The Truth of the Matter

Rescue

A/N: Related to the gif. Pretend she's thinner, ripped clothes, and he's in police uniform. No hook. Also, the setting is a dark room.

Killian Present

We'd found her. After three weeks of grueling searches, we'd found their location. I was relieved, but I didn't know what to expect when we got there. Would she be alive? Was she dead? I had to stop myself from going there.
"Alright guys. You know we've found out where they're hiding. Now, it's time we get Officer Swan back," David declares loudly from the podium.
A series of yeses echo around the room. Though she was new, she was well-liked and no one wanted to see her hurt.
To me, she was my everything. And as much as it scared me to admit it, it was true. She was a light in my life that kept burning stronger and stronger each day, reminding me that no matter what happens, love is stronger than fear.
We gather into our groups and head down to the abandoned warehouse. I was with David, Robin, Jeff, and Will.
At first, David wasn't going to let me go, it was against policy since I was more personally involved with her. At least my feelings were anyway. But I finally managed to get him agree. I wasn't going to be left behind when they found her.
When we got to the building, it was eerily silent. We quietly shut our doors and moved closer to the building. There was no one in sight and it put us on edge. We split up into groups of five and surrounded the building, waiting for David's signal.
"Now," he says into the earpieces and we enter.
We're met with dead silence.
Everywhere we look, there's nothing.
Was this even the right place?
We continue deeper into the warehouse and it was clear people were here. Guns and drugs were left carelessly on tables.
I looked to David and he was thinking the same thing.
They knew we were coming.
Gunshots ring out from the opposite side of the warehouse and we quickly find cover. It stays silent on our side so we continue on. Fighting erupts around us, but no one ever reveals themselves to us.
We pass several doors, checking each as we go. They were all dark, but no one was ever in them. The last door we see is guarded by several men. Sounds echo from our right and several of our guys make their way over.
"All clear elsewhere. We got Gold," one officer says.
"Good. Take him back to the station, along with any others. Everyone else, with me," David says softly to avoid being overheard.
We move silently and start taking out some of the guards. That's when chaos ensues. It's a full on fight. Guns are ignored as hand to hand combat becomes easiest. David and I manage to get to the door and are met with an angry Neal. We fight for several minutes before knocking him out.
We look at each other before opening the door. Dried blood was in splotches all over the floor and it smelled bloody awful. A mattress lay on the ground, a horrible excuse for a sheet bundled around it. As we continued to look around the room, I noticed a figure laying in a corner, chains around it. Longish hair pooled around their body. I couldn't tell what color it was because it was so dark and dirty. I had a sinking feeling I knew who this was.
"Emma?" I ask nervously.
The figure shifts slightly and I move closer. David follows.
I make it over and gently place my hand on their arm. It was freezing. I move the hair out of their face and almost break then and there. My poor Swan. What had they done to her?
"Find the keys. Neal probably has them," I tell David. I can tell he wants to argue, but goes to find the keys anyway.
"Found them," he says, moments later as he walks back in.
I quickly undo the chains. I take off my jacket lay over her. Her clothes were ripped and she was shivering. I gently pick her up and follow David out. I don't remember her ever being this light. I was scared, she was so weak. She had to live. She just had to.
She stirs slightly in my arms.
"Emma?" I ask softly, looking down at her face. She was still beautiful, despite everything she's been through.
"Killian," she mutters weakly.
"I'm here, Emma. I'll always be here," I coo lovingly.
Her emerald green eyes flicker open slightly, though they'd been dulled by her experiences.
"You came back."
Her voice was raspy, but it was still her. I gently kissed her forehead and she turned her head into my chest, seeking comfort.
"You're alright now, Emma. No one will hurt you again," I vow.
"You didn't abandon me."
The last words she said before darkness overtook her.
Those words broke me.
Tears poured down my cheeks and I wasn't ashamed. She deserved so much more than what life has given her. No one understands her, but to me, she is an open book. And those words meant everything to me.