𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙊𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙐𝙥.

I Have You.

Killian got home half an hour later in a bright and carefree mood. His cheeks still hurt from smiling on the walk back from MJ's place.
Sadly, that feeling lasted exactly three seconds after he stepped through the front door.

Sparrow was standing in the living room in mismatched socks and a wrinkled T-shirt, looking like he'd been pacing the entire night.

"Thank God!" He exhaled, "I was just about to go look for you. Dove locked herself in the bathroom."

Killian's stomach dropped.

"What?" He exclaimed, already shrugging out of his jacket. "Why?"

Sparrow threw his hands up helplessly.

"I don't know. She won't talk to me."

Killian was up the stairs before Sparrow could say anything else, taking them two at a time. The upstairs bathroom light was on beneath the crack of the door.

He knocked softly, "Dove?"

Silence.

He tried again, "Hey. You alright? What's going on?"

There was a pause long enough to make his chest tighten.

Then, very quietly, "I want Mom." Dove murmured against the door.

"Where is she?" She asked, her voice smaller now. "I need her."

Killian looked over his shoulder at Sparrow, who'd followed him up and was hovering a few feet back in the hallway like he wasn't sure if he should stay or disappear.

Sparrow shrugged, "I haven't seen her since Monday."

It was Wednesday.

Killian pulled out his phone and dialed Linda's number.

"Tried that already." Sparrow muttered.

Killian ignored him and hit the call button anyway. Linda's phone went straight to voicemail... twice.

Of course it did.

He lowered the phone slowly, then turned back to the bathroom door and rested his palm flat against it.

"Dove." He said carefully, keeping his voice steady even though his irritation at getting his Mom's voicemail was beginning to curdle into something uglier,

"Mom's not here, alright? I don't know where she is, and I don't know when she's coming back. She's not answering her phone."

No response.

He exhaled through his nose.

"Hey..." Killian offered gently, "You can talk to me. It's me. What's going on?"

There was a soft click and the door cracked open. There was embarrassment written all over her face, along with the kind of discomfort she didn't quite know how to explain.

Then she looked past Killian toward Sparrow and gave him a sharp, meaningful stare that told him to beat it.

Sparrow immediately got the message and raised both hands. "Yep. Understood. I was never here."

He backed away down the hallway like he was escaping a crime scene, and the bathroom door opened wide enough for Killian to slip inside and shut it quietly behind him.

The bathroom looked like a tiny tornado had passed through. Cupboard doors beneath the sink were hanging open. One drawer had been yanked halfway out. A packet of cotton swabs had exploded onto the floor. There was a hand towel crumpled near the bathmat.

She'd been looking for something.

Killian looked at Dove, who was standing there in oversized sleep shorts and one of his old One Direction tees, arms folded tightly over her stomach like she was trying to hold herself together.