Killian

It was three in the morning by the time everyone had left his apartment (albeit begrudgingly and spurred on by him), and Killian was exhausted. He had to fight Will Scarlet again on letting him be on guard inside the apartment by arguing that whoever had attacked him wouldn't return and managed to send him home to be relieved by two sentries Robin had set outside his door. He was sure that if it were up to Will Scarlet, Emma Swan, and Robin Hood, he would definitely get the white hairs Neverland ensured he never did.

From the moment he had been attacked, he had not been alone, had not been given a chance to sit with his thoughts and process what he could not ignore anymore. This was personal, and he was nowhere near close to figuring out why as he was weeks ago. But what Emma had said was true. The town was in danger, a fisherman had gone missing, and it was because of him. And so far, he had been powerless to do anything about it.

And there was nothing that Killian Jones hated more than feeling powerless.

He didn't have much luck in terms of falling, let alone staying asleep, so by the time someone knocked on his door the next morning, he was more than wide awake.

Tinkerbell strode in without a word as soon as he opened, and he nodded to the two new sentries outside his door as he closed it and turned to look at her. She was in the same nightgown as last night, silently setting up what was clearly a Granny's breakfast for two on his kitchen island. He sighed as he approached her, bracing himself for what was coming next. It never boded well for him when she was this quiet and awake this early.

"I hope you got some sleep because today is not going to be your day Killian Jones," said Tink as she pulled plates out of his cabinets as if it were her kitchen. He wondered why she even bothered to knock, seeing as she had his spare keys.

"I've found that a majority of the last few days have not been my day Tink, so forgive me if I'm not surprised at your revelation," sighed Killian as he sat down on his kitchen island.

"You are going to get a message from Snow White soon, inviting you to an impromptu potluck dinner at the loft tonight. And you and I both know what the purpose of that dinner will be," continued Tink as she raised her eyebrows at him.

"Well, as it happens to be - "

"And no, you can't say no. Unless you want your apartment filled with people like last night and your kitchen in Snow and Granny's hands," interrupted Tink before he could say anything.

"I'm not sure why the Charming family believes plying me with food will make me more cooperative, but I can't fault them for this new approach. However, I believe it to be quite fruitless," said Killian, reaching for the bag he knew contained the fluffy pancakes with eggs and bacon he loved from Granny's.

"Oh, I don't think the food will be needed. Because you are going to arrive on time, with the usual rum bottle in hand and maybe that salad you made last time, and then you are going to tell them everything. You can start drinking at home if it makes it easier for you. But you will do it," demanded Tink forcefully.

"Like hell I am. I have had enough with you and Will bloody Scarlet being all up in my business already; I don't need anyone else to join the club," snapped Killian.

Tink rolled her eyes at him, dropped her knife and fork, and turned to look at him threateningly.

"You listen to me very closely, Killian Jones. You chose this! You chose to set roots here and let people in. You chose to make friends, and this is what comes with it; this is what friends do, you idiot! Tell me, if the roles had been reversed and either me, David, Robin, or even Will had been in danger, what would you have done if you were in our positions?"

He did not like admitting to being wrong and scowled at Tink as he mulled her words. He had no argument for that. He would be livid with her or any of his friends if they'd dare be so foolish. But when he turned it to himself, it did not seem that foolish. He had his reasons, after all.

"That's exactly what I thought. You're being so fucking stubborn about this, and for what?"

"You know exactly for what! This is personal Tink, too personal for me to be so cavalier and add it to a bloody report like it means nothing or spill my beans to everyone. I don't need one of the fucking dwarves knowing my private business," snapped Killian, trying and failing to look threatening as he drizzled syrup over his pancakes.

"First of all, I'll have you know tonight is an intimate affair, need-to-know basis and all that. And honestly, Killian, we can only be as cavalier as you have been with this; we're following your lead," said Tink snootily as she ignored Killian's glare. "And second, that is exactly my issue with all of this! Everyone assumes this is a matter of someone you scorned as Captain Hook; it's the angle everyone is taking when it obviously has nothing to do with that. Doesn't it?"

"No, I don't think it does. In all fairness, Robin has already arrived at that conclusion, and I am sure he has clued David in. They're not exactly dumb, you know. But yes, so far, all the clues point to something related to my mother and perhaps Liam. Which rather complicates things, as you well know."

He did not like thinking, let alone talking about his family. Hated even thinking about the word. Because he once had a family, a happy one, despite the poverty and the sickness that wasted away his mother's life in front of him and his father's absence, and he had lost it.

Had lost them all.

More than two centuries later and he was as alone as he had been as a young Lieutenant holding his dying brother in his arms.

"You don't have to tell everyone, but if you leaned on us, on your friends, and shared how hard this is for you, maybe we could help lessen the load. Maybe not with a seance," said Tink as she paused to placate his glare and take a bite of her breakfast. "And yes, I know about that, and I told them it was an awful idea. But there might be other options out there; you just need to be open to them. We're at a roadblock because you're keeping us there," whispered Tink softly as she laid her hand on his and squeezed.

Less than an hour after Tinkerbell had left (basically pushed out by him after she'd tried to steer the conversation towards Emma), the promised summons from Snow White arrived via phone call rather than a text message. It seemed they did not trust him not to pretend as if he had never received an invitation, and he admired them grudgingly for outsmarting him. As usual, Snow had been kind, but the undertone of menace had been clear to Killian, who now knew her well enough to recognize it. Hence, his gracious acceptance of the invitation and offer to bring the potato salad that was currently in his refrigerator.

He closed his bedroom door, looked at the clock on the wall, and cursed, it was much later than he thought it would be, and Snow and Granny would murder him if he made them have to delay the fabulous feast they had probably whipped up. As he turned to head to the kitchen, a small piece of paper taped to the outside of his balcony doors caught his eye.

Thaisce, come seek where your answers lie. King Tide.

43.70312366695172, -69.75123652137931

Per omnes aqua

He was going to be late now for sure, and they were officially going to murder him.

When the door of Snow and Dave's home opened, the last person he had been expecting was Emma, hence why it was exactly her who opened when he arrived almost an hour late. Before one of them could do something beyond stare at each other, Snow White strode to the door with a stern face he suspected worked better on her students than on him.

"I thought I told you not to be late, Jones. We've been waiting on you to start eating."

"My apologies, my lady. Something came up last minute, but I am here," said Killian as Snow took the salad bowl from his hand and unhooked the bag containing his trusted rum bottle to give him space to remove his leather jacket. Emma remained standing there and made no move to step away as her gaze ran over him repeatedly. Snow darted off to the kitchen, throwing a look at her daughter as she did but made no attempt to help with the sudden bubble full of tension he had found himself in with Emma.

"Swan, what a lovely surprise. I'd have thought you would have left already for New York."

"Hmm," hummed Emma. "Thought I'd stay for this; I'm leaving in the morning."

"Ah, well then - "

Killian hesitated and, for the first time in a long time, found himself unable to come up with a topic of conversation to break the silence. The tension between them prolonged the awkwardness of the situation, and he cursed Tink and Snow in his mind. He shouldn't have come. He could not do this. Especially not if Emma Swan was to be in attendance.

"Oi Jones, I save your life, and you don't even bloody greet me? You ungrateful ass," shouted Will from across the room, earning himself a reprimanding look from Regina as Robin herded Roland away as if to avoid further violating his innocent ears. Killian sighed, grateful for the interruption, as he smiled politely at Emma and walked away to greet everyone in the room.

As promised by Tink, the whole affair had been kept to an intimate size, and he knew he was about to reach a point where he would run out of excuses as to why he wouldn't say anything. Besides, judging from the impatient looks Granny and Ruby kept throwing him, they would devour him alive if he tried to use any of them.

Bloody she-wolves. They could probably smell his apprehension and were delighting in it, knowing them.

He opted to stay in Granny's good graces and headed to the kitchen to help serve the meal simply because he was a gentleman, not because it would put him on the opposite side of the room from Emma, not at all. Ruby's knowing grin as she passed her told him he might not be as subtle as he thought he was, and he once again cursed their keen sense of smell.

Gods, he should have just gone out on the Aquilion to spare himself this situation and dealt with their anger later thought Killian as he prepared himself for a very long and exhausting dinner.

It is unnerving to have someone follow your every move but even more so when that someone is Emma Swan, known for having green eyes that made his heart jolt every single time he met them. It was how Killian found himself in quite a predicament after dinner as he tried to make small talk with a group of people who did not want to while Emma Swan stared at him from a distance. Clearly, she had a lot to say, but from the looks David and Snow kept throwing her, they had told her to play nice. He found it surprising she had so far and vaguely wondered what her breaking point would be.

He never got to find out, as Regina's patience ran out way before Emma's did.

"Okay, I think it's been enough. Killian, start talking. I don't have all night."

Killian sighed as everyone tensed up and inched closer to where he and Regina were standing in the kitchen.

"Always one for pleasantries," muttered Killian as he plastered a smile on his face and turned to her cheerfully. "Where would you like me to start, Your Majesty?"

"How about you start with the tattoo and what it means," countered Regina, unfazed.

"Would it be too much to ask to keep at least some things from your girlfriend, Robin?" questioned Killian exasperatedly.

"Wait, what did I miss? What tattoo?" questioned Belle.

"Our dear Captain Hook here has a tattoo on his body with the exact same words found on the docks yesterday morning. The same words he saw us all try to figure out like some sodding idiots," grumbled Will, interrupting Killian before he could explain it himself.

"Wait, so you knew what they meant and didn't tell me - us?" breathed Emma, and he hated the hurt look on her face. How dare she be upset that he hadn't shared anything with her when she was the one that had left and crushed all the hopes he once had for a future with her where they would never have any secrets.

"Aye, I do. I understand you lot might be a bit miffed with the omission, but - " sighed Killian as he hesitated before continuing. "Honestly, I needed time to process it myself. The words mean across all waters. It was something my mother used to tell my brother and me before she passed away. I think it was her family's motto, she came from a long line of sailors and fishermen, and I guess this was their way of saying they would always find their way back to each other."

"Across all waters," concluded Emma in a whisper.

"Aye."

As their gazes crossed, he saw clear understanding and empathy in her eyes, and he hated how much it made him want to run away. It was an uncomfortable and foreign feeling for him. Killian Jones never ran away. He had sometimes begrudged Emma for her tendency to do so, and he understood why she did it. But he simply never could. It was probably what led to his demise to the darkness.

And once again, it would be his demise because as much as he wanted to, he could never run away from Emma Swan.

Even if he already knew where this story would lead.

(With a broken heart built off false hope)

"Did you ever say what language it is? Because I do not recognize it," said Belle, snatching his attention away from Emma.

"I did not. I'm not actually sure myself. It was my mother's tongue; she taught us as much as she could, but I was young and never learned it well. Liam did, but I never heard him call it by a name."

"Hmm, I do not recognize it either. And I believe between me and Miss Belle, we have scoured over enough texts to have seen all the languages of the Enchanted Forest," mused Regina. "I think this, at least, is an angle worth looking into. It is something to go by to try and find out who is behind this."

"What about - what's his name? Davy. Davy Jones. Y'all heard of him? Me thinks he fits the profile. You two even have the same last name,' spoke up Will.

"Wait, he's real? Does that mean you know Jack Sparrow?" questioned Emma.

"No, I do not know any Sparrow fellow," said Killian exasperatedly. "And neither do I know Davy Jones. I do know of him; any sailor on the seven seas worth their salt knows of him, but I have never encountered him and merely thought him an old legend that faded long ago."

"Oh, he's real. But with time, his power has indeed dwindled, I hadn't heard of him for years before I enacted the curse, and I am not sure he would be able to cross realms. Besides, if you truly have never encountered him, then I fail to see what his motive would be to come after you," observed Regina.

"Okay, and he's not your family? Not a long-lost brother or second cousin?" questioned Emma as she stepped closer, intent on resolving the mystery.

"Maybe he is your mother's brother. Your uncle! If you ask me, there's a scarcity of those around here, so you could do with a new one," chipped in Will, earning some glares from most people in the room including Killian.

"My mother was not a Jones, you dunce. That was her married name," snapped Killian.

"Okay, then, what was her maiden name? That can be another clue," asked David.

"I - Ehh, I don't actually remember," whispered Killian, affronted that he knew so little of someone who meant everything to him.

"Well, then we know in what direction to investigate. Belle, do you think you - "

"There's something you're not saying," interrupted Emma suddenly.

"Didn't know that superpower of yours worked on silences."

"It doesn't. Open book remember? It goes both ways," smirked Emma.

Killian cursed internally, fighting with himself before throwing the note he had found earlier on the Charming's kitchen bar. Emma was the first to reach for it, and her eyes widened as she quickly read the note and passed it to Robin.

"Thaisce?" questioned Robin immediately.

"It means treasure; it was my mother's nickname for me," said Killian awkwardly as he avoided Snow's sympathetic eyes and Emma's searching ones.

"So, this is another thing that is linked with your mother and your past when you were younger. Much younger, it would seem."

"Aye, which is why I will be answering that summons."

"Like hell you are!"

"I don't remember asking for permission, Swan."

"Good, because you will not be getting it. That is the dumbest idea you could have come up with. They already tried to kill you twice!"

"I don't care," snapped Killian as he ran his hand through his dark locks. "It is not up for debate; I must go. Those words mean something to me; whoever is out there knows that too. I need answers, and - Something about this feels right."

"Rightly suicidal, you mean?" said Emma, stepping forward into his personal space as he glared down at her.

"Okay, how about we calm down," said David in a placating tone as he set himself in the space between them and turned to Killian. "I understand this is important for you, but Emma is right; this is most likely a trap. We don't even know where these coordinates would lead us and - "

"I do! It's a small uninhabited island in the Gulf of Maine. I would calculate around a day or two of sailing depending on the weather," cut in Killian.

"Oh, so not only have you already plotted your course, but you are completely ignoring that it would be in the middle of the fucking ocean in unknown territory. Have you lost your mind?" hissed Emma as she tried to push past a clearly alarmed David.

It took everything in him to ignore her and the fire in her eyes and turn to David instead. If he looked at her, he would be lost.

"I can take the Aquilion; it's not that far that I would need a crew, and it has all the necessary security provisions. Besides, I have the charm Regina gave me."

"The charm is to find you after you're taken; we want to prevent it," said Regina with a roll of her eyes.

"Well then, that can be your Plan B if I don't return."

"No."

Killian does not miss how Emma perks up at David's refusal, and he can't help but wonder why she seems to care so much.

(Hope is a fickle thing)

"At least not alone; you will take a skeleton crew of experienced fighters with you and at least one magic user. And I will come along too," declared David, turning apologetic eyes on an increasingly furious Emma.

"So will Regina and I," said Robin as Regina nodded next to him.

"Dad, you can't be serious about this," said Emma as she turned pleading eyes to David.

"It is happening, Miss Swan; get with the program," snapped Regina. "We can't really stop him if he puts his bull-headed mind to it, but we can ensure that it is not the reckless and probably stupid plan he would enact if he were alone. We can carefully set up a plan of action that might actually work and execute it."

"I will try and take this as a compliment, Your Majesty," scoffed Killian.

"We need to set one up for Storybrooke, too, while you're gone. It could always be a trap to lower our defenses on the mainland while you're at sea. We still don't really know what they might be after," spoke up Mary Margaret.

"Are you serious right now? None of you see the problem with this? He is not bait!" hissed Emma before she stormed away, slamming the door to the loft behind her.

There was never a question about who would follow her, at least not for him. However, it was only after he stepped out onto the landing did he realize that Snow and David had not questioned it either.

She was standing with her back to him, and by her tense posture, he knew she knew exactly who had stepped out after her.

"Swan."

"Killian, you can't do this; you just can't."

Killian tried to hide his surprise at the tears in her eyes; he could count the times he had seen her like this on one hand. It was around the same number of times he had heard his name pass her lips when no one else was there to hear it. Regardless of that, he knew what his answer would be.

"I have to, Swan. This means too much for me not to go after answers."

Emma's face seemed to crumble for one second as she took in his answer but settled immediately as if she had been readying herself for exactly that answer.

"An orphan's an orphan, huh?"

He'd never told her the truth of his past, never shared the pains of his childhood with her, but he figured they were as easy to read on his face for her as hers were for him. After all, they were very similar to hers.

"Aye."

"When is king tide?" questioned Emma suddenly into the comfortable silence they had been standing in, throwing him off guard once again.

"I would say in a fortnight; we won't know for sure until it nears closer. The moon can be fickle sometimes in that regard," explained Killian carefully. He didn't like the calculating look in her eyes and was afraid of what he knew was probably coming next.

"Good; I'll be in Storybrooke then to join you guys."

"No."

"I don't remember asking for permission, Hook," said Emma with a smirk and one eyebrow raised suggestively as she repeated his words back to him, all trace of tears gone now. It seemed she had her bearings back, walls up again, and ready once more to challenge him at every turn.

This bloody infuriating woman would be the death of him.