Once Upon A Happy Beginning

Chapter Forty: As If Behind A Window

Killian

I grab onto my wife's hand, desperate to never let go of her. I know Emma holds the Dark One's dagger. I know Emma has full control over the Crocodile right now, but I don't trust him. If we are being magicked somewhere, I need to be in the same place as my wife. I trust Emma and the rest of my family to keep a level head and rational thought should we be separated but I don't trust myself. I think I might go crazy if I ever have to search the realms for Emma Swan-Jones again. I keep holding her hand, entwining our fingers together. I feel her fingers press against the back of my hand as we spin through the vortex of time and space. 

We crash into wooden decking, and as I orientate myself I realise that it's the hold of the Jolly Roger. 

I hear movement behind me, and I scramble to my feet only to realise that Rumplestiltskin kept true to his word and brought us all here. I see my father-in-law pulling his wife to her feet, and I offer my hook to my son as Emma uses my hand to regain her footing. 

Killian Jones, you are one of us. Join us, Killian Jones. You are part of the Darkness, Killian Jones. You are the Dark One. The voices swirl around the hold and I cast my eye around for the dagger and the devil tied to it. It lies on the floor a few feet away from where Emma and I landed - she must have dropped it in the travel. I notice the Crocodile eye it and flick his hand to summon it back to him, but in a flurry of purple smoke, Regina gets it first. 

She's quick to keep him in line. "Rumplestiltskin, I command thee to not touch this dagger until it is handed to you by one of us."

"Very well. But I must warn you of something. My magic can only go so far. I can take you to where I last saw your daughter but it won't be real. You cannot physically travel in time or through realms without a portal. You will see events transpire but you cannot interact, it will be as if you're behind a window."

"That's fine." Emma breathes. "That's okay. I just need to know my daughter is alive and safe and we can create a portal to find her if needs must."

"Very well, dearie. We're  ahead of schedule, so I suggest we wait for the main event.

The main event came quickly enough, but the devil was right; it was as if we were behind a window. 

There was a flicker of dark red smoke, and I heard my wife gasp as a wicker basket appeared on the floor by us. Emma and I instinctively moved forward and tears welled up in my eyes as our daughter cried into the empty air. I now understand the Crocodile's warning - we're behind a window. I can't reach out and cradle my daughter. I can't have Rumplestiltskin transport us back home. I can't do anything except for hold my wife and console her and the fact that even now, two feet away from her - Emma has never held our daughter.

"Shh, love." I whisper, kissing the top of her head as Emma buries it into the crook of my neck. "Elizabeth's here. She's here."

"She should be in my arms." 

"I know, love. I know."

I reach out behind me to pull Henry into our family hug. He hugs his Mom momentarily before stepping forward and crouching next to Elizabeth. 

"Hey Lizzie, I'm your big brother." He starts saying in a low voice, talking only to Elizabeth even though the rest of us can hear. My family steps forward slowly behind us, not wanting to encroach on our moment, but knowing that Elizabeth is their family too. "I'm Henry. I don't know if you can hear me, but I hope you can. You're my little sister. And you have some of Mom's hair. But you've got Dad's eyes. And that's Dad's smile. Hiya Elizabeth. We're all here. Mom and Dad, and Grandma and Grandpa. Your Auntie Regina and Uncle Robin. We all want to bring you home, Lizzie. Back to Storybrooke, where we get to be a family. I hope you can hear me, because our family doesn't stop fighting for the people we love, and you're no different. We're not going to give up finding you."

I don't know that I'm crying until I feel Emma wipe one of my tears away. It's a futile action. More are coming, and Emma's face is a near mirror image. Emma and I move forward slowly to see our daughter properly. She's in the same blanket that Emma had as a baby, her own name sewn into the corner. Blue created it back in the Enchanted Forest when she saw the one that Granny had knitted Emma. She had said that Elizabeth's should match her mother's. Emma collapses towards the ground when she sees our daughter. 

"Elizabeth. Hey, Elizabeth. That's right, good girl. Mommy's here. Mommy's going to bring you home. Yeah, you do have Daddy's eyes, don't you?" 

Before I can join my Swan in the sentiments to our daughter, there's a crashing sound down the stairs. Someone yells that there's a baby up to whoever, myself alongside many others, is waiting on the deck to learn what the noise was. That person comes over to us and picks Elizabeth up. I lift my head away from the cradle to see who was holding my daughter when I make eye contact with a ghost from my past who just looks straight through me. I can hear my past self and the Crocodile give an intake of breath, and I know that they've seen the same person I have. 

I look at Emma. "Don't worry, Swan, Elizabeth's in safe hands."

Who has Killian seen? 

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