, "I guess you're right. He's lucky to have you Killian. We both are."
A slight blush lined his face, "stop it Swan, now you've made me go red!"
She took a drink of the cocoa before starting the conversation up again, going back to the topic of the fairy tales. "You know, those stories are a bit…different."
"You could say that again" Killian returned as Emma sat on one of the stools so she could face him.
"But I do have one question. Back when I first met you at Neverland, you did the whole movie star test thing and told me that you had just gotten back from filming a live action version of Peter Pan, where you were playing Captain Hook. Is that where you got the idea for that whole story? From the book?"
He winked at her, "first lass to pass the test in years and she figured out the whole tale behind it too? Gosh, what am I going to do with you?"
Suddenly, without much warning, Emma pulled him towards her, legs opening so he could stand between them, their cocoa left on the counter. "I think I have a few ideas" she commented before kissing him soundly. A cough from the doorway interrupted them a moment later.
"Will you two get a room or something?" Henry said with a laugh as he stood there, hair ruffled from sleeping on the couch.
Emma laughed, letting her forehead hit Killian's chest as he wrapped his arms around her. A moment later, Henry was gone from the doorway and Emma looked back up at him. "I should be going. It seems you'll have to figure out what to do with me another night."
"You could stay you know" Killian told her, his eyes pleading, and as usual she was about to shake her head when Henry popped back into the doorway of the kitchen.
"He's right. Just stay here already. It's not like I don't know what goes on!"
Emma laughed again at Killian's shocked expression, "sounds like I'm going to have to talk to Regina and Jefferson about what kinds of things they're letting you watch on television."
"Come on Dad. I just think it's ridiculous for Emma to have to go all the way back across town when she could stay here, right?"
Killian looked down at Emma, "the boy has a point. Stay?" he asked again, and with a nod of her head, Emma caused smiles to break out on the faces of the both of them. He turned back to Henry, "And don't think that this whole television thing is settled. If Jefferson had HBO on again…"
Emma couldn't stop giggling as Henry quickly said his goodnights before rushing out of the kitchen and towards his bedroom. "Your son is something else" Emma said to him, "but I love him at the same time."
"Couldn't have said it better myself. Now, let me see. How can I repay my lovely princess for coming over here on such short notice tonight?"
"I thought you were just going to figure out what to do with me because I keep figuring out all your secrets?"
And with a hard kiss, he pulled her onto her feet, his hand gripping hers as he dragged her towards his bedroom, "All in good time Love. All in good time."
~K&E~
Emma Swan couldn't remember a morning she enjoyed so much. She had woken up next to Killian, his arm draped over her waist, solid chest nestled against her back, legs entwined. The sun had been filtering in through the window, much like the last morning she had woken there, and when he woke soon after her, she knew it instantly by the soft kisses on the back of her neck and the nose that nestled its way into her hair.
It had still been early, so they had stayed there for a while, until they figured it was time to get up. After all, Henry had school and there was breakfast to make. Minutes later, all three of them found themselves in the kitchen with considerably more flour on them than in the pancakes. Music was blasting from the iHome on the counter, and while she wasn't familiar with the song, they danced to it all the same. Killian flipped the pancakes and Emma whipped up some eggs while Henry set the table and made the cocoa. They worked well together, as a team, even at the simplest of tasks.
And when a while later, they were all finished, Henry was about to leave for school when he insisted he forgot something, telling Emma and Killian to stay where they were at their seats in the kitchen. They exchanged amused glances while waiting for him to reappear, and moments later he rushed back into the kitchen with the fairy tale book in his hands.
"Here" he said, holding it out to Emma. "I figured that maybe you'd want to look at it. We didn't really read the whole story of Princess Emma last night and I thought you might like to."
"You sure Henry? It's your favorite book."
He shook his head, "I know that, but I can share. Plus, I'm just loaning it to you. I trust you enough to know you'll bring my most prized possession back in good condition."
Emma smiled then, knowing that Killian was too, "Thanks Henry" she said, accepting the book. "Any stories in particular that I should read?"
"Well the Captain Hook stories are pretty good" Henry noted with a wink at his father.
"Those happen to be the best ones!" Killian said from beside her. "Plus, it's not like the pirate ends up with the princess in every story."
"Maybe not in every story" Emma told him, leaving over to him to give him a quick kiss, "but in this one, he does." Henry made a face before explaining that that was his cue to leave, and quickly left the apartment and hurried off to school, leaving Emma and Killian laughing as they cleaned up the dishes. It took a bit longer than normal, considering that every chance he got, Killian was kissing her, but they got them all cleaned somehow.
However, as wonderful of a morning as it had been, all good things must come to an end. Much to Killian's disappointment, Emma left soon after Henry to head back to her own apartment, the leather bound book secure in a large satchel Killian had lent her.
She reached her apartment building with a smile on her face, but paused as a loud engine approached the building, a motorcycle pulling up directly in front of it. The man parked the bike, stepping off and removing his helmet. "Is this 4818 4th Avenue?"
"Yeah, it is. Why?" Emma asked, looking him up and down once. There was something familiar about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"Just wanted to make sure I'm in the right place. I'm moving into a vacant apartment here, 5th floor."
"Oh, well that's my floor. Wait, are you moving in without seeing the apartment first?"
He nodded slowly, checking over his bike once more before heading towards the door, "Yeah. I needed a place kind of quickly on this side of town. Based on what I read this sounded like the ideal place. I don't need much, especially since I travel a lot."
"Is that so?" she asked once again, not moving an inch. He nodded and said goodbye, opening the door to the building, when Emma stopped him, "wait. I didn't get your name!"
"That's because I didn't give it" he replied quickly before heading inside, leaving Emma on the sidewalk by herself, a confused look on her face. Just who was this man, and why the hell did he seem so familiar?
