Operation: Parent Trap - A Captain Swan Story

Part 5/7

"Are we almost there?" Liam whined, as he trudged through the woods behind his sister.

"Yeah, pretty close, I think," Ella replied.

Liam stopped dead in his tracks. "You think?"

"Yeah, it's somewhere over there," she said, gesturing wildly to her right.

"You have no idea where the cabin is, do you?"

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay, I don't, but Mom and Dad only took us there once two years ago. Do you remember where it is?"

"No, but this wasn't my plan." He sighed. "Look, it's going to be dark soon. I'm cold, I'm hungry, and my legs hurt."

Ella rolled her eyes. "Stop being such a big baby. I told you to pack a jacket and some snacks in your bag. It's not my fault you didn't listen."

"We need to stop for tonight. Pretty soon, we won't be able to see where we're going."

"That's what flashlights are for."

"I'm serious, Ella. These woods can get dangerous at night. Mom and Dad are always telling us that. We should just stop in one spot and rest."

"We can't. Mom and Dad are going to be at the cabin soon. If they don't find us there, then they'll really be worried."

"What's the plan once we get there anyway?"

She shrugged. "We're going to hide until they come. Once we're certain they're back together for good, then we're going to let them find us."

Liam sighed. "Okay, fine. Let's keep going then."

Ella nodded, then dug into her bag and pulled out his jacket and a bag of chips. "Here, I packed these for you since I knew you wouldn't."

Liam smiled and took them from her. "Thanks."

...

Killian and Emma walked through the woods toward the cabin.

Emma shook her head. "I can't believe they did this. Do you think they really ran away or is this just a continuation of their plan?"

"I think it was awfully convenient that the book was left open to that page and it was out like that. They wanted us to find it and come in search of them."

"So I guess our talk last night and their punishment didn't register."

Killian shrugged. "They're children, love. You told them we were taking things slow. Children aren't exactly known to be the most patient of creatures."

Emma stopped dead in her tracks.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"This is all my fault," she said softly.

"What? Why would you say that?"

Emma blinked back tears. "Because I was the one who wanted to take things slow. You would have moved right back in if I let you. Our kids want us to be a family again so badly that they couldn't wait and now they've put themselves in danger."

Killian cupped his wife's face with his hand. "Hey, listen to me. Don't do this to yourself. This isn't your doing. You were right to want to take things slow. They're children, but they know right from wrong. They may have had good intentions, but they know better than to worry us like this."

Emma nodded. "You're right."

"They're going to be fine. You'll see. Our children are nothing if not smart and brave. They take after their mother."