Smother ━━ Killian Jones [Discontinued]

twenty six; on my deathbed

     Emma took a tentative step forward, "Tell me about this, uh, knife of yours. Cora and Regina ― if they do have it, they can make you do anything?"

     He gave a jerky nod, "Indeed."

     Her brow arched, "Like...kill us all?"

     "One of the cons about being the Dark One." Sage took a seat on one of the hanging hammocks and leaned on her bent knees. She glanced between Rumple's pained expression to Emma's reluctant face, "You get all this power and one little trinket can control your whole being."

     A bitter, harsh chuckle ripped its way through the elder man's sore throat, "Yeah, you're hoping I bleed to death now, aren't you?"

     Emma hesitated, her face deadpan without a single dripping ounce of emotion or agreement with what Gold was saying, before firmly replying, "You're Henry's grandfather. We're family now. Me and Sage are going to save you."

     "I feel so reassured." He sardonically quipped, his narrowed eyes shutting tightly once another hateful cough wretched out of his throat. 

     "Would it kill you to have a little faith in us?" Sage inquired, annoyed at the cynicalism in the older man's voice. Annoyance tended to make her a bit harsher. "Oh wait, that's already happening, isn't it?"

     Rumple opened his mouth to angrily retort, but Emma was already clasping her hands onto the brunette's shoulders and leading her out of the downstairs cabin, "Okay, why don't we go, before you piss him off even more." 

     With that, the two left the room and firmly shut the door behind them, leaving Gold to cough and hack in pain by himself. Despite their differences, an immense amount of anxiety over Gold's wound was bubbling up inside of Sage. If he did die, which was an extreme possibility, not only would Henry lose his grandfather, but all the dark magic would be up for grabs. During their time working together, Rumple didn't discuss how to status of Dark One worked or the rules that came along with it, but Sage could take a very educated guess and say that once the Dark One is dead, that magic has to go somewhere.

     After a couple of more hours of sailing across the sea and going further up the eastern coast line, the Captain's ship steadily docked into Storybrooke's port. Everybody pilled up onto the front of the ship, including Rumple who was being held up by Neal. A group of people were waiting for them at the harbor, including David, Mary Margaret, and Ruby. As they all walked down the boardwalk leading to the mainland, David rushed up and helped Neal guide his father down the path. Mary Margaret's expression was plastered with concern as she looked over at her daughter and her dearest friend, "Are you two okay?"

     Sage nodded on behalf of both of them, "Yeah, we're okay. Just a very exciting trip to New York is all." 

     She shoved her hands into her jacket pockets as she watched David and Neal make their way over to the Charming family's truck. Rumple was getting worse by the minute, evident by the sweat beaming down his forehead, the tired bags under his eyes, and the wobbliness of his weary legs. Henry walked alongside the male trio, a relaxed grin on his face, "Uh, I drove a ship!"

     David quirked an amused brow at him, "Did you now?"

     "Yeah, my dad showed me how." replied the boy, with a certain kind of pride in his voice, like he was beyond happy to say now that he had a father.