Loose ｡ Henry Mills [2]

29 - SIPHONER OF SOULS

　
Storybrooke, Maine
Present Day
　

Calista had always preferred the spring. She enjoyed watching the delicate petals of the flowers from her village spread and the world around her blossom with life after being drenched with blankets of snow from harsh winters. But there had always been a part of her heart that adored autumn. The colours alone were a dream. Brown, red, orange, yellow, all so beautiful and memorizing. She could stare all day long.

"Isn't it beautiful, love?" she asked, her questioned aimed at her husband with whom she walked arm in arm through the park of Storybrooke, Maine.

"It is a sight," Kit agreed, lifting his head to look upon nature around them. "Though, not as beautiful as you."

Calista's cheeks flushed a delicate pink, resembling that of a blooming rose her husband had given her so long ago. So many times, he had presented her with a rose, and she had kept them all, even after they withered away. Clearing her throat, she looked away. "My brother thinks we should not stay here."

"I think the same," Kit said, causing her head to snap toward him in surprise.

"You do?" Calista frowned. "Why?"

Kit came to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk. He glanced around them before spotting a park bench, which he lead her toward. As they sat down, he took her hand and sighed. "There is magic here, Calista. You know better than anyone what that means. We cannot stay here, it is not safe."

"Teresa and Henry saved us," Calista reminded her husband. "They could have left us out there, left me there to bleed out, but they didn't. Their healer treated my wound, and they gave us beds at their Inn, how much more kindness must they show us to win over your heart?" She squeezed his hand. "I know you're worried about what the Evil Queen might do with her magic, and you have every right to be weary of magic. But I promise you, love, we are safe here."

"You wish to stay." There was sadness in his voice, for he had hoped their stay wouldn't last very long. He wanted to go back to their realm. To the place they belonged.

Calista pulled her hand away with a nod. "I do."

Kit exhaled through his nostrils, his heart melting, eyes bleeding with love. All he has ever wanted was for his wife to be happy, to feel safe, and if that is how she felt in Storybrooke, then so be it. He was willing to set aside how he felt if it meant she would be happy. "Then we shall stay."

Her eyes widened and a smile spread on her face. "What?"

"I wish to never part from you, Calista," Kit began, taking her hands and raising them to his lips, kissing the whites of her knuckles. "If you wish to make this place our home, then we will make it our home. I will speak with Soren and make arrangements."

She grinned and wrapped her arms around her husband. "Thank you, Kit! You do not know how happy this makes me." Drawing back, Calista kept her arms looped loosely around his neck while staring adoringly into his dark eyes. "All I have ever wanted was to stop running from one place to another. In Storybrooke, we don't have to run anymore. We can finally breathe. We can finally be happy."

Kit lifted his hand to brush away the tear that trickled down her cheek, before leaning his forehead against her own. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you," Calista echoed, before leaning in for a kiss. She untangled her arms from around his neck to lay her head against his shoulder, and Kit smiled, wrapping an around her shoulders and drawing her in close. They stayed that way for a while, watching nature around them and admiring the beauty of this new realm, until Kit spotted a familiar platinum blonde.