Chapter Text
Dad?” It was barely a whisper, coming from his bedroom door. Killian almost convinced himself he hadn’t heard anything, it had been so quiet. And then, there it was again- more urgently. “Dad!”
This time he was sure he heard it. His eyes snapped open. A quick glance at the door, cracked open, proved him right. Ben was standing in the hallway, beckoning Killian over.
He groaned and went to the door, trying not to wake Emma. We’ve got to get a lock on these doors.
“What, lad?” Killian asked, yawning and shutting the door behind him.
“Hey, Dad. Um…” Ben was leaning against the wall, aiming to sound casual, but landing somewhere in the realm of visibly stressed instead. “So, I can’t get the car to start.”
Killian blinked. The bug had been stalling lately- Killian was convinced Emma’s magic was the only thing keeping that thing running. It was usually more of an annoyance than anything- if you waited a moment and tried again, it would start. But that was hardly the point. “And what would you be needing the car for at this hour, lad?”
“It’s just, um, my friend needs help with something, so I was just going to run over really fast, and-”
Killian held up a hand. He was far too tired to dance around the point- And Killian could tell this was a lie. “The truth,” he demanded.
Ben hesitated, hurriedly checking his phone to read the messages that had been coming through, and then nervously looking at the stairs, towards the front door. “Dad, please trust me. I just- I need the car. Can you please come start it?”
Killian furrowed his eyebrows. That part had been true. His son was not looking for a joy-ride; whatever Ben wanted the car for was serious. And, evidently, in his rush Ben had forgotten the day Emma brought the bug back from the shop and reported that while the squealing noise had been fixed, it was now taking a few tries to start- a moment Killian would not be reminding his son of just yet.
“Ben,” he began, “you know I’m not going to let you take the car, in the middle of the night, when I have no idea what’s going on.”
Ben brought his hands to his face to pinch his nose. Killian could tell his son was weighing his options. He took a long, slow breath in and out, twice, before answering. “Okay. But you have to promise to not get mad.”
“That’s reassuring, mate,” Killian said, no attempt to hide the sarcasm. “But I’ll do my best.”
“Okay. So, um… Ellie went to a party at Damian’s house-”
“-She what? She said she was going to Harper’s-”
“-And you said you wouldn’t get mad! Just listen to the whole thing first.” Ben argued. Killian wasn’t happy about it, but he let his son continue.
“She did go to Harper's. But then they left and went to Damian’s. His parents are out of town. And someone brought vodka-” Killian stiffened- “and Ellie had some. She called me to come pick her up because she doesn’t feel safe. Damian’s friends are…” He trailed off, not needing to give examples of how Damian and his friends acted, especially to Ellie. Killian was under the impression that Ellie had been staying away from that crowd lately. But no amount of reasoning had worked. In fact, Killian’s thoughts on the boy only seemed to send Ellie back into Damian’s arms even faster lately.
“Aye. I know how they are.” Killian said, irritation bubbling up in him. His daughter and the bloody crocodile’s son were in a vicious on-again off-again relationship- had been for months.
Now, he figured, they were ‘on’ again.
Killian could tell this was going to be a long night. “Okay,” he said, reaching for the doorknob. “You can go back to bed, lad. Thank you for telling me.”
“Dad? Where are you going?” Ben asked, anxiety creeping into his voice.
“Your sister is drunk in a house full of young men... and Damian. I’m going to let your mother know what’s going on, and then I’m going to get Ellie.”
Ben reached for his father’s hand, trying to stop him from waking Emma. “No, Dad. Please. I promised Ellie I wouldn’t tell. She’ll freak if you show up.”
Killian turned, placing his hand on Ben’s shoulder and looking him in the eye. He said, gently but firmly, “I’m not asking. Go back to bed. I’m glad you two trust each other, but this is something your mother and I need to handle.”
“What do we need to handle?” Emma asked from the now-open doorway. Killian and Ben had tried to whisper, but evidently had not done a very good job of keeping quiet. Emma yawned, obviously having been woken up.
“Ellie’s drunk at a party with Damian,” Killian said. No further explanation was needed for Emma to piece together the bigger picture.
“Yeah,” Ben interjected, trying to appeal to his mother now, having gotten nowhere pleading with his father. “And she asked me to pick her up. So if one of you will help me start the car-”
“No, Ben.” Killian cut him off. Ben threw up his hands and looked at Emma, a plea in his eyes. Unfortunately for him, Emma was on Killian’s side this time.
“I’m sorry kid, your dad’s right. Thank you for being someone she can trust- and for being willing to help her when she needs you- but safety comes first.”
Ben wasn’t happy about it, but he placed the car keys in his father’s open hand anyway.
---
Killian could have probably found the crocodile’s house even if he hadn’t already known where it was. The noise from the party carried over several blocks, as if it were a beacon to those searching for it.
He found her instantly. She was sitting on a curb at the end of the driveway- the spot Ben had told her to wait at when they had spoken on the phone earlier. She was alone, head dropped to her knees, hugging herself. Killian’s heart cracked a little, seeing his youngest look so defeated like that.
He got out of the car, going around to open her door for her. She did not seem happy to see him instead of Ben- which Killian expected. Instead of getting in the car, Ellie fumbled for her phone to text Ben a quick, what the hell? You sent dad?! (she got a very quick response- I’m sorry. He made me. Are you okay?- which she ignored).
“Ellie, come on. Let’s go home.” He said, reaching down to put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, and he could tell she had been crying. He wondered what Damian had done this time.
“I called Ben to pick me up,” she pointed out, annoyed.
Killian sighed. “I know. But I’m here instead. So let’s go.”
She was angry, still. But she was also desperate to leave this house, so she grumbled to her feet, and into the car. Killian closed the door behind her.
“Here love,” he said, holding out a water bottle as he slid into the seat next to her. Ellie stopped glaring out the window long enough to look at what he was offering, but made no move to take it.
“Don’t want that,” she grumbled.
Killian could feel the frustration blooming in his chest. “You do want it, lass. Trust me on this one.” But she ignored him, trying instead to buckle her seatbelt. Unfortunately for her, she found that fastening a seatbelt while drunk was even harder than texting while drunk- and she had only just gotten the hang of that. Killian watched her struggle for a moment before reaching over and buckling the seatbelt for her. He passed her the water again, this time not taking no for an answer. She took the hint, and sipped at the bottle. (She wanted to refuse the water out of spite, but she had been hungover before, and she was not looking to repeat that experience anytime soon.)
Ellie, who was drunk (not stupid), could read the irritation all over her father’s face. And for whatever reason, seeing his frustration directed at her so blatantly, after the night she’d had, was ironic. Suddenly she started laughing- a sarcastic, bitter sound that came out of her in waves. Before Killian could ask what was so funny, she spoke.
“This must be a hell of a night for you, old timer. Isn’t it past your bedtime?” The words came out harsh and sharp, hitting Killian exactly the way Ellie had meant for them to. He was startled and hurt by the venom in her voice more than her words, and he knew she could tell. Killian had to collect himself before he responded, and even then his voice came out angrier than he meant for it to be.
“I know you’re mad that I’m here, Ellie. But Ben was right to tell me. You shouldn’t have been at that party.”
Ellie laughed again, this one a sharp, scornful bark. “Yeah, okay. Whatever Dad.” He had no idea how right he was. She fixed her glare out the window again, taking comfort in how the landscape around her swirled from the alcohol, making her feel sick, but also giving her something new to focus on.
Killian, however, was not done. “Don’t ‘whatever’ me,” he started, taking note of how much he had started to sound like Emma. “You lied about where you were. And you could have gotten seriously hurt.”
“‘Seriously hurt’? I’m barely buzzed. And why do you care anyway? You’ve probably done way worse than sneak off to a party. And I know you’ve done worse than get drunk, Mr. Flask-is-always-in-my-pocket-”
“Stop talking.” Killian couldn’t believe it was his Ellie next to him. His girl had never been one to hold back what she was thinking, however blunt it may have been, but she was not purposefully cruel. Not like she had just been. Killian realized, with horror, that Ellie sounded like a younger version of himself: on the way to being stupid drunk, spitting out insults just because she could.
The rest of the ride home was quiet. And when they finally pulled into the driveway, Ellie opened her own door and walked inside. Killian got out slower, watching her, expecting to have to catch her if she stumbled (she was wearing those ridiculous shoes that made you walk on your tiptoes- surely she’d lose balance). But Ellie barely faltered as she navigated the front steps and went inside. Killian understood that this was not his daughter’s first time coming home drunk, and wondered what he had done wrong to let her turn out so much like him.
He was going to fix this.
Ellie rolled her eyes when she opened the front door, where Emma was waiting for them in the kitchen. “Great. I’m glad we’re turning this into a family reunion-slash-intervention.”
Emma shook her head reassuringly. “No, kid. I just thought maybe you’d like some warm dinner. I’d guess you’ve had quite a night.” Killian closed the door behind them, ushering their daughter to sit at the couch. Emma brought over a plate of light food and a glass of water to the coffee table, as promised.
The three sat in a tense silence (Ellie was upset, Killian was exasperated, and Emma was worried), only talking to confirm that Ellie was unharmed, and didn’t feel like she was going to throw up. They all knew they had a lot to talk about, but there was an unspoken agreement between the three that they would wait until Ellie sobered up a bit before they addressed everything that had happened.
Eventually, after Ellie finished eating, and was able to walk to the bathroom and back without stumbling, she sighed and leaned back on the couch, apparently of a more sound mind.
“Alright. Let’s get this over with.”
“Okay,” Emma started. “Do you want to tell us what you were doing at the party?
“... Damian invited me.”
“So that’s happening again, then?” Emma prodded, careful to keep her feelings about Damian out of her tone. But she and Killian shared a knowing look- neither parent approved of the boy.
Ellie, despite her parents' efforts, could tell they were both hoping for a no in response. Truthfully, right now she didn’t know what the answer was. But she had never been one to tell people what they wanted to hear- and the look her parents gave each other made her feel stupid, like everyone knew who Damian had been the entire time. So, she doubled down. “Yeah. It is”
Killian sighed. “El, I can’t understand why you waste your time with that boy.”
And that struck a nerve. Ellie bristled, taking her father’s words as an accusation “I’m not wasting my time-”
“-You know what he meant, Ellie. Do you feel like he’s treating you right? Because something obviously happened tonight, and I’m willing to bet he was involved.” Emma cut in.
Ellie didn’t have anything to add to that- at least, not that she knew how to bring up just yet. But she didn’t need to; Emma could tell by her daughter’s body language that she had touched on the truth. Both Emma and Killian waited for Ellie to speak, but they could see she was still reluctant. Killian, figuring she was probably keeping quiet trying to justify whatever Damian had done, went for a gentler approach.
“When was the last time he even took you on a proper date, love?”
Ellie opened her mouth to defend Damian, but slowly realized that Damian really hadn’t taken her out in a while. In fact, their most recent date might have been their first date- Damian wasn’t big on going out (“It just makes a scene,” he would say). Most of their dates were spent in his bedroom, with the tv turned on to whatever video game he was playing.
The realization brought her to tears. There really is nothing to defend, is there?
“What happened, love?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She said, her cheeks flushing red as the tears spilled out of her eyes.
Emma started to talk, but Killian held a hand up and gave his wife a look that said, I’ve got this. He’d seen a different side of his daughter tonight- and he hated himself for it. But maybe, he hoped, her similarities to him meant he knew exactly what to say next.
“You were right earlier. I have done way worse than go out to a party,” he began, and he could see her start to pay attention. “I’ve done some pretty awful things, actually. I’m sure you’ve figured that out by now.” He left it at that, waiting to see what she would say in response…
… And she said exactly what he had been expecting to hear. “That’s not going to work on me.” It was said with a scoff, as if Killian was making a stupid point, but he could tell she didn’t mean it. He had used that line enough times to know what it sounded like as a lie. He kept going.
“Maybe. Maybe not. I’m just trying to explain so you’ll see that we’ll understand. Whatever happened tonight, whatever choices you made, we will understand- your mother and I. You can’t have done anything worse than the things we’ve done. Sweetheart, we’re not here to judge you. But Damian is… we’re worried for your safety”
And it worked. The tears that Ellie had gotten under control started falling again, slowly at first, and then faster, harder. Between sniffles and gasps, she confessed, “I just… I don’t know what to do. I liked him, and I thought he liked me, but then…”
“And then what?” Emma started rubbing her daughter’s shoulder, a gesture she’d used to calm Ellie down since she was a baby. After several moments, Ellie had gathered herself enough to spill the awful truth of the evening, the thing that had been eating her alive since she had gone back into Damian’s house the night before.
“I found him in his room,” she started, taking deep breaths. “He was… he had a girl with him”
“Oh, honey...I’m so sorry, El.” Emma moved to hug their daughter, and Killian patted her on the back in loving circles. Ellie continued, crying harder than she had all night now- once one part of the story was out, the rest was compelled to follow in a rambling, crying mess of words.
“The worst part… was that… everyone knew! I felt so stupid! Everyone was laughing at me, and I’m just so embarrassed. And it’s hard because, when we’ve broken up in the past, we can usually fix it. But I don’t know how to make things okay this time.”
Ellie cried for a while in her parents arms, trying to take deep breaths again. But the events of the night were starting to stack up, and she was exhausted, so it took a while for her to calm down again.
Emma held her, and Killian continued squeezing her shoulders reassuringly, until she was collected enough to continue talking.
“... Do you think things have been okay up ‘til now? Because I’ve known you for quite a while, love, and I’ve seen you happy. And that isn’t what you seem to be lately.”
“I still don’t know what to do. I can’t trust him again- not after that.” Ellie’s voice was soft and very clearly wounded. “But I’m just supposed to throw the whole relationship away? …I just, I don’t know how to leave him.”
Emma furrowed her eyebrows. “Why not?”
Ellie threw her arms up in the air, exasperated, as if this was obvious. “Because isn’t that what our family does? We see the good in people. And we don’t give up on them. Right?”
Another look was exchanged between Emma and Killian. So that was why Ellie kept going back to Damian. They had taught her that true love meant finding one another and never giving up… but they had taught the lesson wrong, somehow.
Emma started talking first. “...It’s a little more complicated than that, kiddo. You stick around for the hard times in a relationship, but there’s also supposed to be good times-”
“Aye. More good than bad, I’d say.” Killian interrupted, smiling at his wife. Emma smiled back.
“The big thing is, there has to be respect and love on both sides, honey. And I don’t think Damian fits that requirement.”
Ellie’s eyes were tearful again. “Okay,” she said, her voice small and quiet. “So what do I do then?”
This time it was Emma who knew exactly what to say.
“You let him go. And you lean on your family.”
---
Later, after yawns had become a bigger issue than tears, and after Ellie was safe in bed, her phone buzzed. It was Claire, sent in the group chat.
Hey kiddo. Everything okay?
Ellie sighed, still not really feeling ‘okay,’ before answering.
Getting there. Thks for checking in.
And then Ben chimed in. He had been awake in his room, listening for his little sister’s feet on the stairs before he could fall asleep. I’m glad you’re home safe. We love you.
Ellie rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless.
Love you guys too.