A/N: Thank youuu all so much for the follows and the favorites! I'm so glad so many people actually like this fic!
Chapter 5
Emma drove around town aimlessly after she left Granny's. Killian's abrupt departure left her reeling, her lips still tingling from their kiss. She'd stayed in the room for a while, hoping he would come back, hoping they could talk, but as time wore on her hope slowly diminished, her heart breaking anew. Of course, she'd expected him to be angry. She'd expected him to snap at her, shout at her, heck even push her away and she had been ready to fight. But she never thought that he'd be the one doing the leaving.
She was tempted to drive by the docks, because she knew him and she knew that's where he'd be; but he clearly wanted to be alone and she had to give him his space, she owed him that. But she didn't have to like it.
She felt the frustration raise, her head pounding from too much coffee, too little sleep and the whirlwind of emotions that was this day. She swallowed the scream that was threatening to erupt from her throat, her eyes stinging from the massive cry fest she'd succumbed to after she left the Inn. She rubbed her tired, puffy eyes, driving towards the station.
She needed to let out some steam and she knew just how to do it. Parking at the empty spot near the cruiser, she grabbed her gun from the dashboard, the lock on the station door fairly easy to open with her magic.
She went towards the back, where the shooting range was, her shoulders straight, her face pinched tight in an obvious attempt to push down her pain, her anger, her-"UGH!" she screams, shooting at the target, each bullet hitting the bull's-eye. She clutched the gun tight in her hands, letting her emotions flow through it, each loud bang echoing through the empty room, leaving no room for her to think, no room for her to feel the growing pain, choking her because he left! He left and he never leaves, and when he does, he comes back. But he didn't and that hurt.
It shouldn't because she deserves worse, she's walked away from him more times than she could count but it still hurts, dammit! He was supposed to be the forgiving one, as selfish as it sounds. He was supposed to take her back because she came back for him, not fucking leave. By this time the angry tears were coursing down her cheeks in a steady stream, going unnoticed by Emma as she continued to shoot at the target, taking out the empty clip and reloading, only to start again, the sound of the gun too loud for her to pay attention to anything else.
It takes her a moment to notice the click, click, click, of the empty magazine, making her let out a noise of vexation and letting the gun drop from her hand on the table in front of her, her sobs finally let free, shaking her form and her throat raw from each cry forced out. One of her arms goes around her torso, as if trying to hold herself together. No, she told herself. You're stronger than this. You're Emma Swan. You don't breakdown because a man broke your heart.
Not even when the man happens to be your True Love? the voice in the back of her mind echoed. Not even if you broke his heart first? it accused, making her heart constrict in her chest, as she struggled to breathe through her sobs.
As she fought to control her emotions, she failed to notice a figure observing her silently, a smirk giving way to a gleam of white teeth in the dark.
-/-
Killian breathes in the cool air, the gentle sound of the waves soothing his frayed nerves. He ran his hand through his hair, his eyes closed tight against the storm of emotions raging him from all sides. She was back. She came back and all he feels is the constant pain he's felt ever since she left. Gods, he'd spent nights dreaming of her return, yearning for her, haunted by the ghost of her touch, of her presence at every corner of the town.
Now, that she is back, he feels just as lost as he did the day she left, just as adrift. He expected himself to be angry, to even be betrayed but he feels afraid. The moment he opened the door to her, his breath caught, his heart stopped, the entire world seemed to freeze as every ounce of love for her he'd buried, dug itself out, sprouting out like a great white oak. All it took was a smile from her to undo him and it scared him how much of a hold this woman has on him, on his heart, on his soul, to destroy and remake him all in one stride.
He exhaled harshly, his breath fogging in the frigid air, as he stared into the horizon, looking into the sea for answers it always seemed to provide, for the crash of waves to mean something. But he came up blank, his gaze taking in the slow sunrise, the golden sun reminding him of her golden tresses. He shook his head, dismissing all thoughts of alluring blondes with sea-green eyes and a smile that shifts his world's axis.
Something glinted far off into the sea, making him focus on it, squinting to see what it was. But it disappeared as soon as it appeared. He grabbed the telescope at his hip, pulling the end with his teeth and looking into it, but saw nothing. He scrunched up his eyebrows, trying to decide whether or not it was his imagination, when he heard a musical voice call out to him.
"Killian!" Ariel greeted, coming to stand next to him, smiling brightly up at him.
He couldn't help but return the smile, despite the circumstances. He was glad for the company, for her company. After her and her prince had returned to Storybrooke, after his long, heartfelt apology, after her almost immediate forgiveness (after her very harsh, very well deserved slap, of course), they'd become somewhat close friends, sharing their fondness for the ocean; her prince, Eric, kind enough to let him take his vessel out to sea sometimes.
While their friendship began tentatively, they'd bonded rather quickly, Ariel being the forgiving, friendly soul that she is. "Hello, pirate," she said, sauntering over to him, with a teasing smile on her face.
"Hello, mermaid," he answered, bowing in an entirely exaggerated, mocking manner. "Shouldn't you be with your prince?"
She rolled her eyes, "He's still sleeping. I just wanted to-ah, get some fresh air," she replied. "What are you doing here?" she asked, turning to face him.
He was going to lie, tell her it was nothing. But instead he found himself saying, "Emma's back."
He watched as her eyes grew comically wide, gaping at him with her mouth wide open, which would have amused him if he wasn't feeling so drained. She started wildly gesticulating with her hands, "Em-you mean-sh-She's back? Here? In Stroybrooke? Emma?" she shot out, stumbling over her words in shock. "Emma's back?" she emphasised, making him roll his eyes.
"Yes, Ariel. Emma's back," he mocked, turning his gaze back to the ocean.
"When did she come back?" the mermaid asked, curiosity dripping from her tone.
"I don't know the particulars of her arrival, darling. I just know that she's back," he drawled.
"She's not staying?"
"I don't know," he lied. "She's probably just visiting."
"Is that what you're telling yourself?" she questioned, her hands on her hips, her head tilted to the side is exasperation. "How do you even know she's back?"
He sighed, regretting having told her. "She came by my room at the Inn."
"What?!" she screeched, making him cringe.
"Ariel..." he sighed, taking a seat at the bench behind him. "You need to learn to control your impulses, love."
"She came to see you? What did you say? What did she say? What happened?" she shot one question after another, barely giving him time to answer, not that he was very keen on doing that.
He sighed again, tiredly, closing his eyes. "She said she made a mistake, that she was sorry for leaving."
She waited for him to continue but he said nothing further. "Well, what happened then?" she demanded.
"Nothing. Leave it be," he gritted out, thinking back on his weak breakdown, on the promises sprouting out of her lips, their kiss. Gods, their kiss. It was like he had been a starved man quenching his thirst, her lips like an elixir, granting him new life. It was far better than he'd remembered, his lips still tingling much after he left.
He was a fool to have kissed her in the first place. He was simply setting himself up for further heartbreak, because despite her promises, he couldn't bring himself to believe them.
He felt a soft hand on his shoulder, breaking him from his reverie and glance up at the smiling mermaid. "I know you, Killian. And the woman you've spent the past three months pining for is back. So what are you doing here?"
He swallows, struggling to find an appropriate answer. "I-she-We kissed," he says instead, recounting the whole thing as Ariel patiently listens, her eyes growing more and more sympathetic as the story progressed. "And then I left," he concluded, staring down at his hands, tracing the thin scar encircling his left wrist, the only sign that he has of his previously missing hand.
"You're scared," Ariel said softly after a moment. "You're scared to believe that she's actually back, so you decided that it was best to not engage in anything."
Her perception of him baffles him still, leaving him with nothing to add except to simply nod in agreement, his head hanging low.
"Maybe you'll change your mind," she replies, squeezing his hand in reassurance. "She is after all your True Love."
"Of course, that solves everything," he mumbles sarcastically.
"No, it doesn't. But it means there's something worth fighting for. Something worth believing in. You just need to decide whether or not you want to," she answered, standing up.
She holds out her hand out, making him raise an eyebrow. Rolling her eyes, "Come. Walk me to Granny's," she invited, smiling brightly.
He returned her smile, grabbing her hand in his, letting her pull him towards the diner. As they walked down the dock, she rested her head against his shoulder, sighing to herself.
"Hey, can I tell you something?" she asked after a while of comfortable silence.
"Of course."
She chewed on her lower lip in contemplation, staring at the ground hard as they both halted in the path. Killian looked at her half-curious, half-worried, as the mermaid seemed to ponder on what she wanted to say. "Ariel?" he prompted, making her look up at him as if she'd forgotten he was standing there.
She shook her head finally, the furrow between her brows disappearing as she shot him a reassuring smile. "It's nothing," she replied, walking in the direction of the diner again.
"Are you sure?" he asked, moving to catch up with her surprisingly quick pace. "You seemed quite...worried, for a moment."
"Yes. It's nothing. Don't worry about it," she replied, dismissing the subject as the duo entered the diner.
He frowned but dropped the matter, knowing that she would tell him when she was ready. "Thank you for listening to me," he said instead, taking a place next to her at the counter.
She smiled, "Who'd have thought we would become such best buddies?" she asked teasingly. "The pirate and the mermaid," she sang, making him snort indignantly.
I absolutely love, love, LOVE Killian and Ariel brotp! And I was in dire need of some!