"Evil Snowman! Run!" Leroy yelled, setting the entire town into a panic, just what they needed.
But luckily instead of charging at them, Frosty headed towards the forest, apparently scared by the noise. David, who had joined the crowd of spectators, gave Lucas to Mary Margaret and joined Emma and Killian in following the thing.
A snow monster taller than most buildings moved a lot faster than a couple of six foot humans. So in the time it took to catch up they came up with some theories. The monster was scared by noise and didn't go after her until her gun accidently went off. Maybe it was meant as a defensive mechanism instead of an offensive one. If they didn't attack maybe it could lead them to whoever created it because something told her this wasn't another villain just someone very scared. After all magic was connected to emotions and instead of a special blanket to make them feel safe they created a snow monster.
But when they found the Merry Men and warned them about Frosty they didn't have time to explain their theory before Little John fired an arrow at it. And apparently her magic wasn't able to defeat it and her poor attempt only scared it more. A fist of snow swung at her and that was the last thing she saw.
Minutes later she came to and found that Regina had been the one to destroy the snow monster. It was a bit of a surprise considering Regina hadn't spoken to anyone, especially her, since it was discovered who they brought back from the past. Thanks to her, Robin Hood was no longer a widower thus ruining his budding new romance with Regina.
Killian was right; Maid Marian belonged in the past. But while she felt a bit guilty and sorry for Regina, Emma still felt she had done something good for Roland. She knew what it was like to grow up without a mom and even though he had Robin, the Merry Men, and Regina, Marian deserved to raise her little boy as well.
So it was wandering through the woods, making a snowball, contemplating the situation with Regina, and hoping she wouldn't become the Evil Queen again that Killian found her.
"So, crisis averted." He said with a warm smile, proud of her magic even though it just made the snowman sprout spikes of ice.
"Wanna go home and see what's on Netflix?" She asked just to see what he'd say.
"I don't know what that is but sure." He replied eagerly.
"That anxious to get out of cell phone 101 with Henry?" She teased.
"I always enjoy spending time with our lad, Swan. But these…devices are bloody ridiculous. Who needs to goggle something when you could simply look at a map or go to the library? And what's the point of watching videos when there's the box we watched that bloody movie about Pan on?" He expressed his frustrations.
"First off, it's Google not goggle. And I know it's confusing for you. That's why I got a really basic phone that just makes calls, sends texts, and has a camera." She told him and was wondering how he ended up with a smartphone.
"Aye, but apparently Henry saw it and thought it was worthless and asked to have it exchanged for a different one." He told her and she just shook her head, not surprised one bit.
"I'll talk to Henry about going more basic." She assured him. "Where is he now?"
"I left him with his uncle's namesake. He wanted to come and see what was going on but Ruby bribed him with cocoa."
"Yeah what boy wouldn't love to chase after the abominable snowman?" She asked rhetorically. "Speaking of which, someone created that snowman. This isn't over."
"It never is. All the more reason to enjoy the quiet moments. And right now…we have a quiet moment." He said leaning in closer to her, almost close enough for a kiss.
"I know." She sighed, hating to pull away. "I just gotta do something first."
"Love, you can talk to Henry tonight about the talking phone. And if you're worried about Regina, as I said last night, no good ever came of pushing that woman. I know you feel guilty but you have no reason to, love. If she's meant to be with Robin, it will work out somehow just as it did for us. Maybe Marian is Robin's Milah, the woman you love but not your true love."
"I hope so." She replied but didn't exactly believe it. "You should get back to Henry. Even if it's not figuring out the phone, you should take advantage of the quiet moment. With Regina unavailable I'm gonna go talk to Belle, see if any of her books mention snow magic."
"Swan, there's more to this than just Regina, isn't there? What are you thinking?" He questioned her.
"Be patient." She whispered after giving him a quick kiss then headed away from him and towards town.
CS
"I have all the time in the world…unless another monster appears and kills me." Killian mumbled as he watched Emma walk away.
Even if she wouldn't talk to him about what was on her mind, he'd much rather spend this quiet moment with her. But he'd be patient if that's what she needed and decided to check back on Henry. In the midst of teaching him the ins and outs of the talking phone he'd try to call Regina several times but she never answered. Killian couldn't exactly say he felt sorry for the former Evil Queen but he did hope that for the lad's sake she didn't do anything they'd all regret.
"Henry, lad, why don't you say we put away the modern monstrosities for a bit and experience some old fashioned fun." Killian suggested.
"How old fashioned are we talking here?" Henry asked hesitantly.
"Well, I'll admit I used to play it with my brother when we were young. But it's in the front window of one of the shops so it can't be that dull. Can it?"
"I guess not." He shrugged and put the phone away thankfully. "But can we get cocoa to go?"
"Aye, lad," He nodded then went over to Granny for the cocoa with cinnamon.
CS
"Marbles? You bought a bag of marbles? What are we supposed to do with those at a park? Unless you have a track it's like the most useless toy. " Henry asked him when Killian revealed what he had purchased. He hadn't allowed the lad in the store and just let him look in the window for what it could be.
"They're more than toys lad. Marbles is like a game of chess, there's strategy behind it. It also needs hand-eye-coordination, something you also need for wielding a sword. It includes a bit of gambling as well, making it perfect for pirates. And lastly, if you need a last resort escape you can spread them on the floor and whoever you want to get away from will fall straight on their ars…flat on their back." Killian informed him.
"How can they be all that?" Henry asked skeptically.
"Well, lad, just watch and find out." He smirked and poured out the contents of the drawstring bag onto the circle of dirt.
"Wait, so that's what this is for? I used to come here a lot when I was younger and wondered what you were supposed to do here. A few kids used to played with Beyblades but it didn't really work, too big of a space and no sides to bounce off of." He said, finally becoming interested.
"It's always been a popular game in the Enchanted Forest. Your mother and grandparents are probably better at it than I am since I haven't played in about a hundred years. So it makes sense that it's here since Storybrooke was designed with little hints of the Enchanted Forest. If everyone in this land weren't so busy with their talking phones, I bet this would get a lot more use, maybe even an annual tournament."
"Okay, for the last time, it's just called a phone." Henry stated and rolled his eyes, just like Emma. "So if I grew up on the Enchanted Forest I would probably already know the ins and outs of this game?"
"Aye, most likely." He nodded. "You ready to learn?"
"I guess so." Henry shrugged as if he didn't really care but Killian could tell his curiosity had won out.
"So this is kind of like pool." Henry commented once Killian had explained the rules and he took his first turn. "But where's the gambling you mentioned?"
"Well, usually people play for keeps, the marbles you knock out of the ring you keep. But since this is your first time…"
"What? Are you that positive you'll win?" He stated defensively. "I say we forget keeping marbles. Let's say I win and you have to listen to everything I tell you about the cell phone and not just say 'aye' now and then. But if you win, I can arrange a family movie night that includes my grandparents and the movie I told you about that makes Prince Charming look pathetic."
"You'll be a full-fledged pirate yet one of these days, lad." Killian nodded and rearranged things to start over. "I'm all in."
CS
"And you're saying, what? This wall goes around the whole town?" Emma asked Killian the following night. Once again the new villain in town, who they had yet to formally meet, was putting their ice magic to use.
"That it does." He nodded.
"So, once again we can't leave Storybrooke." David commented, staring at the wall of ice as high as the eye could see.
"Doing more than keeping us inside by the looks of that." Killian observed and motioned to the large pole with wires that was lying on the ground. "Guess that's what caused the loss of power?"
"Look at you becoming a twenty-first century man." Emma stated teasing but he could see a slight hint of approval in her smile.
"Aye, thank your son." He told her begrudgingly, still a bit put out by the results of yesterday's game.
"My son? How am I the one to blame for this? You're the one that should stop betting against him." She replied, clearly amused.
"First off, we tied, love. And second, I made a deal to learn about phones not every modern, technical, inconvenience." He argued.
"You'll be thankful for it one day. It'll make for some great memories at least." She told him trying to get him to look on the bright side. And someday he probably would. But today was not that day. "Now, it looks to me like whoever put up the wall wasn't trying to take out the lights. They were just putting up the wall."
"To keep us in." Dave stated. "Why?"
"Kill us all one by one." Killian couldn't help but reply. He was still a pirate after all. "It's what I'd do."
Apparently the prince didn't much appreciate the statement and thankfully left to answer a…radio call…from the police car. That left him and Emma alone for a moment.
"I should have brought the champagne."
"What?" Emma asked by the randomness of his statement.
"To celebrate our second date." He told her then sized up the wall. "And because we've got the world's largest ice bucket."
"Second date? Did I miss the first?" She questioned him, still puzzled but he could tell she knew he was up to something.
"Aye, snow monster's the first, ice wall's the second. After all if I only counted quiet dinners or short sailing adventures, we wouldn't even get one. As proven by the showdown with the witch and life here in general." He answered with hints of sarcasm.
He wanted those two things with Emma more than anything. But after all the worry for her and her parents' future back in the past, he realized he would take whatever he could get. So if that meant chasing down villains was the only way to ensure they spent time together, then so be it. Life on the sea had taught him that a storm can arise in an instant and sometimes the only way to make it through was to just drop anchor until it was past.
"I know. But as bizarre as it is, this is reality not a year on a ship with just the two of us, free to follow our hearts desires." She sighed but it wasn't exactly unhappy. Then she leaned in to kiss him but stopped halfway. "I think I see something behind the wall. You wait here with the ice bucket while I check that out."
Killian's first alert that something bad would happen was that Emma didn't follow through with her intended kiss. He once told her a man can't lose with a token from the woman he loves. The second, that he'd been fool enough to let her go alone. And third, Dave was having a conversation with him without some sort of threat.
"I guess it's time you and I have a little talk about your intentions with my daughter." David stated and placed his hand on his holster, ready to draw his gun.
"That's old-fashioned even by my standards and I still pay with doubloons." Killian stated back. "Besides as you now know, I married her some time ago. And if your marriage to Snow is still valid then so is ours, mate."
"I'm not questioning, Hook. And honestly I know that despite being a pirate, that you do have good intentions with Emma and Henry. I do remember a certain late night conversation with a Prince Charles. I just couldn't resist the role of over-protective dad." He told him and admitted to the teasing. Well two could play that game.
"Aye, I seem to recall someone saying that the parents of the woman I loved would be crazy not to approve of me." The pirate in him couldn't help but state in a smug tone. "Wonder who that could've been?"
"I'll admit I've had my doubts. Even after you two revealed you were true love and what you had been through to find that out. But thinking back, when my opinion wasn't clouded by the fact that you were a pirate and in love with my daughter, I knew that what you had for your princess was something special that most people don't have, let alone believe in. I know I didn't. But you of all people, you gave me…"
"Hope?" Killian filled in what David, even with the great strides he had made, wasn't quite ready to reveal. He gave him a raised brow and a cocky smirk and waited for a reply.
But instead their attention was drawn back to the ice wall. Emma was talking to someone and the wind was picking up a bit. They went to check things out but apparently they got too close and more ice began to form, knocking him and David to the ground and trapping Emma behind a layer of impenetrable ice.
CS
Countless nights Killian had spent with Emma asleep beside him. And on many of those occasions he found a way to tease her about how cold her toes could be, even in the summer. He also loved those windier days up on deck when she'd get a chill and place herself between him and the helm with her face against his chest to shield from the cold. And the time they docked for supplies at a port that had just had a major snowstorm. It was a short walk to the nearest tavern but Emma was still quite annoyed and gave empty threats through her chattering teeth.
Those had all been good and fun memories until now. Now, Emma might freeze to death and according the woman, Elsa, that caused all this, she was passed out from the prolonged exposure. But as much as the thought pained him, he was grateful to know how Emma was doing. And even though a…walkie-talkie…wasn't exactly a talking phone he now realized the importance of such things and he'd make sure to thank Henry for the lessons he had begrudgingly endured earlier.
In fact, after a visit to the Dark One that he deemed useless and a call to Bo Peep, who was nothing like the nursery rhyme he'd heard Snow read to Lucas, he thought the talking device more useful than the two of them put together. Especially when Dave was able to talk to Elsa and told her something he'd apparently heard from her sister. Killian didn't know Elsa or her sister but he knew those words, 'survival isn't enough, you have to live' were tried and true. So did Elsa and thank the seven seas it sparked something in her and she was able to create a whole in the ice.
It was small; just big enough for Emma, with help from all three of them, to crawl out of. Even though she was cold and stiff, she was thankfully still alive. And holding her in his arms filled him with a sense of relief like never before.
"Are you okay?" He asked as he placed his hand at the base of her neck to bring her even closer.
She gave a jerky nod and he knew it was far from the truth, as proven when her legs gave out from under her a few moments later, but knowing that she would be alright gave him comfort.
Thanks for the reviews everyone on last chapter! Glad to know the name Lucas went over well. And don't worry there's no trouble in paradise for Emma and Killian. I just keep the "be patient" line in because a) I love Killian's response b) I really wanted to have a father/son afternoon. So Emma's not avoiding him and there will be fluff for you next chapter. I'm calling it Acceptance and it's a nice little breather before the Snow Queen is discovered. So please review, I really appreciate them! And since the bet was a tie there will be another movie night, can't say when but hopefully soon so keep reading :)