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Angry tears pricked behind Emma's eyes. She just kept reliving those five awful minutes when she showed her true colors to her family. Her mind replayed the explosion of the lights, the lightpost falling toward Killian and her father. She could practically feel the crackle of untamed magic in her hands. They still tingled slightly, but Emma felt mostly in control of her powers now.
The worst part of this whole thing was her family's reaction. Mary Margaret had snapped. Her husband had been injured. She had probably been thanking her lucky stars that Emma hadn't watched Neal that afternoon. It wouldn't surprise Emma if she was kept from her brother for a long while.
Killian referring to the Snow Queen as a monster had nearly undone Emma. He was evaluating the situation and decided that was the label for the perpetrator. He called his own girlfriend a monster. Then she nearly crushed him with that post. It would've been a much worse injury for him than it was for David. The idea of harming either of them made Emma sick. She had been so worried about Killian being taken from her that she didn't consider that she might be the one to cause that. An image of Killian lying broken and bloodied on the pavement flashed in her mine. Emma threw open her car door and leaned out toward the ground. She vomited up the little she had eaten that morning. She swished and spit out some water from a bottle she found in her car. The sour taste wouldn't leave though.
Just as she had assembled this family and begun to rely on it, they were being yanked from her. It was like being in foster care all over again. As soon as she would get comfortable it was time to move again.
Emma's phone chirped. It had been going off intermittently for the past three hours. There were text messages from her parents, Killian, and Henry. David let Emma know that he wasn't injured too badly and that he didn't blame her for what happened. Mary Margaret's message was an apology for snapping. Emma was grateful that it was a text not a voicemail. Hearing Mary Margaret cry would set off her tears again. Henry hadn't been present for Emma's magic show, but he begged her to come home. He also said that his mother could help train her again. Emma briefly wondered if he had actually asked Regina or just assumed she would help.
Killian's text had been the first one Emma received that made her cry. It was much shorter than the other ones, but Emma attributed that to his lack of phone skills. It was also the only one he had sent.
Nothing has changed for me, Swan. Be safe until you're ready to come home.
Even in this he was giving her the space she needed. He understood that she needed time to sort everything out. It scared Emma sometimes how well he could read her.
Emma checked her phone to see who the newest text was from. It was from Killian.
Don't be alarmed. You don't have to answer. I merely want to leave you a voice message.
Emma frowned at the screen. Her phone lit up not long after she finished reading the message. Killian's smiling face appeared on the screen. Emma wasn't ready to talk to him so she let it go to voicemail. The wait was interminable. Just when Emma thought maybe he hadn't left her a message, her phone told her that there was a voicemail waiting for her.
Her fingers flew over the screen to play the message. Emma might not have wanted to talk to Killian, but she desperately wanted to hear his voice.
Emma played the message once, twice, three times in succession. His words were exactly what she needed to hear. He didn't pressure her, but he proved that he got her. His feelings hadn't changed. Emma wasn't ready to go home just yet, but she was a hell of a lot closer to feeling like she could.
The Snow Queen said only one thing that Emma agreed with. It was that you couldn't love somebody that you didn't understand. Luckily for her, she and Killian had that in spades.
Killian watched as Mary Margaret and David held each other. That look of steely resolve was something Emma had most assuredly inherited from her parents. He missed her fiercely right now. She wasn't only physically away from him. Killian knew that this incident would make Emma emotionally distant as well. It wouldn't surprise him if she held him at an arm's length; never let him get close to her again. All because she thought she would hurt him.
He had thought the worst thing he ever felt was when she was torn away from him. Then she forgot him. After that she didn't trust him because he kept information from her about Zelena and the kiss. He truly felt like that was the lowest that he could ever feel. This though, was the new benchmark for how bad things could get. There was literally nothing he could do to fix the situation. He had to wait for Emma to deal with things in her own time. The only thing he could do was let her know that he would be there when she got back.
Killian snuck out the front door to make a phone call. He sat on the stairs for some privacy. He just wanted Emma to know how he felt. She hadn't answered his previous attempt to call her so he sent a text first. It would upset her less if he took the pressure of answering off of her. He pressed the "Emma" button on his phone and waited through the trilling noise. Killian smiled slightly when he heard her voice, even if it was telling him she wasn't available.
"Swan. It's okay if you need time, truly. I understand that urge. Once just after Milah died, I almost beat a man to death. I was so consumed with rage and darkness in those days and let it take over. It terrified me that I was capable of that. I locked myself in my cabin for days. I can't imagine how much worse that feeling must be when it was someone you cared for that got hurt." Killian paused to take a breath. "I've seen what you can do, Swan. You've only used your magic to save people, to help them. What happened was an accident, and it doesn't make me afraid of you or any less in - well you know. I'll be here when you return, Emma. If you need assistance, don't hesitate to contact me. You're it for me; I'm not going anywhere."
Killian ended the call. He stared at his boots, wondering if he had done the right thing. It was so hard to stay where he was and give Emma the time she needed. All he wanted was to hold her.
It was a compromise to listen to her voice. Killian fiddled with the buttons on his phone. He finally remembered how to pull up his own voicemail box. There weren't many messages in it, but he played through them all. There were only four, but each one made him feel a little better.
The smile was evident in Emma's voice when she called him. The first was to teach him how to use voicemail. It was just Emma explaining how you could leave recordings for people when they didn't answer the phone. The 'see you soon' at the end made his heart clench. He hoped that was true this time as well.
The second message asked him to pick up coffee for her on his way to see her. It lasted less than fifteen seconds, but it still made Killian smile. The third one was Emma huffing into the phone about how late he was to check in for patrolling. He could tell it was concern, not anger, that was motivating the call. Emma cut off midsentence to yell at him in real life. He had walked up as she was leaving the message.
The fourth message was the best one, but also the hardest one to listen to. Emma had left if while Killian was getting his hand back from the Crocodile. She sounded so hesitant, which was very unlike Emma. All she wanted was to ask how she should dress for their date. She then told Killian to call her back with an answer. The message ended with Emma telling him that she was really looking forward to their date.
Killian sighed as he set down the phone. It lit up almost as soon as it touched the step. Killian's heart soared as he realized it was a text from Emma.
Thank you, Killian. I'll let you know when I'm ready to come home.
The 'when' in Emma's message loosened some of the pressure in Killian's chest. A small part of him feared that Emma would never return. It was so comforting to read that she planned to come back.
The door to the loft opened. Killian turned toward the noise and saw Mary Margaret approaching him. She moved to sit down on the steps too. Killian shifted over to make room for her. It threw him slightly off balance when Mary Margaret wrapped her arms around him.
"Your husband is inside, you know," Killian quipped, falling back on humor to carry him through awkward situations.
Mary Margaret laughed. "Emma's okay."
She held up the phone to display the message she had received.
I'm sorry. I just need time. Take care of my guys for me.
"That she is," Killian said.
Mary Margaret looked over the pirate. He could feel her assessing every inch of him from his expression to his posture. It was unnerving, though it reminded Killian that this woman was a ruler in her former realm.
"I know you had something to do with this." Mary Margaret hesitated. "I heard you talking out here. I mean, I didn't hear what you were saying or anything. I didn't eavesdrop, but I know you were sitting her on the phone then ten minutes later Emma is making contact with us. So thank you."
Killian fixed his gaze on the wall. He was unaccustomed to this kind of behavior from Mary Margaret and wasn't sure how to handle it.
"It was nothing," he told her dismissively.
Mary Margaret stood up next to him. "Well, I'm making dinner. You should stay and join us."
Killian nodded. Mary Margaret squeezed his shoulder before she left his side. His eyes met hers as he looked up.
"I won't give up on her," he whispered.
Mary Margaret smiled softly. "Even David knows that."
Killian let out a breath that might've been a laugh under better circumstances. He followed Mary Margaret into the apartment and joined the family for dinner. In the back of his mind, Killian fervently hoped Emma would be at his side the next time he dined with the Charmings.