"Team A in position, over." Happy informed over the walkie -talkie.
"Roger that." Henry replied, "how long until we get there?" he asked sounding a little impatient.
"About 5 minutes." David and Killian answered in unison.
"Get a room!" Leroy huffed from the back seat.
Ruby laughed, "Don't be jealous just because the Prince has a new friend to play with." she teased.
Leroy huffed again, scowling out of the window.
"I'd use the term 'friend' loosely." David joked.
Killian turned around to look at Leroy. "You can have him. I've got Henry. Don't need Dave or his winning smile and charming personality."
"Was that sarcasm, Pirate?" David asked in mock horror.
Ruby and Henry both laughed, making Killian's grin widen. "Sorry Prince." he shrugged and Leroy couldn't help but laugh.
David pulled up to the edge of the forest and Henry climbed over Leroy to get out of the car first.
He spread the map out on the car bonnet. The wind picked up a little and the edges were flapping about. Ruby and Killian stood either side of the car, holding it down whilst Dave and Leroy shone the flashlights on the map. Henry pointed out possible places he thought his Mom might've gone, tugged at the heartstrings of those standing around him as his voice broke a little.
"But incase it's… not her… I have a feeling she might have gone to these places, here… and here." Henry pointed on the map the two locations.
"What made you think of these two places?" David asked curiously.
"I may have walked Pongo for Archie a couple of times, and I may have followed Grandpa - my other grandpa - into the woods. He went to these two places, I don't know why. Each time I'd have to get back quickly so Mom wouldn't get suspicious." he explained with his head down.
"Well, good job Henry." David pat his grandson on the shoulder proudly.
"Yeah, great job." Ruby smiled, she couldn't hide the apology in her voice. She hated seeing Henry upset.
"There's too much ground to cover, we're splitting into two and three." Regina sounded over the walkie-talkie.
Henry grabbed the device from his coat pocket, but before he could respond, it started making noises.
"You… need to… say… Over!" They heard Happy sound over the walkie.
Henry looked up at Killian, his brow raised in confusion.
"I'm… his mother! - I don't have to!?" Regina said, both clearly fighting over the walkie.
David rolled his eyes.
Leroy grabbed the walkie-talkie from Henry, "Happy, give the walkie back to Mary Margaret and just do your damn job!" he growled down the device.
"Yes, Sir… over." Happy replied sadly.
Henry held the button, about to say something and David spoke up, "Who's going with who?" he asked.
Henry rolled his eyes and Killian shot David a disapproving look. David shrugged his shoulders innocently.
"Regina, Archie & myself will be going to points 1, 2 and 3, and Happy and Robin will be going to points A, B and C." Mary Margaret responded confidently.
Henry looked up at his grandpa, his eyebrow raised. David took a step back and nodded for Henry to continue. "Well, how will we communicate incase we find something? Who has their cell phones on them?" Henry wondered aloud.
"Regina and Robin have theirs, over." Mary Margaret chimed.
Ruby giggled, "She's getting way too into this whole spy-vibe thing. Shouldn't have made her in charge of the walkie-talkie." she laughed again.
Henry looked around them all, "Who has a cellphone?" he asked.
Killian reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cellphone Emma had got him. He scrolled through the 'Recent Calls' list, every single one of them was Emma. His heart dropped as he waved the phone at Henry.
David search his pockets then sighed loudly, "Kitchen counter."
"I lost mine like a week ago." Leroy mumbled.
Ruby grabbed her cellphone from her pocket and smiled, "Never leave the house without it."
"Okay." Henry said into the walkie, "Ruby and Killian have theirs. Discuss a meeting point and stay close." he said glumly.
"You forgot to say "Over." Killian smiled, trying to lighten the mood.
Henry looked up at him and laughed slightly. "Over." he said into the walkie and rolled his eyes at the Pirate, the same way his mother did when she thought he was being ridiculous but funny.
"Aye, aye Captain." Archie responded.
"It's actually Boss. There's only one Captain. Over." Henry informed politely and Killian smiled.
"Sorry Boss. Over." Archie said quickly.
"Okay, who's going with who?" Henry looked around at the adults in his team.
"Well what about Dave, Leroy and Ruby go to 4, 5 and 6 and then you and I go to D, E and F?" Killian asked pointing at the different marked spots on the map.
"Sure, sound good?" Henry asked David.
"What about if I gave David my phone and then I come with you guys? That way, they have a phone, we have a walkie…" Ruby explained, hinting with her eyes at Leroy and David.
"Yeah, okay. Sure." David said taking Ruby's cellphone. 4, 5 and 6… here we come." he said laughing and waving the flashlight in Leroy's face as he folded their map to take with them.
"Wait, where will we meet back?" Ruby called after them.
"The car." David shouted from the shadows.
"Right… shall we?" Killian said after a moment of silence.
Henry took a deep breath and folded their map.
Ruby nodded at Killian and walked back to the pick-up to sniff the sweater of Emma's to be able to track her scent.
"We're going to find her." Killian smiled with an encouraging smile.
"It's who we find that worries me." Henry looked down at his feet, resting his hands on the bonnet of the car.
Killian put his hand on the boys shoulder, remembering David had said the same thing earlier. Henry looked up into Killian's eyes, the boys face a mask of pain. Killian looked into his sad eyes, "If I have to go back into the darkness and drag her back kicking and screaming, myself… I'll do it." he promised, tilting his head to see if the boy understood that he wasn't giving up until they found her.
Henry nodded, "You'd go back into the darkness? Just to save her?" his brows raised.
"I'd go to the ends of the earth - or time - to find her… and bring her home." Killian's voice was a whisper, the ache in his chest grew.
Henry smiled slightly, he placed his hand on the Pirate's shoulder this time, "Let's go find my mom."
Killian grabbed Emma's sweater from the pick-up, folded it neatly and placed it into his satchel.
Ruby put her arm around Henry's shoulders, "You're brave, Kid." she squeezed his shoulders gently.
"Thanks." Henry smiled.
"Okay, off to work I go." Ruby said, walking a few steps ahead of Killian and Henry. She needed to so she wouldn't mix up the scents when tracking.
An hour or so passed and both halves of Team A had checked in with Henry to let him know that she wasn't at their first check points, and hadn't been spotted on the way to those check points.
Ruby occasionally had to sniff Emma's sweater to keep herself on track. David called to say they were nearly at the second check point and that Leroy had tripped over a fallen tree, making Killian laugh loudly and Henry roll his eyes.
Killian stood still and looked up at the stars when there was a break in the trees. He took a deep breath in, closing his eyes. Imagining that he was on The Jolly Roger with Emma and Henry was showing her how to navigate the stars the way Killian had shown him.
"Killian…" Ruby poked his shoulder, startling him. "I need the sweater again, I thought I had something earlier but it led away."
Killian opened the satchel and held the sweater up for Ruby.
Her brow furrowed, "I was so sure." she mumbled under her breath but Killian heard.
"If there's a chance, I'll take it. Tell me where it was and I'll go alone. I have this talking device and you can go on with Henry and the walkie?" Killian almost pleaded with her.
"David wouldn't like this plan." Ruby said looking back at Henry who wasn't paying attention to their conversation, just holding the map up to the light of the moon.
"Good thing Dave's not here then, isn't it?" Killian's voice was defensive.
Ruby sighed, "Take 20 steps back and turn right at the fallen hollowed tree. I don't know what's down there." Ruby sounded worried.
"I'll be fine, just don't take your eyes off of Henry. If he asks… I needed to go pee. Blame it on the rum." Killian plotted quickly.
Ruby nodded, "Keep your phone on." she ordered.
Killian simply nodded and turned, going back on his tracks.
'1, 2, 3, 4' Killian thought to himself, 'What if I do find her? What do I say? Do we hug? Am I more annoyed she said she loved me then vanished, or thankful for finding her?' a stream of questions began popping into his head, one after the other. Killian nearly missed the fallen hollowed tree.
He shone the flashlight down the direction he was headed and his stomach clenched.
His gut telling him that Emma was down there, his head telling him to call this in.
Killian took a deep breath and headed past the fallen tree. He could see a small clearing about 20 steps away. The break in the trees making it so the stars weren't hiding. He stepped up his pace as his flashlight flickered again.
"Oh, bloody hell." he rolled his eyes and hit the flashlight against his hook.
Killian reached the clearing and placed the flashlight under his arm, so he could unscrew the end and switch the batteries. He tripped slightly on a branch, making the batteries fall into the grass at his feet. "Bloody hell!" he spat through his teeth, throwing the remains of the flashlight on the ground too.
Killian could feel himself getting agitated, so he looked up at the stars and focussed on his breathing. "Swan, please come back to me." he whispered, closing his eyes shut.
A few moments of silence passed, then a rustle from the bushes sounded behind him.
"Ruby, there's nothing here." Killian said, his eyes still shut. "She's not here." his voice broke and the ache in his chest throbbed again. A not-so-gentle reminder that he was failing… again.
'This is like Liam all over again.' Killian thought, tormenting himself.
Another rustle came from behind him, Killian opened his eyes and turned slightly to check who was there. "Ruby?" he called out.
"Killian?" a familiar voice came from beside him. Killian turned back slowly, his heart stopped.
Killian watched as the woman picked up the hidden batteries from the grass and the remains of the flashlight. He watched as she bent down to pick up the different pieces of the broken flashlight, watched as the pieces flew together, and dropped to the ground fixed. He looked at her confused and surprised, she mirrored his reaction.
Killian took an involuntary step toward her, just as she did he. His arms left his sides and held themselves out toward her.
She cautiously walked up to him, searching his face for his reaction to her new appearance. Killian's arms came around her and she closed her eyes slowly, resting her forehead on his chest. Her hands grasped the lapels of his jacket and he sighed into her.
She looked, smelt and sounded like Emma but there was something hard in her eyes and the way she gripped the lapels of his jacket, it wasn't like her.
They stood in silence for a few moments until Killian cleared his throat slightly.
Killian had thought and even practised in his head, all the things he wanted to say to her the next time he saw her. This wasn't high on the list of ones he'd practised. "Where did you go?" he asked, his voice a whisper. Emma pulled back, the light of the moon casting shadows on his face. She watched the hurt flicker in his eyes, his face a mask pain.
She didn't answer him. "What's happening to me?" she breathed.
Killian sighed and rest his forehead against hers. "I don't know." he sounded hopeless. He closed his eyes and his jaw clenched involuntarily.
She caressed his cheek gently, and Killian couldn't help but notice the that her touch was ice-cold.
He sighed and opened his eyes, her once glistening green eyes were clouded, and switched from his ocean blue eyes to his lips.
Her breath was hot on his lips and Killian wanted so badly to close the distance. To try and kiss the darkness away and bring back his Emma. But a small voice in his head stopped him. What if kissing her didn't bring her back to the light, but sucked him into the darkness with her instead? Killian mulled over this idea for a second too long, he sighed a pulled away watching Emma's face drop. The pain in his chest intensifying. 'I won't take that risk.' he thought, 'She asked us to bring her back, as heroes.' he reminded himself.
Killian pressed the call button behind his back, hoping it was David he was calling.
"Emma, I-" Killian was lost for words, the rejection was eating away at her, he could tell by the pain on her face.
He placed the phone in his back pocket and took hold of her hand.
"I love you too." he said, hearing his heartbeat in his head.
She looked up at him and smiled, "Just not like this." she laughed slightly.
He took a step back to look her up and down, "I could get used to it." he beamed a smile and she rolled her eyes like she used to.
Killian pulled her back into his arms and held her close. "I'm going to bring you back." he promised in her ear, and he felt Emma smile against his shoulder.
He pressed his lips into her hair and felt her shoulders ease ever-so-slightly. "Bring me home." she breathed.