Author's Note: FINALLY A MULTICHAPTER CAPTAINSWAN FANFICTION YASSSS MY LIFE'S GOALS ARE COMPLETE!
Okay that's a little dramatic but whatever.
So... I realized that there are, to my knowledge, ZERO CaptainSwan kidnapping fanfictions out there! Like, whaaaat?! How is that possible? Soooo I'm writing one, because filling gaps is what I do best :D
Emma's breath misted in front of her as her feet pounded over the ground. She kept her eyes focused intermittently on the forest floor in front of her and on the GPS on her phone. She didn't have time to trip. She didn't have time to take a wrong turn. She didn't have time for a single misstep, not if she wanted to get to Killian before Gold...
Emma shook her head, trying to stay focused. The little blip on her phone screen showing her location finally matched up with the bigger blip of the address. Emma skidded to a stop, panting heavily and staring around her.
There was no one here. She checked the time, panic welling up like water in a plugged sink, ready to spill over. Gold had given her ten minutes. She had taken eight.
They should be here.
"Good evening, Miss Swan."
Emma spun around to find Rumplestiltskin standing behind her. He had his fist clenched around the shoulder of Killian's black leather jacket. Killian himself was standing next to him, his jaw clenched so tight it was twitching intermittently. In Gold's other hand, he was holding a heart. It was the color of sunset, spotted with dismal black, and Emma would recognize it anywhere. Killian's heart.
"Gold, whatever you're planning, you don't need to do this," Emma said, taking a quick step forward and holding out her hands.
"No magic, Miss Swan," Gold commanded harshly, holding up the heart. "Or I end him right here, right now."
Emma backed down and lowered her hands.
"See, the thing is... I'm not planning anything," Gold went on. "There is, for once, no big picture for you two worry about."
"Then let Killian go," Emma pleaded. "Please, Gold, just let him go."
"No," the Dark One growled, giving Killian a little shake. "This is the man that turned my first wife's eyes away from me. Who made her believe that I was inferior, who took her away from our son. This is the man who managed to stay alive for centuries, unable to track me down to exact his revenge until our paths crossed once again. This is the man who tried to kill my True Love, then managed to win back her trust and befriend her and turn her away from me, too. And yet, here he is, with his picket fence life and his... lovely girlfriend and a family and a happy ending. You can think of this as a reminder, Miss Swan. Villains don't get happy endings."
"But he- you-" Emma shook her head. "Look, Gold, both of you have done stuff to hurt each other. I mean, you killed Milah, right in front of him! Neither of you are completely blameless, which means both of you can move on from this. Clear the score. Consider it even. You don't have to kill him. It's not going to bring you any peace."
"No, you see, that's where you're wrong," Gold replied. "Because seeing him suffer? The way I suffered? I know from experience that it does quite nicely to satiate my thirst for revenge."
Emma balled her hands into fists. She was desperate to use her powers but knew that Gold was too fast. He'd be turning Killian's heart to dust in an instant if she tried anything. "You're just feeding the darkness. Trust me... I would know."
"You know nothing," Gold spat. "Now, enough, I didn't come to debate this with you."
"Then why am I here?" Emma demanded. "If I can't convince you not to kill him, if you don't want a deal for his life... why am I here? Just so you could see my face when you murder him in front of me?"
"I came because I'm going to offer our dear pirate a choice," Gold answered levelly. He turned narrowed eyes over in Killian's direction. "Death is too good for you, at least for right now. What I want is to see you suffer."
"What's my choice, crocodile?" Killian asked. It was the first time he'd spoken since he and Gold appeared in the clearing. His voice was rough and hard and...
Terrified. He was terrified and was putting on a brave face, and Emma wanted to cry.
"You can stand here, and let me kill Miss Swan," Gold said. "Or, you can spare her life and go through unspeakable torture at my hands until, ultimately, I kill you. The choice is yours, Captain."
"And if I refuse to make a choice?" Killian asked, gritting his teeth so hard Emma thought they might crack.
"Then I'll kill both of you," Gold replied. "You have a minute to decide."
"Killian," Emma blurted frantically. "Killian, you have to let him kill me. I can fight him, I can- I can win! We can stop him for once and for all- don't let him hurt you, please, I can't lose you again."
Killian shook his head. "I have too much blood on my hands, Emma," he murmured, looking at her with large, gentle eyes. "I have traded too many lives for my own benefit. Not again. Not yours."
"So you've made your choice?" Gold asked, looking pleased.
"Aye," Killian muttered. "Do whatever you want to me, but don't touch her."
"I was rather hoping you'd say that," Gold said, grinning sickly. He started to wave his hand, ready to poof them away.
"Emma," Killian broke out desperately. "I lo-"
Burgundy smoke filled the air.
"No," Emma whispered, rushing forward. "No-"
But it was too late. They were gone.
W / T \ Y
When Emma opened up the door to the Charming's apartment, she was surprised to find everyone already there. Her parents, Henry, Regina and Robin and even Belle were all sitting around the table, their places set with china. There were half-empty platters of food littering the countertop. Conversation died abruptly when Emma walked in.
"Emma!" Snow cried, her voice filled with surprise and motherly disappointment. "There you are. Did you forget about dinner? You were supposed to be here a half hour ago."
"Emma?" David echoed, his eyebrows crunching. "Where's Hook?"
At his name, tears welled up in Emma's eyes. She collapsed into a chair, covering her face with her hands.
"Mom!" Henry cried, concerned. He darted from the table and over to her, grasping at her hands and pulling them away from her face. "Mom, what's wrong? What happened?"
"Gold, he- he has Killian," Emma managed, trying fruitlessly to stop the tears starting to run down her cheeks.
"What?!" Belle gasped, shooting to her feet.
"Emma, what happened?" David demanded, getting to his feet as well and hurrying over to his daughter. "Start from the beginning."
"I'll get you some water," Snow murmured, still listening as she went to get a glass.
"I- I got a message from Gold, saying that he had Killian and if- if I ever wanted to see him alive again I had to meet him at this spot in the woods," Emma gasped out, gripping onto Henry's hands so hard her knuckles turned white. "I thought that he wanted me there to kill Killian in front of me but- but he gave him a choice instead. He would either take my life, or he would torture Killian and eventually- eventually kill him."
"Breathe," David told her gently, rubbing at her shoulders as she broke into another sob.
"I take it Captain Guyliner chose the second option?" Regina asked, lips pinched tightly together. "So Gold poofed them both away?"
Emma nodded. Snow crossed the room and handed her a glass of water. When Emma tried to take a sip, her hand was shaking so much the liquid almost sloshed over the edge.
"Breathe," David said again. "We're going to figure this out, Emma. We're going to save him. Do you have any idea where they might have gone?"
"No," Emma said tearfully, trying to sip at the water again and managing a small gulp. "I have no idea where they've gone, and I'm sure Gold has found some way to block locater or summoning spells or anything that could help us. And it's not- it's not like magic leaves a trail, I'm not going to be able to track him through the woods because he's probably already got Killian locked up and is torturing him and I just- I couldn't-"
"Oh, Emma," Snow murmured, taking the water from her daughter and wrapping her into a hug. Emma let out a sob and buried her face in her mom's shoulder. David put his hand on Henry's back, and everyone gave the Savior a second to collect herself.
"I know you might not want to hear this, Emma..." Regina said hesitantly. "But Hook made the right decision. If he had let Gold kill you, you would already be dead. But if Gold really wants to make Killian suffer, he's going to give him a slow, painful death."
"Regina!" Snow gasped, glaring at the queen.
Regina held up her hand. "Which means," she pressed on. "That we will have more than enough time to save him. And we will save him."
Emma nodded, surprisingly fortified by her confidence. She pulled away from Snow and wiped at her face with her sleeve.
"I might have an idea," Regina went on. She got to her feet, her hand resting on Robin's shoulder for a second before her eyes fell on the basket of rolls on the dining room table. She looked at Snow with a sheepish grin. "Can I-?"
"By all means, help yourself," Snow replied, waving a hand. She sounded a little sarcastic, and Emma wasn't sure if Irritated Snow was out to play because Regina had wanted a roll or because family dinner had been interrupted. Again.
"These are my favorites," Regina admitted, snagging a roll and wrapping it in a napkin before she strode out the door.
"I'll go with her," Robin supplied, standing up. "Safety in numbers. And besides, she might need my help."
He realized a moment later that he wasn't fooling anyone, and let out a sigh. "Or maybe she'll just need an errand boy. Either way..."
"Go," Emma told him, waving him toward the door. "I don't think you'll be able to do anything here. I don't think any of us can."
She got up to sit down at the dining room table and was quickly joined by her parents and son. "Emma..." Belle said slowly, not quite meeting her eyes. "I'm so sorry. Rumple, he-"
"Is not your responsibility," Emma cut in. "You don't have to apologize for him, Belle. Just because you married him doesn't mean you have to share the blame in every evil thing he decides to do."
One corner of Belle's mouth slid up unhappily, but she nodded.
"Now, what do we do?" Snow asked, leaning forward a little and clasping her hands on top of the table. David moved in the opposite direction, settling against his chair and, apparently inspired by Regina, reaching for a roll. Snow slid him the butter before he asked for it, her gaze still on her daughter.
Emma shrugged cluelessly. "What can we do?" she asked, her voice cracking a little. Henry reached out and put his hand on top of hers, and she offered him a weak smile. "I mean, if Killian was here he'd be telling me to use my bail-bonds-person-woman skills, but I can't do that with magic."
"No," David agreed. "When magic is involved, you need magic to stop it."
"I wonder what Mom is going to try?" Henry mused, frowning slightly. "I wonder if it has anything to do with..."
He trialed off. Snow raised an eyebrow and leveled him with her patented Mom Look. "Henry? Has Regina been working on something without telling us?"
"She has," Belle spoke up. Emma, Charming and Snow glanced over at her, surprised to hear her speak up again. "Regina has been working with me and the fairies to try and figure out a special enchantment."
"With... you?" Snow repeated, a little confused.
Belle threw up her hands and let out a frustrated sigh. "You all seem to forget, time and time again, that I actually know quite a bit about magic. And spells. And potion ingredients, and a lot of other stuff. Not only did I basically run Rumple's shop for months, but I study and read. All the time."
"Right, sorry," Emma broke in. "We're not doubting your worth, Belle. I just didn't know you and Regina were on... plotting terms."
Belle's lips quirked at her phrasing. "I think it's a necessity thing. She thinks I'll be able to help."
"Sorry... help with what, exactly?" David asked, squinting a little. "What's this enchantment you were talking about?"
"It's to protect us from Grandpa," Henry put in. "We're calling it Operation Spinning Wheel. Mom didn't want to tell you guys just in case nothing came out of it."
"A long time ago, Rumple created this spell that prevented Regina from directly hurting Mary Margaret," Belle explained. "She wants to recreate that enchantment and find a way to put it on all of us, so that Rumple can no longer hurt us."
Emma's eyes widened. "But, if she could do that, Killian-"
"Might be able to avoid any of the pain Rumple has in store for him," Belle concluded with a smile. "Exactly."
David leaned forward excitedly. "This is an amazing idea. Why haven't we ever thought to try this on any of our past nemeses?"
"Because the spell isn't easy," Belle replied. "Not only are the ingredients hard to come by, but to actually get the spell to work, it's a bit of a challenge."
Snow nodded. "I remember," she said. "Regina had to actually stab me with the enchanted blade before I could be protected from her. The only way this would work is if Gold tried to hurt us with something connected with the spell. And knowing him, he'll smell that kind of trick a mile away."
"So, let me get this straight," Emma put in. "To stop Gold from being able to hurt Killian, we'd have to somehow get him to use an enchanted weapon to... hurt Killian? But how could we do that if we can't even find them?"
"I don't know," Belle admitted. "Which means that Regina must have found another way to make the spell work."
Emma pushed back her chair. "Then I should go help," she said. "Maybe my magic can speed things along."
"Emma..." Snow said gently, reaching up and catching the blonde's wrist before she could blow out the door. "Honey... if Regina had needed your help, she would have asked. You just saw the man you love get taken towards certain torture and, look at you, you're still shaking. Sit down and eat a little something, and then we can figure out what all of us can do to help Killian."
"I'm not going to eat dinner while Killian is being tortured by Gold!" Emma protested, but she was letting her mother pull her gently back to her chair. "Mom, I can't just sit and do nothing- I'll go insane."
"Eating isn't doing nothing," Snow told her firmly. She reached towards the nearest platter of food on the table and began to scoop some into Emma's empty plate. "It's keeping your strength up. You'll be of no help to Regina or Killian if you pass out from hunger."
"Your mother's right, Emma," David agreed. "Let's finish up dinner, and then we can go see Regina."
Emma slumped, realizing that neither of her parents would let her leave before she'd done as they said. "Fine," she relented. "But the minute we're done, we go find Regina."
"Of course," Snow assured her, rubbing her back. "The minute we're done, you take the lead."
Author's Note: YOOOO this is turning into like way more of an episody-type story than I had thought it would! It's surprisingly hard not to start delving into complex magic-related plots with this characters aha.