A/N: I want to send a big thank you to my beta, steph-the-fangirl-925 and to aimeeloren, who has also been helping out with this story as well. Without these two women, a lot of this wouldn't be possible. I know I would probably be going insane right now, trying to do two stories and editing, without them. And I also want to thank all the people who have been taking a chance on this story and putting up with only weekly updates due to time constraints on working on both stories. For those of you who haven't had a chance, please check out my other story, She Will Be Loved, that is also currently in progress.
Disclaimer: I do not own the major characters. They belong to the franchise of OUAT.
Chapter 6:
Emma had slept on the plane between Boston and Paris, but on their next leg, she had been far too restless. Because of their last minute tickets, Emma and Robin hadn't had the chance to sit together to discuss their plans once they touched down in Rome. A city Emma never expected to visit in her life, but then the Enchanted Forest hadn't been on her list of dream vacations either and she ended up there twice. Yet, she couldn't think badly of the place no matter how unplanned the trips were. The first time had brought her on the path to meet Captain Hook. And the second, let her meet Killian and fall in love with the man Captain Hook had become.
If she was ever doubtful of her feelings for Killian Jones, a night dancing at her first royal ball in honor of her father's engagement to another woman confirmed them. Looking down, Emma twisted her mother's ring around her finger. It was her mother's version of a back up plan in case something happened to the compass. This ring follows True Love, her mother and father both told her. They had refused to let her travel across the town line once more without her knowing they loved her.
They could be so sweet sometimes, but as much as Emma was accepting of who they were, their constant optimistic outlook on life could grate on her nerves. Especially at times like this when Emma's life seemed to take a nose dive for the worse. She truly was a magnet for the bad moments. Luckily, Emma had people around her who reminded her of the good ones. She'd love to have Killian here now, even if it was to remind her that something as horrible as an ice wall could be something as wonderful as an ice bucket for an impending bottle of champagne. If he was sitting next to her, he'd be telling her how much better The Jolly flew over this bucket of tin and how they should take in the sights as they searched, because Henry would want a postcard and lots of pictures.
Emma had to laugh at that thought. The woman and the man on either side of her looked at her askew for her sudden mirth but she didn't care. If anyone needed a pick me up right now it was her.
The lights flickered and the seatbelt sign came on as the flight attendant began to speak in Italian, then English. "We will be landing soon. Please return your seats to the upright position and store all of your belongings. We will be landing in approximately twenty minutes at Leonardo da Vinci Airport. The time is currently seven thirty-five in the morning. The temperature is four degrees. Thank you for flying with us."
Emma shivered at the temperature, but then reminded herself that they were using Celsius instead of Fahrenheit. Still it sounded chilly and early. She and Robin had a long day ahead of them. Rome was a large city and other than guessing that Killian may be heading in the general direction of the Vatican, given his new choice of clothes, they had no other leads of Killian's plans within the city. If that was his final destination at all.
It was the longest twenty minutes of her life, but it was extended even farther as she waited out the mass of people before her exiting the plane. That's what happens when you get the last row middle seat. As the crowd thinned, she noticed Robin several rows up awaiting her.
"Are you ready?" he asked when she approached.
"As I'll ever be. Let's just hope we catch him." Emma flung her bag over her shoulder as Robin hefted his up and they headed down the plane for the unknown.
The airport seemed jammed with a massive amount of people. It was even busier than a lot of airports Emma had ever encountered and the baggage claim was even worse. Everyone jockeyed for position to grab bags and other essentials as they circled the carousel.
"Do you see him?" Emma asked somewhat panicked.
"No. But how about I keep looking and you head toward the modes of transportation to see if you spot him that way?" Robin's head turned back to Emma from searching the crowds.
"Good idea. Good luck."
Robin smiled at her and gently squeezed her arm. "You too. We'll find him. While you're out there see if the compass is working."
Emma smiled at him and exited the building in an attempt to spot Killian. Cabs were lined up outside awaiting a line of passengers in queue to leave. A sign signaling a train station was indicated along the one wall, but she'd need to reenter the building to access it.
Walking past the line of people in line for the cabs, she heard a voice announce, "Padre. Padre, your cab."
Emma didn't know why but she glanced over and in doing so noticed Killian standing there. His eyes were trained straight on her instead of the man directing passengers. Killian's clothes were pure black which wasn't unusual, but the stark white Roman collar attached to his throat was. His eyes were taking a slow reconnaissance of her body, as if afraid to miss one detail, a very unpriestly like act, and Emma's were afraid her own eyes were doing the same.
"Padre!"
Killian started and extracted his hands from his pockets. A small white piece of paper slipped from them without his knowledge, as he grabbed his bags and went inside the waiting cab. Emma rushed forward calling his name, but it was too late, he was already inside and pulling away.
"Signora, is there something I can do to help you?" A porter inquired helpfully.
"No. No, it's too late." Emma looked down and saw the paper that had been in Killian's pocket begin to sway in the light breeze. Leaning down, she picked it up.
Opening the much creased paper, Emma almost screamed in joy. The paper contained answers. Answers to questions that she had been agonizing over for the past thirty-six hours. She needed to find Robin. They now knew where they were going.
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Killian had never felt an instant attraction to a woman in his life. Not even over Milah, the love of his life. It was after her death that he made some hard decisions with his life and joined the clergy. The blonde woman at the train station was a distraction he did not need. It was a good thing Rome was such a large city. The chance of him seeing her again was slim. She was probably just a tourist and would be gone in a few days anyway.
"Padre, we're almost there," the cab driver informed him. "The traffic is very busy this time of day."
Looking around, Killian was amazed at the mass of humanity surrounding them. It made him wish he was back in the small town of Storybrooke. However, majority of the crowd dressed as he did, so he didn't feel an ounce of self-consciousness in his black clerics. A large majority of the masses were nuns and priests themselves.
"How far are we?" Killian asked the driver.
"Just a few blocks, but it may take some time."
"If you don't mind, I'll walk. I've never been to Rome before, I wouldn't mind taking in some of the sights." Killian reached in his pockets and withdrew some money for the cab fare. It was then he noticed he had lost the paper with the contact information he needed for the boarding house and the college. It was the second time he had lost something in the last two days, he needed to watch where he was putting his things. At least he had made a copy and placed it in his luggage before he left the hotel, so things weren't as bad as they seemed. It was just a pain to have to dig it back out.
"Si, Padre. Have a nice trip," the driver called as he collected the money. "Do you need help with your luggage?"
"I'll manage. Thank you." Killian alighted from the cab, grabbing his tote and swinging it over his shoulders. He went to the rear of the cab and extracted his other bag from the trunk, thumping the back to notify the driver he was finished. Killian saw the driver wave out his window before finding an empty spot to drive off.
Killian barely took a step before he was almost run over by someone driving by on a scooter. It seemed the smaller vehicles were better to get around then a car. He'd have to keep that in mind if he stayed in the city long.
Walking the few blocks the driver indicated, Killian found himself outside the building he was going to be calling home for the next few months. Knocking on the door, an elderly gray haired lady answered with a smile on her face. She spouted some words quickly in Italian that he didn't comprehend.
Killian shook his head and smiled. "I'm sorry. I don't speak Italian."
"Ah! You must be Padre Jones from America," the woman said in heavily accented English.
"Si. Yes."
She indicated he should follow her inside, as she then wiped her hands on the apron that hung over her simple cotton dress. Considering the size of the small house from the outside, Killian was amazed at the abundance of room within.
"Your room is this way."
Killian followed her down a hallway. Most of the doors were closed, but she led him inside one that had been left open. There wasn't much to the room, just a bed, a small dresser and a nightstand, but it was enough. He noticed a small lavatory off to the side, which meant there was no need to share with other boarders.
"You need anything, you call me, Padre. I help." She nodded and smiled before she left him alone in his room, closing the door behind her.
Noticing the décor only contained a small crucifix over the bed and a statue of the Virgin Mary holding a rosary in a small recess in the wall, he smiled. "No access to Netflix then."
He began to unpack his bags and settled in. Killian wanted to have a chance to walk around and explore the city, because, starting the day after tomorrow, his days were to be consumed by classes and whatever activities the local clerics participated in, but he was too tired. Laying back, he allowed himself to doze off and dream about the angel who had kept him company every night, only this time the angel and the woman at the station kept merging into one.
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It was well past ten in the morning by the time Emma and Robin arrived at the boarding house Killian was to reside at. Trying to get a cab and traffic played a huge part in the delay of their arrival. And everyone seemed to assume that Emma and Robin were on their honeymoon. The cab driver insisted they go to a hotel much better suited to their newly married status, then the boarding house they directed him to. However, with Emma's limited knowledge of Italian, she tried to explain that they were not there to sightsee.
Finally arriving at their destination, Emma knocked on the door while Robin used some of the money they exchanged at the airport to pay for the cab. A small elderly woman answered. "Signorina?"
"Hello. Do you speak English?"
"Si, signorina."
"My friend and I are visiting Rome for an extended period of time and we were wondering if you had some rooms available," Emma explained waving her hand between her and Robin.
"We usually cater to the students, signorina, but if you have references, I do have two more rooms available," she informed Emma in her heavily accented voice.
When the lady took notice of Robin beginning to join them, she continued, "However, we have clergy staying here, so no staying in each other rooms in this house."
"No, no," Emma insisted. "We're just friends. He only came so I wouldn't have to travel to Rome alone."
The woman gave Robin an assessing look, then nodded. "Yes. This one is in love, but not with you, signorina."
"Who do we need to talk to so we can give you a recommendation?" Robin asked her kindly, apparently having heard the earlier conversation.
"Do you know anyone in town?"
"No," Robin told her. "I'm sorry we don't."
"Your wife?" she asked with a sly grin.
"Of course," Robin answered politely. "She may still be asleep. I believe it is still early in Maine."
Emma looked down at her watch. "It's around five-thirty. Regina may be awake."
"Regina. She is your wife?" The old lady asked with a smile on her face.
"No," Robin answered her again. "My wife and son are staying with her presently."
"Ah! I see."
Emma was quite sure the gray haired lady did. She did not seem like a woman who missed much. Robin, though, appeared too stunned to say anything else. "I'll call and see if Marion is up."
"No. I will talk to this Regina," the woman told the two of them. "She is the one who holds his heart and she will be the one who will have the truth in her voice."
Emma pulled out her phone and dialed Regina. When she answered, Emma explained the situation. Regina agreed to talk to the proprietor and Emma handed over her phone. Instead of taking it the lady grabbed Emma's hand and stared at her ring.
"Where did you get this?" The lady demanded as she fingered the jewel.
"It's my mother's. It's her wedding ring. She let me borrow it for this trip," Emma explained, with some confusion as to why the old lady wanted to know.
The woman searched Emma's eyes intently, almost like Emma did when she tried to tell if someone was lying to her. "Who are you?"
"My name is Emma Swan."
"A ring like that was in my family many generations ago. I have a painting of my fourth great grandmother wearing it in the parlor. It is said that it would lead you to your one true love. You're a very lucky young lady to possess such a ring," the lady explained as she twirled the ring on Emma's finger before taking the phone.
The woman moved off and rattled off a litany of questions for Regina to answer as Emma stared down at the green jewel in her mother's ring. How could a family in Italy have been in possession of a ring very much like the one gracing her finger? Emma knew one thing she had to get in and see that portrait.