Troubled Water

36. echo

echo : a sound that is a copy of another sound and that is produced when sound waves bounce off a surface (such as a wall)

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"Echo caves?" Robin asked.

"I lost some of my man in there." Hook explained. "To get to Emma, we'll need to reveal our deepest secret."

"Should we go now or should we find the others?" Robin asked.

"I don't think it is safe to be here alone, but we should alert the others. And I'm sure the boy here would like to see his father, right?"

"I want to, but I promised my mom I'd help her. I am going to those caves!" Henry protested.

"I'll find the others, you two go get Emma. Baelfire will probably know where these caves are. We'll find you there."

"Sure you"ll be fine alone?" the captain asked.

"Don't worry. Go save Emma!" Robin said and they parted ways.

Henry and Hook walked along a path that the captain knew a little all too well. He'd walked many times on his way to save one of his crew man but it did not always work. He looked at the young boy. He had some of Emma's traits, but he also looked a lot like his father.

"So, you're a pirate huh? How did you meet my mom?" he asked.

"I met her before all... this." he said and showed his hook. "She used to be a villager and I used to be in the royal navy, but that was 10 years ago."

"Why did you become a pirate?"

"Well, my brother died because of my king's cowardice and that's when I decided that I would not execute his orders anymore."

"In my world I heard stories about Captain Hook. You're quite famous, you know? Thing is, in those stories you're the villain and Pan is the good-"

"Pan good? Oh no, they've got it all wrong."

"Yeah I did understand that. You don't seem like such a rude pirate after all, helping me to save my mother."

Hook didn't reply. After all, he had spent 10 years being a heartless pirate and that's the reason Emma had left him, but somewhere in him was still the innocent young man that the blonde woman loved.

Henry looked like he was deep in his thoughts as well. He kept thinking about how he felt about his mother.

They heard a noise.

"Henry stay close." Hook said. "I think he's alone." he then whispered.

"There!" Henry warned and Hook grabed the lost boy in a matter of seconds and knocked him out without any struggle.

"He's not dead?" Henry asked.

"No, he'll wake up soon. These young lads do not deserve to die. They're under Pan, but they're only doing all of this because they're desperate. Now, let's go!"

They kept on walking in the trail.

* * *

"Emma?" she heard. She easily recognized the voice that echoed through the cave. "Emma!"

"Killian I'm here!"

She then saw Killian and Henry in front of her, on the other side.

"I brought help." Henry said.

"The others are getting a way to get out of here. Now, let's get you out, shall we?"

She smiled. It's Killian, she thought. Even if she had mixed feelings, she still smiled.

"You said we had to reveal our deepest secrets, right?"

"Yes."

"I always thought my mother had died. That's what my father told me. He never told me much about you, so I thought maybe she solved crimes or... I don't know but I always thought of you as a great person that didn't
have the chance to still live. But when I discovered the story books and started understanding the world you are from, my father started to act weird and I understood it might have something to do with him. Then, I found this story, those pages he had wripped, of you and him in his room. I knew it was him. I knew he took you away from me. I was mad, but I understood him. I understood why he told me you were dead, it was the easiest way to keep that world a secret and now that I'm right here, I know how dangerous magic can be. When I discovered the pages, I wanted to come here to find you, but somehow Pan got me there before I could. I wanted to get to know you because you're my mother. I never hated you for not being there." Henry finished his story. Emma had a tear to her eye, she was holding the bars of the cage really tightly. The rumbling sound came back and the bridge became a little longer.

"I guess it's my turn," Killian said to break the silence. While Henry was talking, he had thought of many things he could say, but his deepest secret was about Emma. Nothing else would work but this.

"I... I fell in love ten years ago. You did too. It did not last long, but it's not like we didn't try. It was just like, the universe did not want us to be together. That's what I thought for a while. It made me taste happiness and then took it away from me. After that, I never thought I'd find someone like you again. Then came Milah and I thought I was wrong. I had love again and it was great. I did love her. I did lose my hand for her. But when I go back, that feeling I had for her, it was nothing like the feeling I had when I saw you again after ten years and had to save you from the grips of my father. That taste of happiness, I had forgotten how good, great it tasted. There's this constant feeling that I have, whenever you're around me and I can't shake it. I try, I always do, but I'm starting to give up. Love can't be erased by mistakes. It's always there. It's still there. So I need to admit, to you and to myself... I love you, Emma."

She took a deep breath. She opened her mouth a little, but no word came out of her mouth. Henry was a little confused and certainly wasn't expecting the pirate's conffession. The rumbling noise came one last time and the bridge was whole, the cage dissappeared.

They both ran to her and helped her to get up after she'd been sitting in this small space for hours. Henry hugged her and she wrapped his arms around her. "Hi, mom." he said.

"Hi." she replied. She felt a little dizzy and felt her knees fail her for a second
but they both got her.

"You've got a nasty cut, Emma. You probably hit your head hard. We'll get to my ship as soon as we can. Now, let's get out of here before Pan comes."

So sorry I didn't update in weeks, but midterms and I had a scenario to write and yeah... I am just tired all the time. Sadly, end of term is also coming soon, but I'll still try to update, if not it'll go to Christmas I guess ;) I'm really sorry... :(

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- L