A/N: I apologize for the update taking so long. With Halloween around, there are a lot of activities for my children so we have been taking advantage of them while they are still young enough to enjoy them. Thank you so much for continuing with my story.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story.
Chapter 13:
Emma had been called out of the police station on a disturbance call down by the docks not a week after she started. Graham had just returned to work earlier in the day and after his bout with the flu, Emma was reluctant to send him out into the cold.
She searched around some of the fishing boats where Leroy reported seeing some kids messing around. It didn't appear like there was any damage, so, apparently, they were just hanging around causing chaos before they ran off. Emma was about to leave and return to the station when she heard something fall and crash into the floor inside the nearest boat. Withdrawing her weapon, she carefully stepped aboard.
After looking around and proceeding down below, she saw some fishing equipment had fallen over. She chalked it up to the steady waves lapping against the hull, so she holstered her gun and went above deck. It was there she discovered Henry crouching against one side.
"Henry," Emma called out to him.
The boy looked startled, but then smiled once he saw it was her. She walked over and sat next to him.
"What are you doing here, kid? This is trespassing."
"Sorry. It's just some kids from school were determined to get my book from me." Henry held up his old leather bound storybook. "So, I hid here."
She looked at him quizzically. "Why would they want your book?"
"They don't necessarily want the book." He held it against his chest. "It's just I take it everywhere and a couple of the boys from school bully me about it."
Emma stared at the tome cradled to his chest and felt sorry for him. She knew what it was like growing up tormented by bullies.
"Mary-Margaret gave it to me. She told me once that fairy tales give you the hope that everything will get better."
"That definitely sounds like something Mary-Margaret would say," Emma agreed. "And bullies suck. I dealt with my fair share of them in school and in the foster system." Emma reached her arm out and hugged Henry toward her. "Let's just say being the new kid all of the time did not always go over well."
"You always moved around?" Henry looked up at her, relaxing his grip on his book and leaning into her hold.
"All of the time. I hardly stayed with a family for very long and the few times that I was somewhere long enough to know people, I was usually living at one of the group homes. And let me tell you, that is bully central. Most of the worst kids lived there, as they were not able to be placed in foster homes." Emma fiddled with her circle necklace. She bought it shortly after getting out of jail. It reminded her that life circled back around. "At least you have somewhere to call home, kid. You're permanent part of Regina's family. You're very lucky. I dreamed of having someone to call my own."
"I was yours, once."
Emma felt a tear slip down her face at that. Yes, he had been hers. But, he was never meant to be part of her family, at least not back then. She had been too frightened by circumstance to think she could take care of herself, let alone a baby. And what did she know about being a family? She never had one.
"You're right. I am lucky. I not only have one mom, but two." Henry looked down at his book which he now had rested on his knees. "You wanna see it?"
Emma nodded. It felt nice to be trusted.
Henry handed it to her. She glanced through the pages. It did not seem like conventional fairytales. However, if it made Henry feel safe and secure in his world she would treasure it as much as he did.
Her phone beeped. She reached inside her leather coat and pulled it out. It was a text from Graham checking up on her. Emma noticed the time and stood up, handing the book back to Henry.
"You better get back home, kid. You're mom is going to start looking for you soon, if she isn't already." She watched him load up the book inside his backpack and stand up as well.
Emma felt the need to ruffle his hair and she gave into the feeling. This was the first time since she met him that she felt the bond that a mother and son might feel. Maybe, just maybe, she could find a way to become part of Henry's family. She always longed to be connected to someone. To know that no matter what happened that person would love you unconditionally. Neal made her feel like she might have found that, but he quickly proved he was just like everyone else, and that she was someone that you could leave behind without a second thought.
Killian waited at Granny's for three days, leaving the room only the second and third day for only a few hours to check on August and Smee at the hideout by the docks. By the fourth day, he resigned himself to the knowledge that Emma wasn't coming.
Disappointment welled up inside him, until Graham called. Emma, Graham assumed, had discovered that the jacket belonged to him and had left it at his apartment when she had come over to check up on him.
His Swan was more perceptive than he originally thought. With a smile on his face, Killian thanked Ruby for the room and handed over the key. She had kept his presence a secret even from Granny. He was beyond thankful for the friends he still had in this town even if they were far from the friendships he had established all these years ago growing up here. How the tides had changed in his life since Milah's death.
He had already lost his brother just a few month before Milah was killed. He had been with his brother on a mission to retrieve a weapon for the navy and secret it back to their military base, when the weapon leaked exposing Liam to the deadly chemical. Killian had been furious that they were put on such a dangerous mission without the knowledge of exactly what the weapon was capable of doing. He and his crew almost mutinied that day. If his sense of duty had been any less strong, he would have gladly walked away that day without a second thought. Instead, he led the crew to head back to port, where Killian handed over the reins of the ship his brother commanded to his superiors and demanded to be released from his post.
Within a month that consisted of long interrogations and nights filled with nightmares, he found himself discharged from the navy. Having no idea where to go and no home or family to go back to, Killian soon found himself on August's doorstep in Washington D.C., where he was led into his current career of being a systems hacker. Killian sold his abilites to security companies around the globe and worked up quite a network.
Until one day he received a letter from Milah, who begged him to return to Storybrooke. She had once promised to wait for him, but he knew she had not after her letters stopped arriving, shortly before Liam's death. Instead she had married Mr. Gold. Killian wasn't even sure why he went. After the abuse he went through at Gold's hands, he still found himself meeting with Milah behind her husband's back. Milah begged him to take her away. She told him she never wanted to marry Gold, but she felt so lost with Killian gone. So, Killian found himself renting a room at Granny's, as he put his career on hold.
It took two months, but he finally relented and agreed to take her anywhere she wanted to go. The day they were to leave was the day she died. Gold had discovered their plan. When Killian met with Milah, Gold shot her as she ran into his arms. If Killian didn't have luck on his side he might have died too, but his luck quickly ran out.
Gold and a few of his friends from the docks had trapped him. They ripped Milah away from him, tears battering his face with their fury. The flunkies held Killian as he fought the best he could. Gold took perverse pleasure in watching him strain against his captors. Killian heard a click and thought for sure he was about to be shot. Instead a rapier appeared from the cane that Mr. Gold used for his limp. The silver glinted in the bright sunlight streaming down the alleyway.
"Do you know what it is like to have something precious taken from you?" Gold approached slowly. "To know that no matter what you did, you would never fully possess it? It's like having an arm with no hand."
The dockhands wrestled Killian to the ground and they extended his left arm out from his side. Gold limped over and grinned down at Killian still trying to fight the men.
"Here let me show you." With that Gold swung down with his slim sharp blade and sliced Killian's hand off. It felt like hours, but was merely minutes for Killian's life to change.
The men let him go and laughed as they stood. Gold reached down and took possession of Killian's severed hand, while he withered in pain. Killian bit his tongue until it bled, as he tried to keep from screaming out, refusing to give Gold the satisfaction.
"If I ever see you back in this town, Mr. Jones, you will be missing more than just your hand," Mr. Gold said ominously as he waved the others away. He sheathed his bloody blade. "Do you understand what I am saying, Mr. Jones?"
Killian barely nodded, not even if he would survive the day with the loss of blood. Gold however seemed satisfied by his small gesture.
"Then our deal is struck. Have a nice day, Mr. Jones."
Gold leaned heavily on his cane and limped casually away from the bloody scene. Killian was practically blinded by the pain. He inched his way over to Milah's body. His head rested on her chest before he lost consciousness.
Killian was sure he was dead when Graham appeared, shaking him awake. While he was passed out Graham had wrapped his arm and tied it up in some sort of scarf.
"You need to get out of here." Graham helped him stand and propped him up against the wall of the alleyway.
Killian used the last of the strength he had to nod his head and remain upright. Graham walked around and investigated the scene. It was his job as deputy to determine the crime scene. Killian wasn't sure if he would find himself at the hospital or in jail by the time Graham was finished. Instead, Graham handed him some keys.
"Here. These are to my dad's pickup. It's parked around the corner."
Killian stared at him confused. "Why?"
"No time for that." Graham shoved the keys into his hand and pushed him in the direction of the vehicle. "Get across the town line and leave the truck. August will be there to pick you up."
"Thank you, Graham." Killian leaned in to hug the younger man, but had to be righted against the wall because he was so weak.
"I'm not doing it for you, mate. I made a promise to Liam. And well, to someone else. Consider the debt paid." Graham helped him down the alleyway. "This is as far as I can go."
Killian smiled at him and stumbled out of the alley, struggling against the blackness that wanted to swallow him whole. How he made it to the truck he did not know, but once he was there he used to stay upright. He opened the door and held himself steady. Driving would not be easy in his condition.
"Killian! Are you okay?" David Nolan called out to him as he approached from across the street.
"No, mate. But, somehow I need to get in this truck and drive out of town or else I'm a dead man." Killian tried to give the guy a jovial grin, but he was sure it ended up more of a slight grimace.
David watched him as Killian straightened. "I'm not kidding, Dave. I need to get out of here. Can you help me up?"
"I'll drive you then." David took the keys dangling from Killian's fingers.
"You shouldn't get mixed up in this, mate." Killian shoved back the pain, as David helped him onto the driver's seat.
"I'm heading out of town myself. I'll feel better if you at least let me follow you so you don't get any more injured." David stared him down until Killian relented and nodded his agreement. "Give me five minutes to get to my truck and I'll be right behind you."
Killian watched him walk away and started the truck. When David's truck was behind him, he moved forward. True to his word, Dave followed him the whole way to the town line. And though Killian fought tooth and nail to remain conscious, his reflexes were no where near what they needed to be. He swerved to avoid the oncoming deer just barely missing it, however David wasn't so lucky. His truck slammed into the beast and ran down the embankment near the Welcome to Storybrooke sign. It was then as Killian stopped and stared at the wreckage that was David's truck that the blackness finally welcomed him with open arms.