I own nothing except my delusions.
Emma carefully stepped over a small ledge, reaching her hand out to a tree for balance.
"Anything?" she asked David from just ahead of her as Killian moved to walk beside her.
Instead of a usual run, David had asked her and Killian to accompany him on a scouting mission, trying to find somewhere they could stay for the winter. Staying in a town was completely ruled out; while it would have been convenient because of possible resources nearby, a town meant more traffic, possibly from the living or the dead.
Emma had felt instant relief at David's question to accompany him, that they were finally finding somewhere safe for them to stay for the changing season.
"Nothing yet," David said.
She nodded, rubbing at her arms to stave off the cold.
"We'll find something soon, love," Killian murmured beside her.
She nodded in agreement.
Catching some more light coming from the trees to the east, she tilted her head toward the direction, drawing the attention of the men.
As she had suspected, the trees began to thin the further they went. Seeing a clearing up ahead, they broke through the trees, landing in a large patch of land. At the center rested a large colonial house that appeared to be abandoned.
Feeling something like excitement take hold, Emma moved to go closer.
"It looks empty," David said hopefully.
"Only one way to know for sure," Killian nodded, taking off to lead the way to the house.
"Wait, shouldn't we get the others in case we need to clear it out?" David called before jogging to catch up with them.
"This is just to see whether or not it's truly unoccupied," Killian replied simply.
Getting closer, they saw the front door hanging open.
Emma tentatively stepped inside, Killian and David following after her.
The inside was spacious yet dusty, indicating it had been abandoned for some time.
"Hey," David called loudly to draw anything out that could be hiding.
No other sounds followed.
"They could be stuck somewhere," Killian said. "Best way to check is to go through the house."
Emma nodded in agreement, pulling her knife in case they did find anything.
They split up, each of them taking one of the three levels of the house. Taking the top level, Emma found signs people had been there, but had grabbed what they could before fleeing. Pictures were missing and drawers were pulled open revealing missing clothes.
Seeing some of the rooms had been for children, she sincerely hoped that they got out unscathed.
She returned to the first floor where David was, Killian just beating her down.
"It's completely empty," he said as Emma joined them. "Did you find anything?"
"No," she said as she shook her head. "It's like you said, it's completely empty."
David nodded in agreement. "Well, it looks like we caught a break. We have somewhere to stay for the winter."
EKEK
The cars all pulled up to the front of the house, the camp that had been set up quickly packed away again at the news that a more permanent shelter had been found.
Many, including Emma, were looking towards the prospect of getting to sleep in an actual bed, even if most would have to share, as well as having a roof over their head.
Pulling her bag from the back of the Jeep, Emma moved with the rest of the group into the house.
"There's seven bedrooms," David told them. "We'll have to share, but it beats the tents."
Leroy and his brothers immediately scampered to claim their rooms.
Emma held back, not knowing where to go. She didn't want to intrude on Mary Margaret and David, even knowing that they would have no problems offering her a spot with them. While she had no problems bunking with Mulan, she was less than enthusiastic at the idea of sharing a room with Tamara. She knew she could try for her own space with Henry, but wondered at the chances of getting a room for themselves.
"Mom?" Henry asked, breaking her from her contemplation.
"Yeah, kid?" she asked, seeing him holding readily onto his bag.
"Shouldn't we go?" he asked her.
She nodded, pulling her own bag higher up her shoulder.
Knowing from the noises, the second floor had already been claimed, leaving the third. She let Henry lead the way up the flight of stairs, following close behind.
Two of the three rooms had been obviously claimed, the doors opened to let the sounds of voices through. Going to the one in the middle, Emma pushed the door open, revealing a spacious bedroom.
Henry bolted in, nearly jumping onto the full sized bed and sprawling on it.
"Mom, we have an actual bed," he said excitedly.
Seeing her son so happy made her grin. "Yeah, we do. I think we'll actually get to sleep tonight."
Her son's smile widened.
To Emma, the only thing that would make the house better would be if it had working plumbing, allowing for an actual shower.
Setting out some of their supplies, she wondered at what was left in the house in regards to supplies that they could use. Looking at her son, she made a mental note to see what clothing was left behind, seeing Henry beginning to outgrow what he had.
She looked up from unpacking when someone gave a soft knock on the open door.
"Do you need help settling in?" Mary Margaret asked from the doorway.
Emma shook her head. "No, we've got it. Besides, shouldn't you be taking it easy?"
"Please, I'm fine," Mary Margaret smirked as she came into the room. "I can handle all of this. Moving around would do me good."
Shrugging, Emma took the essentials of what they needed out, clearing spaces for it with Mary Margaret and Henry's help.
"Oh, the Jones brothers are right next to you, too, if you're curious," Mary Margaret said as if it was a second thought.
Emma fought the urge to roll her eyes, thinking that of course even settling into a house for the time being, Killian and Ian would be her neighbors. She didn't mind it, preferring to have them close instead of some of the others, but had often found it near impossible to be without them near.
"This should make any supply runs we would have easier," Mary Margaret commented. "We don't have to worry about what we have to transport as much for now."
Emma nodded in agreement, knowing the other woman was right. They could afford to get heavier loads, not having to worry about having to pack it up from their usual camp, as well as having more area to store everything.
"All I know is I'm not doing any of the runs for a couple days at least," she told her. "And I'm pretty sure both David and Killian are gonna say the same thing."
Chuckling, Mary Margaret nodded. "David already said something along those lines."
"Do you blame him?" Emma grinned.
Pursing her lips in amusement, Mary Margaret shook her head. "Not one bit."
They went down to the first level as soon as they finished, finding most everyone else had come down, relaxing for the first time in a long time.
Seeing them, David strode over, resting his hand on his wife's waist as he lovingly kissed her.
"I'm going to check out the rest of the property with Lance," he told them. "I remember seeing a couple of wells around, they might still be good."
Mary Margaret nodded. "I'll poke around here. There might be some food we can use. Plus it will be nice to work in an actual kitchen again if it works."
David nodded one last time before pulling away, affectionately clapping both Emma and Henry on their shoulders as he went out with Lance.
"You know, this place might have a generator," Leroy said from his spot at one of the sofas. "We might be able to get some kind of power from it."
Some of the others nodded, looking hopeful.
Leroy looked over to Killian, who was standing beside the entrance, leaning against the doorframe. "While we're doing that, think you can-"
"No," Killian immediately said. "I'm not going out on any runs for a couple days."
Emma had to hide her amused smirk.
"Why?" Leroy asked grumpily.
"Because I don't want to," Killian replied simply. "I'm not an errand boy."
Leroy huffed in frustration before his eyes found Emma.
She spoke up before he could say anything, nodding towards Killian. "What he said."
"I'll go," Ian spoke up. "Give them both a break. Besides, them and David are the ones who found this place."
"I'll go, too," Chase said. "I could use the trip."
A couple of the others went to go with them, the sounds of two cars leaving reaching the inside of the house.
Out of the corner of her eye, Emma caught Killian flexing his arm uncomfortably. Upon further inspection, she saw him rubbing at the skin of his forearm through his clothing and brace. He left a second later, retreating up the stairs.
"Henry, go help Mary Margaret," she said quietly.
Henry saw who she was watching, his forehead creasing in worry. "Is Killian okay?"
"I don't know," she replied. "I'm gonna go check on him."
Henry nodded before disappearing into the kitchen, leaving her to climb the stairs up to the third level.
She heard faint swearing as she stepped onto the landing, following the hushed voice to the room beside her and Henry's.
"Killian?" she called softly, quietly knocking as she came to the partially closed door, mindful that he might not want any company.
"Come in, Swan," Killian responded just as quietly from the other side.
Entering, she closed the door partially behind her, giving them the privacy he had wanted. She looked over to him, seeing he was half way done with removing his leather brace, his jacket removed and his shirt sleeve pushed up.
"Is everything alright down there?" he asked. "Am I needed for something?"
Biting her lip, she found herself suddenly nervous as she shook her head. "No, nothing like that. You came up pretty quick, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
He rubbed at the spot behind his ear, betraying his own nerves. "Aye. My wrist and arm are just bothering me."
He indicated his brace, shrugging. "I wanted to take it off for a while, and didn't care to do it downstairs with everyone."
Emma nodded in understanding, stepping closer to him. "Do you want me to take a look at it?"
"The brace is just chafing it is all," he told her with a shake of his head.
Nodding once, she retreated the room to the nearest closet, finding a thankfully clean towel and taking it back to Killian's room. She grabbed onto one of the canteens in the room, pouring some of the cool water onto the cloth.
"Here," she said as she sat down beside him on the bed, gently pulling his arm to her lap to help him finish undoing the leather. He went willingly, trusting her completely.
Angry red skin was revealed as soon as the brace was pulled away, lines from the edge of the device embedded into his skin. Examining his wrist, she saw the wound was almost completely healed, the wound nearly closed over the bone.
Emma carefully ran the cool damp cloth over his wrist and arm, smiling as she felt Killian immediately relax beside her.
"How long has it been hurting?" she asked him, wondering if she should call Asa to examine Killian.
"Not too long," Killian replied. "Today that brace is just uncomfortable."
She nodded in understanding as she continued to care for his arm and wrist.
"You know, you don't have to wear it all the time," she said quietly. "Especially here. We're safe here."
He was quiet for a beat. "I don't want everyone to see it."
Emma glanced at his face, seeing Killian suddenly avoiding her eyes as she felt a small ache for him.
It didn't escape her that he so willingly let her not only see his arm without it covered, but let her touch it.
"It's okay," she soothed.
Hesitating, he gave her a small nod.
EKEK
Emma felt warmer than she had in a long time sitting around the living room with everyone relaxing by the fire. They were actually able to feed the fire more than when they had been camping, not having to worry about emitting too much light and possibly drawing the dead to them. The extra warmth was welcome, making the house feel more like a sanctuary.
Despite Leroy's attempts, they couldn't get the generator working, but it was of little consequence. David had been luckier, finding multiple wells on the land that were all clean. Upon testing it, the house had running water, meaning they had had the chance to clean up.
Emma didn't remember enjoying a shower more, feeling renewed as she scrubbed the dirt and grime from her skin and hair. Combined with the hot meal Mary Margaret managed to make with the wood burning stove and getting to sleep in a bed later on, the house felt almost luxurious.
She had noticed that everyone's mood had improved, suspecting it was because they had a place they were safe.
Sitting around laughing at the various stories being told, she felt the most relaxed she had been since before everything had fallen apart.
Slowly, some of them began to wander back to their claimed rooms, turning in for the night. Emma had sent Henry up as soon as he began yawning, wanting him to get to sleep in a bed.
After he disappeared to the floor above, she hoped he wouldn't take up the entire bed. Even if he did and she had to sleep on the floor, it remained preferable to having to sleep in a tent in the forest.
She found herself drifting towards one of the large bay windows that decorated the house, sitting on the bench and drawing her legs up as she stared out. The forest surrounding the area was still, not showing any signs of the threat that was hidden within.
"You doing alright, Swan?" Killian asked quietly.
Not having heard him approach, Emma looked back towards him before returning her gaze to the forest. "Yeah, just looking outside."
He hummed. "Mind if I join you?"
Nodding, she pulled her legs closer to herself, allowing him room to sit across from her.
He sat up in a similar position to her, resting his elbows on his knees as his eyes looked to the window. "Somehow it seems completely different when you look at it from in here. Almost like it's peaceful."
She nodded. "You could almost forget about the threat in there."
They lapsed into an easy silence, both watching the world outside.
The hour grew later until she knew they were the last ones up, the rest of the house silent. Slowly, she noticed small white flakes falling to the ground.
"The first snow," she murmured, thinking how lucky they were to find the house earlier in the day.
"We got lucky then," Killian said, voicing her thoughts.
"Yeah, we did," she agreed. "It's not much, but it serves until we can get to Storybrooke."
He nodded, quiet.
After a few long moments, he spoke again. "Do you really think Storybrooke can be a home for everyone here?"
Emma was taken by surprise at his question, her brow furrowed as she looked at him. "Yeah, I do. You don't?"
He shrugged, his blue eyes meeting hers. "I really don't know. I know it will have to be."
"What do you mean?" she asked as her confusion grew.
"I can't go back to my own land," he said simply.
"Ireland," she said, suddenly understanding.
"Aye," he replied with a nod. "I always thought I would live my life out there, that there's where I would one day be laid to rest. Hell, Liam thought that, too.
"This place is unfamiliar," he told her. "And the thought that I'll never get to go back is hard."
Feeling a sudden wave of sympathy, Emma nodded. "Do you regret ever coming here?"
"Yes and no," he responded, not hiding his honesty from her. "If I hadn't ever came here, I would have never found I had another brother. And the present company is rather enjoyable."
He grinned, seeing he was able to draw a smile from her before it slipped. "Then again, I can't help think that maybe it's for the best. That this way I won't have to see the home I had be destroyed, selfish as it is."
"I don't think it's selfish at all," she told him. She had never realized how hard it was for him before. She may have lost her home just like everyone else, but he lost the very country he had called his home. "You don't have to watch as you lose it all."
He gave her a small, sad smile. "Maybe. But I still wish we were there. We could hunker down in a small castle for the winter. Nothing would bother us in one of those."
Her grin grew with her amusement, thinking about how much Henry would love the idea.
"Sometimes I wish that I had some more things from home," he admitted. "Just something to keep close besides my mother's ring."
"Your mother's ring?" she asked curiously.
"Aye," he nodded before reaching to remove one of the chains from his neck, lifting the most prominent one with the various charms and leaving the one holding his brother's ring. Finding what he wanted, he handed it over to her for her inspection.
Examining the silver ring, she saw a design that she had seen before of a pair of hands holding a heart adorned with a crown.
"I've seen these before," she said.
"It's a Claddagh," he told her, taking the chain when she offered it back to him. "It's worn a few different ways, depending on if you're single, seeing someone, engaged, or married."
She nodded, watching as he slipped the chain back around his neck.
"It's the only thing I have left of her," he said. He suddenly looked embarrassed, scratching behind his ear. "I know, it's foolish to be lamenting over old heirlooms and reminders of home."
"Before we evacuated, I grabbed my baby blanket," she admitted. She didn't know how much of it was to cut down on his own embarrassment and how much because she just wanted to tell him. "You know I grew up an orphan. The one possession I had from my parents is a white blanket with purple ribbon and my name stitched on it. But I'm just saying, I get it."
Giving her a weak smile, he nodded. "You try to hold onto tokens of the past. Tokens of who you are."
She nodded in agreement, thinking of other possessions she'd seen the others refuse to give up. Mary Margaret refused to part with the peridot ring David had proposed to her with, the ring previously belonging to his own mother. David himself constantly carried a small wooden sheep as a reminder of the farm his family had growing up and his police badge. Mulan kept a knife she had from when she had served in the military. They all had little mementos that they refused to leave behind.
"But I've made peace that I'll die here," he told her in a more serious tone.
Emma bit her lip as she nodded. "I'm sorry, but for what it's worth, I'm happy you're here."
Killian offered her a small, soft smile. "Don't worry yourself, love. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be forcing all of this on you."
She immediately shook her head. "No, it's fine. I'm happy to listen if you need to talk to someone. You're one of us, that means we have to stick together and help each other."
His smile grew.
She felt a small fluttering in her chest at his grin, the feeling warming her.
She loved being able to just talk to him, finding him easy for her to talk to, but knew something was changing between them.
Neal was no longer in the picture, but it was too soon. She had Henry to think about, about making sure her son survived above all else.
Suddenly feeling the urge to run, she nodded. "I'm tired, so I'm going to head to bed."
Killian nodded in return. "Alright. Sleep well, love."
Offering him a small nod, Emma left him by the window, unable to help glancing back at him as she went to her room.
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