He woke to the sounds of David and Mary Margaret moving about upstairs, getting ready for the day. He rolled over, hoping to catch a few more minutes of sleep, but opened his eyes when he felt something scratchy against his face.
A note lay on the pillow beneath him. Pristine white paper with an elegant script, one sentence.
Do you really think they can keep you safe?
Killian heard David's boots clomping down the stairs and grabbed the note, shoving it into the pocket of the flannel bottoms. He nodded at the other man and climbed out of bed, gathering his clothes and heading for the bathroom down the hall.
After making sure to put the note in his own pants and getting dressed, he left the bathroom and made his way to the kitchen. David sat at the bar, reading the newspaper. Without looking up, he pushed a cup of coffee toward the pirate.
"Thanks, Mate." Killian said, taking a cautious sip and frowning when the boiling hot liquid scalded his tongue.
"Sure." David folded the paper and sat it down on the island. "Henry should be here any minute."
Mary Margaret breezed into the room and smiled at both of them, Neal bouncing on her hip. "Good morning! Killian, how did you sleep?"
"Great. I appreciate your hospitality." He took another sip to hide the awkward feeling that crept into his gut.
A knock on the door drew their attention and David went to open it. Henry slipped inside and pulled the door shut behind him.
"Hey, Hook." The boy said, making a bit of a face. Ah, so this was going to be just as uncomfortable for Henry as it was for him. Fantastic.
He lifted his hand in greeting and looked to his companions, unsure of how to begin.
"Come on, David. Let's take Neal to Granny's for breakfast. I'm craving some pancakes." He nodded and they were out the door in seconds, leaving the two in silence.
"So…" Henry said, kicking the side of the island gently, the rubber bouncing off with a thudding sound.
"Yeah." Killian said. "I know I'm supposed to be the adult here, but all I find myself wanting to do is ask you what the hell we should do."
The boy chuckled. "I know the feeling. I seriously just want to go hide somewhere, but I have a suspicion Mom would find me."
"Yeah, about that. I'm not sure I should tell you this, but I think it's important we understand each other in our current situation." Killian pulled the note from his pocket. "Your grandparents allowed me to stay here last night so that I may have a break from Emma hounding me. We all believed that it would work. I woke up and found this on the pillow next to me." He handed the note to Henry, whose eyes widened.
"Holy crap."
"Yeah, that's how I felt too." He took another sip of the coffee David had given him. "So, I guess this is when we are supposed to figure out what we're going to do. Emma is coming to the Jolly tonight and she wants an answer."
"Okay, well, here's what I think: That this Dark One thing is temporary. Have you tried True Love's kiss?" The boy reached for the cup and took a sip, made a face, and put it back down.
"Tried that and it didn't work. So either her feelings for me have changed or this isn't a normal curse." The hurt was evident in his voice, but thankfully Henry said nothing. "So we don't have any other options. Either we join her and give up everything we have here or we tell her no and we lose her forever and spend the rest of our lives in fear."
"I don't want to lose her." Henry said quietly. "I lived for the first ten years of my life without her."
"I know, lad." Killian rested a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.
"I don't want to make this decision. This isn't fair of her. Why can't she try to control it? Why can't she try to live a normal life? Mr. Gold did it, and he was WAY further gone than she is."
"I think I can agree with that." The pirate said, dropping his hand.
"So, why don't we proposition her with that?" Henry asked. "Tell her that we will accept her as the Dark One and ally ourselves with her, but on our terms."
"It could work, possibly. But there's a chance that it won't. I gave her an ultimatum similar to that the day she blew up the store. It didn't end well."
"Well, let me say it then. She's the Dark One but she's still my mom. She'll listen to me." Henry pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times. "I texted her and told her to meet us at your ship at 6pm."
"What's a text?" Killian asked, frowning.
"Seriously?" You've been in our world for years. It's time you learned how to work your phone." Henry held out his hand and Killian dropped the hunk of plastic and metal into the boy's palm.
An hour passed quickly, and by the time Henry left for school, Killian had a moderate understanding of how things worked.
He wondered if everybody knew that you could "google" something and find answers. It was incredible! He also wondered what else he could do with that magic device.
At about five, Killian was lounging on the deck of the Jolly, exploring his phone. Stupid device was like a magnet. He'd discovered the "weather app" that David had spoken of and it was incredible. It told him when the sun was going to rise and set, what the wind would be like, and how much humidity was going to be in the air. How did they know?
Either way, it was his new favorite thing. Pirates had a knack for predicting the weather, but it never hurt to have a second opinion.
A message popped up on his screen, and this time he knew to open it.
Henry: Mom is coming at 6. I'll be there soon.
Killian: Soundsgoodmate
Henry: You'll get the hang of it.
A/N: Guess who is working a surprise night shift, guys? Know what that means? Chapters! Chapters galore! Reviews to keep me going? I've been at work for two hours and have eight more to go! A little humor before a very dark scene. Love you all.