Chapter 14

A month and a half later…

Killian was extremely lucky that filming for the new movie wasn't due to start for a while. At least, that's what Smee and Mrs. Potts kept telling him. He hadn't really left the house for the last month, only when he had to.

He stumbled out of the bedroom that used to be hers in a drunken haze, looking down at his watch that told him it was almost 10 in the morning. He kicked an empty can of Guinness out of his way and winced when it made a loud clanging sound against the many others that littered the floor of the bedroom. The rest of the house was in perfect order except for that bedroom. Killian had ordered Mrs. Potts to stay out of it and touch nothing in there.

He shuffled down the hallway and caught his reflection in the mirror at the end of it: his normally decently short disheveled hair had grown longer, almost to his eyebrows and his normally trimmed scruff had grown into a full beard. He couldn't help but think how he looked like the pirate Blackbeard. He scoffed at his reflection and made his way down the stairs. When he was three steps from the bottom, he tripped over his loose socks and tumbled the rest of the way, hitting his head on the last step and everything went dark:

When Killian opened his eyes, he wasn't in his house anymore, he was sitting on his boat. There was a noise next to him and he turned to see Liam smiling.

"Brother?"

"In the flesh." Liam laughed, "Figure of speech anyways."

"What's happened? Am I dead?"

"No you ponce, you're not dead. You hit your head." Killian lifted a hand to feel the back of his head and it hurt.

"What are you doing here in my dream then?"

"I've come to knock some sense into ya. Although, I'm sure the stairs might have tried to do it for me first."

"Huh?"

"Little brother, it's been almost two months. What in the bloody hell are you doing? Is this what you're going to do for the rest of your life? Just stay drunk? Do you think that will get the memories of Emma out of your head? Drinking rum, is that your solution to everything?" Killian couldn't help but laugh.

"She asked me the same thing once. Told her it didn't hurt. At least it makes everything hurt less." Liam reached over and smacked Killian in the head. "Ow! What the bloody hell was that for?"

"You're being an idiot Killian Jones. You need to find her."

"Don't you think I've tried?! I talked to August, to Ruby, and no one will tell me where she's gone. I tried to find her parents, but the Nolan's must be unlisted because I can't find their information in any Boston directory." Killian ran his hand through his hair. "Besides, she left me. Why should I bother chasing someone who doesn't want me?"

"You idiot. She loves you. Milah's words scared her and she thought she'd never be enough for you, that you'd leave her like all the rest."

"I told her I wasn't like them, that I'd never leave her. She didn't believe me!"

"You should have showed her! Fought for her! You still can."

"Do you think so?"

"What did I always say?: A man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets."

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Emma sat behind the counter at Once Upon a Time, the bookshop her parents owned in Boston, watching the people walk by through the window. She shifted her body on the stool she perched on, her growing belly not doing any favors for her back. Four months pregnant and huge, she kept saying. Every time she saw her OB, Dr. Murphy (the one Victor and Dr. Nordegren had found for her), Emma asked her simply to tell her the baby was healthy. She didn't want to know anything else, she wanted to be surprised when the baby was born. If her parents (one of which always went with her) wanted to say something, they kept it to themselves.

Emma enjoyed working at the shop. Mary Margaret and David had explained that after not finding her for so long, David had lost hope in the Sherriff's Office. He'd kept his contacts in case there was a break in the case to find their daughter. Mary Margaret had used their savings to buy a small space and opened the bookstore. It was a small mom and pop type of place, and while they had plenty of customers, Emma enjoyed the calm and quiet of it.

In the time she'd been at home, Emma had learned about the family she'd never know. Her mother had been an only child whose mother had died when she was young. Her father had remarried soon after and her step-mother had been mean at first, but then they'd gotten along once Leopold had died. David's father died when he was young as well, from a drunk driving accident and his mother had never remarried. He had a brother, a twin named James, who'd died during a mugging gone wrong 10 years before. Ruth, David's mother, had only died a few years ago of a heart attack. When Emma got sad that she had almost had the opportunity to meet Grandma Ruth, David had taken her to the cemetery where she was buried.

Emma's attention was brought back to the present when she heard the bell above the door ring.

"Welcome to Once Upon a Time. What can we find for-" Emma hadn't expected to see the person standing in front of her ever again.

"Hello Emma."

"Tink. What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too. It seems your brother didn't mention that I was helping design the tuxes for his and Graham's wedding next month."

"He didn't and I'm totally going to ask him about that too. How did you even find me?"

"You're not the only one who knows people. Smee, while sometimes a fumbling idiot, is skilled in finding things and people who don't want to be found." Emma kept her lower half hidden behind the counter, she didn't need Tink finding out about the baby.

"What do you want?"

"We miss you Emma. He misses you. He loves you."

"Don't Tink. I've made my decision. I'm just trying to protect myself and my ba-heart. Milah was right. I'm not the one for him. The life he leads is for some glamorous woman, not me. I won't lie, I do love him, and I always will. But I won't put myself through him leaving like all the others."

"There's that wall." Tink sighed and walked around to a shelf lined with fairytale romance books.

"That's not a wall." Emma rolled her eyes at the pixie blonde.

"Really?" Tink tilted her head to the side and fixed Emma with a Look.

"There's nothing wrong with being cautious."

"This is more than being cautious Emma!" Tink cried, throwing her hands in the air. "But Emma, that wall of yours…it may keep out pain, but it also may keep out love."

"Love was never the problem Tink."

"Emma…" Tink gave an exasperated sigh and ran a hand through her short blonde hair, so reminiscent of her older brother that Emma felt weak at the knees. "What has to happen for you to stop this?"

"Nothing will change my mind Tink." Emma stared her down. "Will you tell him you saw me?"

"I have to. He'd want to know you're okay." Tink turned back to the shelf she'd been looking at and pulled a book from the shelf and deposited it on the counter in front of Emma. When she looked down at it, Emma gasped because it was the book that inspired the movie Killian would be working on next: The Pirate & The Princess."

"Is this all?"

"Yes, thank you." Emma rang up Tink's purchase. She put it in a bag and handed it to her over the counter. "Think about it Emma. Please. Just…think about it."

"Tell him I'm sorry, but it's what's best." Tink nodded and left the store and Emma watched her cross the street. When she was sure that Tink couldn't see her, Emma walked out from behind the counter to go amongst the shelves to organize. She stood on her tiptoes to place some books back on higher up shelf, her growing belly on display for anyone to see.

What Emma didn't know, was that Tink stopped on the other side of the street and was watching her do her work and saw the one thing Emma had wanted to keep from her.

Killian is not going to like this Tink thought to herself. As she watched Emma in the window, her phone rang. Tink looked down at the caller ID and that it was a number from Ireland.

"Hello?"

"Is this Miss Rose Bell-Jones?"

"Aye."

"Your brother, Killian Jones, has just been admitted to St. James' Hospital with a head injury and you are on his forms as next of kin to contact in case of emergency."

"What the bloody hell happened?"

"His assistant, a Mr. William Smee, says he found Mr. Jones at the foot of the stairs in his home. It appears he fell and hit his head. We'll need you to come in."

"Of course. I'm in America right now, but Boston, so I can be there in eight hours. Please, do what you can for him."

"Of course Miss Bell-Jones. I think I should also tell you that he seems to be extremely intoxicated as well."

"I'm sure he is. I think it's time he stops."

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Killian opened his eyes slowly, hearing the quiet beeps of whatever machines were keeping an eye on him.

"Welcome to the land of the living big brother." He whipped his head over to wear the voice came from, seeing Tink perched at the end of his bed. "You've been asleep awhile."

"How long?" His voice came out scratchy from lack of use.

"Two days." She got up and walked over to be closer to him. "You hit your head pretty hard. And you look like a mountain man." Tink ran her hand over his hair.

"What do you care?" Killian pushed her hand away and turned his face from her. "You left me too."

"I was trying to help you Killian. I couldn't stand by and watch you drink yourself into a hole again."

"When can I leave this place?" he asked, ignoring her comment. "There's quite a few pints of Guinness at home that need tending to."

"You bloody fool, you're never going to get her back if you drink everything in existence."

"She doesn't want me, so why should I care?"

"THAT. IS. IT." Tink flicked Killian on the ear multiple times.

"Oi! What the bloody hell is that for?!"

"You're damn lucky you have a head injury because I would've hit you upside the idiot head of yours." Killian sighed.

"When you get out of here, you're going to get cleaned up because Emma needs you."

"What are you even talking about?"

"I was in Boston, Killian. I saw her." That made him sit up and look at his sister with hope. If Tink knew where to find her, maybe she would tell him and he could go to her.

"How is she? Did you speak to her? Is she ok?"

"She's perfectly fine. From what August told me, she's living with her parents and working in their bookshop." Killian looked at his sister's face, knowing she was keeping something back from him.

"What else is there Tink? Tink! Tell me."

"She's pregnant Killian."

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Emma was happy to see an empty store when it came time to close up that night. She was counting down the till when the bell over door chimed again.

"I'm sorry, but we're about to close up." She heard the customer laugh.

"Hello Emma." Emma's head snapped up and she saw the familiar dark eyes and brown curls.

Neal.

How about that finale you guys? WE GOT OUR I LOVE YOU and omg, scaredy cat cowardly Killian was the greatest and funniest thing ever.