A/N: Hello, hello! A brand new week and what a busy and stressful one this has been (I have a feeling that this may be slightly clear in parts of this story...) Thank you so much for all your reviews! I really love reading what you have to say, and how much you are enjoying it!
This story is based off a prompt from Helen - thank you so much! It took quite a long time for me to write it for the pure reason of I didn't know how I would do it, or if I could bring myself to write it. But finally, here we are!
I apologise if there are any typos! If anything sticks out, let me know and I will correct it. :)
Enjoy guys!
Keep Smiling!
"We just need to find him, not piss around doing other things!" Emma shouts loudly, beyond frustrated.
She moves around the table that resides in the large open kitchen of her parent's house and grabs her jacket before quickly leaving, sword swinging from her left hip. Snow, David and Regina look up from the maps on the table's surface as Killian runs after his wife.
He rushes in front of her, blocking her way to the Bug.
"Move, Killian!" Emma exclaims. She attempts to step around him, but he follows her.
"We need to plan this, Emma." he says, tears forming in his eyes.
Emma looks at him as if he has gone utterly mad, her face illuminated by the setting sun.
"Our baby boy is out there alone and scared." she exclaims hysterically. "Our eight-year old boy has been kidnapped by someone who has already destroyed families in the Enchanted Forest. Liam has been through far too much in his short life as it is. I need to find him - we need to find him!"
Killian quickly pulls Emma into his body as her voice breaks, sobs claiming her body.
"We are going to find our lad, and he is going to be all right." Killian says, his arms tight around her. His voice shocks him; so calm despite his internal anguish. "Now, we are going to return inside and say goodbye to Marnie before beginning our search again."
Emma nods against Killian's shoulder and allows him to lead her back inside. She is quickly greeted by her three-year old daughter sitting on her grandmother's hip. Marnie moves into her mummy's arms and snuggles against her. She breathes in the scent of her baby strawberry shampoo, hoping it aids to calm her.
Liam had been taken from them as they walked down Main Street to have lunch at Granny's with Henry. One moment he had been holding Emma's hand and the next, disappearing in a cloud of disgusting smoke that made his parents and sister cough harshly and recover seeing him gone.
He must be scared out of his mind. His parents certainly are.
"Mama, no go." Marnie says, cuddling Emma tightly.
Emma squeezes her daughter close.
"Mama and Papa have to, sweetheart. We need to find Li."
It takes a lot of kisses and cuddles, and promises to be back for bedtime - hopefully with her brother - before Marnie allows herself to be passed back to Snow. Emma's heart lurches as her little girl begins to cry.
"Go and find Li." her mother says.
Emma takes a few deep breaths and feels Killian grip her hand. They leave the Charmings' abode, David and Regina promising to text locations they can try, and hastily climb into the Bug; Killian resting their swords on his lap.
They make the decision to park the Bug on Main Street and work their way around town using Emma's magic. Together, they replace their swords on their hips and thread their fingers together.
Emma is about to poof them away, but is stopped in the last second.
"Saviour!"
They turn instantly, now facing the direction of the library. The man responsible for their turmoil and kidnap of their boy has his decayed teeth exposed in a horrible grin. In front of him stands Liam, his hands bound at his stomach and his face covered in dirt, blood and tears.
"Liam!" Emma and Killian shouts and Emma begins to sprint forwards.
The man pulls out a gun and calmly rests it against Liam's right temple. Both parents immediately cease moving.
"Whoever the hell you are, get away from our son!" Emma shouts, anger burning within her.
The man laughs. "Verian answers to no one."
Emma has her eyes on their boy and Killian scoffs despite his own anger.
"Well, you've slipped up there then, haven't you, Verian."
The man - Verian - scowls and presses the gun against Liam's temple more.
Little Liam shakes violently and begins to sob.
"Mama... Papa..."
"You know what happens when you talk." Verian seethes through gritted teeth, pushing his head to the side violently using the gun. "Shut it."
"It's all right, baby." Emma says to her boy. "Just don't move or say anything."
She places her left hand on the hilt of her sword. The action doesn't escape Verian's notice.
"Now, Saviour. I want your magic and giving it to me is the only way you will not see your precious son's brains scattered on the floor and a hole blown through his skull."
Heart thundering in her chest, Emma takes a step forwards.
"Mummy!" Li shouts, still sobbing.
"Stay still, Liam." Emma tells him again. "Mama is going to make sure you are safe." Her gaze moves up to Verian, and her voice hardens. "You aren't getting anything if you don't give me my son."
Verian laughs coldly.
"I've done this to many families, in many different ways. I'm being kind by not slitting his throat and making him choke on his own blood, which is one of my preferred methods. Perhaps you would like to see that? Or I could dismember him piece by piece…? Killing another child will not mean a thing to me."
Liam sobs harder. Emma can feel Killian step up behind her.
"You cannot split our family apart." Emma says, feeling her magic simmering wildly under the surface. "Nor will you be getting my magic."
Verian growls loudly, dangerously. He roughly shoves Liam aside, pointing the gun at Emma now. Liam lands awkwardly on his arm and cries out in pain. Killian tries moving over to him, but Verian aims the gun towards him.
"I have worked too long and too hard for me to not get what I want." Verian says, his aim now shifting over to Liam who is crying in earnest, hysterically in fact, and beginning to scream for his parent's help. "Perhaps you need some motivation…"
His finger squeezes the trigger and Liam screams louder.
The bullet hits the ground mere inches from his head.
Emma's palms spark with her magic.
"You haven't just messed with a Saviour." Emma says, her heart pounding and a roar present in her ears. "You've messed with a mother."
In a split second, she unleashes all her rage on Verian, a large blast knocking him backwards; nearly ten feet.
"Get Liam." Emma says to Killian, quickly advancing on Verian. She continues to send strong blasts of her magic to keep him down.
Eventually, he stops resisting and Emma stands over him. She raises her palms, but misses Verian raising the gun still clutched in his palm.
A loud gunshot resonates, making Emma's ears ring thanks to the close range. Her heart stutters when she hears a cry of pain echo. Out of instinct and severe anger, Emma withdraws her sword from her side and doesn't hesitate to run the vile man through.
The roaring in her ears dies and exhaustion begins to fill her body, right down to her bones. It is a sure sign that she has used almost all reserves of magic; if not all of it.
She removes her blade from Verian's still and lifeless body, and immediately hurries over to her boys. Liam is being hugged tightly by his papa, Killian giving him the comfort he needs. Kneeling beside him, Emma puts her sword down and heals the graze that the bullet made on Killian's arm; repairing his jacket too.
With a wave of her hand, the ropes around Liam's wrists unravel – but much slower than she anticipated. Emma also notices horrible cuts and bruises on his wrists and she heals those too.
"Mama." Liam sobs and Emma quickly brings her baby boy into her arms.
"Shh, shh, baby." she mumbles into his ear. He continues to sob into her neck and clings to her. Killian rubs his hand over Li's back, but his eyes are on Emma; filled with concern at the amount of power she has used. Emma tries to ignore it and focuses on their boy. "We're going to go home, baby, so we need to get up and go to the car."
Liam slowly pulls away and Emma's stomach drops at the sight of blood leaking from the large cut on his forehead.
"Mummy can fix it." she says and tries using her magic, but nothing happens. Her fingertips graze over the cut and Liam cries harder as it flares up extreme pain and memories of his ordeal. "It's all right, baby. We will fix this, but my magic isn't working. We'll get Grandma to help us and you'll feel so much better."
Looking at Killian, they help Liam stand up and he grips Killian's hand tightly as Emma pushes herself up too. She sways on the spot, sudden dizziness taking over.
"Emma, you've gone very pale." Killian says.
But then both of their attention is given to their boy as he stumbles dangerously, all energy dissipating in his young body.
Emma rushes forwards and grips him.
"Take a few deep breaths, Li." she says, and he does so, steadying on his feet.
Killian reaches into Emma's jacket and pulls out her set of keys. She gives him a questioning look.
"Stay with our boy." he says, moving to pick up Emma's blood covered sword from the ground. He returns to them. "You are both exhausted, so I will drive."
Emma nods, smiling gratefully. She wraps her arm around Liam's waist, supporting him, as she ushers him to the Bug and away from the corpse of Verian.
…
Since he is too heavy to carry and he is far too exhausted to walk, Emma gives Liam a piggy back into the Charmings' home. Liam has his arms wrapped around his mother's shoulders and his face buried into her hair. Killian moves ahead of them, opening the front door.
Emma moves to the large couch in the living room and carefully lowers Li onto the cushions. Snow rushes in and gasps.
"You found him!" she says, kneeling beside the couch. Her eyes widen at the sight of all the blood on Liam's face. "Oh, honey! Let me go and get some warm water."
Snow stands and begins moving, calling out for David and Regina. Killian walks in, having just come off the phone with Henry to let him know they have found his baby brother, before handing it off to Regina so she can have a chat about their villain's story in the Book.
He hands Emma a tissue box so she can dry off Liam's tears.
David walks in, holding Marnie.
"Papa!" she shouts, ever the daddy's girl.
Killian smiles at her and takes her into his arms. "Hello, little love."
Marnie sits comfortably on Killian's hip, her head on his shoulder and her right hand worming its way under his shirt to rest upon his heart; a habit of hers. They both watch as Emma delicately wipes away Li's tears and the blood beading along his jaw.
"Here we go." Snow says, rushing back in with a bowl, David following with a few clean cloths to use. Snow puts it down beside Liam and when she reaches out to touch the wound and surrounding area, Li flinches. "It's only me, Liam."
Li shakes his head, his hands gripping Emma's arm. "Only Mama."
"It's only Grandma, Li. She won't hurt you, she wants to help." Emma says, her voice incredibly soft.
Li shakes his head again, his hands gripping her arm tighter to keep her close.
"Only Mama."
Emma nods and Snow sits back.
"All right, baby." Emma mumbles, not wishing to overwhelm him. "Only Mama."
She soaks one of the cloths in the warm water before beginning to wipe all traces of blood and grime away. Snow goes over to David and Neal to try and make some dinner.
Regina comes in after coming off the phone with Henry.
"What happened?" she asks.
Marnie starts fussing so Killian goes off to find her a small snack, knowing it is dinner time. Emma wipes away a stubborn streak of blood before answering.
"The villain we've been tracking revealed his name to be Verian." she says, looking at the Queen. "Have you ever heard of that name at all?"
Regina contemplates the name, a sign that she probably hasn't. Sure enough, she shakes her head a moment later.
"I haven't, no. The only things I have heard is what we all know; he has destroyed families back in the Enchanted Forest." Regina says, kneeling beside Emma to look at Li. "Can you tell me what happened, Liam?"
Li immediately shakes his head and screws his eyes shut. Regina smiles at Emma.
"Can you let me know when he is able to talk about it? We want to make sure this Verian didn't do anything serious."
"Of course." Emma says, soaking the cloth in the now soiled water. "You may want to head to Main Street though."
"Why?"
"I ran Verian through and I couldn't remove his body because I pretty much used all my magic pushing him back and healing Li as best as I could."
Regina nods and stands, her palms running over her jean-clad thighs.
"I'll go and sort it out. I will come around tomorrow so we can work out how he got here, since it is obvious he didn't have magic."
Emma nods and looks up at her from her place on the floor. "Thank you, Regina."
Regina smiles before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Emma finishes tenderly cleaning up Liam, gratefully finding that his head wound isn't as bad as it looks.
"How are we doing?" Snow asks, coming over and collecting the bowl and dirty cloths.
Emma sighs, seeing her little boy all curled up and vulnerable. "He seems to be all right physically." she says. "But he is very shaken up. I think it is best we get him home."
Snow smiles sympathetically. "Get him home and stay close. He should feel better in a few days."
Emma nods and weakly smiles at her mother. "Thank you for your help, Mum. I really appreciate it."
"You don't need to thank me, honey. It's what family does." Snow says, giving her daughter a soft and incredibly loving smile. "I'll let Killian know you are getting ready to leave."
Emma nods her head in thanks, and then focuses on getting Liam up. They meet Killian, with Marnie still on his hip but now munching on a biscuit happily, at the front door. Together, they say goodbye to the Charming brood before departing.
The drive home was quick, Emma driving and Liam on his booster seat on the passenger seat, not wanting to be separated too far from Emma. He manages to walk from the Bug into the house, but practically collapses on the couch.
"How about we make some supper, little love?" Killian questions their daughter when she looks at her brother with deep sadness on her little face.
Marnie nods and takes her daddy's offered hand, keeping her gaze on Li as long as she can, Killian guiding her into the kitchen.
"Home now, Li." Emma says, sitting in the middle of the couch. She pulls off her boots. "You're safe now, I promise."
Liam sobs and buries himself into the left side of her body. She immediately wraps him up in her arms and holds him as tightly as she dares.
"Shh, shh. Mummy's got you." she mumbles soothingly.
"Mummy? Is Li 'kay?" Marnie asks, toddling over to the couch.
"I thought you were helping Papa, sweetheart."
Marnie climbs onto the couch before cuddling into Emma's right side.
"Make sure Li 'kay. Missy him."
Emma presses a kiss to sweet Marnie's head. "I missed Li too. But, that won't happen again. Bad man is gone now."
"Baddy man gone." Marnie repeats.
The rest of the evening passes slowly. Killian ends up going to Granny's to get dinner for everyone and they all bundle together on the couch to watch a couple of films on Netflix.
Marnie falls asleep on Killian's chest, and he takes her upstairs to put to bed.
"Come on, monkey." Emma says, helping Liam stand up with her. "I think an early night will be good for you."
She helps Li upstairs and get ready for bed. She tucks him in and sits on the floor beside his bed until he falls asleep, and ten minutes after to make sure. With a gentle kiss to his forehead, she quietly leaves the room.
"Did he go down all right?" Killian asks, finishing tidying up the living room before turning off the lights. He wraps his arms around her waist, feeling her exhaustion as she slumps into him.
"I think so. It is going to take him time to feel settled again. You remember how it was for him a few years ago when I was taken and pregnant with Marnie."
Killian nods and kisses her forehead.
"He'll be okay. We always are." Emma nods herself, then yawns loudly. "I think you could use an early night too, darling. You're exhausted yourself and I think you'll thank me if you fall asleep in bed, rather than on the couch."
Emma offers no resistance, allowing Killian to guide her. He turns on the lights in their bedroom and stops moving.
"What?" Emma questions and Killian points to their bed with his hook.
In the centre, beneath the covers, lies an asleep Liam all curled up. Neither of his parents have the heart to wake him, so quietly putter around the bedroom and adjoining bathroom, getting ready for bed.
They end up snuggling Liam between their bodies. Emma can physically feel her little boy relax, surrounded by the love his parents have for him.
A love that will never fade.
End note: Please review! :)
