Thank you for your comments and reviews. And a shot out to my beta MoreColourfulMoniker and to my constant encourager. Also, if you don't like this, stop reading, it's cool. But please don't start picking on other reviewers or worse, go to those reviewers' fics and post anonymous comments in there that have nothing to do with their fic. It's over the top for something that is supposed to be fun and enjoyable.
Chapter 7 – The Search
Emma was sitting in the couch on her apartment browsing the internet in her tablet. David, Mary Margaret and Henry were also scattered around, all of them looking for information about Hook. Her little brother was toddling around, playing with Henry's old car collection.
"It all checks in," She said.
"Well, Regina was always very thorough with these things." David commented.
"But why would she do it?" Mary Margaret asked.
"I don't know." Henry said. "I once asked her if she knew about Killian and the only thing she said was that he chose to left town. She never mentioned any of this."
"Well, she built him quite a life," Emma replied going back to the information.
"Yes, but Emma, look at some of this stuff." Mary Margaret motioned and they all went to look at her screen, "Look at the dates, this is recent."
There were some articles about Killian's cases and his contributions to several important investigations, including praises to his outstanding police work. All of them were from the past three years.
"He did all this. He actually did all this." David said in awe.
"He's a hero." Henry commented in a matter-of-fact tone.
One of the articles caught Emma's attention. It was a story of Killian receiving Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Performance in a Life Threatening Situation and it had a couple of pictures of him in his uniform. If Killian in a pirate garb or modern clothes wasn't enough, Killian Jones in uniform was probably every woman's fantasy. Or at least, it seemed it was hers, as she could not tear her eyes away from the picture. But it was the second picture the one that made her freeze. It was Killian in uniform again, next to a brunette woman, holding hands and looking at each other. She was looking at him with adoring eyes. Emma's eyes focused on his expression. He was looking at the brunette with tenderness and affection.
A wave of jealousy washed over her. She'd never felt this way. The discomfort she felt around Tamara did not come near to what she was feeling right now. It was eating her on the inside.
Mary Margaret looked at her daughter and then to the screen.
"Hey, let's go make some tea." She said as she went to the kitchen and Emma followed.
"Emma, are you ok?" Mary Margaret asked once she ensured David and Henry could not hear them.
"I'm fine, it's just that I never thought – you know…" Emma trailed off.
"Emma, you couldn't have expected him not to move on… It's been three years." Mary Margaret offered.
"He said there wasn't anyone."
"You asked him?" Mary Margaret sounded surprised.
Emma blushed, "It kind of came up."
"In between you seeing him again for the first time in three years and being locked up for interfering with a police investigation, the subject of his love life came up?"
"Why would he lie about it?"
"He probably didn't. Perhaps they broke up." Mary Margaret offered. "Emma, you clearly can't expect him not to continue with his life after you decided to come back to New York."
"This is crazy. None of this is real." Emma said.
"It's real to him now, Emma."
"He's not a cop. He's a pirate." Emma blurted.
"And I'm not a schoolteacher. I'm Snow White." Mary Margaret replied. "Yet, every day I head to an elementary school in Queens to teach. This is my life now. I'm a schoolteacher, David works at an animal shelter. And Hook is a police detective."
Emma played with her cup of tea, trying to make sense of it all. Mary Margaret sighed.
"I know that perhaps it's hard for you to understand, even if you have two sets of memories, you were always just one person. You were always Emma Swan. But it's not that easy…"
"He was always Hook. It's not the same as you guys. He chose to be someone else."
"He chose to move on." Mary Margaret continued. She could sense her daughter was not going to like what she had to said, but she had to say it. "Emma, look at me."
Emma looked at her. Mary Margaret smiled.
"Hook was in love with you, Emma. There's no need to beat around the bush on that one anymore. He loved you. He risked everything to find you and bring you home; he fought next to you to defeat Zelena. And when that was finally done, he asked you to stay with him. To give you both a chance for a happy ending. You said no and you chose to move here. I'm not questioning your decision, you did what your heart told you at that time… but what was he supposed to do? Stay in Storybrooke where everyone knew about his past? Stay in the same town as Gold, who is a constant reminder of the love that he lost? He chose to move on and build a new life. I don't think we should judge him for it for seizing a second opportunity at life"
"Everyone deserves a second chance…. That is what you always say." Emma smiled.
"Yes, and it seems he took that chance and built a good life for him."
Emma sighed. "So what should I do now? I don't want to give up this case."
"That is for you to decide, Emma; but if you feel so strongly about staying involved in the case, perhaps you should talk to him again."
"Perhaps I should."
"Just be careful. He might have a new life, but there's a lot of history between you too that he might not want to revisit. Or he might want answers that you don't want to give him." Mary Margaret replied.
"That is over. There was never something to begin with." Emma quickly replied.
From the look on Emma's face, Mary Margaret sensed that it was from being over.