No Sound Without Silence

Chapter 6

It took four days before she finally threw in the towel.

After she came back, the searching party that was supposed to be for her changed into a searching party for Killian. Honestly, Emma was surprised that they were all willing to help her find him. She'd always thought the people of Storybrooke didn't care much about him. Somewhere in her mind she thought that they would most probably just ignore that he was gone. He was, after all, a pirate and it wouldn't take some genius to see that they didn't like pirates at all. But then again, he wasn't the same man anymore. He wasn't the old Captain Hook who wreaked havoc anymore. Emma was certain and maybe the people of Storybrooke were starting to notice that too. He was a big help during the worst of times.

She wanted to say that the large size of the searching party was helpful but she would be lying. As much as she hated to say it, they really found nothing that would point to where he went exactly. They would find small clues that would make out a path for them to work on until it just crumbles bringing them back to square one.

Here she was sat in her room. All traces of sleep erased from her mind as her realization sunk in, as her stomach dipped in fear, as her heart shattered in fear. She wouldn't find him ever again. He was gone. The mere thought of it brought tears to her eyes and now that it felt so real...

She wrapped her comforter tightly around her body. He promised that he wouldn't go away. He promised that he wouldn't leave her. Why would he leave her? He told her that he wouldn't hurt her like they all did. He promised her he would win her heart. He was there every step of the way. Always by her side, ready to help her, ready to comfort her. He even gave up his ship for her. They even went on their first date. It was amazing. Everything was amazing. They were both happy. Were they? She was very happy. For so long she had almost forgotten how amazing it was to love someone. But was he? What if he wasn't? Why didn't he tell her? Why? Why did he leave her? Why?

An endless string of questions popped in her mind as her sheets grew wet with her tears, as her hair stuck to her cheeks wet with sweat and tears, as her body curled up in a fetal position. A defense mechanism, as she slowly drew up her broken walls once again, bit by bit.

Time passed, unnoticed by the crying Swan. She could hear the whispers of her parents, the footsteps that would always stop by her door. It brought more tears to her eyes as she hugged her knees tighter against her chest. It felt like it would never stop, this pain, that was until the ground shook heavily like an earthquake. It took every ounce of strength to pull herself away from her misery and look out the window with a confused expression.

What was that?

-&-

He stayed at the house for, what? Days? He couldn't really keep track of the days. Traveling alone on foot in an almost unknown place ruined his sense of time. But to be honest, it didn't really matter to him.

The house was indeed abandoned because in the days that he stayed, no one came by. He only saw those vehicles passing by. No one came and stopped by. So he claimed it his own. The first few days were him cleaning the house. He took off the sheets covering the furniture. He started with the couch which looked a bit new despite the thick layer of dust covering it. Oh, how he missed sleeping on a soft surface. It felt amazing. It was the best sleep he had ever had for what felt like a very long time.

He managed to find another can of soup while he was checking the cabinets on more time. Well, it was dawn when he found the house that time and there was no electricity. He must have overlooked the other can. It would last for maybe three days, he guessed. It would be enough to at least fill his stomach even for a bit.

After cleaning off the dust on the covered furniture, he was off to relax which usually meant staring out the window at the road. Once or twice a car would pass but none would pull over. Somehow it made him relieved yet it also made him frustrated. It meant no one really owned the house. But if someone did stop by, then maybe he could ask for help, for some food and water. One time, he saw something poking out of the bag he had stolen.