Chapter 5
A Favor for the Devil
She watched him that next morning, laughing as he grumbled against his hang over. He swore up and down that he was never having another drink again. It cracked her up laughing.
It was such a change from the somber pirate who'd stumbled in, switching from talking about some mysterious contact he'd met, to planting a drunken kiss holding her hand and being just plain sweet.
Henry was getting a kick out of it, purposely talking loud to annoy the pirate. It took Killian a while to figure out that it wasn't just the throbbing in his head.
"I think your lad hates me love." He whispered to her when Henry wasn't listening. "I haven't done something wrong have I?" Emma shook her head, finding how much he cared for Henry's opinion of him was adorable.
"He'll come around, it just takes patience." Killian smiled gratefully.
"Like mother like son." He snickered into her ear, leaning forward, kissing her cheek lightly.
"So Killian, now that you're feeling better, care to tell me about your new friend?" He stiffened, something she didn't like. A part of her wanted to find the person who was making him nervous, making him slightly afraid.
Or perhaps a little more, than a little considering his odd drunken admissions.
"What did I tell you last night?" He questioned over breakfast, his eyes darted between her and the rest of the tavern, scratching behind the ear. He was searching the crowd, searching for someone. Emma took the way his hand clenched to a fist as an indication that he wasn't looking for a friend.
"That she was connected to the sorcerer, and that she wanted to have drinks with you." She explained. Drinks were normal at a bar right, it wasn't like this woman wanted Killian, no, no, that was ridiculous. Killian was hers.
"Love, she uh, made certain gestures that-" Her grin fell. She saw how nervous Killian was getting, flustered even and Emma Swan knew how to read between the lines. She knew how to read the flustered look, after all, she'd made him flustered that first day she saw him.
"Come again?" She practically hissed. "What the hell kind of insinuations did she make?" She could just imagine her timid flustering Killian being manipulated into a situation they both knew he didn't want to be a part of, but he would, he would if he thought it would help her. That was just the type of damn sacrificial hero he was.
It reminded her too much of her father, of Graham.
No. This was not happening a third time, not to this one, not to her sailor. He was hers. Emma didn't know exactly what that meant just yet, but it definitely meant that no slut was touching him.
He reached over, gripping her hand tightly, calming her down instantly. "Love, please, don't overreact, but she made it seem like if we wanted her help, I'd need to-" He shuddered and she shook her head, squeezing his hand right back. She could just imagine Killian allowing this manipulation, because it would help her. No, she wasn't going to let this stand.
"There's no way I'm letting her strong arm you into her bed, I don't care who her friends are." She seethed. "Talking fine, drinks sure, but if she lays a single hand on you, she's going to lose the damn thing!" She didn't even know the witch, but she saw the way he avoided her eyes.
Oh no she didn't!
"What did she do?" She demanded, remembering the way he shivered when she touched his hand. The way he sighed in relief as she touched his cheek, his words.
"Your hand is warm."
She grabbed his hand back from him in a fit of rage, turning it over, seeing the small cuts in his skin. Placing her hand over the marks, she made them vanish, as if purging this woman's mark from her sailor.
He was about to respond when his eyes darted towards something, a scowl crossing his face. Emma turned around seeing a yellow cloak and brown curls hiding under it. She didn't need to see his face to just know this was the woman.
"Killian." She growled. "I'm going to go over there and give her my terms." She warned, standing, but he stopped her.
"Swan, no, let me handle this, I won't do anything that can't be undone, alright? Not when I have you looking out of me yes?" She crossed her arms. As he smirked, waggling his eyebrows at her, just to make her a smile a bit.
It worked. Damn it.
"Fine, but please, don't hesitate to call for me, just say my name and I will be over there in a flash." She reminded him. "You don't need to do anything for me, alright?" He nodded and bounded over to the table, taking the woman by surprise. Emma couldn't hear the conversation, but she saw Killian's posture maintain itself, glaring harshly at the woman.
She laughed at him, making him deflate; she patted the seat next to him, eyeing him.
Emma made sure to glare daggers at the woman. It just made her snicker. Killian took his seat as the woman wrapped herself around his arm.
Slit her throat, make her burn. Burn this whole village down with her.
Then she leaned in, the woman's lips pressing against Killian's ear. She saw the color drain from his face.
Come on Killian, just say my name. Let me go over there and wring her scrawny neck.
He turned, pirate persona in full swing, muttering words darkly, a warning, a threat. He flinched in a gaps suddenly without warning. The woman placed her hand on his cheek, Killian closed his eyes and turned away. He met her eyes and nodded.
She could see it in his eyes, shifting between her and the woman, he sighed.
"Swan." He mouthed. It was close enough.
Emma marched over, trying not to rush but planning to make damn certain her intentions. That hurting her pirate meant certain death.
She slammed her fists against the table, growling before trying to pull her sailor out of the slut's grip but he didn't move, he was glaring angrily at the woman.
What did she do to him?!
"Hello Dark One, such a pleasure to finally meet you." The woman cooed, holding out her hand to her. Killian tensed beside her.
Emma refused to take it, much to concern with the way Killian's eyes kept flickering to the woman's unseen hand, and towards her warily.
"Not one for pleasantries I see? Fine."
Emma reached over grabbing Killian by the elbow, he flinched away at first before easing, Emma could feel his nerves getting away from him. He eyed her apologetically "What did you do?" The woman laughed, hazel eyes glancing over Killian, placing her other hand on his shoulder. Emma stared at it, willing it to burst into flames.
"I'm not magical Dark One, but I did learn a few tricks, one being to know when I've found something of value-" He flinched, biting back a hiss, trying to pull away from the woman but not moving fully.
"Tells me Dark One, can your magic heal a wound made with an enchanted blade, made of pure light magic" She laughed. Emma looked down, seeing the hilt in her puny hands, and the flash of gold beneath his coat. "So at the moment, I'm in control of your little puppet."
She bit back an angry hiss, knowing exactly what this parasite wanted: A deal. Those were what everyone seemed to want from the Dark One.
"What do you want?" Emma snarled placing a hand on Killian's other shoulder, rubbing in a circular motion. He seemed to calm down, looking over in her general direction.
"Don't-" But he was interrupted as he tensed, this woman pressed deeper into his side.
"Quiet, us ladies are talking." She chastised, Killian turned towards her glaring.
She grabbed his arm tighter. "Spit it out right now before I make you." Emma growled angrily.
"Patience Dark One, patience. I came here looking for some fun, but imagine my surprise when I spotted you and your puppet coming in and I was just dying to get to know him." She snickered. "The poor fool thought I wanted him." She laughed. "Do I look like I need to blackmail someone into my bed?" She snickered. "But making him think I wanted him was kind of fun. There are just so many useful puppets to be had, so many ways to break them too."
She clenched her fist over Killian's hand. "He's not your puppet, he's mine." She sneered. "I like keeping my things; only I say when they break." She snapped. Killian watched her nervously, Emma wanted more than anything to soften her gaze, tell him that wasn't what she thought, but she couldn't afford to. Instead she just kept soothing him as much as possible with her touch.
The woman eyed her and then adjusted the knife a little deeper, making Killian hiss. "And what a delectable puppet you have, tell me, good as he looks?"
Emma suppressed a snarl. "I'm not here to talk about my sex life. Let him go." She demanded. "I see that you want me, not him." Emma told her. Once Killian was out of here, she could take this vixen's heart and make her tell her everything.
The woman shrugged, hand in Killian's hair as he tried to pull. She pulled him right back towards her. "She's got magic Sw-" He tried but Emma noticed the way his face tensed the blood dripping down his coat, she shook her head.
"Don't." She said in warning. He stopped, nodding in understanding
"Not every day you get to meet the Dark One, definitely not every day that you get to have leverage on one." She giggled. "Something I won't lose voluntarily, so tell me Dark One, why did you really want to contact the sorcerer?"
Emma wanted to skin her alive.
"He wasn't too far off; I want to find some people who were taken from the woods, old acquaintances of mine." She nodded knowingly
"Ah yes, poor Henry's family, I had heard rumors of the Purple Fairy's grandson roaming unprotected but I assume you've taken him under your wing? Taught him well I assume?"
She stayed calm, "The Sorcerer helped to take them and I want to rescue them. I need to speak to him before I can do that."
She nodded again. "Ah yes, after how the Queen got his assistance with capturing them? Yes yes, I assume you do." She leaned in closer.
"But what do I get out of passing along the messages?" She inquired. "My services aren't cheap."
The slim chance that I don't stick your head on a spike?
"What do you want?" The woman pointed at the sailor.
"His name." She started. "His name and a favor."
Emma tensed. She didn't like open ended promises, deals she couldn't control, find loopholes. Plus she was curious what this vixen wanted with Killian's name. More leverage on her? Emma didn't like being vulnerable.
"Eventually Swan, you're going to have to learn how to trust people, to let them know that you don't see them as things, but as people."
"You seem to know a lot about trust Killian, so tell me, how do you know that someone won't break it?" She asked with an edge. "All my life I've learned that love, trust, it's all a means to an end. It's not real, its weakness."
"Aye, in the wrong hands it is. But in the right hands, it's quite the opposite."
Emma wondered at what point she had let in this sailor, when he meant enough to her to relinquish a little control.
"Hmm, I wonder how deep I'd have to press to get him to scream?" She teased, making Killian squirm in his seat, glaring daggers.
"I wonder that to lass." He bit back defiantly, eying her with a smirk, hissing again as apparently his innuendo didn't strike this woman as being very funny. Emma urged Killian to shut up.
"Fine." Emma snapped. "Introduce me to the Sorcerer and have him hear out my side of the story, and you swear never to harm him in anyway, ever." She added with a smirk. If she was getting her pirate's identity then at least Emma was going to get assurances that he wouldn't be leveraged, that she would have to think of something else to get to her.
She shrugged, looking satisfied with that. The woman pulled out an envelope, placing it on the table.
"The sorcerer's son is turning four next week, this will get you into the party." Emma takes the envelope from her, reading it slowly.
The paper was pure white, golden letters decorated it proudly as well as an image of the little boy, golden hair and green eyes, he looked happy so unbelievably happy.
Neal the baby's name was Neal.
"Killian Jones. MY name is Killian Jones." Killian snapped. She laughed, Emma heard an 'of course' muttered under her breath.
She leaned over whispering something into Killian's ear before standing up and making a quick exit.
In another life, Emma would chase after her, killed her right in the middle of the pub, but right now, she wasn't that person. She watched as Killian ripped his hand from her, pressing on the red spot in his side.
"Killian? Hey, Killy, are you alright?" she prodded, looking over to his side, searching for any sign of injury. His skin was cut but not too deep, much to her relief, but it looked quite painful. She tried to heal it, but nothing happen, just as she feared.
"Yes Swan. I'm fine. I was a fool to think-" Emma shook her head, getting him up.
"No, it's ok. You got us in; I have what we came for, now it's time to get you patched up." She told him sternly. He shook his head.
"I'd prefer a moment to do it myself." He replied. He didn't look pleased, he looked quite defeated actually.
"Killian-" He shook his head, plastering a cocky smile on his face.
"Emma love, you are a lass of many talents, but I'd welcome a guess that you've never held a needle and thread before in your life. Did you even know it needed stitches?" He asked her.
She pouted before trying again. "Killian, are you sure you're alright?" She said softly, hand on his arm. He forced his smile a bit more.
"Course love, never better." He insisted.
"Killian-" He pulled away, pointing at Henry.
"Your lad is pick-pocketing those black guards, perhaps you should step in?" He inquired. "I'll go settle the tab."
Emma sighed. She was never going to understand that man.
She turned around, looking for her boy, he was doing just what Killian had told her, chatting animatedly with some guards, swiping their gold with them none the wiser.
"So you were my age when you first started learning how to use a sword, wow, any tips for-" He started before she grabbed him by the collar. The guards looked at him in concern.
"Sorry, my little brother wants to be a knight." She said simply. "Sorry we have to go."
Henry groaned. "Please, just five more minutes."
The little squirt. She mentally grumbled.
"We've got to go now if we want to meet mom." She pressed. Henry's eyes brightened.
He quickly said goodbye to his new friends, following her with a skip in his step. "So do you know? Did you find the sorcerer?" He questioned.
"Killian got me a meet with the contact, we came to an agreement." She told him. Henry looked at her in disbelief.
"The sailor?" Henry asked.
"Yes the sailor." Emma replied. "He's trying to help us. When you see him, maybe you should thank him?" She tried, earning an eye roll. "Henry. I don't have his heart; he's doing this because he cares, because he wants to help us."
He didn't respond at first. "Are you serious?" She nodded, bending down to look him in the eye.
"He saved my life Henry. I don't like telling you about some of the things I do when I'm off on my adventures…"She explained. "But he deserves your respect, at least a little ok?"
Henry nodded. "I'll give it a try. You're right he is different." Emma was about to ask what he meant when she saw the bartender wave her over.
"Killian has the money we-" She started, assuming that the man and owner of the tavern/inn wanted to be paid, but she was wrong.
"I'd like to give you some advice lass." He said slowly. "About that man of yours."
She crossed her arms. "What about?" She asked simply. Emma didn't exactly like getting advice from a stranger who had no clue what he was talking about.
"Lacy is dangerous, and I don't want another innocent to get hurt.I've seen her work over and over agin in the recent months. Your love, Jones, has peeked her interest." Innocent? Get hurt? Interest?
"What do you know about her?" Emma asked quickly. "She threatened him." The man nodded.
"The last person who received her interest…" He trailed off. "They are no longer them…" He said vaguely.
"What happened to him?" She insisted.
"They lost themselves and she built them up in her cruel image. I don't want to see that happen again, so I suggest you take Jones and your boy and get the hell out of dodge." He insisted. "Before he is no longer Jones at all."
She usually would snap at him, giving her an order, making inferences about what was best for the people she loved but right now she agreed with him. There was something not right with that woman. The other Dark Ones…the ones she remembered in her head, they would do this all the time, mess with people, orchestrate events to break them, kill their loves, isolate them from their families, manipulate them when they were the most vulnerable.
Emma swore never to do that, ever.
"Thank you." She whispered softly, walking back to where Henry stood, tapping his foot impatiently.
She was just in time to see Killian coming down the stairs, a different vest beneath his jacket.
"So where are we off to next Swan?" His usual demeanor had returned, much to her delight, but he still seemed glum.
"A ball." She replied evenly. "We're going to a ball."
Fun fact, Chapter 5 of Freeing the Witch was called a Deal with Devil. Not planned, but quite the coincidence.
Stuff went down, The end of the build up, now comes some really nice parts that I'm pretty excited about. Get ready everyone. Its about to get real.
Thank you for the increased reviews! Those definitely made me smile and so, slightly early chapter.
10 days. I'm so ready. Hiatus, end already. Please.
Guest review:
andria: The sorcerer definitely is going to be interesting.
Don't forget to review!
~Luna