As she walked she swung her arms out hitting any branches that got in her way, causing some to snap. She turned the path and up ahead was a blonde woman and dark-haired man. Kenzie walked up alongside them. They noticed and turned their attention to her.
" Callie, what's wrong?" Emma asked her face narrowing in concern.
"I don't want to talk about it," she insisted and then changed the subject. " Have you found Ronan?"
"I thought you didn't want to work with him?" Emma questioned.
" Yeah, well I don't think we have a choice," she replied. There was her other idea, but it could take too long and she wanted to leave posthaste. The sooner she got home and put behind this whole dreadful ordeal, the better.
"No, we haven't," Emma reported.
"Let's keep looking," Kenzie suggested and they carried on walking.
Sometime later Emma was up ahead and Edi came up beside Kenzie, breaking the silence that had befallen them. He looked at her.
" Did my cousin do something?" He asked.
"What do you think?" She asked rather abrupt, even though she didn't mean to take it out on him.
"No need to snap at me for my cousin's wrongdoings," he stated.
" Sorry," she said more calmly.
"It's ok," he said. "He wasn't always like this. He wasn't always a villain. He was once a good guy, but after losing his brother and then the one he loved," he started to defend him.
" Yeah well, that man has gone." Kenzie cut him off.
"He's still there somewhere. Why do you think I stick by his side?" He stated.
His cousin had done terrible things, he knew that. He had witnessed them. He had been by his side for most of it. Until he got stuck in Neverland and his cousin didn't mind hurting or using people to get what he wanted, but Killian Jones was still hiding beneath Captain Hook. Edi still believed it. Still knew it.
" Because you are a pirate too?"
"For Killian, because he is my family we aren't just cousins. He and Liam are like brothers to me and I know he's still in there," he explained.
" Yeah, well you may be blinded by your family bond," she said and sped up to catch up with Emma.
They came up to Ronan's tree house and Kenzie let out a shudder. One that she hoped no one saw, but she couldn't believe she was back here or that she had gotten kidnapped in the first place. Have I become a damsel in distress? She pushed that thought from her mind and climbed the ladder.
"Callie?" Emma called out, but she continued to climb.
"Hey, crazy jerk you in here?" She said as she popped in her head to find to her relief that he wasn't.
"He's not here," she told the others and started to descend the ladder.
She reached the bottom and turned to face them to see the last person she wanted to see right now, step through the trees.
"Don't talk to him. He made a deal with pan. He just wants to save himself," Kenzie told them. They gave her a confused look and then turn around to look where she was glaring.
"And who's fault is that?" He declared.
"Can I kill him?" She asked.
"Killing won't solve anything," Edi replied.
" Is that true?" Emma wondered.
"It wasn't until Callie decided that was my intention," he replied as if Kenzie hadn't heard him talking with Pan earlier.
"Please we all know you don't care. You only care about getting what you want. You don't care about anyone but yourself and your stupid revenge," she shouted.
"That's right because I'm nothing but a pirate. Is that why I came to rescue you? Now, I don't even know why I bothered," he said back raising his voice also.
"I don't even want to argue with you right now, so you can stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours," Kenzie said.
" Fine," he agreed.
Killian sat by himself looking down at the patch of grass before him, ruminating about his fight with Kenzie. He couldn't help but think he had screwed things up with her. Though he shouldn't be so surprised it was true what she said. He was a villain, but he thought she knew that. That she saw beneath that. The revenge was all he had thought about, but that changed when he met her. He no longer cared about that, he cared about her and he had tried to prove it, but no matter the good deeds he did they'd never make up for all the horrendous stuff. People like him never got happy endings and he always knew that. If only he could tell her what she meant to him, but she hated him now. It would do no good.
"Killian," a voice said snapping him out of his thoughts. He turned to face his cousin, who was now standing next to him.
"What do you want? I thought your alliance was with the Saviour now," he grumbled.
"My alliance is always with you captain," Edi responded noticing his cousin's bad mood.
"So you're not helping her?" Hook questioned.
"Yes, but that changes nothing between us. You're still my cousin and Captain," Edi replied defensively. He had seen first-hand what his cousin was capable of when angry and he didn't want to provoke him any further.
"This changes everything. Leave before I have to make you," Hook demanded.
"I'm not going anywhere," asserted Edi as he slowly sat down next to him, ignoring the leaps his heart was doing telling him that he should just let Hook calm down.
When his cousin didn't respond to him sitting down he relaxed a little. "Killian talks to her," he said a little while later, noticing his moment of fear had passed.
"Why should I? She hates me, " Killian asked.
"Because I know how you feel about her," he replied.
"Feel about her?" Killian turned to his cousin. "She's just a woman. There are many out there," he said but it was a lie.
"If she was just a woman you wouldn't have come save her or saved her mum," Edi pointed out.
" I wanted her to like me, it's not like I cared." Another lie.
"Then how come I have never seen you look at another woman the way you look at her," Edi said.
"Are you implying I love her? The only woman I have ever loved was Milah and she distracted me from that."
"She made you find the man you once were again. The good one."
"That man was never who I was meant to be," he declared as he stood up.
"Whatever, go back to your revenge. Go back to being cruel and heartless. I guess I was stupid to ever think the cousin I once knew was still somewhere inside," Edi said shocking himself as he too stood up.
"I guess you were."
"You know this is why you can't have happiness and you never will," Edi told him.
Hook stomped towards him, his face now contorted with rage and then grabbed Edi by his shirt. "Kill me if you want, but just rethink talking to her," his cousin said.
Hook glared at him. His cousin was right, but that didn't stop the urge to punch him. He was about to do it when the two women strolled through the trees. They had been wondering what had been taking the men so long and when they noticed the scene now before them their eyes widened and gasped.
" Hook stop," shouted Emma with urgency in her voice.
"See I knew it I was wrong to ever trust he would change," Kenzie said. At her words, Killian let go of his cousin and stepped back.
"Callie talk to him," Edi told her rather calmly as if his cousin hadn't just had a hold of him. He turned around to face her
"I've done talking to him," she said and turned to walk away.
"So you're just going to let her leave?" Edi turned to his cousin.
"You heard her she doesn't want to talk to me. Besides, it's not like I love her," Hook replied.
" Maybe, she is right that man I once knew has long gone and you are nothing but a cruel, selfish pirate now."
"You're a pirate too," Hook pointed out.
"I know what I am, but at least I have a conscious and would never play with a women's heart, " Edi responded.
"Like Emma's? You know you can never leave with her, right?"
Edi just huffed and walked away leaving his cousin still standing there.
I should talk to her. I can't leave it like this, Killian thought as he roamed the forest. He didn't know why he had a hard time admitting but he did like her. I should find her.
"I thought you'd be with your girlfriend," a wicked voice said snapping him from his thoughts. He turned around to see the dark-haired man who always seemed to have a permanent glare. "You know the one you stole from me," he added when Hook didn't respond.
"She wasn't your girlfriend," Hook stated.
"Well, she isn't yours either no matter how much you want it. You're a villain like me she'll never love you,"
"What do you want Ronan?"
"I wanted to make her pay for hurting me but you tried to foil that plan so..." He trailed off and appeared in front of Hook in a puff of purple smoke.
Ronan took a swing at him, his fist connecting with his jaw. Killian tried to swing back at him but he disappeared again, reappearing behind him. He shoved him to the ground and held up his hand, building up his magic. Hovering above the palm of his hand a purple fireball began to blaze. As it got grew larger he lifted his arm aiming it towards Hook.
Still searching for Ronan the trio continued through the forest, hoping they'd find him soon before nightfall arrived again. Kenzie thought about Killian and their argument. It played on her mind as they walked. She had said things she regretted but she was infuriated with him. Though she still liked him. She wanted to make it right with him even if she had said she didn't. Will he even want to? She thought as she caught a glimpse of Ronan up ahead.
As she was about to approach him she saw he had a magical ball conjured in his hand aiming at another person scrambling up from the floor. She looked toward the other man and noticed it was Killian.
Her heart sank and screamed out. "Noooo!" She cried subconsciously reaching out her arms. A blast of white light radiated from her propelling Ronan into a tree.
She glared down at her hands. What? How? She thought. Then looked to Hook who was now stood up.
"Killian, are you ok?" She asked as she ran to him putting aside the shock and the indignant feelings she had earlier that day.
Witnessing him nearly get killed by Ronan automatically diminished any anger she was feeling. Now, all she felt was concern as she pulled him into a hug.
"I'm fine, love," he replied hugging her back and with his words, she felt herself relax as she sighed in relief.