Chapter 10:
Hope y'all enjoyed the last chapter. I won't dwell on a long intro, only to say that in this story Hillford and Warrington are two towns that are next to each other on the outskirts of London. Right, I'll continue where we left off: Date Night!
(Warning: there are some events of violence in this story that may upset some readers. It's all part of the story, I don't intend to upset or offend anyone. Please skip the flashback if you think this'll affect you).
They walked back through Finsbury Circus Garden. Emma thought about their near-kiss. Bloody Tiger Lily, Emma thought to herself, she ruined the moment! There was a colder chill in the air, and Emma shivered slightly. She shifted closer to Killian and placed her right hand on above Killian's elbow crease.
The sudden closeness they experienced made Killian smile. He smiled a lot when Emma was around. He weaved his fingers through Emma's left hand and held their intertwined hands against his stomach. Emma beamed at him, and they continued to walk. It was as if they had known each other for years and had been in love always.
As they walked they discussed everything: likes, dislikes, favourite food, favourite film, and silly traditions they had. Emma had a tradition of making pancakes and bacon every Sunday and spending the whole day to herself. She didn't speak to anyone, she was completely selfish on Sundays and that was how she liked it. She said that she needed at least one day to herself or else she'd go mad. Killian had a similar tradition; he spent every Sunday reading. Like Emma, he had a huge workload and so he gave himself a day where he could do what he wanted to do. He had other traditions like every Friday he would drink beer, eat pizza and popcorn and watch films, and that on the anniversary of his brother's death he would light a candle and drink a glass of rum.
They walked for at least half hour and the sun was slowly beginning to set. It was strange; the sun had set around 6pm every night for the last month, but for some reason it decided to stay out for as long as possible. Emma took it as a sign that someone out there wanted them to be able to spend as much time together as possible.
Emma recognised where they were. Emma looked at Killian, bemused.
"Are you psychic?" she asked.
He let out a hearty laugh. "What makes you ask that?"
"This is where I go when I- this is my happy place!" Emma blurted out.
"Well, Miss Swan," he opened the gate to the park and let her through first. "It seems we have much more in common than we initially realised." That was an understatement, Emma thought. They linked back together and walked up the hill.
They went past Emma's usual spot and walked further than Emma had gone before. There was a bandstand at the top and when Emma and Killian stood on it, the view across London was breathtaking. She could see all across London as far as she was able to. She could make out the majority of the famous landmarks of the City. How she had never come across the view before astounded her, but that didn't matter now. It was her new favourite view. The setting sun turned the sky into a beautiful burst of colour. It retained its blue colour, but shades of pink and orange spread out like a paroxysm across the sky. It was spectacular.
Killian stood beside Emma and wound his right arm around her waist. She held his hand and took in the view for a few moments longer. Killian couldn't wait though.
"Emma," he whispered alluringly into her ear. Emma turned her head to face Killian. They didn't need a build up or to say anything else. Killian cupped one side of her face with his hand and he leaned in. Emma closed her eyes and met his lips with a kiss. It was soft and gentle but full of desire, wondering, and longing. The kiss spoke volumes: every worry that Emma had surrounding Killian vanished. She was ready to embrace everything that would follow the kiss. They parted lips and their tongues touched as they tested the boundaries. Both Killian and Emma sensed the deepness the kiss was headed, and Killian pulled Emma in close. She snaked her arms around his neck, the stubble on his cheeks tickled through her shirtsleeves. His hair felt delicate as Emma ran her fingers through it. Killian's hands travelled up her back and around to her torso as he held her tight; he had no intention of letting her go any time soon.
The kiss quickly became passionate and desperate. The connection between them had long been made and both wanted more. Killian broke away first and traced kisses along her jaw and down her neck. Emma's breathing intensified, and she gripped onto the back of Killian's neck. The sound of Emma's rapid breathing turned Killian on and he wished they were at her place or his own. He wanted this as much as she did, but not like this. He stopped and stepped back a few paces. He gripped the railings of the bandstand and breathed deeply until he had calmed himself. Emma leant back on the railings and calmed her breathing too.
"I'm sorry, love," Killian said quietly. "I had no intention of letting it get that far."
"It's okay," Emma said. She had no other words to say. It did get passionate and Emma felt how much Killian enjoyed the kiss, but despite what had happened over the last two days, they were still strangers.
Killian felt ashamed. He wanted to control himself but he was falling for her. He needed to rectify the situation and ensure she knew he didn't bring her here to have his way with her. "Emma, please allow me to explain myself," he said, still unable to look at her. Emma's heart began to race. "My intention for bringing you up here was to share with you a very personal place to me. Like you have your bookshop as well as this park, this is my happy place. This bandstand here." Killian knew that if he let his guard down and allowed himself to be vulnerable, she would see him for who he truly was. "I came here after Liam died and I slept here for two days. It was during Christmas and no one wanted to bother me. I would come here and speak to the thin air as if Liam was stood before me. It helped me get through what had happened." He turned to face Emma, who had a worried look on her face. "My reasoning for this confession is because I want you to know me. After I told you the story of Liam, I felt this desire to let you know more about me. I brought us here so you would be there with me. I didn't want to talk about it anymore, I simply wanted to stand here and look over the City with you."
Emma could see how hard this was for him, but it was unnecessary. She never questioned his motives nor did she think any less of him. Emma walked over to him, placed her hands either side of his face and kissed him. It was a gentle kiss and it was enough for Killian to know that Emma was okay. Night had fallen but the sky had retained its pinkish hue. The tall skyscrapers illuminated the city.
"While I am enjoying this night and this view with you, Miss Swan, we really must be going," Killian offered her his arm and they walked down the hill and out of the gate. They walked along the edge of the park and Killian managed to find a vacant taxi. "Miss Swan, please let me know the second you get home so I know you are safe," he said as he opened the door.
Emma was disappointed the night was ending so soon, but she had a feeling Killian didn't want to stick around any longer. She wanted to make one last attempt to spend time with him. "Well where are you headed?" Emma asked. That was something neither of them had discussed.
"Hillford," Killian said, "it's about a-"
Emma cut him off. "I know where it is, I live nearby!" Emma exclaimed. How much more were they going to have in common?
"Oh," Killian said happily. "Well in that case, I should like to share this taxi with you, if that pleases m'lady," Killian kissed her hand and bowed mockingly. His tone had improved, both glad the night was not over yet. Emma giggled and climbed into the taxi, followed by Killian. Emma gave the driver her address after Killian insisted, as he wanted to ensure she got home safely. Once they'd buckled their seatbelts, Emma crept her hand over to his and held on.
During the journey, which was only 20 minutes, they spoke little except to discuss their plans for the weekend. Emma spoke about the work she'd done that day and how much she was looking forward to a quiet, work-free weekend. Killian explained that there was no such thing as a work-free weekend for a defense lawyer, something that made them both burst into laughter.
The taxi pulled up outside Emma's house and she prayed that Snow and David had gone home. It suddenly dawned on her that Ruby still had Pongo, and a wave of guilt washed over her. Killian got out of the taxi first, held the door open and Emma's hand as she climbed out of the taxi. Emma glanced at the house. The usual lamp in the window was on and the curtains were shut. She looked at Ruby's; her house was dark, which meant there was a high probability she was already asleep.
"Will you walk me to my door?" Emma asked. Killian was startled.
"Do you want me to wait?" the taxi man called out.
Emma looked into Killian's eyes as she spoke. "No, it's okay, thank you." She smiled; her eyes told Killian what she wanted. Killian half smiled, uncertain of what to think, as Emma walked past and paid for the taxi. She shut the door and held Killian's hand. They walked in silence up the stairs. Killian's heart raced so fast his chest moved. Emma unlocked the door and led him in. Killian stopped in the doorway.
"Would you like to come in?" she asked.
Emma couldn't take much more of this. It had been 3 months since Neal outed her pregnancy to her friends.
Neal changed dramatically when he found out Emma was pregnant. He had become more frightening as the days went on. When they were out with friends, he would put on a show and pretend to be happy, smiley, and in love with Emma. The reality was when they returned to Neal's apartment, he was a completely different person. He made her stay at his apartment every night and he only allowed her to return to her flat when he was with her. Even then, the visits were short and limited to Emma grabbing some clothes and a quick chat with the girls. Neal had begun to search through Emma's phone every night and argued with her when he found a text he didn't like. He spent his time either drunk or stealing. Emma put on a brave face, as she always did, but she knew it wouldn't be long before the baby was here. She wanted to be as far away from Neal as possible when that happened.
Emma was in front of the mirror with her top rolled up. She stood to the side so she could see how big the bump had grown. She ran her hands over it; even after all these months she didn't hadn't processed it. She desperately wanted to talk to Snow, but Neal refused to let her go anywhere on her own. Her own boyfriend, someone who was supposed to love her, had trapped her. Then something dawned on her, something that she should have realised months ago. Neal never told her he loved her.
Emma broke down in tears, ashamed and distraught over what she had let happen. He was still a stranger to her, even after all these months. She had his baby in her stomach and she felt violated. Emma loved him, she had told him and that love had blinded her so much that she couldn't see he didn't reciprocate.
It was fight or flight time, Emma thought. She checked the time; Neal wouldn't be home for another hour. She scanned the apartment and was thankful that Emma had taken most of her things back to her flat a few days before. Emma grabbed her tattered rucksack and stuffed it full of all the possessions that she had in that apartment. She barely had anything, just a few clothes, a couple of books, her elephant and her phone. Her laptop and all her books were back at her apartment, as she had finished her last assignment two weeks ago. After checking and double-checking several times, she was satisfied she had everything. She was about to leave when she heard Neal. In a panic, she badly hid her rucksack under her jacket on the floor by the door. She sat down on the bed and pretended to read.
Neal crashed through the door, drunk out of his mind. He saw Emma on the bed and wobbled over to her. "Hey beautiful," he said, his breath stunk of cheap vodka. Emma winched which angered him. "Whassa matter?" he yelled. "You're never happy to see me. Whass your problem, Em-em-Emma." His intoxicated mind struggled to produce coherent sentences. He tried to kiss her but she moved away.
"Neal," she mumbled as she struggled to get him off her. "Neal, stop, you're drunk. Please, stop." He held her near him and kissed her cheek, lips, and neck.
"Emma, I want you," he muffled. He laid her back on the bed, his weight on top of her and kissed her again. Emma started to cry. He reached his hand down the front of her jeans for a second before Emma used all of her strength to shove him off her. He flopped onto the bed like a dead weight and Emma scrambled to stand up. Neal took a second to register what had happened before he too was on his feet. He looked at Emma with a murderous rage and crossed the floor in seconds to confront her. Emma's hands gripped around her stomach instinctively.
"What the FUCK, Emma?" he screamed in her face. "I am your BOYFRIEND and you WILL fuck me." Emma screwed her face up and cried. Emma had never been so scared before in her life. She needed to escape but she knew she couldn't risk it without hurting the baby. "I want YOU, do you hear me? You don't see me fucking other girls, DO YOU?" his volume changed as he yelled. His last words struck Emma like a chord.
"But you have, haven't you?" Emma shouted back. She had found that fighting voice she grew up with. Neal looked bewildered. "Of course you have," Emma continued, her voice still raised. "You think I can't tell what you've done when you've been out? I shagged you every day and night for months, you think I can't tell when you've been getting it from someone else?" Neal still had the murderous rage in his eyes, but Emma wasn't frightened anymore. She held onto her bump as she spoke. "I never wanted this baby. You made me keep it. I wanted to get rid of it, and I wish I did because I refuse to give birth to anything that possesses any part of YOU." She could see her words hurt him, but she wasn't finished. "We're done, Neal. We're DONE." Emma glared at him one last time before she grabbed her rucksack and jacket. She gave one last glare at Neal and then she slammed the door.
Her legs moved quickly along the corridor and she pressed for the lift. She knew she only had seconds before he would come after her, and so when the lift opened, she stepped inside and pressed the ground floor. A rage-filled roar erupted from Neal's apartment, and she slipped out of the lift and through the doors to the left. She rushed down the stairs as quietly but quickly as she could. She heard Neal pressing the button to call the lift, which gave her time to get down the stairs. Unfortunately, she didn't move quickly enough. The doors above her slammed against the walls as Neal charged through them. Emma tried to get through the doors in front of her but Neal had her pinned by her throat against the wall before she could. She tried to fight him off, but she had used the last of her energy getting down the stairs.
"You don't get to decide WHEN we're done," He yelled at her. "Only I get to decide that!" He looked at her with disgust. "You filthy whore, you think I ever wanted you? You were just some dumb fresher who wore her childhood issues on her sleeve. I knew I could get you into bed easily, and I used you until someone better came along. You're nothing, Emma Swan. You're nothing!"
Someone grabbed Neal and threw him off her. Emma didn't have time to see who it was and so she ran down the stairs. She made it down two stairs before she turned to face Neal who wore an evil grin as he pushed her down the stairs. Emma tumbled down what felt like a thousands stairs. She cried out in pain with every step she hit, which felt like someone had taken a hammer to her. Emma was knocked out the second she hit the concrete floor.