Penance is a Sacrifice

Chapter Ten

Inside the sheriff's station…

Emma was sitting at her desk when her parents and brother arrived with a late breakfast for their daughter and son in law as an excuse for coming by to visit with them. However, if truth be told, their real reason for being there was to make sure Emma and Killian were still doing okay after the events from the night before, and the Savior knew as such. But nevertheless, she was grateful for their charade in an effort not to push her to talk about what happened until she was ready to. And her nervous pacing back and forth behind her desk after she stood up to greet them, indicated she might be ready to.

"Emma… what's wrong?" her mother asked worryingly, while her eyes followed Emma as she continued to pace. "Did something happen to Killian? Is he alright?"

"He says he is," the Savior responded curtly, then she finally stopped and allowed herself to sink into the chair in front of her, then looked between her parents as she continued. "At least he said he was mostly alright. He admitted he had a headache this morning before we left home to come in for work. I felt his forehead to check for any signs of a fever, but he felt fine. But him having a headache… it must mean something's happening to him. I tried to convince him to stay home. He wouldn't hear of it. He feels he owes it to me to pull his full weight around here now that he's my partner on top of being my husband."

When she let out a sigh in frustration, David asked, "There's something else bothering you too… isn't there?"

She stared up at her father again and then angrily answered, "These visions I had leading up to your attack were the most vague I've ever had. I mean… I saw you and I saw you fighting on top of being blinded. In my last vision I even saw George being the one who was attacking you. But I never once saw Killian except for his side covered by one of his jackets when he was stabbed, and maybe a flash of his hook as he stabbed George too, but I thought it was the knife you were fighting that bastard with. How was I supposed to know it was Killian, when you were both wearing a black leather jacket and you were the only one I saw being attacked? Why couldn't I see him being hurt? I should've been able to protect him. To protect you both."

"Emma… you have protected us all since the day you first arrived here in Storybrooke years ago even before you knew you were doing it," Snow replied gently while she came up behind her daughter and began to rub her back in an effort to offer her some comfort. "You've protected your father since then, and you've protected Killian since he's arrived here in town too."

"Your mother's right," David responded in agreement with his wife. "You don't deserve to keep forgetting all the good you've done for each of us every time something bad happens to someone you care about. To someone you love."

She was about to acknowledge she heard what her parents were saying, until a thought suddenly dawned on her as she struggled to look around Snow towards the clock up on the wall while she asked worryingly, "What time is it? Killian's been gone longer than he should have been, and he hasn't checked in with me for some time. Something's wrong. I can sense it. He's in trouble. I have to go find him."

The Prince glanced towards his wife with concern as well, then he looked over again at Emma when she stood up and grabbed her keys and her service weapon while he answered, "Just try to take it easy and relax. Why don't you and Snow drop Neal off with Belle or even the fairies, then begin searching for Hook here in town. He might have come back by now. Stay close by in case he does. I'll grab a few of the dwarfs and head out to the woods around the town line in my truck. We'll search for him out there."

"Is someone missing?" August asked when he and Marco entered the station so they could invite them to lunch in a little while, then looked over at Emma's father. "I'll come with you. That is… if you don't mind. I'm not doing anything at the moment."

"I'd love your help," the former sheriff replied honestly, then nodded to show his gratitude. "Thank you."

The younger man once made out of wood nodded as well, then when he didn't see the pirate captain among his friends he questioned, "Is it Hook we're leaving to go find? Is everything okay?"

David turned back to his daughter again while he quickly responded to August, "I'll explain once we get out there. We'll find him, Emma. Try not to worry. He's going to be fine."

"Come on… we need to pick up Leroy and a couple of the others, and I'm pretty sure I know where they are," David then continued to speak with his friend as August followed him when they left the station. "Yes… Hook's missing. He was hurt last night protecting me from King George, who was set free by another version of the Dark One from the Wish Realm. Long story short… Emma was able to heal Hook, but we believe there was more to the weapon used to wound him. He could be in real trouble. Which is why we have to find him."

"I'm with you," his friend answered in understanding, then climbed up into the passenger's side of the old pickup truck, while David got in behind the wheel to drive.

Within an hour, David, August, Leroy, Doc, Happy, and Anton all arrived at the town line once the Prince picked the others up from the fields where the giant was busy growing a new crop of magic beans with the dwarfs' help, while the rest of them remained behind to look after the crops. Upon their arrival, they all looked around for any sign of Hook as David even called out to him. The Captain failed to answer back, so David asked his friends to spread out and to radio him if they found their friend or any signs of trouble as he checked his walkie talkie he wore on his belt like the others to make sure they were all working properly.

A short time later, David had made his way much deeper into the woods, as did his friends and had begun to wonder if Hook had made his way back to town after all. However, his worry for his son in law was swiftly put to the back of his mind when he suddenly found a young boy of about ten or eleven years of age lying unconscious face down on the ground just ahead of him, and the former sheriff immediately ran forward to help him while he shouted out to August and Grumpy who were nearby as well, then the dwarf quickly radioed his brothers too.

When David knelt down over the boy, he was appalled to find his clothes were no more than soiled rags, but even more so that the boy had been badly beaten, as he discovered old and new scars across his back and chest caused from what appeared like they'd come from a leather strap or belt. There was also a bleeding gash just above his left brow, most likely caused from when he fell against the ground, on top of numerous other cuts and bruises, as well as at least a few broken bones.

Anton was the first one among them to speak up when he arrived, followed closely by the rest of the dwarfs, as the giant uttered in shock, "My God… who would do something like this to a child as small as he is?"

Doc also knelt down above the boy across from David and August to try to help him while he asked quietly, "Who is he? I've never seen this boy around town before."

"None of us have," Leroy replied in concern, until David finally raised his head to look up at him again as he was about to give him an order.

"Run to my truck and grab the blanket I have stashed behind the passenger's seat," he demanded crossly while he quickly pulled off his own jacket and wrapped it over the boy, as did August, though the Prince's anger was geared towards whoever had done this to the child, as well as towards whatever was the cause for Hook having gone missing too, and not towards his friends like it might have appeared. "We need to get him back in town to the hospital so Whale can take care of him."

While David pulled out his cell phone to send a message to Emma and to his wife so he could let them know to meet them at the hospital, August looked around them, then he glanced towards his friend again as he asked, "What about Hook?"

The Prince let out a sigh in frustration and then whispered, "We're not going to give up on him."

"Doc… I'd like you to come back to town with me so you can help me with the boy," he ordered still out of concern for his son in law when he turned his head to face the dwarfs and the giant standing around them. "August… I'd like you to stay and lead the search to try to find Hook. Leroy… I'd like you, Happy, and Anton to stay out here to help him. Call the others and anyone else if you need to. Look wherever you have to. Just find him."

"Will do," his friends each stated in agreement as they all began to spread out again while they continued in their search for Hook.

August stood and helped David to stand again as well after he finished wrapping the blanket Grumpy ran over to him with from the truck around the boy now in his arms. The Prince carefully carried him back to his pickup, followed closely by Doc, then he laid him across the seat with his head in his own lap, and the boy's feet in Doc's. Finally, while the rest of their friends stayed and continued on in their search, the former sheriff and one of the dwarfs drove as fast as they could towards the hospital in hope Whale would be able to help him.

Unfortunately, in their hurry to get back to town, and as each of their attentions had been focused on the injured child, David, August, Anton, and the dwarfs all failed to notice Killian's hook, as well as his wedding ring lying on the ground a few feet away from where they had found him.