Chapter 3
Emma had rushed the short distance to the docks, but when she actually reached the bay that housed the Jolly Roger, Killian standing only a few metres in front of her, his figure slouched as he issued orders to his crew, she couldn't cross the last few metres to it.
It was definitely him, and it was only now that she could see him, make out his profile, that she imagined what it would have been like if she was wrong.
She felt excitement swell inside her, but stayed still, choosing to simply watch him for a while, to spend some time just looking at him. She'd never had the chance to do that before, and maybe it wasn't the best course of action at that exact moment, but she needed to. But something was different. For a few moments she couldn't figure out what it was - his hair was slightly longer, but his coat was the same, he still had a hook, his hand was still decorated with rings. And then she knew what it was, what had changed.
He wasn't holding himself the way he used to, his shoulders were hunched over so his entire figure seemed smaller, his head bowed slightly, his gestures to the crew small and far less exaggerated than they had been before. She couldn't see his face, but he seemed despondent, and Emma desperately needed to know why, taking a tiny step towards him.
The instant she moved, Killian turned to direct one of his crew - Mullins, she thought, but she'd never been familiar with most of them - and his gaze glanced over her. Emma wasn't sure what to expect, but the way his scowl deepened and he shook his head as if attempting to clear his mind before looking away wasn't at all how she thought he would react.
Emma hesitated, unsure what to do now that he had seen her and ignored her, and then Henry was by her side and running towards the pirates. Emma flinched backwards when she watched him barrel into Killian, Killian grabbing him in order to steady him, and the moment Killian saw who had run into him, his eyes widened and he slowly raised his head, this time staring directly at her, his jaw dropping slightly.
She smiled shyly, and then Killian was gently nudging Henry aside and walking towards her, each of his steps quicker than the last, and Emma was moving too, and then they met halfway, Killian's arms wrapping around her - under her cloak, like always - and he was holding her tightly to him, lifting her inches from the ground. Emma returned the embrace with the same fervour, burying one hand in his hair, cradling his head. He buried his head in her neck, his breath warm against her as he said something she couldn't make out.
Not at first, anyway. But when she clung tighter and listened, she could hear the words. "You're here." he was murmuring. "You're real."
"What do you mean?" she whispered. "Why wouldn't I be real?"
"I thought you were dead." he answered, lowering her so her feet were firmly on the ground, and that was something she needed to ask him about, but he was looking at her with such awe and love that the question could wait. "But you're here."
Killian leaned towards her, Emma's eyelids falling closed, but before he could kiss her, she heard the far-off yells of her father and she was suddenly too aware that David was coming towards them and would see everything, so she turned her head to the side, Killian's lips meeting her cheek. "My father's right there." she murmured in explanation, gesturing vaguely behind them.
She couldn't look away from him, not even when she heard her father arrive beside her. "Who is this, Emma?" David asked, and Emma could hear the uncertainty and surprise in his voice. "Is this Killian?"
"Of course it's Killian." She answered, feeling his clutch on her waist tighten so it was almost painful, but she didn't mind because it was a reminder that he was there and he was holding her. And he was still staring at her, he hadn't looked away since her father arrived.
That was probably irritating David a bit, but Emma didn't care right now. "And he's going to help us?"
Killian tilted his head, eyebrow raised in confusion. "He's going to help us." Emma answered, and Killian nodded in agreement, despite the fact that he could have no idea what she was talking about.
"You're really going to trust a pirate to assist us?"
Emma watched Killian's jaw clench, letting go of his head to place her hand gently on his cheek, her thumb stroking his face. "I trust this pirate."
Killian shook his head, eyes shining with disbelief, and maybe he doubted she still felt the same after their time apart, because he was trembling slightly, and she needed him to know that wasn't true, needed to know he was okay, but first she needed to kiss him. She didn't even care anymore that her father was watching, simply pulling Killian down to her and sliding her lips over his, biting down gently on his bottom lip, and gasping when he surged into action, tugging her close and devouring her, Emma's hand sliding from his face to rest on his chest, Killian's hand tangling in her hair.
She could hear, only distantly, her father's protests and Henry's exaggerated sounds of disgust, catching the words 'where's his hand' and even though she knew they were making a scene, two people kissing furiously on the docks with a man shouting at them, that drawing such attention was the last thing she should be doing, she couldn't bring herself to pull away.
And she didn't until she felt her father's hand on her shoulder, tugging her back and pulling her away from Killian. "Sorry to cut your reunion short," David bit out, frowning angrily at Killian. "But if you really are going to help us, then it would be a good plan to get out of sight. We're not safe out here."
"Of course." Killian said slowly, sending Emma a questioning look. "The Captain's cabin would be suitable, I imagine."
"And would your captain mind?" David asked, his gaze locked on the crimson flag of the ship. "Or would he require some gold or another manner of payment."
"I am the Captain." Killian informed him, his hand on the base of Emma's back as he led her and her family towards the gangplank. "And I can assure you that I don't need any payment."
"Just my daughter." David mumbled audibly, causing Emma to sigh and roll her eyes, before crossing the gangplank onto the ship.
A sense of fondness came over her when she took her first step onto the deck. She had missed the Jolly Roger, the ship having been a home to her for months, and it was relief to be back on board. Her father and son were soon beside her, and she had to glance down at her son, a wide grin spreading across her face when she saw the excitement on Henry's, the boy fidgeting slightly with his desperation to explore.
"I'll show you around later." she told him, his smile widening. "When we're at sea. And maybe Killian will teach you how to sail."
"He will." Henry insisted, voice thick with joy. "He promised me he would the last time I saw him. He's going to show me how to be a pirate."
Emma glanced behind her, raising an eyebrow at Killian who shrugged in response, and then led her family down below deck to the cabin.
David immediately took a seat at the table, but Emma stood in the doorway, staring at the small bed - her bed - and the bookshelf and she felt comfortable for the first time since coming home. The palace might have been better decorated, but this, with Killian and Henry, was where she wanted to be and it was sinking in that, even though they still had to rescue her mother, she might just be able to enjoy that for now.
Emma joined her father at the table, Killian sitting in the seat beside her and taking her hand in his. "Why do you need to stay hidden?" Killian asked without prompting, the question directed to her. "What's happened?"
"Never mind what's happened." David said quickly, Emma staring at him in astonishment. "Emma told me you were a lieutenant, but this? You're a pirate captain, and you think you can just kiss my little girl? Or put your dirty pirate hands - hand, even - all over her? And that's another thing that I'm not happy about. Who replaces their hand with a hook? That's just asking for someone to get hurt."
"Dad!" Emma hissed, her hand tightening around Killian's. "It's not up to you. Besides, Killian's a good man."
She glanced at the pirate, a soft smile dancing across her lips, but Killian was looking away from her, head bowed. "Your Majesty, I may be a pirate, but I do believe in good form."
"Good form?" David repeated. "And how did my daughter even meet you? Kidnapping?"
"No. Emma was a passenger on this ship. She paid her way on board."
"And you accept anyone who wants a ride, do you?"
"She intrigued me." Killian beamed at her, twisting in his seat so he could brush her hair away from her shoulder with his hook. Emma watched her father, concern and anxiety written on his face when the metal of Killian's hook touched her, and she smiled softly at the pirate, reaching up to run her finger across his hook. "And I can promise you that letting her onto the ship was the best decision I've ever made."
David scowled at Killian, then glanced awkwardly around the room. "Right, well, you hurt her and I promise you that I will figure out every crime you've committed and punish you extremely severely for every single one. And then I'll do something else, something even worse that I haven't thought of yet, but I guarantee will be terrible."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I'll heed your warning." Killian agreed. "However if I ever were to hurt Emma to any degree, I feel that any penance you could come up with would pale in comparison to the punishment I would deliver upon myself. I can assure you that I will try my hardest to make sure your daughter is happy."
"What would make me happy right now is for the two of you to stop discussing me as if I'm not here, and instead talk about rescuing my mother. Remember, Dad, that the Evil Queen has your true love's heart?" Emma said, irritated.
"Of course I remember." David replied, nodding in approval when Killian released Emma's hand in order to retrieve a map from one of the shelves. "But you're my daughter, and I need to make sure that this pirate is good enough for you."
They had spent hours in the Captain's cabin, first explaining everything to Killian - from what they knew of the Evil Queen's plan to what had happened in the hour before her wedding. David's quick announcement that she had intended to marry had quieted Killian for a while, and even a quick kiss to his lips, much to her father's chagrin, had failed to cheer him up.
Eventually, her father had decided to tolerate Killian and stop annoying him, and it was then that they had managed to get a vague plan in place. They would remain docked for a couple more days, while Killian's most trustworthy crew members tried to find out everything they could about what Regina was making Snow do, and ideally, the best way to stop her. Killian had managed to surprise David when he announced he had snuck into the Evil Queen's palace before, successfully, and that would help them this time, even if the security was not exactly the same.
When Henry had fallen asleep on his feet, they decided the meeting had gone on for long enough. Emma tucked Henry in the small corner bed, the one that used to be hers, kissed his forehead and then snuffed out the candles, leaving him to sleep. David had been given a bed in the crew's quarters, warned about snoring, and then left to his own devices.
And then finally, Emma and Killian were left alone. For a few minutes, the two of them hovered awkwardly outside the door to the Captain's cabin, Emma unsure if she would be sharing the bed with her son or if Killian had another bed he could direct her to.
Killian took her by the arm, leading her down the short corridor to the door she recognised as his, a door she had only walked through once, and then he paused, letting her go to scratch behind his ear anxiously.
"I know it's been a while," he started, glancing upwards as though he was carefully thinking out what he wanted to say. "And I know there are a multitude of things we need to discuss, but when we were together, I had never slept as well as I did with you beside me."
"We're still together, Killian." Emma interrupted, wanting to rid him of any ideas he seemed to have about the weeks apart changing their relationship. "I still love you."
He swallowed, his gaze searching, and then he laughed shakily, pushing the door open and gesturing for her to step through. "Then, how about it? How do you feel about this being our room?"
She didn't answer, stepping into the small room and then pulling him inside, the door slamming shut behind him.
Then she realised. They were alone. They were in their room.
And they were alone.
And she needed to know exactly why he took so long coming back to her.
Except before she could say anything, Killian grabbed her and pulled into a tight embrace, his entire body shaking, and he was saying the same thing over and over again, the way he had hours earlier.
"I thought you were dead."
"Why?" she murmured, cradling his head with her hand and pressing gentle kisses to his hair. "What made you think such a thing?"
"It was everywhere." He answered tremulously, his hold on her tightening. "Every port, every tavern. Everyone was speaking of your family's deaths, saying that your father and you had been killed. And I heard no news of Henry. At first, I couldn't believe it. If you died, I would feel it. I thought I knew that much. But then, every single time I heard it, there was some doubt and eventually, I thought it had to be the truth. That I'd lost you. That I'd left you without a goodbye, and a promise to see you again that I had failed to keep. I couldn't come back here, not at first. I couldn't come back here and not find you."
"You would have known." she told him, irritated by his reasons for not coming back to her side, despite knowing that right now, he must need reassurance she was with him. "This is true love, Killian. It has to be. And you would have felt it. Did time away from me make you doubt my love for you again? Because I told you, in Oz, that you had to stop that. That I loved you no matter what, and that didn't change because you weren't with me."
"Of course I didn't doubt you." he insisted, and she felt his fingers curl into her skin, holding her even closer. "But I've lost a woman I loved before. I was scared of knowing the truth, of what I'd become if I knew for certain that I'd lost you too."
"You should have known." Emma whispered, untangling herself from his hold and stepping back, making sure he was meeting her gaze, his own expression full of contrition. "You should have believed in me. In us. And I'm going to be so angry with you. Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" he breathed, his face softening as his remorse faded into confusion. "Why tomorrow?"
"Because it's been over a month, Killian. I'm not going to spend the first night back at your side angry."
He tilted his head, as if unable to process what she was saying, and Emma wasn't going to wait for him to act, throwing herself towards him and kissing him, Killian stumbling backwards as he attempted to catch her, the room so small that the back of his knees hit the his bed - their bed - and he collapsed onto it, Emma pressing herself as close to him as she could.
He reclined back as the kisses slowed, Emma loving the feel of him against her, the warmth of his lips on hers. She could feel the light pressure of his hook as he drew lazy circles on her back, their hands clasping, fingers laced together. Eventually, Emma pulled back to start placing light kisses on his jaw, his neck, Killian murmuring that he loved her, that he had thought he'd never have this again, and then he groaned. Emma kissed the same small area of skin, Killian exhaling shakily, and then she placed all of her attention there until he moaned again, and rolled her over.
Killian ground his hips down into hers, capturing her sharp, surprised gasp with another kiss, this one more desperate, deeper, too much, his hand releasing hers to slide down her body and start undressing her, and this wasn't what she had intended for them to do on their first night back together, but she didn't want to stop. Not yet. She scrambled to return the favour, her hands gripping the hem of his shirt, but then his hand slid lower and he was stroking and teasing until she couldn't do anything but grip onto him and sigh his name, and it was more intense, faster, than anything they'd done before.
And then he stopped, a final kiss pressed to her lips before he rolled off of her. She turned to look at him, a blissful smile on her face. "No more cavorting right now." she breathed, and he chuckled. "My dad is on this ship. I don't know what he'd do if he suspected we were up to anything… improper."
"You have a son." Killian pointed out, speaking through a yawn. "What does he think you've been up to?"
"I'm not so sure he's convinced Henry's actually mine." Emma admitted, rolling onto her side so she could look at him. "They still don't remember him."
Killian didn't say anything, but she could see the sympathy on his face, his eyebrows furrowed. After a few minutes in the comfortable silence, she watched Killian stand from the bed and cross the tiny space to a small chest of drawers. He withdrew a shirt, tossing it to her, and then dug out his own nightclothes.
She changed into the shirt, burying her nose in the collar and inhaling it, smiling at the familiar smell of him, a grin crossing her face as he dressed.
When they finally stopped having to traverse realms and seas on quests, this life could be perfect.
He rejoined her in the bed, one arm around her shoulder, his fingers just able to stroke her arm, right where her scars were, and she smiled at him, pressing the length of her body against his side, her fingers splayed across his chest so she could feel each heart beat.
"Night, love." He told her, his eyes closed, but Emma wasn't ready to sleep yet. She wanted to look at him just a bit longer. "I'm sorry I was late."
"You should be." she replied, scanning his face one more time before letting her eyelids flutter closed. "But I still love you."
Waking up next to Killian, in a bed, was something she hadn't experienced often but during their weeks apart, she had wished to have him next to her every morning as she rolled over to face the empty space. But the sunlight had woken her, and she had opened her eyes to see him lying beside her.
And the day before hadn't been a dream. He really was with her again.
For a moment, she glanced around the room, remembering that the last time she had been there, the walls had been decorated with drawings of Milah. But those drawings were gone. She doubted he'd gotten rid of the pictures completely, but she had to admit she was glad not to be sleeping in a room with the face of his first love gazing down at her.
There were a few new pictures, though. Drawings of her. And they weren't as smooth as the self-portraits of Milah had been, the lines shaky, the shading slightly uneven, but it was clear Killian had drawn them.
When he was without her, he had hung the pictures in his room. And that meant more to her than she could have ever imagined.
Touched, she turned to face him, a tender smile dancing across her face when she noticed he was still asleep, still snoring softly. So she watched him, sliding her thumb over the curve of his cheek, admiring him.
She'd never taken the time to do that before, had always been too focused on a journey, but she had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do. And Killian had a face that needed admiring, but only when he was asleep.
She imagined he would never shut up about if he knew just how handsome she found him.
And she was going to be angry with him when he woke up, because he should have trusted in them, but looking at him now, she could hardly bring herself to be at all upset. He had come back to her, and although she wished he'd been quicker, she was uncertain what she would have done if she had constantly heard news of his death, the way he had.
Emma was still watching him when he awoke, smile widening when he stretched out and turned to face her. "You're still here." he mumbled, reaching out to brush some hair away from her face. "It wasn't a dream. Not this time."
"I missed your face." Emma said in response, flustered by the look of total adoration that had appeared in his eyes the instant he looked at her.
"So this is you angry, is it?" he asked with a chuckle, leaning towards her for a quick kiss. "And I'm certain many people miss my face. I am devilishly handsome, after all. But I will admit that even my looks pale in comparison to you."
"Is that why you drew me?"
Killian actually flushed slightly, before taking her hand, thumb brushing across her ring as he frowned slightly, raising it to his lips for another kiss. "They didn't capture your beauty particularly well, I'm afraid. I only drew a few after we parted, others I drew when we were both on the Jolly Roger. But, once I thought you were gone, I didn't want to risk ever forgetting your smile or your eyes or the way your nose creases sometimes when you're thinking. So I hung them up on the wall."
She kissed him one more time, surprised by his words, unable to be at all angry, despite his mention again that he had believed her dead, before getting out of the bed. Emma was certain that the longer they spent alone in Killian's room, the more likely it was that her father would come looking for her.
Emma dressed quickly, a coy smile on her face when she felt Killian's gaze on her, and then left the room before he could grab her and kiss again, something she could tell he wanted to do from the hungry way he was staring at her.
She went first to the Captain's cabin, finding Henry wide awake and busy reading Liam's Captains log, engrossed by what was written there. She joined him, reading the cursive over his shoulder, warning him briefly to be careful with the pages. The book was far too important to Killian for Henry to accidentally rip a page.
It was David who joined them next, greeting Emma good morning with a kiss to the forehead. "So, did the pirate find you a place to sleep?" he asked suspiciously, and Emma nodded quickly. "Did you share with Henry or did you have a bed of your own?"
"How did you sleep, dad?" Emma asked quickly, ignoring the amused grin of her son. "I doubt the crew's quarters were anything like what you're used to."
"They were noisier than I had hoped, but the pirate did warn me about the snoring." David said with a sigh. "Are you going to help us with the planning today?"
Emma shrugged. "First, his name is Killian, or Hook if you'd rather not be so personal. And secondly, I was planning on showing Henry around the ship. But I don't think you and Killian will manage to be civil to one another without me there."
David glanced down, appearing almost guilty. "Don't let me stop you spending time with Henry." he insisted, looking at Henry's excited face. "I'm sure the pirate - sorry, Hook - and I will be able to tolerate each other without you around."
"Good. Because he's really not going anywhere, Dad." she promised, smiling at the man in question when he finally strode into the room.
David turned to follow her gaze, looking from the pirate's warm smile to the mark on his neck, the one Emma had made the previous night. "I guess I was naive to consider the idea that the two of you would be spending any time apart." he muttered resentfully. "I did see your reunion, after all."
"Don't worry, Dad." she teased, reaching out to pat his shoulder. "My virtue is as intact as it was before I met him."
"Now I know you have a son, that hardly comforts me." David scowled, determinedly ignoring Killian's chuckles. "Can you show me the route you want to use to reach the Queen?"
With the planning starting, Emma took Henry out the room, the boy chattering eagerly about what he hoped to see.
But with the two of them confined below deck, there wasn't much she could show him. There was someone she needed to see though.
It was only a few short steps to the galley, Emma pushing the door open and beaming when she saw the large, grey-haired figure of Jukes' bent over the stove.
"Good morning." she said cheerily, laughing when the cook spun around and peered at her, Henry squealing when he saw the man's eyepatch. "It's been a while."
"Swan?" he asked gruffly. "Hook told me you were dead. I told him not to give up on you so quickly, but I guess you found him anyway."
"It happens." she said, letting go of her son to cross the small room and engulf the old sailor in a hug. "This is my son, Henry. I told you about him, remember."
"And I told you that you'd succeed. That you'd get him back." he said with a chuckle, releasing her from the hug to offer the boy his hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you, lad. I'm Jukes. Your mother told me a lot about you."
"I've never heard of you." Henry replied, Emma grimacing at his answer. "But it's so amazing that you only have one eye. You're like a real pirate, except you're cooking and you're not on deck."
"I'm a bit old for all that activity and excitement." Jukes ruffled Henry's hair, the way David used to do, and her son grinned up at him, and Emma could see he was already attached. "But I can promise you that all these pirates, even your mother's favourite one, wouldn't be able to do a thing if I wasn't here. Can't look after themselves at all. Captain Hook may be an infamous pirate, but he couldn't cook a meal to save his life. And without any meals, where would he be?"
That seemed to be something Henry needed to think very seriously about, levelling a curious look at the pirate. "So you're a really important pirate." Henry decided. "If I learn to cook, would I be a good pirate?"
Jukes chuckled, Emma smiling fondly at the two of them. "I suppose it would. But I'm sure Killian will teach you all the other things that pirates do."
"He will. He already said he'll teach me how to sail. But if he can't cook, then he can't teach me that." Henry stated with a determined nod, Jukes glancing at Emma with an amused grin.
And Emma found herself watching Jukes teach her son how to make sweet biscuits, a treat for the crew while they remained in port.
She felt ashamed to admit she hadn't thought of Jukes much after leaving the ship, had never considered that he too would be a part of her son's life, but seeing the two of them mixing flour and sugar, she realized that Henry would be gaining more family than she thought during their time on the ship, and she was glad to have the opportunity to spend time with Jukes again.
Without him, she may never have found her son. He had cared for her, talked her through her fears of failing her son, of losing Killian.
She and Jukes chatted as he continued to show her son what to do, the recipe simple but taking Henry's full attention. They spoke of the weeks she had spent with Killian in Oz, and of what had happened at the Dark One's castle, but he refused to speak of the weeks that had just passed. Apparently, that was something Killian needed to tell her himself.
A few more minutes passed, Henry beginning to roll out the dough he had made, when they heard a commotion in the small corridor outside, the crew shouting for Killian, and Emma panicked, terrified that the guards had boarded the ship, had already found them.
Leaving Henry safely with Jukes, she followed the agitated crew members back to her father and Killian. A man in a red hat was talking hurriedly to Killian, someone she recognised as Smee, David appearing utterly devastated.
She rushed to her father's side, confused when he looked away from her, his eyes red. "What's happened? Killian?" Killian frowned, sharing an anxious look with Smee. "Is it my mom?"
"There's been a public execution." David croaked, Emma's jaw dropping in horror. There hadn't been an execution in their kingdom since the attempted one for Regina, one Snow had stopped. "A hanging."
"On whose orders? Who?" she asked urgently. "It was on Mom's orders, right? Regina's already ruining her, making her do things she's going to hate herself for when we get her heart back. Things she would never do it if she was herself."
"She would never do this." David promised her, and his insistence made things feel even worse, her ignorance over what had happened weighing on her. "Emma, she would never do anything like this, especially to him. You have to remember this is the Evil Queen."
"I remember. I saw her holding Mom's heart, so don't ever think you need to remind me." She bit out. "But stop hiding what's happened. Can one of you tell me?"
There was silence, Killian reaching out for her, but she stepped away, glancing between him and his father, desperate for one of them to just tell her.
"It's Pinocchio, Emma." David said finally, voice almost inaudible. "Someone told a guard they'd seen him helping us. He was hanged this morning."
"Pinocchio?" she repeated, her voice cracking.
It couldn't be Pinocchio. She'd seen him only days ago. He couldn't be dead. He couldn't.
But Killian and her father wouldn't lie to her about something like this. Killian didn't even know Pinocchio was someone she was close to.
Pinocchio had been a good friend to her, always had been, and Regina had killed him for it.
"He's dead? Gone?" She asked, not needing them to reply. She still couldn't believe it, couldn't feel any grief, but when Killian reached towards her, she felt anger bubbling inside of her.
If Killian had just believed in them, had come back like he had promised, none of this would have happened. She would never have agreed to marry Graham, never given Regina the opportunity to take her mother's heart, to control her mother. And Pinocchio would still be alive.
His hand closed around her arm, and she tugged it away, too furious, turning on her heel and running, out of the brig and up onto the deck, stumbling across the gangplank until she was back on dry land. Killian was yelling after her - Swan, not Emma - but she refused to listen.
She had to find Pinocchio. He couldn't have died because he had helped her. She wasn't sure how she could cope with that.
Emma had stumbled back up towards the palace town, trying to remain in the shadows and out of sight of the guards, even with her mind preoccupied with a storm of dark thoughts and tainted memories.
And when she got there, there was drawing nailed to door, a picture of Pinocchio's face, the words 'Public Execution' stamped across it. Emma dug her nails sharply into the palm of her hand, the other pushing the door open to see an empty workshop, the small toys Pinocchio liked to make spread around the room as if there had been a struggle.
But it was the unfinished wood carving on the desk that truly brought the harsh reality down on her, the start of the ship Pinocchio had promised to make Henry. She collapsed to the ground, her hands cradling the small incomplete model, broken sobs falling from her lips.
She hadn't known what he was risking when he let her and her family into his home. She should have rejected his offer for help, left him alone and safe, but it was too late and he was gone.
And then Henry was there and he was hugging her, arms around her neck, crying into her, and she tried to comfort him through her own grief.
"I thought I should come and bring you home." She looked up at Killian's voice, seeing him standing in the doorway, his sorrowful eyes locked on her. "Henry wanted to know you were safe. I wanted to know you were alright. As alright as you could be."
She sniffed, glad Henry hadn't risked the journey inshore alone, but still conflicted over her thoughts on Killian. "How could I be alright?"
"I'm sorry."
And Emma wasn't sure if he was talking about Pinocchio, or about being late, or not believing in them, but it didn't matter. She wasn't ready to accept an apology for any of them.
Sorry for the angst! I hope you enjoyed the chapter though - and happy holidays to all of you! Thank you to everyone who favourited this story or put it on story alert. Thank you to the-art-of-escape, buffybabe42, that-first-glance-feeling, Guest, CSdisneylover, MissLovelyLupin, Marcela, LadaHathaway, RosexDoctorForever, Scared Swan and Maggie-48 for reviewing! Big thank you to BlackDragon733 who made it angstier than I could!