Turn for the Worst

Chapter 12

"Just try to relax," David says to his pregnant wife as he turns on the bedside lamp after she had screamed. The two of them were staying in Emma's room as they took care of Henry and started to investigate his mother's disappearance. Mary Margret was having a horrible nightmare and ended up screaming out in the middle of the night. She's covered in sweat, crying very hard and shaking intensely.

"I-I can't..." Mary Margret weeps heavily. She leans into her husband in desperation to continue her crying. Her dream had been about them finding Emma's dead body out behind a dumpster and then suddenly the scene changed she was watching her best friend being murdered in front of her eyes. Every stab wound and every agonizing scream that escaped Emma's lips. Mary Margret could see the blood seeping into her blonde hair, staining it red. Her green eyes had the look of terror, frozen as her heart was no longer beating. She tried to reach her friend but then the killer turned on the pregnant mother and attacked.

David keeps his arms tightly around his wife. He knows this stress is bad for the baby, it could cause complications or early labour. He had been trying to keep her calm, but he couldn't keep the façade very well as he was having trouble sleeping too. "She's okay Mary," David says as soothingly as he can. "She's strong. We'll find her."

"Y-you can't be sure of that..." Mary Margret whimpers into his chest. To her, sleeping in her friend's bed felt wrong and made her night that much worse. The baby was also reacting to her stress, kicking frequently and making things even more uncomfortable.

After Killian filed a missing person's report, David was trying to take charge of the investigation, but Gold wasn't having it. It also seemed like Gold didn't really care that one of the members of his team was missing, one of his best members too.

David merely sits with his trembling wife in his arms. None of them had slept very well the first night after Emma was reported missing, and tonight was no different. David wanted to stay later at the station, organizing search parties and getting missing posters out, but Leroy had forced him to go home and care for his wife. It was quite a surprise that the grumpy alcoholic was showing concern for his fellow employee, but everyone actually saw the worry on this man's face when David came in to jumpstart the investigation. He even put down his flask to help make copies of posters.

It's not like going back to Emma's apartment helped in any way. David saw his worried wife making phone calls to as many people as she could, trying to get the word out, and Emma's son... he couldn't describe what happened to him. The kid looked like he was crawling into a shell to hide. He couldn't, or didn't want to comprehend the whole situation. It was completely overwhelming to him, and David could tell, Henry was crying in private. Both he and his wife had tried to approach and comfort him, but he crawled even further to that shell.

He's becoming Emma... David thought to himself. Making a barrier to protect himself. How much longer until he completely shuts down?

David sighs and holds his wife and unborn child close. Killian stands in the doorway, having been woken up by Mary Margret's screams. The docks man had been sleeping on the couch to be near the phone and crying silently in the dark. The worry and fear that he felt probably outweighed the cop and his wife's combined. Killian had wanted to protect Emma; he had been falling in love with her and to have her be ripped away was like ripping out his heart. He couldn't function without seeing her smile or hearing her voice, whispering to him, reassuring him that he was going to be okay. But now, all he could think about was where Emma might be. Her pleas for help... her screams of fear. Somehow, Killian was sure that she was afraid, even though she hardly ever showed fear in front of him. It was a sort of intuition he had as if he could feel her pain; he knew she was terrified because she didn't have those she loved around her. It made him hurt even more.

Killian watches the couple for a few moments, before looking down the hallway and seeing a shadow suddenly dart back into his room.

Killian's stomach turns... the poor lad. He should just multiply his pain by a hundred for how the kid feels. Even though Killian was close to Emma, he had only known her for a few months. Henry had known her all his life and she was his protector, his supposed confidant, his caregiver...and now his family... his only family.

Killian takes slow steps down the hall and peeks into Henry's room. The kid has his lamp on as if creating a beacon of hope, but most likely for comfort. He has his back to the docks man and is curled up into a ball, burying himself in the blankets.

Killian stares down at the bedroom floor and sees an assortment of pictures spread out. He suddenly realizes that Henry was looking at them and most likely crying... The pain of losing his mother must be killing the poor kid. Killian wants more than anything to hug the lad and tell him that everything will be okay. But both knew that Henry did not particularly like Killian because the teenage felt as if he was replacing his dad. It wasn't hate, but resentment towards the new relationship his mother had with the dark-haired stranger. Killian wishes then that he could be a father to the boy, try to comfort him and reassure him, something Neal should have been doing, but the bastard was gone, abandoning his son when he needed him the most.

The docks man steps into the room quietly and kneels to look at some of the pictures in the lamplight. There is a picture of Emma and Henry with sparklers in their hands, most likely at a 4th of July celebration. There's Neal holding onto his son's bicycle seat as the child attempts to ride it with no training wheels. Baby Henry with chocolate birthday cake all over his face. Emma and Neal back when they must've been much younger, toasting glasses of wine. Killian thought Emma looked beautiful, even back when she was a shrinking violet and saw herself as an ugly duckling. She always wore her hair in ponytails and wore very thick glasses, making her look very young. Still, Killian thought she looked stunning. There are also pictures of the family on the beach, Neal teaching Henry how to fish, New Year's Eve parties, the couple teaching Henry how to walk, Henry's graduation from elementary school and a few Halloween parties.

On top of the pile, there seemed to be some newer photos of just Emma and Henry. Killian's heart ached a lot at the sight of just the two of them. They were like a broken family, all they had was each other. Killian did not want Henry to have to go through what he and Liam had to, loss and abandonment. It ruined his life and if Emma was not found, it would likely destroy Henry's already delicate life.

"I will find you, Emma," he says under his breath. "I promise. I will always find you."

Killian sees something move above him and he turns to see Henry's hazel eyes staring at him. Killian can see that they are bloodshot and filled with worry. He locks eyes with the Lad for a long few moments.

"I promise to bring your mother home to you," he says quietly. "I won't let it destroy your family, Lad."

Henry's heart wanted to soar with hope as he looked at the man who had made him a promise. It was then that he realized that Killian really did care for his mom and apparently, him too. He wasn't going to run off, he was here and he was determined to find his mother and bring her back to him. The man had hope... the same amount of hope that he did. He knew his mother was strong, but now he had to be stronger and he needed people like Killian, David, Mary Margret and Regina in order to achieve this.

He gives Killian a strong smile and his eyes well up a bit. Killian nods to the boy before turning and exiting his room.

Henry lays back down in bed and turns over to shut off his lamp. He sees one more framed photo by his bedside, one of his entire family, Regina, David and Mary Margret, his mom's friends and his parents... maybe, Killian, could one day be a part of that group too. He was starting to earn his trust.

Here's Chapter 12. Please review and follow.