Part 2: Through the Hardships
Enchanted Forest, 300 years ago
Liam and Killian secured a boat and were headed to a cave following a lead. Liam was making haste to get to their destination. The water sloshed every time the oars hit the water. Their objective was to reach a den of slavers. In a matter of hours, Killian's world was turned upside down. An hour after they landed in port, Emma got kidnapped right under his nose. She was by his side one minute, looking at some wares, and the next, she was gone without a trace.
His mind took a dark turn worrying for Emma's well-being. Did the men hurt her? He didn't know what he would do if she was taken from him forever. If those men hurt one hair on her head, his hand clenched the grip of his cutlass absently at the thought.
"I'm sure she is fine, brother. We'll rescue her," Liam consoled, his soft voice broke the silence.
Killian let out a heavy sigh at his brother's words. He couldn't understand how Liam could be so optimistic. He could sense Emma was scared and angry, but nothing else was out of the ordinary. She was safe-for now. One thing was certain. When he found Emma, he was going to make sure he proposed to her. He wanted to propose to her when he first told her he loved her, but he was scared that she wanted to return to the future. This experience taught him life was too short to put things off.
Eventually, they reached a mouth of a cave and could see rowboats already docked. By the number, it meant that this cave was the main base of operation for the slavers. Killian jumped on the deck while Liam quickly secured the boat to the peg. When Liam went to get on the deck, he knocked a bucket accidentally into the water. The bucket made a loud noise as soon as it broke the water's surface. Killian and Liam shared a look before running to the wall of the cave and leaning their bodies against it. Seconds later, a guard went to check on the source of the noise. Liam knocked out the guard easily with his elbow, and Killian caught the incapacitated figure before the body hit the ground. Now that they breached the den, they had to find Emma.
Killian strode forward, sensing Emma's presence. He was surprised they had yet to encounter anymore slavers. They managed to sneak past a kitchen area where some men were getting drunk. As long as they were occupied, they shouldn't encounter any resistance. He felt Liam collide with his back when he made an abrupt stop. Standing before them was a cage filled with people. Seeing the slaves brought back memories of his father selling Liam and himself into servitude. He thought it would be poor form to leave these people there with their freedom taken from them.
Killian looked into his brother's patient eyes. Liam must have understood why he stopped and felt the same way about the scene before them.
"I know we meant to do this quietly, but we got to help them," Killian whispered, pulling his cutlass out of his sheath.
"Whatever you decide, I will follow you," His brother promised, following his movements.
Killian charged into the opening and was able to overpower the unsuspecting guard. Liam covered his back from another guard, who went to attack Killian from behind. The sound of metal upon metal could be heard throughout the cave, but eventually, they made short work of the guards. Killian walked towards the cage and lifted up the latch.
"Go, you're free now," Killian said, opening the doors to the cage and allowing the slaves to go free.
"Thank you," a slave said after he jumped out of the cage.
Liam handed a weapon to each slave, who left the cage for protection. Their initial rescue attempt was sure to alert the slavers to their presence, but the slavers would find an unfortunate surprise that their slaves were free and angry.
The brothers continued their way forward, fighting slavers in their way. Killian had to admit that the slaves served as a nice distraction. There were a lot of commotion and chaos. He didn't notice how far they made their way into the cave, but they approached a dimly lit opening.
In the distance, a figure was sitting on a chair with a burly man standing in front of it. From his position, Killian could make out Emma's unmistakable blond hair. She was glaring at her kidnapper with a defiant look in her green eyes. He let out a relieved breath when he saw that no harm had come to her.
He saw Emma's eyes briefly glance in his direction- a sign that she noticed both Liam and Killian. Her mouth upturned slightly at the turn of events.
"How about you let me go, and I will forget this ever happened?" Emma offered.
"What are you going to do about it? I find it hard for you to do anything in your position," the slaver mocked, grinning at her with his rotting teeth.
Emma was distracting him ,and Killian thought this was the perfect time to overcome the man. He and Liam rushed in with their swords drawn. The man turned around with his sword out when he heard the men approach. Emma used the man's distraction to kick him behind the knee, causing his body to crouch down slightly. Liam knocked out the man with a right hook to the face.
"It took you boys long enough." Emma looked relieved turning to Liam, but her eyes softened when she saw Killian. "It looks like you found me," she said with a smile, almost breathless.
Killian was facing Emma as Liam went behind her to remove the ropes. "I'll always find you, Emma." Killian cupped just under her chin, before leaning forward. He could feel her breath on his face. "Don't you ever forget that." His lips met hers at his promise.
Present Day, Storybrooke, Maine
Emma thought she would have been used to portal traveling by now since this was her seventh time. The spinning vortexes always made her dizzy. She hated that the fucking portals always seemed to spit her out into the water. Killian had let go of her as soon as they landed, probably to prevent her from drowning, but she saw him already swimming to shore. He was going to make sure that she wasn't going to run away from him. Emma really didn't care anymore. She was too tired to resist at this point. She was relieved to see the familiar logo of the Cannery. She was finally able to return to Henry. Eventually, she made her way to shore swimming with one hand, and the egg nestled in the other.
Her boots squelched making a sucking noise with all the water that got in them. They were probably ruined. She saw Killian looking at her patiently with an unreadable expression on his face. Was he going to yell at her for trapping him? Now was the perfect time since he couldn't in the Enchanted Forest with the portal closing. How he escaped bothered her because it was impossible.
"How the hell did you catch up to me?" She asked, her tone incredulous.
At her question, his grin grew smug. "My hook was enchanted by magic for another purpose, but it was able to cut through the vines. Unless you have more tricks to try and subdue me, it appears we have reached an impasse." His amused expression sobered at his statement.
Emma felt uncomfortable at the serious gaze Killian was directing towards her. He was tired of her actions, and Emma didn't have it in her to hurt him again. Despite everything that happened, she was scared to confess to him that she still loved him. Now, she was stuck with a pirate she couldn't shake off. She had to admit he was pretty determined to get to this town.
"I shouldn't be surprised, actually. You always had an uncanny ability to find me whenever I disappeared. Well, you got what you wanted. Welcome to Storybrooke, such as it is." She dramatically gestured to the Cannery and trees with a wave of her hand before dropping it to her side. "I did what I could to prevent you from getting here. Now that you are here, I'm not going to stand in your way anymore," she said with a resigned tone, crossing her arms.
For tonight, she had a feeling he wouldn't be stupid enough to go after Gold, so she didn't expect any problems from him. She shook her head at the thought. She wanted to fetch Henry and go to sleep. She frowned when she noticed he didn't leave after she dismissed him. He took in her appearance for a moment before he grimaced.
"I'm pretty sure we can get passed the Milah issue if that was your only concern, but there is a reason why you don't want me close to you," he said bluntly, crossing his arms.
This again. Why couldn't he make things simple? Should she just tell him about Henry and get done with it? It would make things a lot easier. She selfishly thought that telling him would talk him out of his revenge, but it was also possible that it wouldn't. Henry would accidently get caught in the crossfire and get hurt. She couldn't take that chance.
"Yes, it's because I don't trust you. Now that we're in Storybrooke, you're going to pursue your revenge for the woman you have tattooed on your arm," she admitted sadly.
What she said was true except leaving Henry out. She didn't miss his jaw clench at her admission. He ran a hand through his hair, looking away from her momentarily. She wondered what was going through his head, and why he believed they could just pick off where they left off as though nothing happened between them. Every second she was standing in front of him, the more she started to believe that he was being genuine with her, despite everything she had seen and heard these past few days. Finally, he spoke.
"I know nothing I say will get you to believe me. I have to try a different tactic," he admitted, looking at her with his tired blue eyes.
"How do you propose to do that?" She asked with a raised brow, her tone curious.
"Please, let me show you the truth," he begged.
"Wait..." Emma's eyes widened at his suggestion. "You cannot be serious." The determined look in his eyes proved to her that he was. It was by chance that it worked the first time. There was no guarantee they could repeat what happened the first time they kissed. "Suppose it won't work?" She asked, her voice low.
He took her consideration as a sign of encouragement to tentatively approach her. "Then I guess I'll get a kiss out of it." He offered her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. It took all her effort not to flinch when his free hand reached out to grab a lock of her hair.
She realized that he was testing the waters around her to see if she was receptive towards his advances. She was stubborn earlier by not letting him tell his full side of the story. If what he was saying was true, then all of their conflict would be resolved if he showed her everything. If so, she was going to owe him a big apology and need to explain Henry to him. She closed her eyes in defeat.
"Ok, let's do this," she said wearily-not missing the brief spark of hope in his eyes. She would be lying if she said she wasn't scared of what she was going to see.
She could feel his breath on her face. He took a moment, staring deeply into her eyes before cupping her face with his hand. His thumb was rubbing her cheek affectionately. "I'm not proud of the things I've done" - he murmured, inches away from her lips- "but it was worth it if it led me to you," he admitted in a tone that was barely above a whisper before crashing his lips on hers.
Emma almost moaned when he deepened the kiss. She forgot how good of a kisser he was and how she missed kissing him. This kiss felt like coming home after a long absence. She almost got lost in the kiss until a familiar feeling hit her. She had a sense of Deja vu as images started to flood her mind. Unlike last time, the memories seemed disjointed. She couldn't tell if they were in order, or maybe because he lived for over three hundred years he had so many.
Killian was standing in a jungle embracing Liam. He was surprised to see Liam alive after he watched him die the first time. Their happy reunion was ruined when the Dark One appeared and pulled out Liam's heart, forcing Killian to watch Liam die a second time.
Emma made a mental note to confront Rumple about Liam. She wanted to know why he was in Neverland and why he killed Liam. She knew that Rumple had no reason to hate Liam. Her thoughts were short lived when another distinct memory appeared.
Killian was sitting alone in a tavern, watching the bartender with hateful eyes. Emma almost gasped when she found out that the man was Killian's father. She recognized him almost immediately from the one memory she saw of Killian's. The man hadn't aged as well. She watched how the scene played out. She was proud of the way Killian had grown and moved past his anger by securing his father safe passage away. That was until she saw Brennan Jones comfort Liam II in the same manner that he had Killian when he was younger before he sold him. She felt the jealousy, the hatred, and betrayal before he killed his father.
Emma was horrified that he killed his own dad. She had to admit that it was wrong what his dad did, but he did seem to genuinely change. Killian must have felt her distress because he started combing his fingers through her hair, tugging her closer to his chest than she thought possible. She didn't have time to make sense of the situation as more memories flooded her mind.
Killian was walking past a man on a dock after he had some drinks in a tavern. The man called him, "One-handed Jones". Killian's posture stiffened before he became filled with rage and whipped his sword out to kill the man, taking his ring. It made sense now why he had so many rings. They were trophies of his conquests. She had to continue to watch in horror as he killed another man and took his ring.
A burning sensation was starting to build up in the back of her throat, causing her to break off the kiss. Slightly pushing him away, she hunched over and threw up on the open grass. She knew there were more memories that she didn't get from him, but she didn't care. She had seen enough.
"Emma." He tried approaching her, but a level glare stopped his advances.
"Suppose I piss you off, will you kill me too?" She bit out.
He claimed that everything he did in his past was to get to her. She couldn't believe his words when she saw how flippantly he killed people without hesitation. When the situation mattered, his anger and hatred won out. When those emotions took over, he was dead set on enacting his vengeance. Not even his flesh and blood was immune to his vendetta.
"Why would you think that?" He asked appalled, looking genuinely wounded.
"I saw you kill your father for revenge and a bunch of other people for looking at you the wrong way and calling you names. Was killing them necessary to get to me?" She paused and watched the self-loathing that overtook his features. His awkward silence was enough to answer the question. "I didn't think so."
"Swan, how much did you see?" He asked.
"I saw enough. You said you would never do anything to hurt me. If you have no reservations about killing your own flesh and blood while your half-brother is not far away, really makes me doubt your words." She shook her head in disbelief.
"Emma, I wasn't in a good place at the time with the other men. As for my father, I couldn't let the boy suffer the same abandonment as me," Killian pleaded for her to understand.
He thought he was doing the boy a favor by killing his dad? That was the worst thing he could have done. Killian hated being an orphan and yet his actions made his own brother one.
"You just made an assumption and killed him. Tell me and answer me honestly. Do you still intend on killing Rumpelstiltskin?" She was serious. She really didn't care about the Milah situation anymore because the memories she saw scared her to death and showed what he was capable of. She wanted to know if he was going to be a problem.
"I can't let that monster live for taking you away from me and killing Liam," he said, his voice raising slightly.
"I see that answers that question. Sorry, to break it you, but you will have to go through me to get your revenge," she informed.
This was her final attempt into talking some sense into him. If he refused to listen to her, then there wasn't much more she could do for him.
"Why are you protecting him?" He asked, his voice filled with betrayal and heartbreak.
"I'm the sheriff. It's my job to protect the people of this town. Rumple didn't take me away. I had to leave. As for Liam, something in my gut tells me he didn't kill Liam." Emma began to explain before she shook her head, stopping herself from ranting. There was only so many ways she could repeat herself before she sounded like a broken record.
"That isn't the point. Liam doesn't want to be avenged. If I can't talk you out of your revenge, then there is nothing else for us to talk about," she reminded.
She saw his look didn't disappear and she felt sad that her words couldn't get through to him. What did she expect? She tried talking him out of his revenge in the past and that turned out horribly. Here they were ten and three hundred years later more broken than when they met.
"What did you decide to do with the baby?"
Emma had to strain her ears to hear the question because it was barely audible. By the miserable way he asked it, her body stiffened. So he had gotten her earlier memories, but he didn't really know of Henry's fate. Her heart almost shattered when she saw the loving hope in his eyes. The man in front of her was different than the one she saw earlier. She swallowed, debating what to tell him. She saw what Killian was capable of and the only thing that mattered was to protect Henry.
"What do you think? You weren't around," she answered weakly.
She felt horrible for saying that when she felt his heartbreak. She wished that she could have told him differently. He looked dejected at first before his eyes narrowed.
"What aren't you telling me, Swan?" He asked evenly, his tone knowing.
It took everything in Emma's power to not hide her surprise when he caught her bluff. He knew she was hiding something from him, but like before, he wanted her to tell him. Well, he wasn't going to find out through her. Emma moved to walk away but stopped some distance from him.
"One last thing. Gold has magic and is immortal. If you use the dagger, you become the next Dark One. How's that for irony?" She warned her back still facing him.
Killian wasn't going to stand a chance against Rumple once magic was brought to Storybrooke.
She hoped that this town would give him time to face his demons and move on. If he gave up his desire for revenge, Emma might lose her reluctance of letting him meet Henry and maybe patch things up between them.
"I know you're deflecting. I will find out whatever you are hiding, and this rift between us will be fixed," he promised, his voice filled with passion.
Emma smiled to herself at his tone. It almost seemed nostalgic of the way he used to talk to her. She almost hoped his words were true so that her fears and insecurities would disappear.
"I guess we'll have to wait and see," she said, her voice wistful.
Killian could prove her wrong or even worse- make her fears a reality. She frowned at the latter thought. Was it worth the risk to see her fears come true? One thing she did when she delved into a situation she didn't like was protect herself before she got hurt. This whole situation could turn ugly very fast. Now that a new obstacle in breaking the curse arrived, maybe it was time to leave Storybrooke.
Next: Running