The Window Left Open

Chapter One: Vesper

Storybrooke - Present

Isabel sat up in bed, and a quiet "no" fell from her lips. Her hand raised to her chest. Her heart beat as if it were trying to burst from her body. Something had sparked it to life, and Isabel just wanted it to stop. She knew the feeling. She remembered that feeling very well, but with little evidence he was actually on the ship, she didn't understand why she felt that way. As she tried to lay back down to go back to sleep, a pain grew in her heart. It physically hurt her when she tried to brush off what she knew to be the truth. He was there. He was in Storybrooke. Killian was alive, and that feeling /was/ her proof. It had to be. It was the only thing that made sense to her. Before she faked her death, she remembered feeling that same kind of flutter in her heart whenever he was getting closer. It never fully disappeared when she was in other realms. Then, when he arrived in Neverland, the fluttering almost became a dull ache. She guessed it was because he was suddenly made tangible to her again. If she had wanted, she could have touched him. Whenever she was near him on the island, the ache went away and the fluttering returned with a vengeance; sometimes making it difficult to fly away from him.

She lifted herself out of the bed. It seemed like her body was absolutely determined to have her do something completely stupid. Isabel needed to make sure it was him. She needed to make sure that he was really there. Part of her believed that the ship alone could be the cause of it, giving her heart false hope. Or, whoever was on the ship had killed him and hadn't deposited him yet. At the same time, she knew the latter couldn't be the case. True love linked their hearts. She would have felt if his suddenly stopped. Isabel always wanted to think that Killian knew in the back of his mind that she was still alive; that his turning into a ruthless pirate was only in response to his grief. He had to have known. She hoped some part of him did. Maybe it would soften the blow once he had time to process the truth.

The truth. That word scared her more than anything. Not because it wasn't time for the truth to come out yet again. Because she knew just how heartbreaking it was for him. As she ran a brush through her tangled hair, she realized that his presence in Storybrooke certainly did not mean that they were going to be a family again. He could easily deny any relation to their son. He could say their time together never really meant anything. Things could go very badly she realized. She didn't like it one bit, but maybe that was her real punishment for leaving him. Sometimes she wondered if maybe their relationship could have worked, maybe her being a fairy wasn't as big of a deal as her mother made it out to be. Maybe. Probably not. Isabel was never quite sure, but she was sure Killian would have felt lied to if he came back and she announced that she was a fairy. She didn't know many people who wouldn't feel that way. As much as she wanted him to be different. There was a chance that he hadn't been back then, and she realized that he most likely wouldn't be three hundred years later.

Before she knew it, Isabel was standing in the shadows of the old cannery. They provided just enough coverage that anyone passing by would not notice her. That's exactly what she needed. If Killian were on the ship, then she certainly was not prepared for what may happen when he saw her for the first time. For that, she would need time. She would have to choose her words wisely with him. He now had a temper that she would have to take into consideration, and that meant trying her best not to offend him in any way. It was a precarious situation that she found herself in. Leaning against the wall, she watched for any movement on the ship. So far, nothing exciting had happened, but it was only a matter of time before it did. As she watched, she tried to talk herself into leaving. She'd find out who was there soon enough. Then again, her body was not allowing her to leave. It certainly was not listening to anything her mind had to say. Logic be damned, she was going to find out who was on that ship whether she liked it or not. In the distance, she heard a thud on the deck. Her attention was immediately drawn to the noise. It sounded like heavy boots, and she heard muffled voices. Interest piqued, she found herself slinking closer to the ship. Luckily, the cannery was a long enough building that she didn't have to leave the safety of its shadows. Settling at the corner of the building, she could hear what was being said perfectly. For a second, she wished she had a better vantage point, but it wasn't long until she didn't have to want one. Two figures stepped off of the ship. The docks were just well lit enough to prove her biggest fears. One was Cora. The other was Killian.