(Prompt Request 2) Emma and Gale are enjoying their girl's weekend when Emma gets an unwelcome phone call.
The prompt requested was "Please, put it DOWN." with Emma and Gale in Sit, Stay, Feel from the "Send me a pairing and a line of dialogue and I'll write you something angsty" meme on Tumblr. This takes place during chapter 6 of Sit, Stay, Feel and is from Emma's POV.
With Killian in the middle of his trip, Emma and Gale's "girl's weekend" was in full swing. They'd hung out that first night, snuggled up on the couch, indulging in some snacks he'd left for them (chocolate chip ice cream for Emma and blueberry Yoghund for Gale), while marathoning episodes of White Collar Killian had stored on his DVR. Emma's newfound appreciation for the dark hair/light blue eyes/rakish smile combo overrode the distaste at hearing the similarity between Neal Caffrey's name and her ex's, and Gale seemed to have a thing for Satchmo, Peter's yellow Lab, so they were both ultimately happy. Although Emma was pretty sure they'd both be a bit happier with Killian there sharing the couch with them. It'd been less than 12 hours since he left, and less than a minute since she thought of their kiss, and she missed him. Gale sighed in unison with her, making Emma wonder if she was part mind reader or just pined for Satchmo.
After the best night's sleep she'd had in quite some time in that cozy guest room of Killian's, Gale tucked into her side the whole night, the two went for a long hike first thing in the morning after coffee and breakfast. It was a beautiful, clear start to the day before the prickling heat of summer became stifling and they would have to retreat to the comfort of Killian's central A/C. Gale made some new friends along their journey, Jamm (an Aussie Shepherd) and Vida (a Rottie), whom she companionably romped through the woods with, while Emma chatted with their parents. They ascended the hill at a leisurely pace to one of Emma's favorite views of the small mountains off in the distance in one direction and the ocean she'd recently come to appreciate, in the other. While she cherished the privacy of their little beach, sometimes she needed to take in the vastness of the world around her, too. Give her some perspective. As much as she loved getting to spend so much time with Gale pretending to be her parent, she was counting down the hours until Killian came home, because truth be told, she'd rather be sharing this view with him.
Just shy of lunchtime, when they returned to Gale's house, Emma could hear the house phone ringing as she was putting her key in the kitchen door lock. As soon as she heard the slide of the bolt back into its casing, she threw the door open and raced to the phone which was luckily on the counter near Gale's food. Emma hit the "talk" button with a breathless, "Hello?!" and waited to hear who was on the other end, part of her hoping it was Killian. Sometimes the cell reception on the trails was spotty and she might have missed his call.
Gale trotted past, heading straight for her box of toys in the living room and returned with her favorite squeaky duck, no doubt hoping for her regular game of "someone's home lets play keep away." They'd played the afternoon before right after Killian left — running all over the house, around the couch and chairs, through the bedrooms and even out into the back yard, taking turns being the chaser and chasee, stopping now and again to play tug until Emma heard the tear of stitches in the wing of the poor, already tattered stuffed duck and stopped the game. Gale looked more than ready to resume the fun.
Emma ignored Gale for the moment, listening to the person on the other end of the line — a Dr. Hopper — who was from some prison out-of-state and looking for Killian who wasn't answering his cell. A panicked buzzing started in Emma's ears and she just barely made out what he was saying as she tried to take notes over the din. Something about counseling. Why would he need counseling at a prison? She took Dr. Hopper's number and assured him the message would be delivered if she (ever) heard from Killian (again). Hanging up the phone, Emma stood there, her hand holding the piece of paper trembling, and all thoughts suspended in her brain.
Squeak…
Emma looked up to see Gale standing across from her, duck hanging from her jaw. Squeak….
"Not now, Gale," she said, voice trembling to match her hand.
Squeak…squeak….
Emma's temper began to get the better of her as the noise from the duck grated on her nerves as it clashed with the buzzing she couldn't clear out. "Please, put it DOWN," she commanded through her gritted teeth.
Gale lay on the floor at the word "down," but the duck stayed in her mouth. Squeak…
Taking a deep breath, Emma revised her request. "Gale, drop it. Leave it."
Slowly, Gale deposited the duck to the floor by her paws and looked up at Emma, head tilted, waiting.
"Not now," was all Emma could get out. Her mind had resumed racing, thoughts and scenarios tumbling over each other, none of them good. He told her it was a business trip. Had he lied? What the hell did prison have to do with it? Was he checking up on her past? Oh, God…she'd kissed him and he'd lied to her. How could she be so naive…so trusting? He was gone and she had no idea if she'd see him again. The bile rose in her throat and Emma felt dizzy. She stumbled to the couch, message still clutched in her hand, and collapsed there. Gale quietly hopped up next to Emma and curled up to rest her head on Emma's lap just as the first tears began falling from her eyes.