Chapter 1: Haunted by Silent Shadows
The diner was busy with business, preparing for the movie picnic later that evening. Hope would be helping Ruby and Granny to the square in a few short hours with wagons of donuts and hot chocolate.
It wasn't something she could have foreseen herself doing a few years ago, hell, a few months ago. The moment she'd arrived on Hook's ship, shaken and dazed, she'd been welcomed with open arms. By most residents, at least.
Regina still didn't much care for her, but she didn't mind that. She'd found solace in this town and wasn't about to relinquish it because of a Queen with a bad attitude.
Finally, she was in a place where she found herself smiling again. Though, most of her smiles were because of him.
Killian Jones. He was rough on the outside but an oozing marshmallow inside. It was because of him, Snow, and Dr. Hopper that she'd started eating again.
She started embracing who she was again without the fear instilled in her over the last three years.
Hope shook her head of the thoughts, the memories of that time, as it started to elevate her heart rate. She took a deep breath as she leaned against the diner's bar and did as Hopper instructed when she was having a rough time breathing from memories.
Memories that felt like weapons- blades she could still feel against her skin as if the sword was still drawn.
The episodes mostly happen at night now. She'd wake in a panic, but Killian was always right there. Ready to chase the nightmares away with his warm embrace and soft words.
It had been a while since she'd woken in sweaty hysteria, but it wasn't without conscious effort. Every day was a fight- one that she refused to give in to.
"Hope," Ruby smiled enthusiastically, "you have got to listen to this song. It is so heartbreaking I just want to cry. It's amazing."
Raising her brow, she smiled. Happy to be distracted in that moment and nodded.
"Yeah, sure." Though, she wasn't sure she could classify heartbreak as amazing. Hope tended to avoid things that made her feel too much. Even movies where an animal's life was in jeopardy were a no-go for her, even if they survived. She hated the tightening of her throat and the heat behind her eyes that came with it.
Healing came with stepping out of her comfort zone; maybe this was one of the zones she needed to confront.
Taking the earbud offered, she popped it into her ear and listened to the guitar's starting strum.
"If you tasted poison you could have…"
Hope listened. Staring down at the diner's bar, she frowned.
Oh, she thought to herself, this is sad, but she could do this. She could listen to a sad song. She was the Tribrid- a song couldn't hurt her.
"Memories feel like weapons…"
Hope froze, jaw clenched as her grip tightened on the edge of the bar. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Ruby bob her head to the beat of the music while Hope's skin crawled.
Just grit your teeth and get through it, you're fine.
Blood pounded against her ears, nearly drowning the song out, but it wasn't enough. She pinched her eyes closed and fought back the nausea that started to form as anger, regret, and panic began to rise.
"Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first…"
Hope staggered backward from the bar, knocking her chair over and dropping the earbud.
"Hope?" Ruby asked, though her voice was distanced and muddled.
Something sharp rang in her ears as the diner morphed into a creaking, swaying ship. It rocked back and forth against the cruel waves.
Deep laughter rang through her ears as she stumbled through the door, the ringing bell above- the ship's bell.
Staggering down the street, narrowly avoiding cars, she stared into the open ocean in the dead of night. The footsteps on the deck forced her into a sprint, scurrying like a rat behind a pair of barrels filled with gunpowder.
Bins filled with trash.
Hope covered her hands over her ears and pinched her eyes shut, her breaths ragged as she pressed her forehead against the ship's wooden side.
The brick wall of the building she hid next to.
"Hope," Blackbeard purred, "come out, come out wherever you are…" He laughed, his footsteps echoing across the way.
A magic she couldn't defy held her prisoner on this ship, and there was no escape from what he wanted from her. The chains he used kept her still while he took what he wanted.
Every. Single. Time.
"Go away," Hope shuddered, pinching her eyes shut tighter, "it's not real. You're not real."
"Hope." The voice, this time, didn't belong to Blackbeard.
Slowly, she looked up and let her eyes open. Killian was crouched in front of her. The candlelight from the ship didn't do much in the way of illumination, but it was enough to bring his face into stark reality.
"Hope, come back to me…" Killian murmured, stroking his thumb across her cheek.
Blinking, the sudden sound of the ocean was replaced with honking horns, and the smell of the sea was now Killian's scent.
All at once, the ship disappeared.
Hope looked around, taking in the dark alleyway hidden across the street from Granny's.
"Hey," Killian murmured, and she turned to look into his ocean eyes with her own bright yellow ones, "I'm here, and you're safe. Can you hear me?"
Hope blinked and nodded. "I hear you…" Her voice didn't sound like her own; it was graveled and dry.
Killian took her hand with his own, his hook touching her knee. "You are safe with me. He will never hurt you again."
Tears stung her eyes as she nodded. "I'm sorry," her voice shook, "I don't know what happened."
"Hey," he frowned, shaking his head, "Ruby told us what happened. You reacted defensively and it is not your fault. The only one at fault here is him. I need you to understand that."
Hope nodded, her breathing slowly returning to normal, but now she felt exhausted. Her body ached, and her head felt as though it had been cleaved in half.
"She okay, Hook?"
Emma asked from the lip of the alleyway.
Killian met her eyes, not wanting to answer for her, and she nodded.
"I'm okay now." She murmured and leaned forward, pressing her face against his leather jacket, breathing him in. He could ground her in a way she couldn't describe.
Three years she had spent on that ship- taking Blackbeard's constant torment and abuse. Forced to do the unspeakable with him, and now here she was being held by another pirate, proving that coming from the same background didn't equate the same person.
Even after more sessions in Dr. Hopper's office than she could count, she hadn't relayed everything he did to her.
Perhaps she never would.
But here, right now, in Killian's arms, she was able to breathe again.
"I'm so sorry," Ruby's voice came now, "if I'd known that would have happened, I never would have had her listen."
Looking over Killian's shoulder, she frowned. A crowd had formed, and beyond them was billowing smoke.
"Did I do that?" Hope asked softly.
Killian frowned and hugged her a little tighter. "You ran in the middle of the road- were you on the ship again?" He asked gently.
Hope nodded and frowned. "Did I hurt anyone?"
"No," he shook his head, "Swan was in the car, and she's alright."
Standing on shaky legs, she frowned, flushed with embarrassment as she walked with him to the street. Emma's car had been rammed into the light pole, likely from swerving not to hit her.
Hopper stood nearby and offered an encouraging smile but said nothing. He knew her better than to ask if she was okay.
She wasn't, and she might not be for a long time, but staying here, maybe one day, she would be.
When it seemed Ruby was about to start gushing apologies, Hopper discreetly stopped her, so Ruby just offered a small smile.
"I'll see you tonight. It'll be fun."
Hope managed a small smile and nodded, letting Killian lead her down the street. She wasn't sure where they were going until they arrived in the park, and Killian pulled her with him onto a bench with a small smile.
He pressed a soft kiss against the shell of her ear and held her, letting the sounds of the birds heal the gaping wound in her chest.
Slowly, she managed to close her eyes and rest against him, basking in his comforting silence. He wore the weight she bared on days she couldn't, and every time he offered himself to the scarring; she could feel the wound close just a little more.
When enough time had passed, Killian murmured stories of past lands and lives. Intertwining magic and romance, offering her a small oasis of distraction.
Before she realized how much time had passed, the sky was darkening to a pretty blush of pink.
"I think they're starting the movie soon," he smiled, stroking his hook across her thigh, "would you like to go or go home?"
Hope smiled up at him.
Choice, something she'd been deprived of for three years.
"I want to go," she nodded, "drink hot chocolate and try to be normal."
"You are normal."
Hope smiled and didn't argue before pressing a soft kiss to his lips and pulling him to his feet. The wind had become a bit more chilled, and just as she thought it, he was removing his jacket. Wrapping it around her frame. Together, they walked toward the square, and a bubble of happiness swelled in her chest as she looked up at him.
Killian glanced down at her and smiled crookedly. "What?"
"You just make me happy."
Squeezing her hand, he grinned, and as they entered the square, they were enveloped with the sounds of laughter and community.
Children ran around wearing glow-in-the-dark stickers and wielding glow sticks. There were stands passing out various treats for the movie that had just started on a blow-up screen in the center.
Popcorn, ice cream, cotton candy, and, of course, hot chocolate.
"Hey!" Snow grinned as she bounded over, gripping David's hand, but her grin faltered to one of motherly concern. "I heard about what happened today. How are you feeling?"
"Better." Hope nodded with a small smile and even accepted the hug she gave her.
"Come on," Snow smiled, "They're doing glow-in-the-dark tattoos, and I have the perfect one in mind for you."
Smiling, Hope let herself be dragged away by Snow to let herself have a bit of fun. While Jumanji played, she and Snow did various provided activities, but when Hope threw the ring at the bottles, the entire row shattered, and Hope profusely apologized. They had to call it quits.
Quietly giggling from the accidental mishap, they found Killian and David sitting on blankets in front of the inflatable big screen. Henry, Emm, Regina, and Hopper, with Pongo, sat nearby.
Hope plopped into Killian's lap and smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close.
"Up to mischief at the games, I heard?" He grinned against her temple.
Hope blushed. "Accidental mischief."
Laughing, he rested his chin on her shoulder, and she sighed contentedly, leaning against him as they watched monkeys terrorize a kitchen.
This was one moment of many that would help her heal the wounded woman she tried so hard to conceal. Glancing around, watching everyone smile and laugh, she knew this was where she was meant to be.
— The End — Write a review
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