1664 Words this chapter
Chapter Ten, Alive
Emma opened the door with a warm smile and blushed a little when she saw her pirate was not alone. "Hey."
Killian smiled but didn't get a chance to say anything.
Belle, still excited, burst forward. "We found the bed knob!" she cried.
Emma's eyes grew a bit wider and she nodded. "Yeah, I see that."
Killian laughed and shook his head.
"That's great, Belle. Um, come in," said Emma.
They all walked past, Hook lingering beside her. "Good morning," he said with a large smile.
She smiled back. "Hey. You brought a whole party with you, I see."
"It was not planned, I assure you," he said, playing with a strand of her hair. "I was loathe to share you this morning with merely your parents."
She laughed. "You forgot the cat and my car."
Hook's eyebrow went up. Behind him, at the table were her parents, baby Neal, Cosmo, and Bugsy.
"Lovely. It looks like you already had a party going, Swan."
"Yeah, some party. Bugsy keeps running his mouth about...everything, Cosmo drank all the milk in the house, and my father wants to know where I was for half the early morning."
Killian smirked. "See? You should have stayed longer. I did beg for you not to leave my warm bed."
"Yes, you did," she said, blushing. She chuckled. "It almost worked too."
"Hmm, pity that it did not. I shall have to try harder next time."
She stared into his eyes, both of them smirking. "It was a good night."
"Indeed," he answered. "A very good night."
He leaned forward and caught her lips in a gentle, if too short kiss. "I could do without the party. I'd get a longer, firmer kiss, I wager."
She laughed, blushing. Then she bit her lip. "Killian, I hate to bring this up, but...what about...Gilly? She won't be crashing our party too, will she?"
"Ooh, something tells me if she was, I'd definitely get a longer, firmer kiss."
She gently slugged him on his shoulder, but she chuckled.
"Have no fear, Swan," he said. "She is having a 'girl's day' with Ruby."
Emma bust out laughing. "How did you swing that?"
"The she-wolf was quite understanding. She also viewed it as a way to get some cheap labor, as she called it."
"Do you think having a former ship working in a diner is a good idea? The dishes there are breakable you know."
"Ruby seemed quite excited. I'm sure she can handle it."
Emma laughed. "I can imagine. I almost feel sorry for Gilly."
"She will be fine. Hopefully we will find the solution and everything can revert back to normal."
"Right. In Storybrooke?"
"I rather like 'normal' Storybrooke," he said, stepping closer to her. "Especially the sheriff's department."
She smiled and leaned in, allowing their lips to meet again, this time for a longer, slightly firmer kiss.
"Um, excuse me, Emma, Hook, want to join the conversation?" asked Emma's father, his arms folded and a stern look on his face.
They drew apart, Killian shooting David a very unhappy look, which was returned.
Emma laughed. "Sure," she said, squeezing Killian's hand quickly before she let go and walked toward the others. Hook followed, answering David's frown with a smirk.
"So...you need a bed with a post," said Mary-Margaret. "Doesn't the post also need a hole?"
"I can amend the post as needed," said Gold.
Mary-Margaret sighed. "Magically alter my bed. Why not? This way," she said, leading them to her bed.
"This shall do nicely," said Gold. He took the knob from Belle, held it over the post, closed his eyes and said a few words as he hit the knob into the post.
There was a flash and a soft bang and the knob twisted into the post. Gold smiled. He then untwisted the knob revealing a new hole inside the post. "We're ready." He looked at his wife. "I'm afraid my dear, that you should remain here."
She nodded. "Someone has to mind the shop and Dag."
His eyes got dark. "Do not stay with him alone. He contains the dark one, Belle. You cannot trust him."
"I know, Rumple. I won't."
"Ask Locksley to have one of the Merry Men guard you and the shop."
"I will," she said. She reached up and kissed him. "Don't be away too long."
He smiled. Then he looked to the others. "Who shall accompany me?"
"Do we have to travel this way?" asked Emma, looking at Mary-Margaret's bed.
"It's a bed knob, it goes on beds," said Gold. "Believe me, I'd rather travel in a more respectable way, but we've no choice."
"Weird," said Mary-Margaret. "Why would someone think of this?"
Gold shrugged. "Shall we?" He climbed onto the bed, stretching out with his feet crossed.
Emma frowned but sat demurely on one corner. David made to sit beside her. "No, Dave, you can't come. Gold has a point about leaving people unchaperoned."
"What?"
"Someone has to stay and make sure the town is safe," she said. He grimaced. "Honestly, I don't want Bugsy, Gilly and the rest of them running a muck..."
"Me?" asked the car. "That hurts, Em."
She shook her head. "I just don't want you crashing into any more windows."
"Don't worry about mine," said Gold with a smug smile. "Any one who crashes into my establishment from now on will be repelled as if they were hitting a large rubber band. I assume no responsibility for any injuries."
Bugsy stared with a blank look that slowly formed into a grin.
"Why did you say that? You just talked him into trying to run into your place!" cried Emma.
"No, I won't, Em. Yeah, sure it does sound kind of cool..."
"Bugsy!" she cried.
"But, I'll be good," said Bugsy. He looked at Mary-Margaret with fear. "I promised."
Emma's mother smiled proudly. "Or he'd be punished."
Bugsy nodded.
Emma just stared. "Um...OK. I think. Just don't break anything, or yourself."
"Aw, thanks Em, I knew you cared."
Gold shook his head. "Perhaps I can change the properties of the shop so if he hits it he'll turn into dust, or feathers, or gold flakes..."
Bugsy turned pale.
"He won't," said Belle. "Will you?"
Gold smiled.
Dave laughed. "OK, everyone just stop." He sighed. "You're right, I guess, Emma. I should stay."
She nodded.
"Be careful," said her mom.
She smiled at her parents. "I will. Take care of Henry?"
"Of course," said Mary-Margaret.
"Oops. Sorry. I made arrangements for Henry too," said Regina. She smiled. "You may have to fight with Robin."
David shook his head. "Great, how do we compete with a whole camp full of outlaws?"
Emma and Regina both laughed.
"We'll do our best," said Mary-Margaret.
David looked at Emma and his smiled faded. "I still don't like this," he mumbled. "I should be going with her."
Mary-Margaret looked at him with compassion. "We have to trust her."
Hook was still standing. He patted David's shoulder. "Have no fear, Mate. I shall do all I can to keep her safe."
David glared at him, but it softened. He nodded. "I know."
"Um, I can hear you guys, you know," said Emma. "Sheesh! Talk about me like I'm invisible and four years old! I'm a big girl. I don't need protection."
Hook laughed, sitting beside her. "Indeed not, Swan, never the less, you shall have it."
She sighed, but smiled at him.
Regina frowned and sat on the other corner. "This is not first class."
There was a clink across the apartment as a man set down a large glass of milk. Cosmo, the former cat, moved toward the bed.
"Why does he get to go?" asked Bugsy.
"We need him to find this Eglantine Price," said Emma.
"I'm not looking forward to this journey," said the cat/man as he sat on the bed. "I hope to find Eglantine, but I fear we may be heading into a war zone."
"Lovely," mumbled Emma.
"The mangled spell that Astaroth used turned the realm into chaos," continued the cat. "We may encounter much danger."
The other travelers: Gold, Emma, Hook, Regina all looked at each other.
"We can handle it," said Emma.
"Indeed," answered Hook.
"I hope so," said Cosmo.
David and Mary-Margaret exchanged worried glances.
"Well let's go," said Emma. She held the knob. "OK, how does this work?"
"First I'd suggest screwing the knob into the hole," said Regina patronizingly.
"Thank you," Emma said sarcastically, twisting the knob into the bed post. "Now what?"
"Tap the knob and say the realm's name," said Gold.
"Right," said Emma. "Cosmo, what's the name?"
"Naboombu. I think."
"You think?" asked Regina. "You said you knew!"
"I was a cat at the time. I was more interested in cream."
"Fabulous," said Regina with a scoff.
"I'm fairly sure it is the right place," said Cosmo.
"Well, we don't have a better idea," said Emma. "Let's try it." She tapped the bed knob and said, "Naboombu."
The knob began to shimmer than spin. The bed glowed and slowly rose off the floor. Then it also began to slowly spin.
"Whoa!" cried Mary-Margaret, as she and David backed away.
The people on the bed grabbed on to the covers, the posts, or in Emma and Killian's case, each other. They all had wide eyes and slightly concerned looks.
Then the bed shimmered more and glowed so brightly that everyone closed their eyes.
When David and Mary-Margaret opened their eyes, the bed was gone.
The couple stood quietly for a moment.
"Well...I hope they're OK," David said at last. Mary-Margaret nodded.
End of Chapter Ten