A/N: Thank you to everyone who has decided to take a chance on this story. I really do appreciate it. Also, a huge thank you to my beta, steph-the-fangirl-925 . And also to aimeeloren, who is the one who raps my knuckles if I get any Catholic terminology wrong. I appreciate both of you more than you will ever know. And be sure to check out Steph's latest video, (CS AU). Her YouTube profile is Just4FunVids925
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. They belong to the franchise of OUAT.
Chapter 5:
Emma and Robin were exhausted by the time they reached Boston again. It was past one in the morning when they passed the city limits. As they approached the city limits, Emma had taken over driving. All the miles she had driven in the last twenty-four hours, on top of the worry she felt, were taking their toll.
"We're both tired. Why don't we find somewhere to rest," Robin insisted as they grew closer to the area near the airport. It was the area in which the compass was leading them anyway, so Emma agreed despite her misgivings.
The closer the compass drew them to the airport, the more concerned she became that he might be about to catch a flight to some unknown destination. It was as they drove down Portland Street, Robin screamed at her to stop. Slamming the brakes, Emma almost dropped the compass, as she suddenly reached for the steering wheel with both hands.
"What?" Emma questioned her passenger. "What happened?"
"Find somewhere to park. I think we may have found him." Robin nodded down to the compass clenched tightly in her palm.
Emma glanced at the car's clock. It was now almost one-thirty in the morning. That meant Killian was somewhere in one of the apartments, buildings, or hotels close by. They were about to find him. However, by the time they found somewhere to park, Emma felt every bit of her energy seep from her body. She no sooner stood than collapsed back against the car.
"Come on Sleeping Beauty, back in the car," Robin insisted as Emma began to slip to the ground.
"Met her. Her name's Aurora," Emma mumbled before blackness overtook her.
"Looks like we'll find your pirate when you wake up," Robin said as he went to the trunk and pulled out a couple of cloaks that had been left there. He returned and tucked one around Emma and went back to the passenger side, reclined the seat, and finally closed his eyes so he could also rest.
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Killian awoke to the sound of the phone near his bed ringing. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and blindly reached out through the dark for the phone's receiver. "Hello."
"Good morning, Father Jones. This is the morning wake up call you requested," a female voice said cheerfully.
"Thank you," he told her and replaced the phone in its cradle.
He looked over at the clock. Four am. He had a half hour to get ready before the shuttle was ready to take him over to the airport. He had never traveled internationally since all the new flight regulations had taken place so he wanted to be sure he arrived early enough to get through whatever security measures they now implemented.
The Monsignor had already warned him of the rules for jackets and shoes, so Killian decided to dress comfortably and minimally, keeping most of his belongings inside the one luggage and carry-on he possessed.
Taking a quick shower to wake himself, Killian began to assemble his minimal possessions for his travel. He slid into his black clerics which was light enough, as well as some black dress pants, then put his feet into his leather loafers. Killian stored the sneakers he would have preferred to wear inside a plastic bag before stuffing them within his black carry-on.
In the mirror he quickly trimmed whatever he missed when he shaved the unusual growth of hair that had accumulated on his face and combed his hair and brushed his teeth. Feeling more himself, he replaced those items in his bags as well before picking them up to head out from the hotel. Looking back at the room, Killian was impressed at the choice of hotel the Monsignor arranged. It was an inviting yet modernistic room, red accents adding their pop of color throughout the white and blacks that dominated most surfaces.
Satisfied he hadn't forgotten anything, Killian pulled on his coat and picked up his bags once more to head out. His adventures in Rome awaited.
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"Emma. Emma, wake up."
With a soft groan, Emma opened her eyes. Robin was leaning over her. "What time is it?'
"Four-fifteen in the morning. I happened to wake a short time ago and I noticed that the compass was beginning to twitch. I thought it best if we head out."
Emma rubbed her eyes and pulled the blanket, or cloak as it seemed, off of her so she could get up. As Robin mentioned, the compass was twitching, but still locked into a particular direction. That meant that they should probably act quickly.
"Let's go find him. If we're lucky he's somewhere with public facilities." Emma was dying to use the bathroom after all the coffee she had consumed the night before, plus from the quick glance she had in her rearview mirror, her hair and teeth could probably use a good brushing.
The two of them walked down Portland Street from the parking garage the Bug was situated in. After a few blocks they found themselves facing The Onyx Hotel. It was a brownstone boutique hotel, featuring valet services. Not too far from the Boston waterfront or the airport, it was a quaint little place that Emma would have appreciated more if she wasn't worried about Killian.
Robin held the door as Emma entered. She looked around and was awed by the modern design of the establishment. Definitely not someplace she would have seen Killian choosing to stay. However, with the simplicity of design and dark red accents, it very much reminded her of the captain's quarters aboard The Jolly Roger.
Emma approached the front desk with every intention of ascertaining Killian's whereabouts, but the call of nature proved more pressing. After being directed to a bathroom off the lobby, Emma asked Robin to keep his eyes open for Killian.
When she returned, she was surprised to find Robin sitting in the lobby examining a white sheet of paper that had once been folded. "Robin?"
"He was here, but he left," Robin told her with an agitated tone.
"Why didn't you stop him?" Emma rushed to the front doors trying to find Killian's familiar form. He was not to found anywhere.
Robin came up behind her. "He's on his way to the airport. His shuttle just left. I tried to delay him, but I was unable."
"How was he? Did you talk to him?" Emma rounded on Robin wanting, no needing answers.
"I almost missed him," Robin told her apologetically. "I was leaving a message for Marion to call me later. My back was turned and Killian slipped past."
Robin seemed agitated more with himself than anything and Emma felt horrible for accusing him of not helping. "It's okay, Robin. It happens to the best of us."
"If I hadn't called…"
"Don't beat yourself up. If I hadn't gone to the bathroom… If we had gotten here sooner… It will only make things worse to blame ourselves."
"He looked right through me, Emma. I rushed over and grabbed his shoulder, expecting him to acknowledge me. Nothing. Not even a flicker of recognition. When I apologized, he insisted that he was going to be late for his flight and I let him go."
"He's lost his memories, too? Well, that explains some of this." Emma began to pace. "Damn it, Robin. Killian is out there about to board a plane to who knows where, and we don't know what he does and doesn't remember. What the hell are we going to do?"
Emma plopped down on the curb, much to the valet's displeasure. She shot him a glare and crossed her arms over her knees, her head resting over them.
"There's something else," Robin told her and handed over the piece of paper she had seen him with earlier. Emma lifted her head and accepted the paper. "Here. I picked it
from his pocket when I grabbed him."
Emma looked down at the paper. Her eyes zeroed in on one word on the flight itinerary she held. Rome. Killian was heading for Italy. Now. She was never so glad she was sitting, afraid that if she stood her legs wouldn't hold her.
She never noticed Robin walk away, but when he came back her eyes raised to his. He was nothing more than a blurred image before her. She swiped the tears from her eyes and stood. "We need to go."
"What's the plan?" He asked as he handed her a bottle of water.
"We're going to Rome."
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"What do you mean we can't go stand-by?" Emma demanded of the stern ticket seller.
"The plane is already beyond capacity. Stand-by is out of the question at this point," the lady pointed out.
"I need to get to Rome on this flight. My fiancé is on it," Emma lied. "He's having a… It doesn't matter. I need to be on this flight."
"Excuse me," a man said from behind Emma. "Some people have to finish checking in before our flights leave."
Emma glared at the man, desperate to punch someone in the face to relieve some of her frustration. Robin held her rising arm down and shook his head. "Damn it!"
"Why don't we check somewhere else," Robin suggested. "Surely this isn't the only flight to Rome."
"It's the one Killian's on," Emma said sadly. "I want to know we won't lose him."
Robin pulled her away from the counter and off to the side. He grasped her shoulders. "You're not thinking straight. We can still get to Rome. We just need to find a way to get there about the same time he does."
Emma nodded. "You're right." She pulled out her cell phone and pulled up an online ticket seller. After searching for a few minutes, she squealed. "I found it. C'mon, it's in the same terminal."
Robin followed a running Emma up to another ticket counter further down the terminal. She pushed her way past a couple of people oblivious to their protests and glares, straight up to a teller.
"I need your last two tickets to Rome via Paris leaving at eleven-fifteen," Emma demanded.
"Will you be checking any luggage?"
"No. We just have a couple of carry-ons," Robin heard her inform the freckle faced young man. "Robin, bring your passport."
He stepped up past the few remaining people in line before him with his apologies and handed over his passport, while Emma did the same with her own. The teller seemed intent on entering the information into the computer. When the teller looked back up at them, he handed them back their documentation. "That will be four thousand, nine hundred, fifty-nine dollars and twelve cents."
Emma handed over a piece of plastic with a shake of her head and a glum expression on her face. When it was returned back to her with some papers, she turned to Robin. "Looks like we are heading to Rome."
"Will we arrive at the same time or thereabouts?" He asked her as they walked away from the counter.
"If connections go as planned we shouldn't be there less than a half hour after his flight arrives. According to his itinerary he has a checked luggage and since we only have our carry-ons we might be able to catch him at the baggage carousel," she told him as she led him over to some chairs. She set her bag down, and indicated that he do the same. "I need to go through our bags. There are certain things that can't go on the plane with us. We can pick up replacements if we need them in Rome."
He watched as Emma began to remove some things and set them aside from both her bag and his own. "I'll take those back to my car and then drive it over to the long term parking. Wait here and we'll both go through security when I get back. Hopefully, the line isn't too long or we might miss our flight."
Robin watched her head out of the airport as he sat down to watch their bags after her quick search. It was as he sat there he spotted Killian through the glass wall that separated checked in passengers from the outside. Even after seeing Killian at the hotel, it still struck Robin as strange that he dressed as a cleric. Robin had been around Friar Tuck for years and the way the man thought and behaved was vastly different from Killian as a monk was from a pirate. Yet, now, Killian had quickly adapted to a way of life, that to Robin's knowledge, Killian had never known.
From his posture to his now shaven jaw, the pirate Emma had known was gone. Robin grieved for her loss. She might not have seen Killian yet, but Robin knew of the pain she would feel when she did. Not even torture at the hands of Rumplestiltskin could hurt as much, and he was well aware of the difference.
Belle had saved both Killian and Robin, but the pirate's past with the Dark One put him smack dab in the middle of Rumplestiltskin's wrath. Robin didn't envy Killian, in fact he felt sorry for the captain. To lose one love was enough, to not be able to see your other was nothing short of devastating. Robin knew that first hand. He lived that life for the past six weeks, never dreaming he'd ever see Regina again until the night Emma knocked on his door.
"What has you so deep in thought?"
Robin looked up and saw Emma lifting her bag from the floor. His eyes strayed to the glass wall, but Killian was nowhere to be seen. "My thoughts only wandered to Killian and our upcoming travel."
He saw Emma's hand tremble and he reached out to grasp it. "We will find him. Between our tracking skills, he cannot slip away. And when we do, we will do everything in our power to bring him back."
"Bring him home," he heard her mutter as he turned toward a long line of people.
Robin was fascinated by the large line of people Emma led him to. She had explained all they would have to do in the car. Emma had laughed and told him she didn't want to experience the same thing she had with Gold, when she and Henry traveled with him to New York. Gold had been so surprised by the security measures that he had threatened someone. If Robin and Emma's journey wasn't so serious they might have both found more humor in the situation.
It was practically two years since Emma had gone through this same routine with Rumplestiltskin. Now she was here again in search of the man who attacked Gold in New York. Not because of any transgression on his part, but because she loved him and refused to have an evil sorcerer come between them. For some reason that thought struck Emma as funny and she silently chuckled. How weird was her life? She was supposed to be some fairytale princess, chasing after a pirate that children only read about, because a devious imp called Rumplestiltskin sent him away.
Yeah, that story would go over well with most people. And that was all she had to go on to explain to a priest as to who in the hell he was.