I own nothing except my delusions.
Emma stepped out of the station with David beside her, happy to be done with work.
"I want to pick something up for Mary Margaret before we get back," David said as they moved to her Bug.
She nodded. "Granny's?"
He nodded in return. "Yeah."
Sitting in the driver's seat, she drove them to the small diner, deciding to wait outside while her father ran in. Wanting to enjoy the early autumn air, she got out of her car, leaning against the side.
Exhaling, she found herself looking forward to going down to the cabin to get Killian, wanting them to be able to have a moment alone together. She wanted to be able to have a normal evening with him again, to go on a date and just spend time together.
A small smile curling her lips, she thought of what they could do, entertaining the idea of possibly going by the water again, something she knew Killian had liked when they had gone before.
She was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard footsteps approaching her from the sidewalk. The noise drawing her attention, she saw the man from earlier, Walsh, approaching her.
"Emma," he called. "I need to talk to you."
Studying him, he appeared calm, but something told her to be cautious.
"The missing people," he said as he came up to stand before her. "I found something that will help you."
Emma stiffened. "You mean the people that have been attacked and turned by the witch's monkeys?"
He nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. I know where they're hiding."
Everything about the situation screamed not to trust him. "You couldn't have told me earlier?"
"I didn't know earlier," he said with a shake of his head. "We have to go."
"Hold on," she said, glancing towards the diner in hope that David was about to emerge. "I want to wait for David. We should both-"
"There's no time," Walsh said impatiently. "We have to go now."
Every alarm bell in Emma's head was screeching.
Backing away slowly, she kept her eyes on him, feeling like she was retreating from a venomous snake.
He suddenly sighed, looking irritated. "I can't make you come willingly, can I?"
She looked at him in confusion before it became one of horror as his eyes suddenly flashed red for a brief second before green smoke enveloped him. The smoke quickly dissipated, leaving a winged monkey in his place.
The thought quickly running through her mind, she thought that the monkeys looked even more disturbing up close in daylight, the red eyes unmistakable.
It loudly screeched as it lunged at Emma, brandishing its claws.
The sounds of people on the streets screaming and running were lost to the noises the monkey made, its horrific screams grating on her ears.
She moved to dodge it, its claws just barely missing her.
She wasn't as quick on its second strike, claws slashing her ribs. She couldn't help crying out at the white hot pain burning her torso as her white sweater turned crimson.
David's voice registered in her ears as she stumbled.
In a brief moment of clarity, she pulled her gun from her belt, focusing as the monkey moved to either strike again or grab her. She fired a shot, the kickback vibrating through her arm into her injured side, causing a fresh wave of pain.
The monkey screeched one last time before it disappeared in a cloud of ash, the bullet landing square in its chest.
"Emma!" David yelled, falling beside her to look at her wound. "Come on, Emma. It's okay, it will all be okay."
Gritting her teeth, she nodded. Cautiously, she looked at her side, able to see her injury through the slashes in her sweater. Red blood shone through the lacerations, further staining her skin and sweater.
"Damn, that hurts," she said, breathing heavily.
She saw a couple people step out of the dinner, Granny and Ruby amongst them. The two women were hurrying toward them, the former carrying her crossbow.
Focusing on breathing evenly and not passing out from the pain, she didn't catch what David was yelling, only seeing Ruby nodding before running towards behind the diner into their private lot and Granny rush back into the diner.
"Emma, we need to get you to the hospital," David said, forcing his voice to remain calm, but she could hear the fear and worry he felt. He ripped off his jacket and flannel, leaving him in a tee shirt as he tied the flannel around her waist to staunch the bleeding. "I need to move you, baby. You'll be okay. We'll get you help."
Emma nearly pierced her lip with her teeth as David lifted her and carried her into the passenger's side of her car, carefully buckling her in before sprinting to the driver's side.
Killian opened his eyes as he felt something churning in his gut, knowing something was wrong. He had no way of explaining it, but just knew.
Quickly making a decision, he navigated through the trees away from the clearing he had been sleeping in back to the cabin, following the instinct to be there.
He heard the sounds of a vessel nearing the cabin, making him look through the trees to catch a glimpse of who was approaching. He knew it wasn't Emma, knowing the sounds of her yellow vehicle.
His senses enhanced, he heard the driver's heartbeat racing, confirming his suspicions that something had happened.
Seeing the long red car pull haphazardly in Emma's spot, he recognized it as Ruby's, the woman in question clamoring out in a near panic.
"Killian!" she called out frantically.
Before she could call him again, he was there, emerging through the trees. "Ruby? What's wrong?"
"It's Emma," she said quickly, looking pale.
Emma's name alone was enough.
"David sent me," Ruby explained quickly. "Emma was attacked by a monkey."
Killian released a shaky breath, feeling both numb and enraged. "Is she alright? Where is she?"
"David was taking her to the hospital," she told him. "They should be there now."
Killian extended his wings, pushing himself off the forest floor.
Taking flight was anything but freeing, merely a way to get to the infirmary faster. He didn't care that he was in full view of the entire town, of the ramifications he might face for flying over. All of his thoughts were on Emma, praying that she would be alright. He didn't know what he would do if something happened to her.
He landed just beside the building, just far away that he would be able to easily conceal himself for his transformation.
He noticed angrily that he had approximately an hour before he would be back in his human body, leaving him to wait. Breathing out a hard breath of air, he settled on the ground and prepared to wait.
Nearly straining his ears, he desperately searched for any news, something said in passing, anything to let him know how Emma was doing.
He never felt such relief as pain overtook his body when his transformation began, meaning he could finally go in to find out if Emma was alright. Ignoring the tremors that ran through him at the end of his change, he pushed himself up to go into the infirmary.
Faintly remembering the place from when he and David brought in Little John, Killian went to a large desk to find out where to find Emma.
Forgoing formalities, he called the attention of the nurse. "I'm looking for Emma Swan."
"What's your relationship to the patient?" she asked sternly.
He looked at her in confusion. "Pardon?"
"I can only let family in," she told him coolly. "I need to know what your relationship to the patient is."
"She's…" Killian trailed off, his emotions and stress finally catching up to him as he tried to think of what Emma was to him. "She's all I have."
Whatever the nurse was about to say was lost, David's voice calling out.
"He's with us," he said as he came into the waiting room. "Let him through."
Killian just quickly nodding, walking briskly to where David was and following him through the halls.
"How is she?" he asked worriedly.
"She's awake," David told him. "That thing cut her up pretty bad, but it didn't bite her. She lost some blood, but nothing life threatening."
Killian exhaled a sigh of relief he didn't know he'd been holding.
"She was asking for you the second she was stitched up," David told him quietly. "Hell, she was actually constantly looking out the window to see when you would be changing."
A small, tender smile curled Killian's lips.
David took a sharp right, leading them into one of the rooms.
Killian nearly froze at the sight before him, making his heart seize. Emma laid back in the hospital bed, her normally fair skin pale against the yellow shift she wore. Various tubes stuck out of her left arm, connected to strange contraptions at her bedside, one of them emitting a loud rhythmic beeping that filled the room.
She had never looked so fragile, the severity of what she just faced fully hitting him. He saw in his mind's eye what could have happened, as well as saw what would eventually happen.
As if sensing him, her green eyes found him, her tired face smiling brightly. "Killian."
He found himself walking toward her, unable to resist the gravitational pull she had on him.
Her hand quickly found his as he reached her bedside, clasping his with a strength that surprised him given her state.
"Hey," she said with a small but happy smile.
Giving her a small smile in return, he sat in one of the chairs beside her bed. He didn't let go of her, instead gently running his thumb along her knuckles.
"What happened?" he asked her quietly.
"Some guy I met this morning was trying to get me to follow him," she shrugged, making her wince in pain. "When I didn't, he turned into a monkey and attacked."
She gave him an easy smile. "It's nothing really bad, just some scratches that hurt like hell. I wasn't bitten or anything."
"Which is a relief," Regina said suddenly, making him aware of the other people in the room.
Mary Margaret sat near where David stood, her hands draped protectively over her rounded stomach, while Henry sat beside them, his arms folded on the edge of Emma's bed. Regina stood off in one of the corners, her expression of concern hidden by a mask of indifference.
"We don't need our sheriff and Savior sprouting wings and attacking people," she added.
Emma rolled her eyes.
"Whale wants her to stay in here for a couple days," Mary Margaret told him. "Emma won't admit it, but she is in some pain and could have bled out and they want to make sure she's fine."
Groaning, Emma leaned her head against her pillow. "I'm fine. Just give me some aspirin and I'm good to go."
"Mom, a monkey dug its claws into you," Henry pointed out. "You should rest. You deserve it."
"Your boy's right," Killian agreed. "You've been nearly running yourself ragged, love."
She sighed tiredly.
Killian never thought her to be weak, but Emma never looked more delicate, so breakable.
"Look at it this way," David offered with a chuckle. "It gives you a break from having to answer all of Leroy's calls."
Emma laughed. "That alone makes staying here worth it."
Killian took in the sound, reminding himself that though injured, she was alive and would recover. The reminder alone would be enough to keep the dark thoughts at bay for a little while.
The doctor he recognized from his visit a few days prior entered the room, standing careless expression.
"Sorry to cut things short, but visiting hours are over," Whale said. "As it is, all of you aren't supposed to be in here at the same time. One of you can stay overnight. Whoever that it, call me or one of the nurses if anything happens."
They were all quiet until he left, leaving David to break the silence. "Well, we can't say a whole lot of his bedside manner."
Mary Margaret shrugged, delicately lifting her shoulders. "Who's staying here with Emma?"
A chorus of "no" sounded as soon as Henry opened his mouth to speak.
"Why not?" he asked instead.
"Kid, you'd be safer at the loft or Regina's," Emma replied. "If anything were to happen here, I'd be nearly useless."
Regina nodded. "She's right. I know you want to stay here, but we're not risking your safety."
"I'll stay," Killian said quietly.
Emma silently applied pressure to his hand as the others looked at him.
Feeling nervous at all of the eyes on him, he shook his head. "I can protect her if anything were to happen. Mary Margaret would be better off in her own bed, and we all know Dave won't want to leave her alone, either."
"Are you sure?" Mary Margaret asked him.
He nodded. "Aye."
David nodded in return. "Do you need anything before we go?"
Killian shook his head, not feeling a bit hungry or tired, if anything feeling slightly sick. "I'm fine, mate."
Her father nodded again, silently telling him that he trusted him.
After some quick goodbyes, Mary Margaret and David walked out of the room, his hand resting at her waist. Regina followed them with Henry trailing behind her, the boy looking back at them and giving them an encouraging smile.
"I'm sorry," Emma said after a few moments of silence.
Killian looked at her in surprise. "What for, love?"
"For not being more careful," she replied quietly. "For Ruby having to be the one to tell you. For making you wait without any word until you changed."
He was shaking his head as soon as she mentioned being careful. He leaned forward, gently kissing her.
"None of that is your fault, Swan," he told her. "You have nothing to be sorry about."
"Still," she said. "Thanks for staying with me."
His smile was soft. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be, love."
Giving him her own tender smile in return, she suddenly began moving away from him, creating a gap on the bed.
"Here," she said. "I know it's not the most comfortable, but it's got to he better than that chair."
He hesitated a moment before moving to the offered spot, making himself fit into the space. He didn't think he was supposed to be there with her, but he wasn't going to deny her, as well as had his own reason to lie beside her. The rail pressed uncomfortably into his back, but it was an insignificance as soon as she curled into him.
He could practically feel how tired she was as she rested her head on his shoulder, making him wrap his arm around her waist to keep her close to him.
"These are annoying," she complained tiredly, glaring at her left arm where various tubes stuck out of it.
"Yeah, but you need them," he said to placate her, not knowing what they even were.
She gave him a knowing smile, silently calling him out.
"Go to sleep, Swan," he murmured as he buried his nose in her hair. "I'll be in here with you."
Exhaling, Emma relaxed into him. Shifting slightly, she rested her head on his arm, ignoring her pillow altogether.
"Thanks, Killian," she breathed out, her voice becoming more slurred. "For staying with me."
Swallowing, he pressed a feather soft kiss to her forehead. "I'll stay with you until I have to go, just rest."
He didn't think it would be possible, that he was too broken, but he loved her. He didn't think it would have been possible to move on from Milah, but he somehow had with the woman sleeping in his arms.
Killian watched as she slept, her face peaceful, fighting to keep his emotions controlled. His mind raced, knowing what he would have to do come dawn.
Author's note: As you all know, this will be the last chapter before the new year, but I just wanted to say again that I hope you all have a good holiday!
Teaser: Emma looked up from her book of curses in surprise. "You're still wanting to do that?"
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