Jonathan held open the door for the oddly-dressed Mr Jones. He recognised the reclusive owner of the building. No one had seen the man in ages and now he had appeared twice in a day, once with an injured woman in his arms, and now returning without her, and covered in blood.
"Good evening, Mr Jones," Jonathan said. He skipped a moment, as Jones gave him a look that spoke of utter exhaustion. "I'm sorry if this is unwanted but… can I do anything to help, sir? You look, I'm sorry again, sir, but you look…"
Killian just gave him a sad smile. "My girlfriend was stabbed today, coming in through the park."
Jonathan sucked in a breath. "God, I can't believe that. Is she all right? Where is she?"
"She's at Mt Sinai down the road. The doctors say the knife nicked an artery, but they've repaired it. She was in surgery for an hour." Killian leaned against the cool marble wall. "We'd just arrived in New York today, so I've not got food or anything in…"
"Let me run down the shop for you, Mr Jones. I can pick up some milk, coffee, bread… enough to keep you going."
Killian looked the doorman up and down. "Well, yes, thank you, that would actually help." He handed Jonathan a $50. "Basics, I guess, plus a bottle of the best rum you can find." Killian rummaged through his pockets. "Also, I've misplaced my key somewhere today."
"Not to worry, Mr Jones. I'll let you in now, and I'll make another two copies for you and your girlfriend, so she'll have it when she gets home."
Killian leaned heavily into the elevator call button as Jonathan spoke. They rode up together, Jonathan trying to keep the conversation light. "Anything specific you like from the supermarket?" he asked.
Killian thought. "Flour, butter, milk, eggs… to make pancakes. Emma loves them," he smiled weakly. "And chocolate and cinnamon."
Jonathan opened the door from the ring of keys attached to his belt. "I'll be back shortly with the groceries," he promised, and disappeared back into the elevator.
Killian flicked a light switch and surveyed his home. It was furnished in an expensive, modern, minimalist style that was nothing like him. Hardwood floors, white walls, lots of windows, black leather sofas and a stark white coffee table made of no material he could identify. He threw his satchel on top of it, which slightly improved it if only by covering some of it up. I'll let Emma decorate, he thought to himself. Or Henry. He smiled. He'd buy Henry that game system the boy had wanted, and hook it up to that enormous television that obscured much of one wall. Killian was still not a fan of the television.
The kitchen was spotless, the weekly cleaning service had been in and dusted everything down once a week even though he had not returned after bringing Emma and Henry back from New York. He poured himself a glass of water, which only made him realise how thirsty he was. He drank 3 more, then slumped into one of the sofas and stared into space.
Eventually, Killian pulled out the iPhone Henry had helped him buy months ago. He switched it on for the first time since they'd fallen though the portal, intrigued to see dozens of text messages from David, Regina, Snow and mostly Henry. They all stopped abruptly two weeks ago, he saw. The final message was from Regina, so he opened that:
Hook, you two had better not be off shagging somewhere. David, Mary Margaret, Belle and Will are in Camelot, looking for you and Emma. If you get this, let us know you're okay. Henry is so worried. Bring her back to us, Captain. We won't stop trying to find you. R
There were almost daily updates on the search from Henry, but he stopped sending even that after his grandparents left for Camelot. Hook pulled up Henry's contact, and as his finger hovered over the call button, he thought better of it. What would he tell the lad? Your mum's been stabbed and is lying unconscious in the lonely hospital bed where I've abandoned her? Oh, and she's pregnant, because we started shagging the moment we hit the ground in the Enchanted Forest? And King Arthur is chasing us through realms to kill your mother because I made her pregnant.
No, better call Regina. She would take it all better and tone it down for Henry. He called up Regina's contact. Then he shook his head again, and called up Robin's contact. No, she'd just grab the phone off Robin. He pulled up Regina's name again and hit the green phone button, just like Henry had instructed him.
The phone didn't even ring before Regina was shouting in his ear: "Hook! What the fuck is going on Hook! Where are you?" Hook nearly broke down, so relieved to hear her voice to hear her familiar hostility.
"It's Emma…" Killian began. And that was it, he just started crying down the phone. He knew Regina could take it.
She softened immediately. "Just tell me, Hook. Whatever it is, just tell me."
"She's alive. She was stabbed. One of Arthur's knights. We're in New York. We managed to create a portal… fairy dust… magic villa… and she's in hospital here. I had to leave her there overnight." His voice broke slightly at that.
"Of course you did, it's visiting hours, and they exist so that the patients can rest. She's resting, Hook, and they're looking after her. You managed to bring her back from Camelot and straight to hospital?"
"Not Camelot, we were never there. The Enchanted Forest. We were with my family…"
"What family? I thought your family were all dead?" Regina swore. "Oh, I'm sorry. That was insensitive even for me. What have the doctors said about Emma?"
"They said she will recover, she lost a lot of blood. Regina, that's not all… Emma's pregnant."
He could actually hear Regina arching an eyebrow at that news. "Ooookay. Seems you two have been busy. How far along?"
"Four days," he said with certainty.
"Four days? Days?"
"C'mon, I shouldn't have to explain this to you. The fairies worked out that we were True Love and they've been making us fucking glow ever since…"
"Or glow while fucking."
"That, too."
"Enough information, pirate."
"Can Henry come? Can you tell him about all of this? I wanted to call him, but this is a lot of information, and you said he'd been sad…"
"Thank you, Hook. Thank you for thinking of him and for calling me first," Regina said with genuine warmth. "I'll break it all to him gently, and we'll get him to you as soon as possible. You sound shattered. Go to bed. You'll be able to see Emma in the morning. Call back after and give me an update."
"I will, Regina," Killian said sleepily.
"Good night, Hook. Get some rest." She rang off softly.
…
When Emma's eyes snapped open again, the peaceful meadow was gone and she found herself surrounded by a panicked-looking team of doctors and nurses preparing to shoot her full of adrenaline.
"Killian," she called out, her voice stronger than she had expected it to be.
He slipped through the line of nurses expertly. "Right here, love. That was a scare you just gave us." He pushed aside a nurse and sat quite naturally on the bed next to her, threading his fingers through hers. His voice was calm and steady; his eyes gave nothing away.
"Killian, what's going on?" she asked, not understanding how they came to be in a modern hospital. The last thing she remembered was being at the party; Arthur attacking; Oona catching her; Killian holding her on a horse…
"We're in New York, darling. You were attacked in Central Park and stabbed. The doctors here patched you up. They've done such a good job that it seems there's no sign at all that you were ever hurt," Killian was grinning from ear to ear. "It's a bloody miracle."
"Ms Swan," the young doctor on duty struggled to find words, "we nearly lost you there. But your heartrate seems to be back on track. We're going to take another blood test, okay? You lost a lot of blood yesterday, and that may be causing problems we hadn't anticipated." He lifted a blood-soaked bandage from her chest. "But your wound appears to have healed… overnight."
Emma kept her eyes on Killian. She smiled back at him. "A miracle. Lucky me," she said.
"It's magic," he agreed. "Now could you all give us a few minutes alone? Please?" He waited for the last of the medical staff to leave her room.
"Did you manage to do this, love?" He ran his fingers over the unblemished skin where a deep knife wound had been until just moments before.
She reached into his shirt and wrapped her hand around the silver chain that held his charms. She pulled him close to her, so that her mouth was next to his ear. "Your father healed me," she whispered.
Killian stared at her blankly. "So which claimant to be my father are we discussing? Arthur?"
"Oh, no, Arthur is definitely not your father," Emma shook her head against the pillow emphatically. "I've just met your Daddy, and he was… Killian, I'm sorry, but there's no other word for it… your father is hot. Dark suit, red tie, a little grey at the temples… sexy. Your eyes and your wicked smile. He danced with me. A waltz, just like you and I danced."
"I'm afraid I've not had the pleasure since I was too young to remember."
"Killian, your father is Davy Jones. Davy Jones as in the locker? See, my love, this is the sort of information you're supposed to give up to me without me being dragged into the underworld to learn it."
"He tried to pull you into the Underworld?"
"No, not really. Davy just wanted to watch over me. He said he needed to keep me close for the night, to keep me safe, and that it would cause some confusion up here. He healed my wound… and he told me that our baby is just fine. Tough." Emma felt the tears starting again. "And he wouldn't let me cry…"
Killian slid into bed next to her, and gathered her against his chest. "Go ahead and cry, love." He was still stunned. His father. He had no real memory of him. No photos, obviously, or even sketches. Liam had told him who their father was, told him what the name Davy Jones meant. Arthur's claim to be his father seemed out of the blue, but he had no way to confirm or deny it, short of carting him back to the world without magic for a DNA test.
"Davy told me that Liam and Kerry were Arthur's children, but Arthur didn't believe it of Liam because he looked nothing like him. But you… dark hair, blue eyes, Arthur believed you to be his. But I'm here to tell you, one look at Davy Jones is there is no denying your paternity. At all." Emma seemed to be reliving it, a dreamy glint in her eyes. "God, is he…"
"All right, Swan. We've established that you have a Daddy kink," Killian stopped her. "Or possibly an underworld kink."
"No, no, he made the whole place bloom with flowers. There was the big bed from the villa, and a wondrous, magical tree…"
"Swan, I really don't want to hear more. My own father tried to seduce you while you were unconscious. I'm not liking this story more for its repetition." Killian looked affronted. "You'll just have anyone if there's a tree involved, won't you?"
"Killian! I can't believe you are jealous of your father. He was looking after me, getting me back to you. He told me to take care of you, and the baby."
"If I'm that much like him then I know precisely what he was up to," Killian huffed.
"You have him all wrong, Killian. He loves you." Emma insisted, and Killian gave her an uncertain look.
The young doctor came back in to find Killian and Emma cuddled on the hospital bed. Given everything else that was odd about this case, he chose to ignore it. "Your blood count is still low, Ms Swan. But if you rest and drink plenty of fluids and eat well, it should be back to normal in a few weeks. As you're pregnant, I'm going to prescribe you some iron, folic acid and vitamins to make sure the baby is getting all the nutrients it needs."
"Excellent, then I'll take her home, shall I?" Killian asked. "I brought over a coat and dress, love," he added, rising from the bed and reaching for the large, embossed shopping bag he'd dropped by the door.
"Mr Jones, she just flatlined not half an hour ago. I really don't recommend that she leave."
"I have a feeling I'll be fine now, doctor," Emma said. "Killian, did you buy me new boots?" She smiled at him across the hospital room, ignoring the doctor, as Killian pulled a dress, coat and boots out of the bag with a grin. "Let's go home, Mr Jones."
The doctor tried to talk them out of it, but in the end signed the discharge papers. Emma giggled at the lingerie Killian dangled in front of her – "Seriously, I'm not 24 hours out of surgery and this is what you bought me?" – and Killian phoned the car service that Jonathan had set up that morning, rather than have her walk the distance to the apartment. Emma slipped on the thick cotton dress and embroidered, red coat he had brought for her.
"This coat is beautiful, Killian," she ran her hands over the wool. "Where did you get it?"
"I need to tell you about Jonathan," he said. "You're going to love him. He's our doorman."
"You have a doorman? You have an apartment?"
"I told you, Swan. We have a whole building."
"We?"
"We're true love, darling. Glowy fairy dust and all that, remember? What's mine is yours."
"Not according to the state of New York."
A shiny new Audi pulled up in front of the hospital doors. Killian opened the car door for her, waited for her adjust her dress, and then walked around to his own side. He gave the address and the driver set off. Emma immediately breathed out a sigh of relief at being sprung from the hospital. She settled her head against Killian's shoulder. She would do what the doctors told her for once. She would let him take care of her for a couple of weeks while her blood supply replenished itself. She would take her vitamins. She would eat leafy green vegetables.
The car pulled up to a handsome brownstone with a liveried doorman holding open the glass door for her. Killian opened her car door and helped her out. Jonathan was grinning at her.
"Ms Swan, how wonderful to see you back." Emma smiled uncertainly at that. The last time she'd been through this lobby, she'd been unconscious and bleeding to death in Killian's arms.
She looked around the marble lobby. This was all a bit much. Expensive hospital, expensive clothes, expensive car… she felt almost as out of place in New York now as she had in the Enchanted Forest. Killian swept her through the entryway and into the waiting elevator. He pushed the button for the penthouse. Obviously.
"Oh, for fuck's sake, Killian. This is ridiculous. How much money do you have?"
"I was a very successful pirate, love," he said. "My lawyer was impressed the gold. He managed to turn it into hard currency without asking too many awkward questions."
The penthouse was predictably enormous, with picture windows that overlooked the park. The furniture was cold and uninviting, and the place felt unlived in and unloved, but Emma supposed that was to be expected, as no one lived there until now. She opened the fridge. Milk, juice, butter, eggs, salad… when had he found time to go shopping?
"There's cocoa and cinnamon in the cupboard, love. Shall I make you a cup?"
"Yes, please," she laughed. She wandered down that hallway and found the master suite. Also huge. She considered the bed, functional to the point of frightening. She waved her hand to replace it with the four-poster from the villa. Nothing happened. It took her a moment to remember that she had no magic here.
Killian leaned against the doorframe and handed her the cocoa. "Did you just try to redecorate magically?" he smiled. Emma nodded. "Jonathan is bringing up some catalogues. We'll find a nice four poster, huh? Wooden." Emma set down the mug on the shelf over the fireplace (fireplace!) and walked into his arms. She rubbed her cheek against his shirt (where had the shirt come from anyway?) and sighed.
"I'm sure if I look there's five or six bathrooms in this place, but which is nearest? I want to soak," she said.
"There's three bathrooms, so stop exaggerating. And the closest is right here," he leaned around the corner and flicked on a light switch. It was bigger than her kitchen in Boston.
"If I run this bath, are you getting in with me?"
"I have no other plans, Swan. The current monster count, including - but not limited to - murderous men claiming to be my father, is zero. So let's bathe."
Emma kissed him and then dropped the coat and dress on the bed before sauntering into the bathroom in her new lingerie. Killian followed.
…
Snow and Charming settled into the bed at the inn. Will had stolen enough money to ensure a good night's sleep above a reputable pub. They all needed a night's rest and some space to think through their next move.
"They're not in Camelot, David," Snow sighed. "It's been over a month, and Mairead had never seen them. We found her within 24 hours, so if Emma and Killian were here…"
"…that would have been their first stop," David agreed. "Arthur is in the Enchanted Forest, and that must be where they are as well."
"So how do we get to the Enchanted Forest from here?" she wondered aloud.
"We will find her, Snow. We always do. And we'll get back home to Neal," David held her close. "It's not like you to lose hope. We'll figure it out tomorrow, after some sleep. If we've found out about Arthur, odds are they know it, too."