If this is your first time reading The Way Home, you can skip the note below.
Author's Note: I've revamped everything, so please go re-read up to this point before proceeding. I'll get to my other stories eventually, but for now this one is my focus. The video is also being updated; I'll let you know when the new version's released. Enjoy!
~ The Search Begins ~
Emma checked the table again, adjusting the space between the two bowls and spoons. She placed the carton of milk, and smiled at the box of Jolly Gems acting as the centrepiece. Such a mundane task, but this was a big moment. This was the start of everything that terrified and excited her in this new stage of her life.
Exhaling a long breath, she marched up the stairs of the loft – and knocked on the bedroom door. No answer. Emma peered inside, heart warming at the sight of her twins sprawled under their shared blanket. She wanted to capture this perfect moment forever.
'Time to get up,' she said loudly, crossing the room to peel open curtains.
Ava groaned, rolling to face the wall in effort to shield herself from sunshine. Nicholas sat sleepily, and it took everything Emma had not to laugh at his tousled mop of dark hair. He glared at her anyway, and rubbed eyes with sluggish motions.
'Get dressed. Gonna have to be cereal today because you slept in,' Emma said, glancing to a shelf of Ava's books where they'd placed their inactive alarm clock.
The twins insisted they hadn't been late to school when living on their own and still didn't need help waking up. The situation had drastically changed since then but instead of arguing the matter, Emma let the kids disprove their own words.
'If I have to come back in ten minutes and someone's still in bed, I'll be using water.'
'You wouldn't!' Nicholas gasped, blue eyes wide in horror.
Emma smirked and headed downstairs. Pleased with her bluff, she was confident of getting the kids ready for school in time. In the earlier days, they were careful and unsure – able to get to the bus without delay. They'd since settled and gotten comfortable in their new routine, then her increased involvement. Awkwardness and fear faded.
Emma sipped her coffee, thinking fondly of the progress so far. There was a long way to go, but she'd fully accepted her role as their mother. It was exhausting, but became more than ever thought it could be.
She was a mum now; Emma said it aloud in front of the mirror at least three times that morning.
'Yes!' Nicholas grinned, dropping into his seat at the table. 'You got the triangles ones. You're the best!' He tore open the cereal box, hair still a mess.
The smile lingered on Emma's lips as she nodded with pride. Remembering her son's favourite cereal was a small victory – there wasn't a lot of those lately, so she counted every one.
'Oh, thanks,' Ava added, pausing to grab the clean school sweater from the back of her chair. 'You got the paint out?'
'Good as new.' Emma nodded, resisting a shudder.
It took a long time the night before, sitting on the bathroom floor to scrub every coloured stain from the sweater. Mary Margaret dug a seemingly-magical cleaner out of a cupboard, saving Emma from the torture and an inevitable hatred of paint.
Emptied bowls and coffee mug in the kitchen sink, Emma made sure the twins had packed lunches then led them out the door. Mary Margaret also knew that a packed lunch was supposed to look like – another motherly thing Emma learned to do. Her morning routine used to be a shower, coffee, breakfast if she had time, making sure she had her leather jacket and keys, then heading off to work. It'd become specific breakfast choices, being a human alarm clock, emergency-washed sweaters, packed lunches, and making sure homework went with each child.
The extra time and effort was worth it, when the kids made it to school on time with everything they needed. Those final parental rights forms had given Emma the firm nudge she needed, in a way giving birth hadn't. She'd always been their mother, but now she was their mum. The adjustment was supposed to be hard and terrifying – in many ways it was, but Emma took it with stride.
She was determined not to mess this up.
'Go everything?' She turned in the driver's seat, having parked the police car outside the school. Some doubt remained.
'Yeah.' Ava nodded, opening the door.
'See you later,' Emma said. 'Uh, have a good day.'
The twins slid across the back seat without a glance at her, their attention aimed to Henry waving near the bike racks.
'Bye, Emma!' Ava called over her shoulder, slamming the door.
Confidence slumped, she leaned back to watch the twins leave. Henry babbled rapidly as they ran to him, grin wide and arms enthusiastic. The three kids rushed into the school building, vanishing from sight.
Emma gripped the steering wheel. Ava was adamant about finding their father, with an added declaration that he would never abandoned them. There was heaviness in Ava's words, making it clear they were going to find him with or without her help. Henry had already done exactly that with her, so Emma didn't doubt Ava.
What rattled Emma was the truth in her daughter's words. Without explanation, Killian vanished from her life. Pain and absence lingered, even as she'd tried to let him go and move on with her life. He didn't know about their children and Killian was not the sort of man who would ever abandon his own child. It was important for any child to understand where he or she came from. Emma doubted she'd get her own closure, but the triplets deserved to know their father. Killian Jones was unfinished business. Emma had to try again.
Maybe this time would be different.
A search like that needed the right breakfast, so Emma headed to Granny's diner for grilled cheese. She should call Corey, who also had a knack for uncovering information people wanted to keep buried. He'd worked with Gold to restore her parental custody faster than any legal process generally allowed. Sipping her to-go mug of hot cocoa, she bumped into August.
'Morning.' He stayed in her path.
'Morning,' Emma repeated, lightly biting her burned lip.
'I was hoping to bump into you. Not literally,' August said, amused. 'We should catch up. Are you free after work?'
'Uh, no.' She shook her head. 'I've got plans to storm a castle,' Emma joked, keeping grip on both her phone and the take-away bag.
'That sounds fun.' August chuckled. 'What about Valentine's Day?'
'I...What about it?' Emma swallowed, ducking her gaze.
'Do you have any plans for that?' he asked. 'I'll even throw in an offer to pay if you want to catch up over a meal. It's been a while since we talked.'
'I do have plans.' Emma nodded. 'I'm spending the entire day with my two kids – what could be better than that?'
'Three kids?' August said with a knowing smile. 'Another time, then. How about you give me a call when you have an empty hour in that busy schedule of yours?' He slipped her phone from her hand and put his number in the contact list.
Emma frowned as he walked by her to enter the diner. How did he know she'd deleted his number from her phone last year? Corey must have mentioned it. Whatever August wanted to catch up about would have to wait. Emma headed to work, praying she'd have free time to work out where to begin looking for a man she hadn't seen in over ten years.
~ T ~
The recent storm caused a mess in Storybrooke. With clean-up and repairs still ongoing, Emma's wish for minimal sheriff duties was another dose of wasted optimism. She barely made it in time to pick the kids up after school, having promised Henry they'd go to the castle together.
Parking off-road, Emma was enticed by the sea-view. Looking through the windshield with a heavy heart, her eyes followed oceanic waves drawing memories of her days with Killian.
She even missed Liam's ship.
Henry was the first out the car, throwing open the door behind her. 'No!' he yelled, running to the crumbled remains of the wooden castle. 'The storm!'
Nicholas ran after his brother, tugging his red beanie to stop it falling off his head. Ava slowly slid across the back seat, keeping pace with Emma. The girl fussed with her sweater buttons to combat the cool weather. Emma adjusted her own jacket, and pulled gloves tighter around her fingers.
'It's okay,' Emma said. She joined where the boys searched around what was left of the playground. 'We can fix it. I'll talk to Marco.'
'Do you think it's still here?' Henry turned to his brother.
'Where did you put it?' Nicholas asked.
Ava sighed, crossing arm to hug warmth to herself.
'What are you looking for?' Emma frowned.
'My book.' Henry dropped to his knees.
Nicholas and Henry dug sand together with their gloves. Emma cringed; she'd barely remembered to buy the twins winter clothes in time for the cold season's fast approach. She should've gotten double of everything. She'd go back to the store in the morning to fix her lack of foresight.
'Why did you bury it here?'
'So Regina doesn't find it,' Henry replied.
'Can I wait in the car?' Ava whined, rubbing arms.
Emma slipped off her jacket to drape over the girl's shoulders. Nicholas wore his thickest black hoodie, but Ava opted for her favourite sweater that wasn't nearly warm enough for a breezy afternoon. With relief, she slipped her arms through the longer sleeves of Emma's blue jacket. Emma smiled; it was much too big on Ava, like a child playing dress-up.
'Hiding the book under your mattress wasn't good enough?' Emma asked Henry.
The boys continued burrowing, as if it was a matter of life or death that they find the book.
'Really?' Nicholas rolled his eyes, pausing to glance at her.
'What?'
'That's the first place the Evil Queen would look,' Henry said, pulling out a red box from underneath its sandy hiding place.
'How about leaving it with us?' Emma suggested.
'That's the second place,' Henry said, leaning back so Nicholas could undo the padlock.
Emma had missed something. Not about the curse or even the wooden playground Henry was determined to share with his siblings.
The boys worked well together. Nicholas moved without prompting or question, as if they buried and unburied things all the time. They'd bonded during their time in the mines, but somewhere along the line since then, Henry and Nicholas grew that bond in ways that didn't include Ava. It'd happened out of Emma's sight, but their teamwork spoke volumes.
'It's still here.' Henry exhaled, touching the cover of his storybook. 'Good.'
'So your mum doesn't know about the castle?' Emma slipped her jacket's hood over Ava's head, paranoid about her daughter freezing.
Ava hated hats, but evidentially hated the cold more. She adjusted the hood closer, thankful for any extra warm it secured. Emma frowned, thinking she should've made Ava wear the new jacket that morning instead of a poorly-insulated sweater.
'No.' Henry tilted his head to look at her. 'This is our secret.'
It was nice, having something to share with Henry that Regina didn't.
The afternoon trip to the playground was so Henry could share his favourite place with the twins. It warmed Emma, the idea of the four of them having something that was only theirs. It was the kind of warmth that no amount of cold weather could chill away.
'Henry?' Regina's voice broke the moment.
The boys snapped the metal box shut and hurriedly reburied it in sand. Ava moved to block the view from the mayor, who'd arrived in her car.
'Henry!' Regina approached, scowl on her face.
Was it her natural expression or something Regina reserved specially for Emma? Henry flinched at the look and quickly stood, shifting to hide partially behind Emma. Nicholas joined her other side, patting gloves against pants to dust off sand.
Ava, bold as ever, narrowed eyes at Regina.
'I've been looking everywhere for you.' Regina halted. She glanced at Henry then glared at Emma. 'I should have known he was with you. Henry – car – now!'
Rushing around Emma, the boy ran to Regina's car. He pulled open the back seat door, and paused to share a look with his brother. Nicholas shuffled his feet, looking down at the sand.
'You let him play here?'
'No.' Emma defensively crossed her arms, offering the mayor a glare of her own. 'We were going for a walk,' she lied.
'This is hardly the weather for that.' Regina directed disapproval at the jacket snug around Ava's shoulders. 'Miss Swan, how many times do I have to remind you that Henry is not yours?'
Not in the mood, Emma ignored the rest of Regina's little rant. She was pleased to watch the mayor march back to her car. Henry was Emma's son too – no matter what anyone said. While mindful of laws and not to do anything rash, she wasn't going to waste time with her kids by worrying about Regina's bad attitude.
Being a real mum to the twins came with a deeper understanding of what she missed out on with Henry. It wasn't her intention to disrupt Regina's custody of him, but sooner or later something was going to change. No one was going to stop her from being a part of her son's life or making sure he got his best chance too.
Storybrooke got colder during the week. With the amount of warm clothes Emma bundled on the twins, Mary Margaret joked that they looked like burritos.
Ava appreciated the gesture, whereas Nicholas always wriggled free of an extra jacket.
However, the fallen temperature made no impact on the busyness of the town. She was regularly called to solve one matter or another – icy roads, electrical problems caused by excessive use of heaters, or rescuing drunken citizens from taking naps outside in freezing air. The drama of Gold going up against Moe French was something Emma would rather not deal with. Her last interaction with Gold left her owing him a favour – it made her nervous that he was yet to cash it in.
When wind and weather relented for a day of sunshine with moderate warmth, Emma took a few hours off work in an afternoon to spend time with the twins.
She ordered muffins at Granny's, and was approached by Sydney – the editor of the Storybrooke Mirror newspaper. Or former editor, apparently. He tried to recruit her to go up against Regina. The temptation dangled in her mind, yet Emma's refusal was simple. She threw insults about the mayor for good measure, but made it clear to Sydney that he won't sway her decision.
She didn't have time to bullfight with Regina over the woman being a jerk. Emma had to find out why Nicholas deliberately kept himself from getting high grades in school, and what caused Ava's absolute dislike of wearing hats no matter how cold she was.
'Suit yourself.' Sydney angrily gulped the last of his drink. 'If you change your mind, you know where to find me.'
Henry stepped aside at the doorway to let Sydney leave, then joined Emma at the counter. His shoulders were hunched and eyes sad. Regina had the castle torn down, but what upset the boy more was the disappearance of his storybook.
'Where's Nick?' Henry glanced around. 'Or Ava?'
'At the loft, getting ready.' Emma said, accepting her order from Granny. She turned on the stool to face her son. 'We're going to the beach.'
'It's freezing.' Henry frowned.
'We're going for the sand and view, not swimming.' Emma smiled. 'It was Nicholas' idea.'
'So why'd you ask me here?' Henry sighed, voice quiet and miserable.
Emma had thought a lot about things August had said, and knew she had to do this. She led Henry outside, his mood lightening as her confidence shone through. The plan had to work or things would get really ugly, fast.
'You can say no, but I want you to come with me.' Emma placed hands on Henry's shoulders. 'To the Mayor's office, right now. I have a question for your-for Regina.'
Henry's eyebrows raised. He considered for a moment, the nodded. He kept close as they headed to the town hall, Emma's heart racing in her chest.
To say Regina was unhappy to see them enter her office together, entirely unannounced, was an understatement.
'Miss Swan-'
'I know,' Emma interrupted, 'but I needed to get your attention.'
'You have it.' Regina rose from her seat. 'What's this about?'
'I know you don't like me or that I spend time with our son,' Emma chose her words effectively. She pretended not to notice the mayor tensed with contained anger at any implication of sharing Henry with her. 'And I know you want to believe he's fine, but here's the thing – he's not.'
'Emma...' Henry winced, darting his gaze from her to Regina.
She hadn't wanted Henry to be there for this. She stepped forward, believing luck to be on their side. The boy was part her and Killian - with the right words, the plan could work.
'Because of the fairytale thing?' Regina rolled her eyes.
'No, because his mother and birth mother are constantly butting heads instead of just talking.' Emma crossed arms, refusing to believe she had any part in that besides not backing down when Regina was being unreasonable. 'And because he's a triplet; Henry has a brother and sister who can understand him in ways we never will. You're not just keeping him from knowing me and where he came from - you're keeping him from developing a relationship with his siblings.'
'What's your point?' Regina asked defensively. 'You think I should just let him run rampant with you so he can spend time with the others? He's done perfectly fine without a sibling in his life all these years. Nothing's changed.'
'I didn't know about them before.' Henry sulked.
'Stay out of this, Henry.' Regina sighed. 'Why did you bring him here, Miss Swan? This is hardly an appropriate conversation-'
'To change things,' Emma said sternly. 'I'm not here to argue. I'm here to ask for your permission. I'm taking Ava and Nicholas to the beach. I would like Henry to come with us and spend time with his siblings.'
'It's winter.' Regina's confusion mingled with surprise was almost comical.
'Their father was very fond of the sea,' Emma explained. Panic swelled from sharing anything personal with someone she wouldn't trust the life of a mouse to. 'It's sort of a picnic on the sand and taking in the ocean view. A beach isn't just for swimming.'
'I want to go,' Henry added.
Regina ignored him. Her suspicions of Emma's intentions was clear in her narrowed eyes and unrelenting tension. Shocked by the civil request for permission, retaliating insults didn't immediately roll off the mayor's tongue. It was a small success, yet a far throw from a yes.
Emma hated giving the power to Regina by asking, but it was the only way things were going to change. They had to break the pattern and it certainly wasn't going to be Regina who took the first step.
'A beach picnic in this weather is hardly a suitable bonding trip.' Regina shook her head. 'Miss Swan, I don't know what you're playing at, but I don't have to agree to anything. He is my son and you have no right to make any sort of demands!'
'No one is demanding anything,' Emma said patiently. Keeping her arms crossed helped to resist any urge to punch the woman or say what was really on her mind. 'This is about them, not us.'
'The hell it isn't!' Regina hissed. 'Don't use the children as an excuse.'
'It's just a picnic, what's the big deal?' Henry moved closer to Emma, green gaze fixed on Regina. 'What's so bad about me being with Ava and Nicholas?'
'You see them at school every day,' Regina said.
'We can't talk in class,' Henry continued, voice raising. He clenched fists to his side. 'Ava has her own friends and Nicholas reads at school. That's not spending time with family.'
'They are not your family.'
Regina knew she was losing control. Henry had a lot of anger inside him from the unfairness of the situation. The mayor had already shown what she'd do to win, even if it hurt Henry. Emma had done a lot of things out of stubbornness and recklessness, but Killian Jones was the most rebellious person she'd ever known. Henry deserved the right to be heard, and she'd gladly intervene if it became too much for the boy.
Regina needed to hear what he had to say.
'They are my family!' Henry glared. 'Ava is my sister. Nicholas is my brother. We have the same parents and the same birthday. They know what it's like being adopted and feeling like we never belong anywhere. They get me. I want to see Emma, but I want to know my brother and sister more than anything.'
'I'm your mother, Henry.' Regina moved front of her desk. 'I'm doing what's best for you. Running around with this woman, whenever either of you please, is not good for you.'
'You know, this is proof.' Henry's voice took on a deeper tone that surprised both women. 'That you don't really love me. You're Evil.'
'Henry!' Regina scolded.
'I wish you never adopted me,' Henry snapped. 'I wish I'd been homeless too so then I can be with my real family!'
The ten-year-old stormed out the room before Emma could stop him. Guilt rushed through her - she turned to yell at Regain, but halted at the stunned look on her face.
'Are you happy now?' Regina's voice was very low. She was preparing to lash out in ways Emma did not want to be at the receiving end of.
'Of course not.' Emma frowned. 'You think I like seeing him upset? I know you're going to blame me for this too, but I didn't do this. You did. All I did was give Henry a chance to be heard, thinking maybe you'd actually listen. He's not going to magically be fine just because you don't want things to change. Well news flash, Madam Mayor, he is not fine!'
She was too angry to voice the rest of her argument in effort to win Regina over. Emma stormed from the office in a manner similar to her son.
~ T ~
Henry couldn't go with them to the beach. Emma found him on a bench. He gave her a big hug that meant he as going to be okay. The boy thanked her so sincerely she didn't regret having him join her to confront Regina.
Emma took a walk before returning to the loft. Their picnic on the beach was admittedly a strange outing. She and the twins were dressed warmly, though breeze was minimal and the sun beamed over sand and shore.
Ava mostly kept to herself, using a long stick to draw animal faces in the sand.
Nicholas lay on the gigantic picnic rug Mary Margaret lent them. Emma sat beside him, watching the distant horizon in secret longing for the sight of sails. Swallowing the last bite of his ham and cheese sandwich, Nicholas followed her gaze. Waves broke the water's stillness, white and blue rushing to the shore where Ava paused to collect seashells.
'Did you get to go on our uncle's ship?' Nicholas asked, sitting up. 'Is our father a good sailor?'
'Yeah.' Emma smiled sadly.
She even missed that magnificent ship, and Liam's stubborn faith in his many rules no matter how often Killian broke curfew.
'They both were. Your dad loved the ocean.'
'Me too, even if I can't swim.' Nicholas leaned to her side. 'Do you really think we can find them?'
'I'm trying my best.' Emma won't give false hope.
'Maybe they're at sea?' Nicholas shrugged. 'Do sailors use phones?'
'I don't know, kid.' She chuckled. 'Probably.'
The sky turned red and orange as the sun slowly tipped to meet the watery horizon. Emma packed up their rug and picnic basket, joining Ava and Nicholas for a walk along the beach before they'd head back to the loft.
The twins stopped ankle-deep in water, toes wriggled in sand, to peer at their reflections. Emma stood behind them, keeping her emotions controlled inside her. She and Killian did the same thing as children, only they'd waded in deeper and it led to a splash-battle of salty water and getting caught in seaweed. There was something magical about reflections in water that mirrors couldn't create.
'I look like you.' Ava smiled at Emma's reflection.
'I don't.' Nicholas frowned. 'Do you know anything about our grandparents?'
'No.' Emma looked away.
Her son resembled Killian so much it hurt to see his face in the water like an embodiment of a memory. They knew her story about not knowing where she came from or anything about her parents. Killian rarely talked about his family. There was so much anger at his father for abandoning him and Lima at sea soon after their mother died.
Nicholas tilted his head, considering. 'If Henry's right...Mary Margaret has black hair and David has blue eyes.' The boy pointed to his matching features.
Henry and Ava were satisfied to know their father was a great and kind man – only Nicholas extended questions further. But none had asked for Killian's name or what he looked like. They didn't want answers, they just wanted their dad.
The group walked back to the loft, as Emma had anticipated them being covered in sand and hadn't wanted to remove it from her yellow bug. She checked her voice messages, but there was nothing. After changing their clothes, the twins sat at the counter while Emma considered dinner.
There was a knock at the door.
Emma wanted to pinch herself to help comprehend the situation in front of her. She'd opened the door and there stood Regina with her hands on Henry's shoulders. The boy beamed at Emma with such a bright smile she barely managed a stuttered greeting.
'You have no legal right to Henry and you will be held to that,' Regina started, her tone cold and unrelenting. 'But...he has friends and that's good for him.'
'She means Ava and Nicholas,' Henry said.
'I will control when and where he is with you or them, but...you're right.' Regina swallowed, as if the words caused her pain. 'He should be allowed to know his siblings. He can stay for dinner and I will pick him up in an hour. No dessert or TV.'
'For real?' Nicholas grinned, running to greet Henry.
Emma was speechless.
'Do we have a deal?' Regina frowned.
'Uh, yeah.' She nodded. 'That's fine.'
'One hour. Not a second later.' Regina released her grip on Henry.
'You're here!' Nicholas hugged his brother, softening Regina's glare.
The mayor left and Emma shut the door, still processing her disbelief.
'What was that?' Ava asked.
'That was a start.' Emma smiled, looking to Henry. 'What happened?'
'I don't know.' The boy shrugged. His sly smirk said otherwise. 'I guess she decided to listen.'
'I guess so.' Emma didn't buy it, but took any good fortune they got. 'Alrighty then, let's get a start on dinner. Mary Margaret's joining us after all.'
'I thought she had a date?' Ava tilted her head. 'It's Valentine's Day.'
'They changed their minds,' she said, distracting the girl by requested ingredients from the fridge.
Nicholas tugged Henry's hand to show him where everything was, both excited to help prepare dinner – something they'd never shared before. The family of four crowded in the small kitchen, and Emma never wanted it to end.
Things weren't going well for Mary Margaret and David, as if there was a conspiracy against them. She'd texted Emma to say their dinner date was cancelled and they'd decided to have some time apart.
When the kids were asleep, late night hot cocoa and conversation was due.
'What are we making?' Henry grinned up at her.
'How does home-made pizza sound?' Emma asked.
'Awesome!' Henry and Ava said in unison.
Years of struggling to survive on her own didn't make Emma the best cook, but if the oven wasn't enough than she could just throw the pizzas in the microwave. It'd be a shame to waste their hour together by sitting around waiting for food. The triplets set up at the counter, enjoying picking their own toppings on each their mini-pizzas.
They were rather picky eaters; Emma should invest in a cookbook.
Mary Margaret walked through the door as they were setting the table to eat. To her credit, the schoolteacher engaged in small talk with skill Emma envied, and their meal went by rather quickly.
Then the hour was almost over and Henry hugged his siblings tight.
'Maybe my mum will let me sleepover sometime,' Henry said, optimistic as he helped clean up from dinner.
'Let's not get ahead of ourselves.' Emma winced. 'She hasn't exactly asked to sit and talk about this yet. One step at a time, okay, kid?'
'Okay.' Henry sighed.
'Maybe we could sleepover there?' Ava suggested.
'A sleepover at the Evil Queen's house?' Nicholas shuddered. 'I'd rather face a dragon.'
Emma joined Mary Margaret by the counter, each watching the triplet chat together as the minutes ticked away. They looked so happy.
A knock at the door dropped Henry's smile. Nicholas gave him an extra hug, as he and Ava walked their brother to wave goodbye. Regina was considerably less sour, yet checked Henry over as if they'd poisoned him or dome harm.
Emma rolled her eyes but kept her mouth shut.
'Goodnight.' Regina nodded, and they left.
Mary Margaret suggested a movie so they headed to the living room, but Emma lingered by the door. Nicholas demanded 101 Dalmatians, much to his sister's annoyance. While they bickered in the background, Emma slipped the compass from her pocket. She let questions flow – those dangerous ones she'd never allowed herself the chance to honestly ponder.
Would Killian want to know their children?
Would he be proud of them as much as she was? Would he love them?
Had he ever loved her?
The compass was warm to touch. It stopped working the day he gave it to her – its needle never moving even when turned or shaken. Yet she couldn't toss it away.
Memories of Killian where often incomplete and distorted. As she stared at the aged lettering of the compass, those recollections became a bit clearer. The more she concentrated on pinpointing where an event took place, the fuzzier it all became. There was the ship, Killian's charming smile, many cobbled alleys, tall trees good for climbing, a dazzling ballroom, and yet no town or sign – no indication of where to begin her search.
Her phone pinged with a text message.
Emma sighed, pocketing the compass. August sent her a time and place for their date. Her mind reeled, unsure if she should've called it a date – torn between guilt and confusion. She'd labelled it because without a label it was too unknown and new. Nothing could happen with another man until she knew how her search for Killian would turn out. She was stuck without closure, but would go along to hear what August wanted to talk about.
Her phone buzzed. Seeing the caller ID, she quickly answered.
'Hey.' Corey's voice was heavy. 'Em, I'm sorry. I looked everywhere. There's no record of Killian or Liam Jones anywhere. Not now, and not ten years ago. I can keep trying, but-'
She hung up, pressing the phone to her forehead. Eyes shut tight, she fought to stay calm. Hope dwindled; every stone she overturned came up empty.
Where was the man who fathered her three children?
'No, Ava – give it back!' Nicholas whined, reaching for the snack bowl.
She'd do it for them. Emma won't give up, not this time. She insisted it was so the triplets could learn where they came from, and for Killian to know his children as he rightly should. Her emotions strayed into dangerous territory, where it was harder to deny how motivation she was for her own selfish reasons. It couldn't be about her.
'I'll find you,' Emma promised quietly. Her hand clutched the warm compass. 'Wherever you are, however long it takes, I will find you.'
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