Chapter 14

She'd been crying in her sleep again. Emma had woken up that morning to find her cheeks and pillow damp with what she assumed to be tears. For the past several nights she'd been crying in her sleep, her dreams full of visions of toddlers with blonde hair. In her dreams she'd hug the girl, until the girl was inexplicably torn away, leaving Emma alone.

This bore quite a resemblance to her recurring nightmare after having Henry. She'd constantly relive the day she'd been forced to give him up, often waking up crying out for him. Several months after giving birth to him, the dream had gradually stopped, occasionally recurring on Henry's birthday. But ever since she'd met Henry the dream had disappeared.

Why had a different version of this dream started? The first time she had it was a day a couple of months after she'd left. She'd woken up sobbing, feeling inexplicably hollow and numb for the whole day.

For a while, she'd thought that the little girl was herself; she bore an incredible resemblance to Emma, from her expressions to her hair. Only the little girl's eyes didn't match, as they were a deep blue instead of green like Emma's. Maybe she was subconsciously reliving being given back to foster care when she was three? But didn't seem to feel quite right. For one thing, an adult Emma hugged the little girl. Why would she be hugging a younger version of herself?

This new dream had stopped after a while, but it had clearly started up again, after seeing that little girl outside the restaurant a couple days ago. She'd probably triggered the dream somehow. But why? What was so significant about that little girl?

Feeling cranky and annoyed, Emma decided she needed a quick pick me up. She quickly showered and slipped out the door, heading for her favorite bagel place down the street.

Thankfully, the line moved fairly quickly and soon Emma was on her way, munching on a bagel with a coffee in the other hand. Maybe she'd go window shopping today, as she didn't have anybody to chase down. She couldn't help thinking that if she was back in Storybrooke she'd probably be shopping with Mary Margaret or hanging out with Henry.

Emma walked along the busy street, dodging people as she did so, sipping her coffee. Just then, her phone vibrated and she pulled it out, all while balancing her bagel and coffee. It was just a text from Mary Margaret asking how things were going. She was getting ready for a day with David.

Good. Emma texted back. She resisted the urge to ask if David had wronged her again. Mary Margaret was her friend (her only one, actually) and it wouldn't help if she asked such a rude question. She could tell that David made her genuinely happy and really did love her, though he had a funny way of showing it.

Emma was so distracted by her phone that she almost missed the object lying on the street in front of her. Her left boot stepped on top of it before she realized what she was stepping on. She looked down to see a small stuffed bear lying on the concrete. By the looks of it, the bear was clearly loved; it showed signs of wear.

She bent down and picked it up, looking around. "Did anyone drop this?" She asked people passing by, but they shook their heads and continued walking.

Normally she would've just left it on the ground but there was something inside stopping her. She didn't want some poor little kid to go home without their bear, having known firsthand how important comfort objects were.

Her baby blanket wasn't safely tucked in her closet for no reason.

Emma examined the bear for any identification, though she knew the chances of there being an address was pretty slim. It was a stuffed bear, not a dog. As she did so, she was hit with a scent so strong she instantly grew dizzy. It was an eerily familiar scent, a combination of cinnamon, laundry detergent, and something else she couldn't quite place. Something that inexplicably reminded her of...pirates?

Just then, she heard the pitter patter of little feet behind her as someone approached. "Bear! I want my bear!" Cried a shrill voice. She sounded as though she was close to tears.

Emma turned around to see a little figure, presumably a girl, racing towards her. She was about a hundred feet away, and in the glare morning sun, was nothing than a faceless figure. All Emma noticed was that the girl had blonde hair pulled into a messy ponytail. A ponytail that was oddly similar to Emma's, actually.

"Hey, hey, hey." Emma said as the girl barreled straight into her. "Calm down. Where are your parents?"

The little girl stood in front of Emma, chin wobbling as she sobbed loudly, rubbing at her eyes. "Bear!" She sniffled.

Emma suddenly had the overwhelming urge to comfort her. She had to control herself from wrapping her arms around the little girl, reminding herself that when her parents arrived they wouldn't be very happy to see a stranger hugging their daughter. "Bear?" She kneeled down to the girl's height. "I found this on the ground. Is it yours?"

"Cinnamon!" The girl shrieked as she reached for the bear.

"Cinnamon, huh?" Emma chuckled. "That's a cute name." She studied the girl as she cradled the bear in her arms, her tears already disappearing. There was something eerily familiar about her, but Emma couldn't put her finger on it.

The little girl cradled her bear in her arms. "Thank you." She said, looking up at Emma with wide eyes.

Emma gasped loudly.

It was the girl from her dream.

Hook didn't really have a plan. He had her address and that was about it. He figured that he'd just play it by ear. Drive to Boston, locate her apartment, and then go from there. Except now they were there and just driving aimlessly around. He hadn't accounted for the fact that it was Sunday, and a very nice one. She might have plans and not be back for hours.

And what were they supposed to do, just show up? Maybe he should've thought this through.

"Daddyyyy." Came the voice of Ava from the backseat, interrupting Hook's thoughts. "I hungwy."

"Alright." He replied. He knew from experience that a hungry Ava meant a grumpy Ava. It'd probably be a good idea to grab some food and figure out what he wanted to do next. Out of sheer luck, he located a parking spot fairly quickly and unbuckled Ava from her seat. "C'mon, princess. Let's go find something to eat."

Ava trotted alongside him, her bear tucked under one arm as usual. He'd pulled her hair into a messy ponytail that morning, the only hairstyle he could manage; as a result she looked even more like a mini Emma than usual.

Boston was much more crowded than Storybrooke. Hook was no stranger to crowds, having frequented the loudest, most packed taverns back in the Enchanted Forest. And he'd successfully located Rumplestiltskin in New York. But navigating the crowds while keeping a tight grip on Ava's hand proved to be a challenge. It didn't help that Ava was clearly excited to be in a new place. She babbled happily as she practically skipped beside him, wide eyes taking everything in. He could barely stop her from running off ahead.

How was he ever supposed to find Emma in this place? By himself was one thing, but with Ava everything was more difficult.

Suddenly, a large crowd of people headed towards them from the opposite direction. Hook instinctively gripped Ava's hand harder as the crowd pushed through. It looked as though they were on their way to some event. All were dressed in similar colors.

"Bloody hell." Hook muttered as the crowd gradually dispersed. He was relieved to find that Ava was still clutching his hand.

But Ava wasn't so happy. She stopped abruptly in the middle of the sidewalk. "Cinnamon?" Her voice wavered. "Where's Cinnamon?" She looked around, turning her gaze up to Hook.

Oh, double bloody hell. He cursed inwardly as he noticed her empty arms where her bear should be. She'd clearly dropped him when they'd pushed through the crowd.

"Cinnamon gone!" Her eyes widened.

"Don't worry." He said. "We'll find him." But he wasn't so sure; there were plenty of people on the crowded sidewalk. Anyone could've picked him up or threw him away.

"I want my bear!" She started to wail, drawing the attention of several passerbys.

Hook started to look around on the sidewalk, retracing his steps and asking people if they'd seen a bear. But it was futile, of course. Wherever Cinnamon was, he was long gone.

"I'm sorry Ava." He said heavily. "I'll buy you a new bear."

Her chin wobbled. "No! I want Cinnamon!"

"I'll buy you a better one." He promised.

"NO!"

Hook was flabbergasted. What was so important about this bear? "It's just a bear, princess."

"Nuh-uh." Ava shook her head vehemently. "It was from Mommy."

Oh. Of course. How could have forgotten? That was the bear that Emma had picked out for Ava before she was born, her gift to her daughter. Ava had slept with it every night of her life and even named it after one of Emma's favorite things: cinnamon.

It was the only thing Ava had left of her mother.

"I know you're upset. But he's gone by now." He said gently. Just like your mother. "I'll find you another one just like him."

"NO!" And with that, she ran off, disappearing into the crowd. "Bear! I want my bear!"

"Ava!" He immediately took off after her. "Come back!" He weaved through the crowd, keeping his eye on his daughter's blond ponytail. For a little girl, she could run fast.

People exclaimed in surprise as they had to dodge Ava at the last second, who seemed hell bent on retrieving her bear. If anything happened to her…

Soon she was no longer in sight. Hook stopped running, wheezing for breath as he scanned his surroundings. She was gone.

No. A cold feeling began to spread. She couldn't be gone. She was the last thing he had from Emma. If she was gone, he'd truly be alone. Forever. "Ava!" He called desperately, earning looks from people passing by. "Have you seen a little girl with blonde hair?" With each "no, sorry", his heart began to drop further.

Numbly, he began walking in the direction he'd seen her last, praying that he'd see her. He couldn't lose her. She was everything to him.

There was a police station just down the block. He had just decided to head there and report Ava missing when suddenly he heard a familiar high pitched voice.

"Cinnamon!"

Was that a trick of his imagination, or had he really heard Ava? He began walking in the direction where he thought the voice had come from. "Ava!"

"Ava!" He cried in relief when he spotted her. She was about twenty feet away, standing on the street, cradling her bear. Across from her crouched a slim woman whose back was to Hook. Clearly, the person who'd found Cinnamon.

"Cinnamon, huh?" The woman laughed. "That's a cute name."

Hook's blood ran cold. No. It couldn't be.

Emma shook her head. She was going crazy. Probably from lack of sleep. Or maybe she was just psychic or something. She'd read something once about people seeing things in their dreams that happened to them the next day. That was it, right?

"C'mon." Emma held her hand out to the little girl. "We should go find your parents. I'm sure they're worried."

As if on cue, Emma suddenly heard loud, thumping footsteps. "Ava! There you are!"

She stood up saw a dark haired man rushing towards her. "Ava, huh?" She looked down at the girl. "That's a pretty name." For some reason, that name seemed to ring a bell. Maybe she had a foster sibling or a classmate named Ava.

"I'm so glad I found you." The man said as he scooped up Ava, burying his face in her hair. "Never run away like that again."

"I sowwy Daddy." Ava said, her voice muffled.

The man looked up and turned to face her. "Thank you so much." He said in a thickly accented voice. He held out his hand. "Killian. Killian Jones."

"Emma Swan." She responded. Emma blinked, momentarily lost in his deep blue eyes. Where had she seen that color before? "And it was...uh no problem." She stammered, suddenly at a loss for words.

Snap out of it! She mentally scolded herself. Sure, Killian was incredibly good looking. But she'd dealt with many of those before.

"No, really." He said. "I cannot thank you enough for finding my daughter. I must repay you in some way."

Why did he talk in such an old fashioned way? Whatever the reason was, she found it extremely attractive.

"It's fine." Emma shrugged. "Happy to help. I love kids."

Wait. Where had that come from? She wasn't exactly the biggest fan of kids. In fact, she had no idea where her sudden urge to help Ava had come from.

"I insist. Let me take you out for dinner."

"N-no, it's fine. Really." Emma tried to insist, having had way too much experience with creepy guys inviting her over, but he fixed her with a stare that she suddenly couldn't say no to.

What harm could a dinner do? And she'd get a chance to see adorable little Ava again. "What the hell. Ok."

"Great." He smiled.

Was it just her, or did he seem too happy?

Author's note: Side note, from this chapter on whenever Emma is thinking about Hook or if the story's being told from her POV I will refer to him as Killian. When the story is in Hook's POV I will refer to him as Hook. Hope this erases any confusion.

Any thoughts before you go?