"When is this bloody storm going to let up?" Killian groans, staring out the window of the motel that the four of them are staying in.
Anna sits on the bed, her ankle wrapped up and on top of some pillows. She's channel surfing while Neal and August pour over a map of the national park.
"The weather person said it's going to snow a lot for the next few days," Anna answers.
Killian sits at the edge of the bed. He leans down and stares at the floor in frustration.
"Which is going to put a damper on our search efforts," August says, still staring at the map. "Killian, where did you say you saw that abandoned cabin?"
"I don't bloody know, it was dark and it was snowing. Why are you bothering, it's empty anyway?"
"Because there are two areas of cabins in the park," August explains. "The old and the new."
"Didn't Emma say that she was living in a crappy cabin?" Anna asks, remembering the phone call.
"She did," Killian says. He practically remembered the entire conversation as it was the first exchange any of them had had with Emma in months.
"Well, I asked a park ranger and he said the new cabins are furnished and well kept, while the others are falling apart and completely abandoned…"
"So, if Emma is in one of them, it's likely one of the older ones," Neal finishes.
"Exactly," August says as he traces the map with a pencil. Killian goes over and looks at the marks that the PI has made over the two men's shoulders.
"If I was on the run, I'd pick an abandoned cabin too," Anna says, taking a sip of her water.
"We found you guys here," August mutters, pointing to the line that represents the road. "And if you walked in a straight line," he traces the page. "You likely ended up here…" He circles a small square.
"How many old cabins are there?" Anna asks.
"The ranger couldn't say but he estimates that there might be four or five that could be considered "livable." The rest are hollowed shells, much like the one you found Kil."
Killian took a step back at the weird nickname, only Liam had ever called him that, had they been spending so much time together that August felt that it was okay to use nicknames?
Suddenly, Neal stands up.
"I need to go smoke," he says, before going toward the tiny balcony that the motel had. He puts his coat on and grabs a pack from his pocket. He steps out into the cold and snowy air, not noticing that Killian had followed him. Neal lights up and exhales smoke, the wind catching and blowing the white cloud into the night air. He leans over the rail, letting the bitter cold nip at his face and the snow practically blind him. Killian is watching before stepping out into the cold as well.
"Jesus! You scared me," Emma's ex-boyfriend says, noticing the figure who followed him.
"I didn't mean to Mate," the docks man answers. He comes and joins Neal at the rail. The two stand, not saying a word, the howling wind filling the silence.
"Want one?" Neal asks, offering one.
Killian feels the need for one but holds his hand up to pass. "I don't want to open that complex issue again."
"Yeah, I've tried to quit before too, but it's my inner demon so to speak. Tamara tried to force me to quit, but I smoked at work and in the alleyway behind our apartment."
Killian just nods and shivers in the cold.
"So, what happened the other day?" Neal asks.
"What do you mean?"
"Anna told me that she had to pull over and she watched you become violently ill in a ditch."
Of course, Anna would have said something to the others. The woman can never keep her mouth shut. Killian bites his lip, worried about how Neal might react.
"I…I realized something…"
"What was it?"
Killian swallows. "Well, during the phone call, Emma wanted to talk to me specifically and she was going to say something very important before the line went dead…"
"What was it do you think?"
Killian is fighting back tears now. "That she's carrying the bastard's baby!" he grips the cold metal rail so hard, he might even rip it out of the balcony.
Neal swallows a lump in his throat and flicks his cigarette into the wind.
"A..And the thought j-just made me so sick that I…"
"Couldn't take it anymore…?" Neal prompts.
"Exactly…"
The two men think about the beautiful blonde, the woman who changed their lives in so many ways. Both still loved her in their own way and neither wanted to imagine what Emma must be going through, especially if she was pregnant with the monster's baby.
"Y-You can't be certain about that…" Neal says quietly.
"What else would she try to tell me?"
"Maybe she wanted to tell you she loved you."
Killian's eyes water up, his hands are going numb from the cold and from how hard he's gripping the metal. There's another long silence.
"Do you love her?" Neal asks.
Killian looks at him like he's just said something incredibly stupid. He never thought that an ex-fiancé would ask the current boyfriend if he loved the woman.
"I…I do," he admits. "I really do, every day that I can't see her is pure agony. I feel like I'm walking through hell and being tortured. Every minute I'm not with her is another lashing on my back and my heart feels as if it's being ripped from my chest and being squeezed to the point where I can't breathe."
Neal just smiles and nods. He had once felt the same way about Emma too and in fact the first few months after he left, he felt very similar pain. He had sort of become numb to the agony of losing her and his son by now and he felt like he had moved on for the most part… and here was this man, professing his love for her in an almost poetic fashion. At this moment, Neal knew that he had not been the right person for Emma and that Killian was. It hurt a little and he felt some jealousy, but he had made his decision long ago and now Emma had found someone who would definitely treat her right, give her things that he couldn't and never leave her like he did. Emma certainly was not an easy person to get to know, she was complicated and had her own fair share of pain, but from the way Killian was speaking about her, he could tell that the two of them had touched each other in ways no one could even hope to describe.
Once they've gone back into silence, Neal reaches over and puts his hand on Killian's shoulder, as a sign of comfort and of friendship.
"We'll find her," he says. "And once we do, don't ever let her go again."
Killian nods and both men shudder in the cold. They both go inside to warm up. Killian goes to the kitchenette and begins boiling water for making hot chocolate. He searches everywhere for some cinnamon but can't find any. Neal sits at the tiny table, watching, deep in thought.
"Neal?" the docks man asks.
"Yes?"
"I-If she is pregnant… do you think she'll keep it?"
"I'm not sure. She was only seventeen when she had Henry and we both considered adoption, but in the end, we couldn't do it. We learned to care for him and we never regretted it, despite how hard things were at the time. She might keep this one too… but considering the circumstances…"
Killian just nods as the kettle begins to whistle. He pours two cups of hot chocolate in their travel mugs.
"What's bothering you, Killian?"
"I-It's just t-that when she has the c-child-d, how can she stand to look at the tiny face, knowing where it came from?"
The two both sit in silence as their hot chocolate cools. Neither wants to picture Emma raising a child who looked like her captor, but Killian was also thinking about what would happen with them. Of course, he would stand by Emma, only if she wanted him there and he did want to be a father someday but… to hold the baby created under such horrific circumstances… how could anyone ever do it…?
Killian blinks back his tears and looks at Neal, who looks equally tired and distressed.
"I really don't know…" the ex-fiancé answers. "I guess it will be up to her in the end…"
The two go into uncomfortable silence again, their minds stuck on the beautiful blonde with lovely green eyes and addictive smile.
"Neal?" Killian says again.
"Yeah?"
"What's it like being a father?"
…
"I can't believe that Henry is going on a date," Robin says. Both he and Regina sit in a café drinking coffee as a sort of "date" and a way to get out of the apartment. The snow had basically kept them cooped up for the past few days, not allowing them to see one another. They craved each other's company and finally managed to get away and meet up.
"He's really excited and nervous about it," Regina says.
"As any young man would be. I can remember my first date…"
"With Marian?" she asks, shifting a bit in her seat.
"No, surprisingly, this was a young lady in my neighbourhood, Jenny I think it was. My friends dared me to ask her out and they were planning to have me bring her to the backyard swamp area and attack her with mud…"
"How old were you?"
"I was just thirteen and too wise for my own good."
"So, did you, do it?" she asks, leaning forwards, smiling at the thought of young Robin running around with a bunch of boys, riding their bikes along the street, causing trouble wherever they went, like the kids in Stand By Me or Stranger Things.
Robin shakes his head. "I couldn't. When I saw that she put on her church dress, I knew she would be traumatized and hate me for the rest of my life, so I took her down to the candy store instead, we both got popsicles and then we went to the park and watched the ducks."
Regina smiles from ear to ear. She loved the way that Robin was a gentleman, even at that young immature age and that he was a humble soul.
"Then I told her the entire plan at the park and she suggested something…"
"What?" Regina says with a smirk.
"We went down to the swamp and attacked my friends who were still waiting for us, with mud."
Regina laughs and Robin joins her. Their laughter carries through the café and people look at them for a moment in confusion before going back to whatever they were doing.
"Serves them right," she nods
"Her dress did get muddy and her mother never wanted her near me again, but that didn't stop us from meeting at school and teasing my friends that they got attacked by a "girl." So that was my first date and it certainly was memorable."
"Did you ever take her out for a second date?"
"No, eventually she went after the school quarterback once we hit high school."
Regina laughs a bit more before sipping her coffee.
"Well, if that had been me, I would never have let you go and let you take me on a proper second date," she says, gazing into his blue eyes.
He gives her an odd half smile and the two lean in for a kiss.
Suddenly, Robin's phone begins to ring. Regina does her best to hide her disappointment.
"I'm sorry," Robin says. He sees that it is an unknown number.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this Robin Locksley?" a male voice asks.
"Yes."
"C.T. Martin of Child Protective Services, we've taken your son Roland into custody due to the reported allegations of alcoholism and neglect of the primary caregiver…"
Hey, everyone, I'm back!. My exam is over and I'm free for the summer! I will definitely be updating a lot more and thank you for everyone's continuous support.