Chapter Text
He kept his eyes glued to the sliding glass doors, scrutinizing every face that exited the biomedical research facility for the evening. He had a panoramic view of everything that went on around him from the tall oak tree he sat atop, but dusk was approaching and Barnett’s gang of misfit wannabe kidnappers would be appearing shortly and he was in no mood to establish dominance with one of his idiot underlings.
The traffic that had been flowing through the sliding doors had ceased, but two lights in the building were still lit, signaling his target was still in the building. He had been asked to keep watch over her nearly two months ago and she had been making it quite easy for him by keeping herself shut in until the wee hours of the morning. He settled himself in for another calm night, tagging every set of glowing eyes that were fixed on the building. Emma Swan was an enigma. She kept to herself as far as he could gather and staved off any advances from interested men. And there were plenty of interested men. Ms. Swan had grown into a remarkably attractive young woman. The last time he had set eyes on her she had been a gangly spitfire, barely a teenager. The woman she had grown into had glorious emerald eyes that were surrounded by illustrious golden locks, usually pulled back out of necessity. Her thick, too-long bangs always pulled his attention to her dark, long lashes that fluttered every time a colleague approached her. He determined, through his surveillance, that she did not like her research interrupted. She was, however, composed and considerate when forced to interact, and her associates were always met with a genuine smile.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a snap of branches. With his fangs bared, his eyes darted in all directions. His defenses diminished slightly when he heard a familiar, slightly demonic, female giggle.
“Evening Zelena,” he sighed, keeping his eyes locked on the two lit up windows. “Isn’t it a little early for breakfast?”
A pale, frizzy red haired vamp dropped from the branch above him and continued to giggle, as if tickled by an unseen force.
“Silly Killy,” she spoke, inching her mouth closer to his ear. “I’m always hungry.”
He flinched at her revelation, but stayed vigilant, painfully aware that he was not the only vampire keeping a watchful eye on Ms. Swan. Until tonight, the others had been minions, useless in a fight with an older, stronger vampire, such as himself. The appearance of Zelena had him worried. She was half his age, but her psychotic temperament made her a force to be reckoned with. She was a fiercely protective follower of Jonathan Barnett, which put him on high alert.
“Tell me love,” he lamented, with a lulling British accent, “when did you develop a taste for intellectuals?”
She giggled again, and then suddenly graced a mock frown.
“What are you insinuating?”
He studied her for a moment, but let the conversation die. She seemed to notice his hesitation and her mood quickly turned giddy again.
“Poor Killian, you seem so lost.” She locked eyes with his and he could see burning desire pulsing in her black, soulless gaze. “You could accompany me home right now. I’d give you everything and Jonathan would welcome you back to the family.”
“So that his minions can rip that poor girl’s throat out in my absence?” he scoffed. “I’m not going anywhere my dear, especially with a demon such as yourself.”
Her disposition suddenly turned fowl.
“You know that Jonathan can’t be stopped. You’ll fail once again and the family Rogers will finally be wiped out for good.” She giggled sardonically. “Let me guess, mummy and daddy have been keeping secrets from you, haven’t they? Keep a weathered eye on your pretty little bookworm, pirate. ”
He stiffened at her insinuation. He had noticed he was no longer alone in his nightly stalking a few weeks ago. They had noticed him too and wisely kept their distance.
“When you decide you’re bored with babysitting,” she paused, lowering her lips just inches from his ear, “you know where to find me.” With that, Zelena jumped from the tree and disappeared into the night.
Killian decided that at dawn he would confront his parents. He needed to know why, after all this time, James Rogers' granddaughter was being hunted again.
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The glowing red numbers on her clock kept reminding her that it was time to go. Her eyes were heavy and her brain had turned to mush, but night was when she did her best work and lately walking in the dark alone had become unnerving. She had never been afraid of the dark, always found comfort in its simplicity. In recent weeks, however, she started to feel like she was being watched. The rational part of her brain told her that there was no reason for anyone, or anything , to stalk her. Nevertheless, every time she stepped foot out of the lab at night, the hair on the back of her neck stood at attention.
She could see a hint of pink outside her office window, signaling that dawn had arrived. She’d still be able to catch a few hours of sleep and a shower before she had to be back. She had finally refined her drug formula to the point that she was ready to present her findings to her superior today. She took one last look around the room, flicked off the light and locked her office before heading out into the chilly September morning air.
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Killian threw open the large double doors to his parent’s quarters, making his presence clear to the shocked, middle-aged couple. He made sure to close the doors behind him to secure their privacy. The couple exchanged knowing expressions and his father sighed in defeat.
Killian recognized the worry on their faces. “I take it you know why I’m here?” His father simply nodded. “Tell me everything . ”
His father stood from his place at the large dinner table and made his way to his defiant son. Killian’s piercing stare revealed that he would not be discouraged from his current path of truth seeking. The pair had been throwing excuses at Killian for far longer than either of them thought possible. He had been exceedingly patient with them, but they knew it wouldn’t last and the time for revelation had arrived.
Killian stood his ground, unsure if his demands would be met. His mother and father had never kept secrets from him before. His eyes darted between the pair of vampires that had called him son for over 200 years. He felt a tinge of regret for his abrupt intrusion, but resolved to get some answers.
“Son…” his father began. “You’re right to be angry.”
“I’m not angry,” Killian interrupted, “not yet.” He popped the “t” of both words for extra emphasis.
Something akin to a relieved sigh escaped his mother’s lips. Although vampires do not need to breathe, they are always practicing so as not to arouse suspicions from the living. After so many years, it became a natural habit again.
“Right.” His father hesitated, undoubtedly searching for the right words to begin his confession. “We have been keeping much from you and for that we apologize.”
Killian’s brows furrowed in confusion. His flustered blue eyes softened a bit at his father’s words. He had not expected his stubborn parents to relent so early in what should have been an argument. He ran his hand through his dark, tousled hair in a bid to regain his composure. “Right then, let’s hear it.” He gestured with his hand for his father to continue.
After a couple false starts, the older vampire cleared his throat and handed Killian a file that he had fished out of a locked desk drawer from his office. It contained surveillance photos as well as a short bio on the young woman he had been observing.
“As you know, Emma’s parents died when she was 13 and she was sent to live with her maternal grandparents after the accident.” Killian winced, knowing full well that what had happened was no accident.
“Aye, and Barnett was convinced that she had died as well. James kept her identity a secret long enough to satisfy his assumption and he disappeared from our lives. That was 15 years ago, how did he find her?”
“She’s pursuing a doctorate in hematology and came to Cambridge last year with grant money to complete her research on a new drug she’s developing.”
Killian studied the information he had just been given. “You believe her arrival in Cambridge was enough to garner Barnett’s attention?” he asked, still gazing at the images.
The hesitation in his father’s voice was clear. “No, it’s more than that. The drug, if formulated successfully, would be the first known cure for Porphyria.”
Killian’s eyes shot up at the mention of the devastating disease. His mind was racing. Could his father possibly believe that this woman could cure vampirism? He scrutinized the last photo in his hand, as if looking for some sign of deception. She was smiling in the picture, warmly receiving praise from a colleague. He considered the date the photo was taken. A year ago on September 30 th . Ms. Swan had just begun her research that would consume her every waking moment. In just under a year, she had transformed into a shell of her former bright, confident self. The work had obviously taken a toll on her. The woman in the photo did not have bags under her eyes, and her hair was styled. She was dressed to impress, unlike the baggy scrubs that she sported since he saw her that first night. The most shocking difference was the lack of light in her eyes. In her photo, she was goal-oriented, determined. What he had seen this morning as she hesitantly exited the laboratory at the first signs of daylight was a nearly defeated, exhausted ghost of her former self.
“What does Barnett want with her?”
His father wandered to a large window on the opposite side of the room and slowly drew the curtains, as daylight was creeping in.
“He doesn’t want her to succeed.” he stated flatly.
Killian huffed in frustration.
“He has never hesitated before.” Killian furrowed his prominent brows. “Why is he waiting? If he means to stop her from following through, would it not be advantageous to kill her now?”
“This, we do not know. We have known of her overzealous ambitions since the day she was hired. Our informant at the biomedical labs has kept us updated on her progress, but we never imagined that she would get this far. She has proven herself quite competent, and in doing so, has caught the attention of a very dangerous foe.”
Just then the double doors swung open and another vampire sauntered in with a mock scowl on his face. “Little brother,” he stated with his brows furrowed and arms folded, “it’s been far too long.”
Killian feigned annoyance and turned to his brother. “Always a pleasure to see you as well, Liam. And it’s younger brother.” The two men stared stoned faced until Liam finally ended the contest and pulled Killian in for a tight hug.
“Hello Liam,” Killian’s mother said with a smile. “Are Mary and Will with you this morning?”
Liam made his way to the soft-spoken older woman and gave her a much lighter, yet just as sincere hug. “Just me today Judith. I was hoping to catch my younger brother,” he eyed Killian pointedly “before he disappeared to his cave.”
“I don’t live in a cave,” Killian muttered.
Killian was genuinely happy to see his big brother. Unlike Martin and Judith, his adoptive parents, Liam was in fact his blood brother. The two were a strong contrast to one another. Liam was taller with broad shoulders. His hair was a soft yet thick blond mess of curls that sat upon a clean-shaven face. The brothers Jones did share one feature that always gave their kinship away, their brilliant blue eyes. Killian’s eyes were cerulean blue, bright and vibrant with a hint of hazel encircling the iris. They resembled the open ocean that he loved so much. The mess of dark brown hair that always looked slightly windblown as well as the kohl he continued to line his eyes with complemented his intense, glimmering gaze.
Liam seemed to detect that he had interrupted a rather serious discussion. “I’m sorry, should I come back?”
Martin waved away his trepidation. “This concerns you as well Liam. You have a family to protect.” Liam’s features dropped at the insinuation that his wife and child could be in danger. Martin repeated to Liam what he had divulged to Killian only moments ago. He turned to Killian, exhaustion clearly written across the older vampire’s features. “Killian, because of your rather unique talent, you are the only one who can get close to Miss Swan.” A flash of sympathy shown in Martin’s eyes and Killian knew exactly what talent his father was referring to. He was, to date, the only vampire to have developed immunity to the sun. Procuring the unexpected ability had been a long and painful process that he preferred to forget.
Nodding, Killian ran his hand through his hair once again, a nervous habit that he had been unable to break for over 300 years. “What would you like me to do?”
“Judith and I will contact our informant at Cambridge, we would like you to get to know the reclusive Miss Swan. Form a friendship with her and earn her trust. We may need it later.”
Killian gaped at his father, but sighed in defeat. Liam was not so silently snickering at the idea of Killian being social.
Martin huffed in annoyance and Liam immediately straightened his face. Killian smiled triumphantly at the admonishment of his brother.
As Killian and Liam were shuffling out of his parent’s chamber, Martin placed a hand on Killian’s shoulder. “Just keep in mind, my boy, that James never revealed any of this to Emma. As far as she in concerned vampires are supernatural beings in movies. Proceed with caution and don’t let her out of your sight.” Killian assured his parents that nothing would happen to the young woman while she was in his charge.
***
Killian smirked as he exited the extravagant home, dressed in a blue plaid button-up flannel shirt and dark jeans that his brother insisted would help him fit in with the modern streets of Cambridge. He shrugged on a leather biker jacket, a much shorter version of the long, heavy duster he was used to and swung his leg over the sleek motorcycle he rarely drove and took off toward town.
Failure was not an option when it came to this particular mission. If any harm came to Emma Swan he would be guilty of breaking an oath that he had made centuries ago.