A/n: Hey everyone! I'm so sorry for how long this has taken to get out. A lot of stuff happened in reality that I had difficulty dealing with and then everything just kind of…piled up in a very bad way. But I'm back! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/alerted/favorite this story – your support means a lot. This chapter is kind of a filler chapter, I admit, but big things are coming. Very, very big things.
Please review, and let me know your thoughts on what's going on with Emma.
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Emma felt a warm rush of embarrassment creep through her body, rising from her navel to her neck. She yanked the shirt away from Hook and slid it over her, looking anywhere and everywhere apart from the naked man beside her, and her father leaning on the frame of the door. It was every girl's worst nightmare, and one Emma thought she had been spared. Apparently God had a sense of humor.
"What are you doing here?" Emma asked, embarrassment diminishing as possible reasons for Charming's appearance. "Is something wrong with Henry?" A note of concern crept into her voice, a frown marring her features.
Charming diverted his attention and set aside his anger, for the moment, to reassure Emma that nothing had befallen her son. "Henry's fine – but Regina may not be. Cora showed up at their house, trying to make amends. Regina wasn't receptive; Henry got out of there before things got too hairy, but Regina sent him to get help. We're all meeting outside of the pawnshop before we head over."
Emma felt the awkward air return, Killian remaining silent throughout the conversation. Emma moved towards the door quickly, not looking back at her lover, whose eyes she could feel boring into her back. She passed Charming without comment, pausing once in the hallway.
"I'll be right up," Charming told her, not moving from his place. "I just need to have a word with the Captain. Go ahead and get in the car."
Emma hesitated, unsure of what she was feeling at the moment. Part of her wanted to rail at him for treating her like an teenage girl who'd just been caught with her boyfriend's hand up her shirt, but another part almost felt… happy, even comforted, by his treatment of her. Though she was still adjusting to this whole parent concept, she acknowledged that having Charming be protective of her was not completely a bad feeling. She met Killian's eyes for a moment before returning to the deck; if a message passed between them, Emma wasn't able to decipher it.
"Your majesty," Killian began, smirking. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" Killian pulled his pants from the floor sliding them over his hips and buttoning them up, buckling his belt.
"We need to have a talk, I think," Charming replied nonchalantly, not reacting to Killian's subtle jab.
"Oh dear, is this the part where you, Emma's father, threaten me within an inch of my life if I ever dare break her heart? Because, I assure you, I've already heard every variation of that particular speech – and the consequences haven't stuck."
Charming shook his head, a wry laugh escaping him. He rubbed his jaw for a moment before shaking his head. "No. Emma is my daughter, but she's also a grown woman – who she chooses to partner with is her business." He paused, carefully wording what he was about to say next. "Regardless of whatever happens between you, I will be there to support Emma. If you hurt her, or break her heart, there would be nothing left for me to do except comfort her and help pick up the pieces."
"I fail to see where this is going," Killian replied, pulling a shirt over his head and sitting down to pull on his boots. He was uncomfortable with the conversation. An angry, protective father was not a character that Killian Jones was unused to dealing with. Knowing what he did of the Prince, what he had heard of his temper, made Killian wary to the direction of their discourse. The Prince was too calm.
"What are your intentions toward Emma?" Charming asked bluntly, all eloquent words disappearing when it became clear that Killian wasn't taking the hint.
"I have none," Killian replied truthfully, equally blunt. "I got what I wanted."
Charming nodded, fighting the rage that threatened to overwhelm him with Killian's cavalier attitude towards his daughter. "Good," He replied, nodding, before turning to leave.
"What?" Killian asked, frowning. That was not the response he had been expecting.
"Good," Charming repeated, striding down the hallway.
"What do you mean 'good'? Most fathers would be furious,"
"I am not most fathers. Most fathers, at least the ones that are a part of their family, get to enjoy watching their children grow up. My child isn't a child anymore." He explained, waiting for Killian to take the bait. Charming was much more clever than he was given credit for being. He hid it well underneath a mask of bravery and brawn, but every so often, when the right occasion presented itself, his cleverness made its presence known.
"Even so, I would think you would still be outraged at my casual relationship with your daughter,"
"No, Captain, not at all – in fact, it's a comfort."
"A comfort?" Killian parroted, confused.
"Anything more than a casual relationship with you would end in disaster, not only for Emma but Henry as well. You're a pirate with a single shred of honor that is reserved for the payment of debts and the execution of revenges. You have no knowledge of this world, or how to live in it, and to Emma this world is home. You're hell bent on revenge against Rumpelstiltskin, and anyone who sides with you will go down with you when all is said and done. Simply put, you're a danger to her and everything she cares about. And even were all of that not true," He paused to let his words sink in. "You don't deserve her."
Charming left, not bothering to wait to hear the Captain's indignant reply. He had come to get Emma, and remind Killian exactly who it was that he was dealing with, but plans had changed with the scene he stumbled upon. He had been prepared to deal with the likelihood that Emma had slept with the pirate – what he was not prepared to deal with was the tenderness and intimacy between them. They barely knew each other, and according to Killian their relationship was casual. But what Charming saw in those few moments before her made his presence known, was anything but casual. Luckily, thinking on his feet was something he excelled at, and he adapted. Based on Killian's reactions to his speech, the pirate would now either give Emma up entirely and save them both the heartbreak, or he would make himself worthy of her. Either outcome suited Charming just fine, though he admitted that if it was the latter, Snow would not be pleased.
Henry flew into Emma's arms the moment they arrived, burying his head in the crook of her neck; Emma was immediately grateful that they had stopped at the loft before heading over. She changed her clothes and applied concealer to the hickey Hook had given her; dealing with the consequences of their tryst was not something she could do with right now. She drove her own car, feeling the urge to put some space between her and David. David had said nothing of Hook on their ride home and Emma was too embarrassed to bring it up. She had gone there to chastise and arrest him, and wound up sleeping with him. What kind of person did that make her? She shook herself from her thoughts, focusing on consoling the child in her arms.
"Hey, kid, it's going to be okay." Emma soothed him, rubbing his back gently. "Regina's a strong woman; I'm sure she's fine."
"Everyone ready?" Gold asked calmly, surveying the group coolly.
Emma nodded, purposefully avoiding his gaze. The man knew too much, always knew too much, and this was something she didn't want him knowing. She was sure that he hadn't forgotten the debt she owed him. Whatever she had with Hook had the potential to be used as leverage, and she was not about to let that happen. Ruby and Henry sat in the backseat of her car, the brunette comforting the boy as Emma drove and tried to think of anything – everything – except the pirate she had just slept with. She felt the guilt eat away at her as she recalled that Henry had been left alone. Snow had been busy looking after her husband, and Emma had been busy, well, getting busy. She felt ashamed that she had let the man distract her so. He had done it on purpose to get her attention – and it had worked! The strange sensations were gone, but there was still the magic glow to deal with.
"Oh my god," Henry whispered, his voice catching in his throat.
Emma frowned, her reverie broken, and paled when she realized what Henry saw. The house was destroyed, the wreckage and remains extending to the street. She slammed on her breaks and got out of the car, telling Ruby to keep Henry back. She tried to ignore the sound of Henry's distress, his hoarse cries of "Mother!" echoing throughout the neighborhood. She blocked out his voice, stepping into the role of a Sheriff. She scanned the area carefully, looking for any sign that Cora might be lingering. Seeing none, she began stumbling through the wreckage, lifting up pieces of lumber and siding.
Her father joined her shortly thereafter, her mother staying behind to comfort Henry. Ruby joined them, sniffing the air delicately. "Over here!" She shouted, bounding through the wreckage. Before Emma or Charming reached her, she was already tossing pieces of plaster and wood over her head. Emma evaded the flying wreckage and joined Ruby in digging. Regina was in poor shape, but she was alive.
"Gold!" She called over her shoulder, noting with quiet dread the black veins webbed across Regina's throat.
Charming slipped between Ruby and Emma, lifting Regina up and carrying her to the waiting stretcher. Whale began his examination, taking her pulse and searching her for any signs of external injury. Gold hobbled over to her, his dark eyes scanning Regina carefully. He tentatively touched the black veins at her throat, his expression darkening. He stepped back and allowed Whale to pull her into the ambulance. He turned to Emma, and she noted the grave expression and the tightness of his jaw with increasing dread. "She has been cursed with black magic,"
"But you can fix it, right? You're Rumpelstiltskin!" Henry's voice chirped from the sidelines, his eyes lined with unshed tears. Gold looked at the boy, and for the briefest second Baelfire stared back at him. He swallowed and took a deep breath.
"I'm going to do what I can," He replied, his voice firm. But Emma could see something else in his eyes, something Henry either didn't see or didn't want to see: Uncertainty.
Charming laid a hand on Henry's shoulder, and the boy turned into his embrace, burying his head into the flannel shirt. "How about we head to the hospital and wait for Doctor Whale to finish his examination?" Henry nodded, still not removing his arms from his grandfather's waist. Ruby went with them, asking to catch a ride back to Granny's.
Emma waited until they drove away before she returned to her conversation with Gold. Mary-Margaret came to stand beside her, her arms crossed; Emma felt her face flush with heat, knowing that David hadn't had time to tell her mother how he had found them lip-locked and naked.
"What's wrong with Regina?" Emma asked bluntly, trying to avoid her mother's curious gaze; her suspicious behavior must not have gone unnoticed.
Gold took a breath, pausing as though figuring out how to word his response for the magically-inept. "Regina has been cursed with dark magic, but it is not magic I am familiar with. I'll need to look into it more closely before I can determine how to treat her."
"But there's more," Emma said, frowning as she looked at him. "You already have an idea what it is, don't you?" She dug a little deeper, sensing the half-truth he had told her.
"I just told you, I'm not familiar with the magic she is cursed with," Gold replied in kind, his tone darkening.
Emma stared into his eyes, debating on whether or not to press further. "Look, you know that I can see lies and half-truths. I know you're not telling me everything, but if you want to be more sure first that's fine." She relented, making certain he knew that she was expecting the full truth at some point. He nodded, her message read loud and clear.
"Well, shall we?" Mary-Margaret asked, gesturing to the vehicles. The group broke up and climbed into their cars.
As they sat next to each other, Emma became acutely aware of the awkward silence.
"So, are we going to talk about Hook?" Mary-Margaret was the first to break the silence, deciding that she would be waiting for a very long time for Emma to offer the information.
"What's there to talk about?" Emma replied curtly, trying to avoid the conversation altogether.
Mary-Margaret sighed and leaned over Emma from the passenger seat to pull the key out of the ignition.
"Hey!" Emma cried out, trying to snatch the key back.
Mary-Margaret smiled back, folding her hands in her lap. "That's a…pretty sizable hickey, Emma,"
Emma first felt her face flush with heat and then felt the color drain from her face; had Henry seen it?
"He was a little busy focusing on other things," Mary-Margaret supplied, and Emma realized that she had spoken her fear aloud.
Emma swallowed her fear and took a deep breath, reminding herself that Mary-Margaret was her friend before she was her mother, and let the story jumble out. She told her about how Killian accosted her in her hotel room, his teasing in the diner, and their affair on his ship. She told her about the odd phantom touches she was experiencing that drove them together, and how the lack of those touches nearly drove them apart. She told her about his confession, that since he had come to Storybrooke he had been unable to focus on his revenge, that he too had been driven to distraction.
"I was glowing afterwards, literally glowing, and then I just felt this utter sense of wrongness well up inside me." Emma finished, frustrated that she wasn't able to accurately convey what she had felt.
Mary-Margaret listened without comment, compassion radiating from her eyes. She hummed thoughtfully and rubbed soothing circles on the back of Emma's hand. "Regret is normal, Emma, and sometimes it happens."
Emma shook her head violently. "No, you don't understand. I don't… regret sleeping with him. Not at all. It's been a long time, a very long time, since I have been that intimate with anyone. Even a one-night stand. It felt good, even for just a moment, to be vulnerable again. The wrongness I felt didn't come from regret. It came from the sense that…" She trailed off, unsure how to proceed. "It came from the sense that I wasn't in control of my own actions, like something was pushing me to be intimate with him."
"And despite that being true, despite the sense of wrongness you felt afterwards, you don't regret it?" Mary-Margaret asked calmly, handing Emma back her car keys.
Emma turned the car back on, letting the question sink in. "No," She breathed the word out, the full realization hitting her. "No, I don't."
A/N: Any theories? Comments about Charming? Sorry about the filler-ness of this chapter. This chapter had a lot of emotional/personal stuff, the next one begins the action/adventure.