Chapter Fourteen
Storybrooke Hospital
Killian is still sitting in the same hospital chair, two hours later. He's goten up only once, to wash the blood from his hands and change into the shirt that David brought for him. The curtain opens once more and Doctor Whale walks towards Killian, with Gold watching them both intently from Belle's side.
Killian rises to greet the doctor.
"How is she?" Killian asks immediately.
"She lost quite a bit of blood and we will keep her here for a few days under observation but we still don't know what caused the blood loss." Doctor Whale says.
"And the child?" Killian asks as Snow and David hurry over to them.
Whale nods to Snow and David and answers.
"We can find no problem with the baby. It seems to be doing just fine." He finishes with an encouraging half-smile.
"Thank goodness." Snow says with a sigh, placing a hand over her chest in relief.
Gold walks past them, giving them all a stern nod as he walks away down the hallway.
"Killian?..." Belle's weak voice whispers from her bed.
Killian ducks around the doctor and scoots to her side.
"Belle. How are you, love?" he says, scanning her face. She smiles feebly at him and grasps his fingers.
"Killian, thank you for saving me and my child. If it weren't for you, I…" she trails off, tearing up.
Killian shushes her and gives her a big grin, flashing her his dimples.
"Darling, think nothing of it. Just you concern yourself with getting well again and baking that strong little nipper a bit longer." He says, gesturing to her stomach with a wink.
Belle grips his fingers tighter for a moment, smiling at him and then releasing him. She thanks him one more time before her eyelids get heavy and Killian makes a bowed exit to let her rest.
Killian re-joins Doctor Whale, Snow and David as Henry walks up, juggling a crying Neal in his arms. Snow takes Neal from Henry and looks to Killian.
"How is she?"
Killian gives her a small smile and a nod.
"She's resting now but she seems alright now. [he rubs a hand over his face] So, I think I'll head off then and catch some shut-eye before morning."
Snow places a hand on his shoulder.
"Of course. You can nap at our place if you want. David is going to stay here for a while but you can jump in the truck with me and Neal. You too, Henry." She says turning to the boy.
"Actually Grandma, I was going to ask Killian if he wanted to crash out at Mom's house with me. He already has some clothes there and my school stuff is there too." He says with a questioning look at Killian.
Killian gives a silent nod of acceptance and turns to Snow. She smiles at them as she accepts the baby bag from David.
"Sure. But maybe I'll drive you guys over… [sharing a look with David and Henry] and then David can drive Emma's car back later." She says as she gives David a quick kiss.
"Anything to keep the pirate out of the driver's seat?" Henry says with a grin at Killian which he returns and bumps Henry's arm with his own.
Half an hour later, Killian falls onto Emma's bed in exhaustion. Henry is asleep in the room down the hall, promising to set an alarm for school and wake Killian up for breakfast.
Killian has the world's fastest shower to wash off the hospital smell and blood before he drops onto the bed, only to be assailed with Emma's scent. He rolls over and pushes his face into the pillow, breathing in the smell of his love and falls asleep to dream of Emma.
The next morning, Killian rises early as he always does, dresses and goes down stairs to start breakfast for Henry. As he reaches the kitchen there is a sharp knock at the front door and Killian sees the outline of Mr. Gold through the glass.
"Bloody wonderful." He grumbles as he walks to open the door and plasters a fake grin on his face.
"Dark One. What can I do for you early this morning?"
"Captain." He says as greeting as he regards Killian for a moment. Killian, refusing to grant him entrance to the house waits for Gold to state his business.
"Doctor Whale told me of what you did for Belle." He says with seeming annoyance.
"It seems I am in your debt and that is a place that I prefer not to be." He struggles out.
Killian tries to dismiss him.
"I didn't save Belle to put you into my debt. I did it because your wife was bleeding to death on a bathroom floor." He says as if his honour is being questioned.
Gold matches Killian's ire.
"Regardless of your intentions at the time, I do owe you a debt and I have come to pay that debt." He says through gritted teeth.
Killian narrows his eyes at Gold with confusion and uneasiness.
"What?"
Gold looks away in annoyance for a moment before turning back to Killian and pointing down at Killian's steel hook.
Killian looks down and staggers backwards a step upon seeing a hand where his hook just was. Gold uses Killian's momentary speechlessness to explain.
"I know you have a strange affinity for that enchanted hook of yours so now you can have the benefit of both."
Killian looks at him in fearful shock.
"Simply think of the hook, and it shall appear. If you require your hand, it shall return. I give you this magic freely; it is yours to control."
Killian looks down at his new hand and squints at it, causing the hook to reappear with a small 'puff' of gray smoke.
After a moment, Killian brings his hand back and looks up at Gold suspiciously.
"What's the catch, Dark One?"
Gold taps his cane on the porch floor and looks Killian in the eye.
"There is no catch. But I trust this erases any debt accrued between us." He says waiting for an agreement.
Killian, still uneasy, nods his head at Gold apprehensively.
"Aye." He says as Henry comes stomping down the steps behind him.
Gold tips his head and turns to leave.
"Good day, Captain."
Killian closes the door and turns to Henry who had walked up behind him.
"What was Mr. Gold doing here?" he asks curiously.
Killian turns to look at Henry with unease and holds up his new hand.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
The Jolly Roger
Maggie sits at the large desk in the captain's quarters, passing the bottle of rum back and forth with Ruby, who is sitting on the other side of the desk.
"It was all a lie." Maggie says disbelievingly as she takes a long drag from the bottle and passes it back to Ruby.
She takes a drink and asks,
"Can I ask what happened with him?"
Maggie lets out a long breath and shakes her head.
"I was so stupid." She begins bitterly.
"He was just waiting for me on the dock when I went ashore one day. He was charming and though I rejected him at first, he pursued me and then he was suddenly just… part of my life. We were together for two years; plundering ships and evading authority."
She took another deep breath and went on.
"Then one morning, I woke up alone with a blazing pain in my head. My ship had been stripped and my crew was missing, along with John." She paused, as if seeing the story differently for the first time.
"I found my crew adrift in row boats but they told me that John had been taken. They claimed that it was Blackbeard and his crew that had sacked us and taken John."
Taking another big drink of rum she goes on and Ruby listens quietly.
"I was so stupid."
Ruby leans forward suddenly.
"No. You're not stupid. You were in love. You trusted him and he betrayed you. This is his fault, not yours." She says fiercely.
Just then they both stop to listen to a sudden rumble in the distance.
The women both look at each other with alarm and Emma yells down from the deck at them.
"I THINK WE ARE GOING TO NEED SOME HELP UP HERE!"
And Maggie and Ruby run for the ladder. Vaulting onto the deck, Maggie looks around and spots a ship in the distance.
"Bloody hell. It's the 'Revenge'." She mutters and spits on the floor.
Emma, Regina and Ruby look at her for explanation.
"'Queen Anne's Revenge. Blackbeard's ship. If we weren't at a dead stop, we could outrun her but she's got us cornered here. [looking to Emma and Regina] What magic have you got for defence?"
Emma and Regina look at each other and then back to Maggie.
"Not enough." Regina says.
Maggie, thinking fast, changes tactic and starts looking around frantically as she says,
"Then we play it smart. I'll ask a for parley with Blackbeard."
Regina looks at her incredulously.
"He just shot at us and you're gonna invite him over for a chat over tea?"
Maggie glares at Regina, as she pulls a black flag out of a chest near the helm.
"It was just a warning shot and he knows he's got us out-matched in every way. So unless you have a spell up your sleeve that will move this ship fifty leagues out to sea, I don't see another option, princess."
Regina arches an eyebrow at her as Maggie attaches the black flag to a rope and hoists it up.
"Queen…" she corrects haughtily
"Wonderful." Maggie says without listening as she watches the other ship intently. Seeing the answering black flag being hoisted on Blackbeard's ship, she relaxes slightly and turns back to the others.
"Alright. Now ladies, you're going to keep all your mouths shut. As far as those men are concerned; you are all just crew. No magic, no Storybrooke and just agree with anything I say…" She turns to watch the approaching longboat with apprehension.
"…And we may just get out of this with our lives…"
"Okay but what exactly is your plan? I really doubt these guys want to just shake hands and part ways." Emma asks, walking up beside her.
"Not knowing what they want, I can't say I have a plan."
Emma glances at a slightly amused Maggie and sighs as she helps throw the rope ladder over the side of the ship for the new-comers.
A few minutes later, men start climbing onto the deck of the Jolly Roger and Maggie slides her 'Captain' persona back into place.
Until the last man aboard lifts his head and grins at her.
"Hey there, Mags. Good to see you again, darling." John Silver says with a sneer.