Caught by the Dark

Chapter 12

Bae and Henry were up at the wheel and Emma was tending to Papa below deck. Rose was at the bow, feeling the sea air blowing over her face. It'd been a while since she was on this ship, let alone at sea.

***

Killian was at the wheel; Rivia could tell by the shouts of orders coming from above her head. Mother was laying on the bottom bunk of their shared bunk bed, sleeping. Rivia wasn't tired. She knew she was supposed to be asleep, but her hand kept going to the empty space on her chest.

She felt naked without the silver locket, but she wanted her brother to have something to remember her. The stairs creaked. Rivia resisted the urge to turn her head.

"Goodnight, Milah," whispered the captain. "Good night, Rivia," he whispered to the girl.

She turned her head away from him and allowed herself to cry silently.

She missed home. She missed her father and her brother. Until then, Rivia hadn't known what it meant to be homesick. When Killian left, Rivia crawled in with her mother.

"What?" asked her mother, half-awake.

"I miss them," Rivia said.

Her mother ran her hand through Rivia's hair. "I know, sweetie. I know."

"I'm scared, Mom," Rivia whimpered. "Are we going to see them again?"

"Have hope, sweetie," Mother said. "Have hope that things will get better, and they will. You'll see, my Via. Things can be better here."

"Not without Bae," she said.

***

"Rose," Henry said, shaking her out of her thoughts. She looked at him. "...Are you okay?"

That wasn't his question.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked.

"You were crying, weren't you?"

Oh. Rose ran her hand under her eye. It was wet. "I'm fine. Just... Remembering."

"Neal wants you."

"Okay," Rose said. "Thanks."

She walked back over to the wheel, where her brother stood. "Hey, Via."

"Hey, yourself," she said. "Oh, and I go by Rose anymore. There's a story behind that, but that's not why you called me here. What's up?"

"You left this at home." Bae took one hand off the wheel and held it out in front of Rose. In his open palm lay a silver leaf pendant attached to a silver chain.

"You kept it," she said in awe.

Bae nodded. Rose took the necklace and put it around her neck. "I never forgot you, Rivia."

"Nor I you, Baelfire," Rose said.

***

They arrived at the Storybrooke dock. Snow and David came to meet the crew. Bae and Red helped Papa off the ship, Emma went to talk with Snow. Rose walked with her. Snow hugged both of them. Rose smiled and pulled away.

She liked being part of a family, but with her father dying and Cora having his dagger... Rose was afraid she wouldn't have a family much longer. She looked back at the waters.

"Planning a trip already?" asked a voice. She saw Bae next to her, leaning on the fence as she was.

"No, I like it here," Rose said. "It's not home, but... It's where my family is."