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Silence filled the loft, fiddling with a key in her hand, Emma looked at her mother. 'This whole time I was right.' She spoke, at disbelief at both the fact that they could lie to her but also that she knew something wasn't right and she chose to look past it. 'You were lying. I wanted to believe you.' Killian did as well. He would never admit it but he had looked up to this couple as the shining beacon of what he and Emma could become. She looked devastated, still not able to fully comprehend what they had just said. 'I wanted to believe in you.' And there it was the truth of the matter.
'It..we were just... trying to protect you.' Killian could hear the regret in the prince's voice as he stumbled at tying to find the right words where none could made the pain hurt any less. He wanted to comfort her, he could see her mind at work, hunkering down into survival mode. This meant running. He needed her to know he was here if she wanted it.
'Emma are you alright?' Killian reached out his hand to hers, she flinched out of his reach. Killian didn't follow, if he pushed now she would only retreat further. He just sat there, afraid to move and show how much her rejection hurt. He could hear her walls grow tall and lock tight.
'No I'm not okay.' Standing up in a daze, Emma turned to the door. 'I gotta go.'
'Please stop.' Snow rushed up to the door, placing her hand to block her path. She was going about this the wrong way and the pirate knew it. 'I'm your mother.' Killian could hear the pleading in her voice.
'I don't care.' He couldn't look at her. Her voice cut like ice. He had never heard her speak like that before to her family. These people, her parents had broken their strong, precious daughter and they had the gal to call themselves hero's. All royalty was the same, only out for themselves he thought, old prejudices filling his mind.
'David, what have we done? We have to go after her, we have to get her to understand.' Snow made her way back to the table, falling into a chair, taking her husbands hand in her own.
'I know Snow. I just... I don't know how.' Standing up again pulling the prince to his feet, she grabbed the jacket from the back of his chair, ready to find her daughter.
'With all due respect Mi'Lady, I would advise against that at this time.' Killian was slightly taken aback by the shocked expressions on their faces. They seemed to have forgotten he was in the room. 'Emma just needs time to process, pressing her about this now will only push her further away from you. Trust me.'
'Don't tell me how to look out for my daughter.' Snow's motherly instincts kicking in. She may have come to terms with the budding relationship Killian had with Emma but that didn't mean she liked to be told how to handle her own daughter.
'I am the only person who sole purpose is looking out for your daughter.' Killian raised his voice a little but kept his body language calm and relaxed. The last thing Emma needed was for him to get in a fight with her father, let alone her mother. 'I have never lied about her. I have never hidden away from my dark past with her. I may have not told her everything but I have never denied it. This family's strength is its honesty. Have we all not learnt by now that lies between you will only break you apart and loose trust in each other. Do you have any idea what you have done to her, how she feels about this?' Getting them to see her viewpoint may help him to give her the time she needed. Not too long though, just enough to get her head straight.
Snow made to speak again and began to lunge at the door only to be caught by David. 'No Snow let him speak.' Nodding at Killian to continue. Killian drew strength from the fact that the prince trusted him enough to tell them what they needed to hear.
'Speaking honestly, parents are those in your life that you hold so much on, memories both happy and those not so. Emma spent most of her life without you and though she understands why you were separated, that pain caused in childhood lingers.' Snow didn't move from the door but kept silent. 'Now for her to have you back and for you to be the epitome of hope and justice, the true definition of hero's, it is a lot to take it. She wants nothing more than to live up to you, to be the savior, a daughter, a mother and a sheriff. For her to find out that you not only did such act but now all the the things she sees as failures in her life will only make her feel worse. How is she meant to feel when a person made with only the potential for good has stolen, gone to jail, given up a child along with actions she has yet to tell any of us. You have turned her world upside down. To have a parent break they every foundation of what you thought they were is a lot to take in, to accept. Everyone what to see the best in their parents.' Killian paused for breath never having spoken so openly regarding Emma to them.
'You know, in a different story you could have been seen as a villains. Villains are not born, they are made by their choices. Some decisions made could be seen as both heroic and villainous, dependent on the viewer. I became a pirate to rebel against a dis-honorable King, at that time it can be seen as heroic for refusing to serve such a man or villainous as we became pirates and I am not suggesting that the rest of my actions were of such a heroic nature. Even the bloody Dark One started as a man trying to protect his family and other children from the Ogres War and I never speak highly of the man. You took a child from it's mother to save your own. You condemned a child to dark fate, a babe!, even I have a code against that (lost boys exempt). How could you not trust that Emma could be anything but light?'
'We didn't know. Maleficent is evil. We thought...'
'We just wanted to protect her.' David reiterated, not deigning the pirates words.
'And that is the only reason why I am staying here, getting you to understand and to trust me.' Killian stated, reeling in his spike of emotion. David nodded and went to make some drinks for them all, more to give himself something to do than sit and let his guilt fester.
Killian walked over to the couch, dropping into the seat contemplating how to help Emma. They had grown so much, she had to know he would be there for whatever she needed, even if it was just for quiet support. So lost in his own thoughts, he fail to notice Neal quietly cooing in his crib that had been moved near the sofa. He sighed hearing David slamming around the kitchen at war with himself. Killian watched as Charming became louder, Snow joined him from the table, whispering to each other, calming her husband down. Minutes that felt like hours ticked by as Neal's coos turned to cries and became louder. Not wanting to disturb the royals, Killian detached his hook, not wanting to harm the young lad and laid it on the coffee table before leaning over, gently stroking the young prince's cheek.
'Shh, hey, hey there little prince.' Killian reached out to flicker his fingers like he had seen Snow do before. He seemed to enjoy this immensely, reaching out for the rings on his fingers, mesmerized by the shimmering lights, calming his cries. He could see so much of Emma in the babe. He had her chin and the sweet rise in his cheeks as he smiled. 'Now lad, there are going to be moments in your life when those around you fail, when all hope seems lost. In those moments you have to remember that no matter what we all may do, your family will always love you and will always strive to do what they can to protect you.' So lost in the princes eyes, he carried on speaking aloud as the loft became quiet again. 'You have an uncle who will always remind you to believe in hope even when you feel there is none. You have parents who try so hard to protect you and your sister that they may get it wrong from time to time but they do this with the best intentions. And a sister who loves so much and so hard, she fears to let more people in her heart as it could mean it may break. You have to fight hard and earn the right to be lock in there, but you little one, you were born there. She maybe gone for now but she'll be back. I promise you.' The babe gurgled in agreement, smiling back.
'You really get her don't you.' Snow didn't look at his face, fluttering her fingers, dancing with her sons hands. Killian blushed slightly, retracting his own hand to scratch behind his ear, embarrassed and a little nervous at having been caught during what he thought to be a private moment.
'I do Mi'Lady.' He may be a pirate but always a gentleman, twas good form to respect a lady.
'Please Killian how may times must I ask you to call me Snow.' Her voice failed to hide her deep conflict while attempting to bring levity to the strained situation.
'At least once more Mi'Lady.' Killian said, only happy to further calm the mood. A small smirking smile gracing his face.
'Do you really think she can forgive us?' He could her the hesitancy in her voice as she took Neal into her arms while Killian reattached his hook.
'I do Mi'Lady. Children will always want to forgive there parents, at least you had a good reason for your actions. The darkness creeped by and blinded you.' He didn't want to hurt her further so continued. 'The difference is that you pulled away, you found the light again. You found a reason to fight the darkness, that takes true courage. If there was no hope for redemption I would be wasting my time and I firmly believe that I am not. I know you wish to pursue this matter but pushing will not help, she needs to sleep on it. She'll come to you, she fought damn hard to get back to you, to find her home. She's a strong lass.'
David broke the conversation putting his phone into his back pocket. 'August is awake and doing well. We should go check up on him.' Making for his jacket he turned to Killian. 'I think you should tell her, she'll listen to you.' Snow nodding in agreement. Killian let a small smile flutter across his face. It meant a lot to know that they trusted him to get through to their daughter.
'Aye, I'll get her there, she'll want to see him.' Killian believed Swans words from earlier in the day but that small sting of jealousy was difficult to let go of. He left the loft knowing she would be in one of three place. Instinct telling him which one she would most likely be at. He had no intention of going with her to visit the puppet man unless she wished it of him. He knew that she wouldn't be able to stay or even go back to the loft tonight. Grannies wasn't an option, too many question. He would double back to the loft and pick out some things from her room so she didn't have to. He would have to be careful not to take to much, not wishing to push her to this option either, giving her the choice. Leaving the building he made for the docks, knowing at this time of night that would be where she would be.
He found her sat on a bench looking down at the page with the door. Even from this distance he could see she was focusing on that, running from the issue she didn't want to handle.
'Hey.' He walk tentatively towards her, not wanting to scare her. He could see her pulling away already. It was still too fresh to talk about.
'Mm, I just gunna need some time.' He guessed she would think he was here for that. He had to get to the point before she shut him out but had to do it carefully. Knowing she would appreciate bluntness at this point in time with all that had occurred today.
'August is awake. Your parents are with him.' He caught behind his ear, still moving towards her before stopping with some distance between them.
'Is he?' Caught by his words she stood, concerned for her friend.
'He's going to be fine.' He spoke the words clearly so she could take them in. She had spoken of what this man meant to her. This friend was important. 'Your friend...is going to be fine.'
She sighed and he could see her faltering. He held firm until he could see her movement towards him. Meeting her half way he embraced her, his face buried in her hair, taking in the sweet smell that was uniquely her. He could feel her relax into his touch as his hand began to rub soothingly up and down her back.
'Why'd my parents send you?' He wanted to chuckle, of all the question he thought she would ask this was not near the top of the list. Thinking over the last moments in the loft, he borrowed her fathers words.
'They didn't think you'd listen to them.' Adding a little attitude to his lilt. If she only knew what it took him to stop them from rushing after her.
'They were right'.