Hook’sCovenAdventures- Only One 6/16
Sum’: Once again trouble fall upon the peaceful coven, spreading its darkness on each Hook. Only this time only one will remain and with the help of the Savior, will decide the fate of the rest of their secret family…
Also on AO3
Prev on tbl: ch1/ch2/ch3/ch4/ch5/ch6
Note: Some DadyCharming feels planned, and well a terrible ending...*fly away*
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Everyone had been trying to reach her for the rest of the day, but they didn’t know her phone was still scattered on the floor while she was sitting on the bed, her leg folded against her as she hugged herself. Every now and then, she could hear Killian’s voice, and each time she thought back to what Whale had told her and she cursed herself more than the crazy bitches that had first harmed Killian.
When David entered her room followed by Whale, she didn't bother to move, closing her eyes and curling up on herself a bit more. Whale whispered some words to David before leaving them alone.
They stayed still until David heard for the first time the sound of his mate’s piercing voice. A shiver ran down his spine looking at his little princess, who was shivering as well. Taking a deep breath, David walked closer and slowly rested an arm around Emma’s shoulder, staying like that until she allowed him to fully embrace her in his strong arms and hold her tight while her own love couldn’t.
Later, both of them were lying on the bed, David resting higher than her so she could use him as some sort of pillow while he was stroking her arm and head. By the time Emma found her way to sleep, David was still awake, making sure she was okay. But what really stopped him from drifting off was the thought of all that pain, how hard it was for her to continue and fight. From what she had decided to share with him earlier, she clearly hated herself for what was happening in the room next to theirs. But it wasn’t her fault; David refused to let her believe so. Killian’s condition wasn’t because of them...or was it? Perhaps they were all guilty. Each yelp or pleading making its way to the small room only stabbed David’s guilt harder. If he had been with them sooner, if he had stayed with his daughter all along, if he had done anything...If his best friend was dying next time?
All those “ifs” fuelling the fire, the pain, the burden on their shoulders, the stab in their hearts and guilt.
Thus, hearing his son-in-law pleading in agony was dreadful. David didn't even know how Emma had made it so far, knowing she was all on her own during those terrible hours. He had only been inside her room since the evening and he was sure he would have nightmares plaguing his nights for the rest of the week, if not month.
Being thoughtful, David had brought a pair of earplugs in case they were needed and was going to use them until he realized his daughter, who was still shaking in his arms, needed them more than him if she was supposed to be well-rested by the morning to save her husband. So he delicately put them inside her ears, relieved to see the tremors begin to leave her in peace.
Between each moment of silence he was granted, David had been dozing, but he never fully closed his eyes and his old body started to grumble at the thin mattress and with every little movement he was making. When Emma stirred awake, he let out a deep sigh, the idea of finally going to bed invading his mind. Emma slowly rose, rubbing her eyes. For a few minutes she looked blissfully innocent of the present, her brain not remembering all the awful things that had happened. David gave her a warm smile before hugging her, to her surprise. Of course, the pirate chose that moment to use his raspy voice and David couldn’t suppress his reflex. He quickly covered Emma’s ears, even though there was a chance she wouldn’t hear him with the earplugs anyway. She shook her head, trying to escape his embrace, but he held her tight until Killian was done.
“Dad? What’s going on?” she urged, quickly getting rid of the newly discovered earplugs.
“It’s okay...J-just your old father protecting you as if you were still a little girl,” chuckled David. He was really being an idiot, thinking she wouldn’t understand the situation.
“Wha- I, no! It’s all good, Dad! I just, is this about Killian? Is he okay??” she suddenly realized, her heart beating fast in her chest at the thought of Killian being hurt while she slept.
“Yeah, yeah he...he is. I mean, he’s clearly not okay but he will be. I, arf I’m sorry Emma, I guess I’m just being tired,” added David, his thoughts clouded by the lack of sleep.
Emma stared at him before jumping into his arms and hugging him close. To hell with the “I’m a grown-up woman; I can take care of myself” talk. He had stayed all night with her even though he didn’t have to. That alone was already too much from him. David kissed the top of her head before a yawn escaped him.
“Alright, Papa-bear! I’m taking things back in hand….and thank you. Thank you so much for staying. You shouldn’t have to-”
“Oh no no! I’m not leaving you alone! I left you alone far too much already and I-”
“I swear, Dad! It’s going to be okay now. I’m ready to use Regina’s spell and heal him. It’ll be over in a few hours. Trust me.”
David looked at her, unsure of what to do. She smiled at him and he nodded before slowly getting up from the bed and moving toward the door.
“You sure you’ll be alright, Emma?” David asked, facing her again.
“Yeah. I’ll keep you updated!” she reassured him. She waved her hand to make her phone appear in her hand, back in one piece, making her father laugh. There was no other place where you could just flicker and poof yourself a new phone in hand.
Once David had left, Emma took steady breaths. She was going to make it work. She had to. She owed it to Killian. Emma jumped a little on the spot to rouse herself before heading straight to Killian’s chamber without looking back.
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Whale had told her that they were going to let her know when she was allowed back inside Killian’s room. However, the wait was too long for Emma’s taste and she was ready now, not whenever Whale would feel the need to visit. After checking for any lurking nurse in the nearest corridors and finding no one, Emma opened Killian’s door, biting her lower lip as she remembered her younger days when she used to sneak inside stores. Well, old habits die hard.
Once again, she winced at her own stubbornness. Whale did have good reason not to let her in just like that: Killian’s appearance was anything but appealing. The shadows under his eyes looked deeper with the white light above his bed, the remnants of drool all over his chin and neck glimmered under the light each time he gasped or his head lolled on his pillow. And it was the slight shivering ever present that made her realize they had attached his forearms to the security bars on both sides of the bed. Limited in movement, it was certain Killian wouldn’t be able to hurt himself, but it also put a constant strain on him.
Emma stood still next to his bed, simply looking at him. As if the scene wasn’t already enough to shatter her courage, he was currently trying to breathe correctly between two coughing fits. Hadn't they taken care of that? It wasn’t normal to cough that much; even less with a loose cough like he had. How could they leave him alone in that room when he could choke himself so easily? Machines were here for that, she knew it, but she wished someone was constantly by his side. She wished she could be.
She unconsciously took a step closer to him, and to her surprise, his body responded to her presence, almost stopping completely from shaking for her sake. It was like he knew it was her standing beside his bed. Emma was so lost in the reasons for his change of attitude that she didn’t hear him when he started whimpering her name. When she did, though, she immediately took a step back, her first reaction after the heavy warning from Whale not to disturb him.
Killian’s hand tightened before starting to feel around in order to find hers, his eyes moving under his eyelids. The motion sent a wave of panic through Emma, though her heart broke at the sight of his body trying to reach for her even in his unconscious state. So she ran outside in tears, closing the door after herself, sliding along the wall while she tried to master her sudden emotional outburst. Maybe she wasn’t ready to face and heal Killian right now, after all.
Emma came back later, once Whale actually allowed her to do so, after giving her a hard look. She might have not been as successful as she used to be at sneaking in and out without being noticed. This time, when Emma opened the door, Killian was awake and clean, his gaze focused on the open window, the spring breeze bringing a warm and floral scent into the room. She waited a moment, studying him, before making her presence known. He turned his head toward the newcomer but did not react to her, preferring to bring his attention back to the view of the outside world. And it hurt. It hurt Emma so much to see him so indifferent to her that she started to wonder: how was she supposed to save the man she loves when he wasn't even fully himself? Emma sighed and thought about leaving in order to come back later; with a bit more luck he would be less lost in the clouds. But then Killian gasped and started to frown while still looking at the windows.
“E...Emma?” he asked tentatively, slowly turning back so he was facing her.
“Yeah. It’s me, Killian. Do you remember me?” she asked with a soft smile on her lips. Do you recognize your own wife, she continued in her head, even if it was a selfish move from her. She knew he wasn’t alright and it wasn’t his fault to be that lost.
Killian closed his eyes and repeated,
“Emma…”
She started to think their conversation was over when he didn’t move anymore for the next three minutes, but he frowned noticeably a second later. At first, Emma thought he was in pain again, but then he opened his eyes and it was like he was looking right through her soul.
“Swan! I-God, Swan I- Aaaah!” Killian yelped, his hand trying to reach his head in order to hold it, but the straps around his arms prevented the move. Instead, he shook his head until the pain faded away enough to speak again.
“Swan, I’m-I’m sorry! Sorry! I-” His sentence was once again cut short.
Emma didn’t dare to answer him in fear of distorting what was happening. And she couldn’t help but be terrorized by his behavior. She wasn’t sure of what had just happened ever since the minute he had first opened his eyes, or if he was going to stay that close to himself for long. But everything was telling her he was fighting against whatever force afflicted him in order to remain conscious and be in control of his thoughts. For her. A few labored breaths later, he seemed to have settled back, resting his head on the pillow while he cracked open his eyes, clearly exhausted and looking at her with a small, sad smile tugging the corners of his lips.
“I’m...sorry, love….it’s my-”
“Not it’s not.” She stopped him without thinking much about what he wanted to say in the first place. It wasn’t his fault and she needed to make that clear.
Her stern voice cut into his apologies and they just stared at each other for what felt like an hour. Damn it, Em’, it’s now or never. She shook herself.
“Alright, Killian. You just stay put. I’m putting an end to all that craziness…” she started.
“I...wha-what?” he asked, visibly troubled by the change in her demeanor.
“I’m healing you from that- that ‘voice-pain’ or whatever it’s called. And it’s not up for discussion,” she told him firmly, convincing herself a little more at the same time. It was almost over and she wasn’t going to let everything turn to nothing by leaving enough time for his mind to go back to the fucked-up state. “Now stay put!”
“No, Emma, wait!” he screamed, his whole body tensing, tugging at his restraints.
But it wasn’t panic, or anything like the other reaction he’d had after something triggered a memory. It felt like Killian for once. A scared Killian, yes, but it was truly him talking. Not the craziness taking the lead. So Emma halted in her tracks and frowned at him, waiting for more details, more precision before doing anything reckless.
“Not here...” he whispered. “Y-you can but...n-not here,” mumbled Killian as if every word he was saying was stabbing him from the inside.
Emma looked at him with a pained face but ended up shaking her head: this was just a trick to win more time by whatever curse was in his mind. She had to use her magic, and right now. Her arms aimed straight for his head, though her left arm passed close by his right hand and it was enough for Killian to grab her wrist despite the limited amount of liberty the restraints allowed him. Emma froze, disconcerted by how strong his grip was after so many hours lying in a bed and being wracked by tremors.
“Not here! Please, not Here!” he whined, his eyes watering.
“Killian, let me go!” retorted Emma, trying to loosen his grip on her wrist.
“Nononono! Not here-Not Here! Can’t-can’t do it here- n-not- not HERE!”
Killian was back to the frantic state with tremors coursing through his body, and it was clear he was trying to fight back the panic, but it was useless: soon, his eyes rolled backward as he started having a seizure. Emma couldn’t understood why he was so adamant about not being healed here in this very room, implying that anywhere else would be just fine. In addition to that, she was completely lost regarding how to handle Killian’s seizure, but she was not going to lose him now. With her free hand, she smashed the emergency call button, thankfully not having to wait too long before a nurse came in. The sourpuss woman took a quick look at the situation before she walked quickly to the table next to the bed while Emma looked at her with disbelief. Wasn’t she seeing that her husband was going into cardiac arrest!? Wait, what cardiac arrest?? Emma realized. Oh my God.
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Good thing the next chapter is out Tuesday evening right?
Tagging the Cocnuts (tell me if you want to be add/remove):
@hollyethecurious - @sherlockianwhovian - @killian-whump - @lillpon - @jennjenn615 - @wyntereyez - @hookaroo - @killianjonesownsmyheart1 - @spartanguard - @kmomof4 - @ashley-knightingale - @artistic-writer - @facesiousbutton82 - @teamhook - @therooksshiningknight
