The Hotel

Chapter 24

Emma got out of the car and the scent of smoke was in the air. The sick crackling sound of the flames was heard. More tears streamed down her face. Fire fighters rushed around her, bringing hoses and dousing the flames with water. She couldn't believe her eyes. Her beautiful hotel. Her five star hotel was now bursting into flames. All the memories she had created here were now gone. Where her and Killian first met, where they had slept together for the first time, where they moved in together, where they celebrated countless holidays and birthdays together. Emma wanted to raise their daughter and hopefully more children here, and now, it would never happen.

"Swan!" Killian hollered over the sounds of the sirens. "I'm going to move the car! Stay there or get in!" She nodded and he moved away from the burning building. He ran back to her and backed her away and onto the sidewalk where other people had been gathered. She cried in his chest. "Shh, love. It's alright."

"Is it though? My hard work is gone! This place had so many memories, Killian, and now it's gone!" Emma cried.

"Emma, you have to calm down. The stress isn't good for the baby. Just relax, okay?"

She nodded and turned away from the building and took deep breaths. "We've lost it all."

"No we didn't. We still have each other."

Emma nodded again and they stood there, watching the firefighters douse the rest of the flames. Once the crowd had dispersed and the firefighters had stopped flowing the water, Killian and Emma went up to them, and found the chief. He wore the standard fireman suit. He had a yellow hard hat on, but his oxygen tank had been taken off. She wiped her tears and Killian tapped the chief on the shoulder.

"I'm Emma Swan. The owner of the building. What happened here?" She asked. Killian squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Not sure yet, Miss Swan. We will conduct an investigation in the morning. The building is deemed unsafe, so don't go near it. Wouldn't want an expecting mother and father hurt. Can I have a phone number to contact on you tomorrow?" He asked and handed her a pen and paper.

Emma nodded and wrote her name and phone number down. Killian took her to the car and she collapsed onto the seat in another burst of tears. She placed her hands over her face, hiding it from him. He leaned over in the seat and brought her in his arms and let her cry on his shoulder. "I know, love. I do."

"We have nowhere to stay." She cried in between sobs.

"I'll get us a room at the Motel 6 down the road. You can stay there while I run to the store and pick up some necessities." She nodded and pulled away. Killian wiped her tears away and gave her a small smile. "We can go to the insurance company first thing in the morning and get some money for everything lost to the fire, okay?" She nodded again and they drove off. He checked them into a room and led them to it. Emma fell onto the bed and Killian took his tie off. "I'll be right back. Stay here, okay?" He kissed her forehead and left the room.

Emma's phone rang and she picked it up, seeing Mary Margaret's name on the screen. She slid the button over and held the phone to her ear. "Hey."

"Hey? That's all you can say? Emma, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just a little shaken up. I mean, my hotel just burned to the ground and a lot of people just lost their jobs, so yeah. I'm completely fine!"

"Relax, Emma. Where's Killian?"

"Store. He's picking up food, soap, and clothes hopefully."

"Okay, well I'm going to give him a ring. Just take it easy, okay?"

"I will." Emma hung up and fell back onto the bed. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

When she woke up the next morning, she had hoped that it was all just one sick, twisted nightmare, but it wasn't. Life had been too cruel. She looked down and she was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. The room smelled of coffee. She looked over but didn't lift her head from the pillow. Killian was leaning against the wall with his phone in hand as he sipped at some coffee. She groaned as she moved the blanket up over her head.

"Love, the fire chief called. He said that it was an electrical fire. The wires sparked and caught something on fire. But, nobody got hurt."

"He lied. I did."

He heard him put his mug down, but his footsteps were silenced by the carpet. But, she felt his hand slip under the blanket and skim up her back. "We're going to make it through this, okay? Now, how about that bubble bath that I promised you last night?"

Emma peaked her head up out of the covers, making him chuckle. "Did you get wine?"

He laughed. "Aye, I did. Picked it up before you woke up."

"What time is it?"

"Just after noon. Come on, let's go." He pulled her up and dragged her to the bathroom. He grabbed the soaps and the bottle of wine and shut the door behind him.

After they shared a bath, Emma and Killian went to the insurance company and got the claim. It was more than enough of what they needed. Emma and Killian decided to use the money to buy land and build another hotel. Only, this time, both of their names would be written down. They both would own it. It was going to be smaller, but, they knew that as soon as their daughter was born, they wouldn't have as much time on their hands as before.

Killian did it because he knew it would make Emma happy, and that's all he wanted. To see that smile on her face was more than satisfying for him. Of course, with The Swan burning down, it would make Emma feel empty. She had grown used to getting up early every morning and having her hands full with her work, but, while their new motel was being built, it would give her time to relax. Time that she desperately would need.