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Killian tried not to let his irritation show. He wanted to be on the front line fighting next to Emma. Instead he was being relegated to the task of babysitter.
Again.
At least keeping Henry safe from the Wicked Witch had seemed like a great and noble task. Killian was deemed a strong enough protector that Emma trusted her son's safety with him. Watching over Elsa to protect her from the likes of Leroy and Granny? Not so much. If things continued in this fashion soon he would become the nanny for Neal while Mary Margaret ran the town.
This role was particularly frustrating because he'd spent the last three hundred years running toward danger. He sailed through the biggest storms, provoked the most terrible foes, and made enemies on every shore. Emma's request not only kept him from fighting, but it also forced him to actively stay away from danger.
Killian noticed David and Mary Margaret discussing something softly. The prince left shortly, dropping a quick kiss on the foreheads of his wife and son. Their relationship was what Killian wanted to use as a blueprint for his with Emma. The Charmings were partners in all things. On Neverland, Killian admired how they had each other's back and fought together, trusting in the other person's strength implicitly. They still had rough patches, but for the most part they worked as an efficient machine.
Mary Margaret's talking device chimed. She pulled it out of her pocket and checked it, cradling Neal with her other hand. She read something on the screen that made her smile then returned the object to her pocket.
"David's going with Emma. She's not happy, but at least she has backup," Mary Margaret said. Her attention was on Neal, but Killian could tell that he was the intended recipient of that message.
"Well then maybe she'll live to save us another day," Regina snarked from where she was examining Marian.
Killian made his decision then. He would go his own way to find the person that had frozen Marian. He figured the more working to solve the problem, the quicker things would go. In the worst case scenario he would merely contact her with his talking device. All he had to do was press the green button on it to talk with Emma. It summoned her if he pressed the button first and answered her summons if the device made noise. He'd taken to calling it the "Emma" button because it was green like her eyes and no matter what it would put her in contact with him. It was like magic. For all Killian understood of her explanation of how it worked, the item was the realm's version of magical.
Killian put his hand on Elsa's back and gently nudged her toward the door. "We should go."
They were nearly out the door when Regina yelled for them to wait. She had Robin's knife in her hand and was using it to cut a piece of Marian's hair. Regina handed the length of frosted hair to Elsa.
"You melted part of your ice wall, right? It's possible you're able to undo this spell too. Use this to practice undoing while you're held up at the sheriff's station."
Killian winced, knowing then what his best course of action would be. The Crocodile would be the best person to identify the practitioner of ice magic.
The trick would be getting him to do it.
Emma plowed her hand through her hair. She didn't need to run into a dead end this early on in her investigation. Will Scarlet, a thief that hadn't possessed even half of Emma's skill, had escaped arrest. The Dairy Queen, Emma's uncharitable and snarky nickname for the ice sorceress, was still out and around Storybrooke without leaving a trace of her whereabouts.
She charged toward Granny's, nearly leaving David in the dust. Emma ignored his attempts to call after her. Her hand rested on the handle of the door, when David threw his body against the door to keep it closed.
David panted slightly. "You left your phone. Killian called."
Emma snatched the phone from David's hand. She looked at the display and saw that there was a voicemail. She put the phone on speaker so David could hear as well.
At first Emma was annoyed, thinking that Killian was merely bored. Her heart stuttered to a stop when she heard that he'd found the ice sorceress though. Emma ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She tried to be more mindful of logs and other obstacles, but most of her brain was devoted to being absolutely terrified for Killian. This was the exact situation she was trying to avoid. Her mind kept tripping over the same phrase.
Not. Him.
Not. Him.
It repeated over and over again in an endless refrain. It was like a command and a plea rolled into one. Those two words propelled Emma to run faster. She slid to a stop in front of Killian and the others. She didn't notice David had kept up with her until she nearly knocked him over.
Emma's anger was tempered by confusion when the ice sorceress called her name. She couldn't figure out how they might know each other. As soon as the woman challenged her Emma remembered that the woman had been in the middle of threatening her Killian.
That was unacceptable.
Emma hoped that her magic didn't fail her. Killian's life was on the line. She thought about him and channeled her need for him to be safe. Protecting him was as natural as breathing to her. Her magic struck true and knocked the other woman flat on her ass.
Emma watched as David tried to release Killian from his ice restraints. It seemed like he was more likely to gouge a hole in his ankle than free him. Emma wasn't sure she could help melt the ice or that her magic wouldn't make the situation worse.
Then she saw the icicles descend. They'd gore Killian and David in a heartbeat.
Emma flung out her arms, hoping that she would help rather than harm. Both men were safe. The adrenaline that had been fueling Emma died out. It left her feeling weak and shaky. It was hard to focus on finding a trail. Her thoughts volleyed between being upset about Killian's brush with death and the ice sorceress knowing her name.
She wasn't sure how to handle all of her confusion and relief so she ended up yelling at Killian. As soon as she was done, she felt the guilt creep in. It occurred to her, she would've done the exact same thing he did.
It took a few moments for Emma to realize how dangerous things were for her in that moment.
She was standing in the middle of the road, completely distracted by Killian's mouth. A semi-truck could barrel down the street, and she wouldn't notice until it had run them both over.
Emma pulled back slightly, separating their mouths. "We should move."
Killian took that as an instruction to trail his mouth across her jawline and down her neck. Emma smiled in spite of herself. She allowed him to continue for a few moments, enjoying every second.
Emma put her hands on his arms and gently removed herself from his embrace. "We really should pick a different spot to stand."
Killian smiled wickedly. "So this is a comma, not a full stop?"
Emma's pulse sped up. She was done with him flirting and her not responding in kind. It was time to stop holding herself back from doing what she wanted to do. Starting now she would touch him, kiss him, just be around him whenever she felt the urge. She'd let herself have that in the aftermath of the cave-in. It was an indulgence she allowed because she almost died. Now, she would give in to any impulse she had toward him.
Emma removed Killian's flask from his pocket and took a sip from it. "Sure and we could have that drink you offered me. I know you're fond of our table in front of Granny's, but I really don't want to be where other people are." At Killian's fallen face she quickly backpedals. "I don't want to get interrupted."
This seemed to mollify Killian. He wound a strand of blonde hair around his fingers.
"Where do you suggest? Not your place I assume."
Emma shook her head. "Too many people. Not your place either."
We'll be spending a lot of time there eventually. Emma wanted to add, but didn't want to verbalize that thought just yet.
Killian nodded, not quite understanding but willing to go along with it. "Not the woods. We don't want to run into that ice woman."
"Not the Rabbit Hole. Too crowded," Emma countered.
Killian stopped to think. Emma could pinpoint the exact moment he came up with an idea. One eyebrow shot up in invitation and a smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth.
"The beach. It's quiet, romantic, and no one will think to bother us there."
Emma kissed him quickly. "Perfect."
It usually was about a twenty minute walk to the beach from Granny's. Between Emma stealing kisses and Killian's need to hold her close it took them nearly three times as long to make it.
Then again Emma expected nothing less from a thief and a pirate.