#csbb 2017

[lifeinahole27]

CS ff: “Wait for the Moonrise” (10/10) (au)

Summary:  Emma doesn’t remember who she was before she was found in the woods, but she knows that she has a few close friends, a good job, and a loyal cat that greets her every day when she gets home from work. What she doesn’t know, however, is that her past is about to catch up to her in the strangest of ways. She learns quickly that not everything is as it seems, not even her cat.

Rating: E

Content warnings: smutty smut, brief mentions of the loss of a hand

Chapter specific content warnings: some battle-ish stuff at the start, some more happy smut, and hopefully a satisfying ending.

A/N: Just... all my love. I can’t believe it’s over, and this is the last time you’ll be seeing an update for this story. Out of this world, man. All my love to the team of people that helped me through this, and of course to @clockadile for her lovely artwork. And my eternal love to all of you that read, and left comments, and liked and reblogged, and sent me messages. You guys are rockstars. Thank you! x

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 |

Catch it on Ao3 or FFN! And catch @clockadile‘s artwork HERE!

Surrounded on all sides by the presence of Dark Ones.

It’s not exactly how Emma would’ve imagined a homecoming, but it’s what she’s getting. Regina is standing steady beside her, holding her arm, but otherwise there’s a fire in her eyes that Emma can’t remember ever seeing in their time as friends.

“You okay?”

“Never better,” the other woman grits out, and there’s an edge that she’s never heard before. Emma raises an eyebrow at her, and the look Regina gives her back is telling more than anything. “Might’ve shaken something loose,” she adds.

When Emma was growing up, stories about her mother’s step-mother were very few and far between. Snow always told the story of how Regina saved her from a runaway horse accident, and how Snow would later betray her on accident by sharing a secret she was never supposed to tell. Emma knew the lore that Snow was framed for Regina’s disappearance when it was thought that Regina killed Snow’s father, and even had to go through high trial for it, but no one could prove anything so the issue was buried and Snow was crowned queen.

Every story about Regina included her fierce tenacity and the strength in her voice, and Emma is seeing all of that right next to her. Her suspicions are further confirmed when the barest hint of a spark emits from Regina’s fingertips. Unlike her own magic, Regina’s is red, reflecting her fiery personality. It’s all extremely fitting to the woman she got to know in Storybrooke.

They both do a visual check of their surroundings. Killian, back to poor Cat, is still trying to pull his leg free from the pile of his clothes. Robin is still mostly unconscious, but he at least winces and curls into a ball, which isn’t the worst sign of life she’s ever seen. They need to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike, but being outnumbered is really putting a damper on any possible plan.

All things considered, Emma figures there are worse ways to die. They’re not going down without a fight, and maybe Killian can run away fast enough. Of course, judging by the way he limps his way over to stand by her feet when he’s finally free, maybe that’s not a possibility. She looks down at him, wishing she could remind him how much she loves him one more time, but turns to face the man that got lost in the power of dark magic, and all the entities that came before him.

She and Regina can at least take out a couple of these guys, maybe at least knock Rumplestiltskin out before succumbing to the dark magic that’s building around them. The electric gathering of their powers actually causes the hair on her body to stand on end, and she’s surprised the hair on her head isn’t following suit.

There’s a moment, a locking of eyes, when they make the decision to strike, and she can tell that she and Regina are on the same page. Emma nods, just barely, and Regina mimics her action, and then Emma’s focusing all her energy and emotions into focal points as she was taught during all her training. They make eye contact one more time and each inhale deeply –

Before they can do it, before they can exhale and blast out their magic, there’s a horn from the north. Less than a heartbeat later, there’s a shell horn blast from the beach they just vacated. The Dark Ones all shift, looking towards each call and looking at each other in disbelief. Rumplestiltskin twitches with each call, his eyes hardening and the smile slipping from his face.

Within moments, the circle of dark entities that had surrounded them starts falling apart. Misthaven fairies burst through the trees, taking out as many as they can with the colorful bursts of their fairy dust. From the opposite side, a force of seafolk with their magic bracelets charge in throwing liquid potions, headed by Ursula herself. They all charge fearlessly, grins on their faces as they attack as they’ve always wanted to. They know their best shot at defeating evil is standing in the clearing and that they have nothing to lose at this point.

“This way!” comes a faint yell, and Emma’s breathing speeds up recognizing Liam’s voice in the distance.

With an elated expression, she turns back to Regina, who seems just as surprised as Emma is. Chaos is erupting around them, the seemingly unbreakable enclosure left with holes and pockets, dark entities trying to run, trying to escape from their fate of returning to nothing but dust. “Now!” Emma urges, knowing they have one shot - one chance to catch Rumple while he’s still thrown off guard.

In the middle of the clearing, Rumple is too distracted by the mayhem that surrounds him to notice that Emma and Regina brace themselves and let their magic loose. Twin blasts hit him at the same time: Emma’s white and Regina’s red wrapping around him in tight spirals. He barely has the time to look upset before he crumples to the ground, drained of his magic and incapacitated.

Around them, the dark entities are also dispatched, the last of which are taken down by fairy dusts, sea potions, and a spill of soldiers that break through into the clearing.

Moments later, the whole area goes quiet but for the heavy breathing of exertion from all involved parties. The centuries of dark ones are nothing but memories, and the last one alive is still knocked out on the ground, bound by magic and officially harmless.

Cat lands on the ground a foot away from Emma’s feet, having clearly taken shelter in a tree when the hubbub started. Robin is pushing himself to his feet, aided by Regina, her magic sweeping over him to heal the wounds he sustained from getting smacked against several trees on the route in.

“Sorry for the swift exit earlier. I needed as much time as I could to rally everyone up.” Ursula steps up to Emma, checking her over for wounds as she whistles for two men to lift the former Dark One from the forest floor. “We will deliver him to your parents immediately. From what I’m to understand, they have a special prison ready for him that will hold him even if his magic comes back.”

She moves away just as quickly to supervise, and it’s only when Cat meows at her again that she realizes that this little problem still needs to be figured out. She lifts him up, whispering reassurances that they’ll fix it as soon as she comes back to the clearing, all the while she finally catches her breath. Rumple is revived and then marched past them, and Cat hisses and swats at the man, making sure to use his blunted paw in an extra attempt to tell the man off as he’s lacking the voice to do so.

“By the way,” Emma starts as she holds out a hand to halt their progress. “The details of your stupid curse landed your maid in a crazy house, so suck on that for a little bit.”

The man looks aghast at this news, and he opens his mouth to object or clarify, but before he can utter a single syllable, Emma snaps his fingers and temporarily snaps his mouth shut. Emma does her best to subdue her own chuckling as she turns away from him. Cat gives her a look of fond approval.

As Ursula walks behind the removal of the prisoner, she clicks her tongue. “I’ll be back in a minute to take care of that,” she says as she nods at Cat. He quietly growls to express his feelings on Ursula’s humor about the situation. Emma pauses her attempts to soothe Cat when she hears a voice she’s not heard in a long time.

“Bloody hell, I don’t believe it.” Liam.

Emma turns, her smile tentative and her eyes shining as she looks at the older Jones. “Hi.”

He marches forward, enveloping her in a strong hug and squishing Cat between them in the process. “God, I always hoped… Emma, good god, you’ve changed so much since I saw you last.” He brackets Emma’s shoulders with his hands, holding her at arm’s length and staring as if he can’t believe his eyes. “I need to see to my men, and we need to get you back to the castle as soon as possible. Are you ready to go?”

“Oh, uh.” She hefts Cat a little bit, unsure of how to even begin to explain why she needs a couple more minutes.

“You’ve got a pet. That’s okay, I’m sure your parents will delight in having a cat to wander the halls and catch mice. Poor lad looks like he’s missing a paw.” Liam reaches out to touch the leg in question, but Cat jerks it away, his ears flattening against his head as he backs away from the older Jones’ hand.

Emma definitely can’t help the snort as Cat burrows against her. “Just – Liam, it’s Killian.”

His face goes dead serious at the mention of his brother, his hand hovering above Cat’s head as the feline glares at it with wide eyes. “Is he here? Where is he?”

She looks down at the cat in her arms, and Cat looks at her before looking back at Liam and giving a defeated sounding meow. Liam tilts his head, looking between Emma and Cat and back again, the puzzle pieces all finally connecting in his mind as obvious by the widening of his eyes.

“Oh. Oh my. Well, we’ll…” He stares at Cat some more. Haltingly, he reaches his hand towards Cat again, but retracts it once more.

“So, how about we break this spell?” Ursula says as she finally returns.

“I don’t have to kiss him as a cat, do I?”

Liam’s laugh borders on hysterical as he observes their interaction, and he makes a weak excuse of having to check on his men again before he wanders away between the trees.

The sea witch chuckles, beckoning Emma to follow her as she stoops to pick up Killian’s clothes and leads her to a patch of privacy. Ursula sets down the clothes, indicating that Emma should put Cat as close to them as possible. She waves her hands, a purple inky magic flowing towards Killian, and she edges away from the clearing before Killian is fully restored.

“Nothing I need to see there,” she comments as she waves over her shoulder. “I’ll be in touch.”

Emma calls out her thanks as she turns back to Killian, who’s just struggling into his boxer briefs. She doesn’t let him get anything else on for the moment, instead launching herself at him. She smiles wide as she kisses him, making it less a kiss and more a pressing of her smile to his as he wraps his arms around her.

“Welcome home, love,” Killian murmurs when he pulls back. “Now, perhaps I can finish getting dressed. Or would you rather I reunite with my brother for the second time in nothing but my smalls?”

“No, no, please. By all means. Better than being in nothing but your fur again,” she comments, scratching under his chin, laughing high and free as Killian swats her on the behind.

As she wanders the clearing, turning in a circle to occupy herself while he slips into his clothes, Emma realizes he’s right; for the first time in three and a half years, she’s home.

-x-

There are too many thoughts going through Killian’s head for him to really keep any of them straight. One: he’s home, back in his homeland, on his own turf, with the woman he loves holding so tight to his hand that he fears she might break it, but he’ll never tell her so. Two: his brother is but a few paces ahead of him, still yet to actually see him as human, still yet to hear his voice since the day he last bumped heads with him. Three: he’s going to see Emma’s parents for the first time since he left their room in a huff like a child. Four: he idly wonders if Snow still has the ring. Five: he also idly wonders if David will rescind his blessings when he sees what Killian has become.

He stumbles over a tree root, and Emma looks back at him curiously, noting the scowl on his face and asking without words if he’s okay. He nods, trying to wipe his expression clean and smile at her at the same time.

Truth is, he’s not okay. This is the culmination of the last three and a half years and he doesn’t know whether he should be smug or scared.

Scared seems to be the emotion his insides settle on, but he layers on the smarm in hopes of saving face when the king and queen throw him out of the throne room as soon as he enters. Out of nerves, he rubs the curve of his hook against the leg of his trousers. While his clothes are still the ones he wore when he left Storybrooke, and he has the satchel of clothes slung over his shoulder, he was able to retrieve his hook and brace from the chest that Ursula fetched for him. Someone already dispatched with the rest of the items, surely throwing them in a prison cell for him to look at as he’s locked up for treason.

Again, Emma reaches for him and squeezes his hand. They’ve reached the castle gates, and he feels half of his heart settle from coming home. The other half is already calm, already recognizing its home next to him, holding his hand.

Liam is gone from sight by the time they enter, and Killian flinches as the full fanfare is blasted out from the horns as they walk through the corridor into the throne room. The castle residents and employees line the rug that runs the center of the room, and the king and queen are each sitting in their respective thrones. Their hands are clasped in the distance between the seats, but neither of them stay that way for long. As soon as they see Emma, their only daughter, truly striding towards them, they’re both up and off their chairs and rushing forward.

Out of habit, Killian immediately puts his arms behind his back after he sets the satchel by his feet. He’s not sure if the habit is more from his upbringing or from hiding his vacant wrist from others, though. He stops, even as Emma continues forward and runs to them. They make the picture of perfect royal family, and he’s sure he’ll only taint it if he goes closer. Regina comes to stand by his shoulder, looking on at the scene in front of them, with Robin standing just behind her.

“How are you holding up, pirate?” When he turns his head and raises an eyebrow, she just shrugs. “Emma told me as much as she could at breakfast that day. You have the posture of one who is skulking, so I figured that’s what you would be preferred to be addressed as.”

“Hook, I go by Hook to my crew.”

Same as Emma, Regina’s lips quirk up and she snorts once, very elegantly, before trying to stifle it. “Captain Hook?”

“Bloody hell,” he whispers, shooting her a look before he turns and stalks away. He figures that there’s enough commotion in the room that no one will notice him missing, in any case. Using his memory as a guide, he finds the small door at the back corner of the room, ducking through and ending up in a narrow servants’ hall. He means to amble his way back out the doors, honestly, because while he loves Emma and wants nothing more than to be with her, he would never make her choose between him and her family.

He’s so lost in his own head that he doesn’t notice someone stepping in front of him until he’s already running into him, and he struggles for a second as the arms come around him. He almost buries his hook into the shoulder he can reach but it all hits him at once. The man is Liam, and he is embracing him so hard that Killian is sure he’ll have bruises around his shoulders.

“You stupid bloody arse,” Liam mutters into his shoulder, and Killian is only aware his brother is crying because he can feel the moisture soaking through the collar of his shirt. “Stupid, stupid, telling us you were dead.” He pulls back, his eyes still wet but his face a mixture of heartache and elation. “Come, we have much to talk about, little brother.”

“Younger brother,” Killian automatically snaps back, his voice the same whine as it was all through his adolescence. It’s clearly what Liam was aiming for, as his bark of laughter echoes down the hallway.

“Come this way,” he instructs, leading Killian back to their wing of the castle. Liam walks him through the door to Killian’s old room, which is still exactly the way he left it minus the new hinges. The surfaces are devoid of dust, the bed is freshly made, and there are flowers in a vase by the very window he left through. He wonders just how many flowers have actually sat in that vase since he left. “There’s a matching bouquet in Emma’s quarters,” Liam says softly, noticing exactly where Killian’s gaze is drawn.

“All this time?”

“Every other week, Queen Snow comes in and replaces them, and sees personally to the maintenance of the room.”

“Are these from the meadow?”

Instead of answering, Liam just nods, a small smile left and much more sadness in his eyes. “The whole field has been preserved with magic specifically so she could tend to your rooms.” He pauses, taking a deep breath before he continues. “Brother, I have missed you. At least when you were running from me I knew you were okay, but when you told that boy to inform us of your death, I spent months in mourning. Until one day, I woke up and decided you weren’t really dead.”

“Should’ve known you’d be too clever to fall for it completely,” Killian comments. He tries to keep his voice as nonchalant as possible, but he focuses on the flowers in front of him, careful to keep his eyes clear and his voice steady.

“I followed your stops. I described you to every innkeep and bar wench I could find. I followed you to the End of the World, but the woman I ran into said she’d never met anyone named Killian. Halfway through our conversation, she got whisked away by the devil himself. I entered every port hoping to find your ship, and you alive on it. And after that interaction with the Dark One’s maid, I mentally prepared myself to bring a body home if you hadn’t been dumped at sea. I lost your trail until I ended up in Midas’ kingdom and ran into a little friend you’d made along the way. A mermaid named Ariel was very difficult to convince to tell me you’d seen her, but when I explained I was your brother, she told me you’d confessed that Captain Hook was Killian Jones. And my search renewed. I don’t think I stopped sailing for weeks.”

It’s so much to take in. His brother had gone to the literal ends of the earth for him, trying to find him, never giving up hope. After their last interaction, he assumed it would be to aim again with that cannon, but no, it turns out he just wanted his brother back home.

“I do want you to recall that you shot a cannon at me,” Killian says, as if reminding Liam of this incident will change anything.

“Aye, but you were being a wanker. I pretty much had to.”

Killian snorts, mentally agreeing with his brother but shrugging his shoulders in response.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for neglecting you for so long as my brother.”

“Accepted. I’m sorry for not telling you about Emma and I sooner. And for stealing your prized ship.”

“I hope you’ve kept all my belongings intact.”

“Everything is stowed in the back of the closets in the captain’s quarters. So, Belle got transported a couple months ago. Why did no one ever manage to find Emma?”

“We kept sending bloody emissaries to the land you were in. I had no idea you were a cat that whole time. You’ll have to regale me with those tales once you’ve had a chance to breathe again.” He pauses, barely restraining the snort that he emits. “Tales of tails,” he muses quietly. At the glare Killian shoots his way, he rushes onward. “And tell me about these interesting clothes you’re wearing, as well. And the hook, of course.”

Killian ignores everything else, skipping straight over the cat joke in favor of the first thing Liam said. “Emissaries? When?”

“Shortly after Ariel told us that Ursula had sent you over. We appealed to the giants for beans to send someone over to fetch you, but he never returned.”

Killian turns from the vase, his eyes focusing in confusion on his brother. “And what happened when he never returned?”

“We appealed to the giants for two more beans, and sent two emissaries. After they never returned either, we could only figure they were being captured, or killed. Something was happening to keep our people from finding you and coming back.”

“The portals, they’ve been enchanted to cause memory loss. The Dark One had it rigged so the moment a person went through it, they’d forget who they were. The curse would build fake memories in layers as the person got acclimated. I only avoided all of that by going through the waterways.”

“Well, it’s good to have you back. Even if you are a little unkempt for my taste,” the older man says appraisingly. Killian huffs out a laugh, running his hand through the much shorter hair and rubs his neck. He’s a far cry from naval regulations, but he’s not sure he can ever grow his hair that long again, feeling himself a lad if he did. “Okay, I’ve taken up quite a bit of time with you. Let’s get you back to the king and queen so they might give you a proper greeting.”

“Oh, Liam, no –“

“No, they insist. I assure you. I believe the queen has something of yours?”

Killian’s eyes go wide.

“Yes, she kept that, too. And still wants it where her ring currently resides.” Liam gives him a significant look at that comment, and tells Killian he’ll be waiting outside while Killian freshens up.

“Liam, wait.” His brother pauses halfway to the door and turns to him. “There’s one more thing we’ll need to discuss when we have the chance.”

“And that is?”

“It turns out we aren’t orphans after all.”

With wide eyes, Liam turns fully to Killian, his jaw working several times before he’s able to get any words out. “Father?”

“Not lost at sea, apparently. He looks very spry and happy, but he had no idea who I was, so he’ll need to have the curse broken from him. The whole town will. They deserve to know who they are.”

There’s a whole line of emotions that flickers across Liam’s face in the deep breaths that follow Killian’s words. There’s turmoil in his eyes, and a sadness that distinctly reminds Killian of the way his mother looked when she was told that Brennan wouldn’t be returning from his latest voyage. Maybe it’s that last one that hurts the most, because it’s a pain she never should’ve had to go through. This is yet another way that the Dark One injured his family, even if he didn’t know it at the time. He’s even happier now, knowing that man will never tear apart another family.

“I agree, brother. We’ll discuss that more in the morning. I know he’s cursed and all, but this is excellent news.” He beams at Killian, nodding again and taking his leave while Killian turns toward his wash basin.

The chest, it turns out, was delivered right to his room, and while he pulls everything out, he only fastens his earring in place, and slides on a couple of the less ornate rings he acquired during his time as a pirate. His hand glides over the various articles made of leather that wait inside, but he only finds the ribbon he stashed in his coat pocket, sliding it through his fingers before slipping it into a pocket of his jeans. Everything else gets left behind as he uses the lavatory and splashes his face with cool water. He damns the length of time it would take him to rim his eyes in kohl, but shrugs at his reflection before going to join Liam for the walk back to the throne room.

Liam, however, turns towards the king and queen’s private quarters, and Killian knows without a doubt that the first place he sees them again will be the place he last saw them. He has to stop himself from laying his hand over his chest, unable to physically restrain his heart from beating right out of its cavity if it so chooses.

-x-

Everything is a bit of a whirlwind as soon as Emma enters the throne room. Seeing her parents, her mom and dad (funny how Storybrooke left more of an impression than she thought) just ahead of her, all she can do is rush to them. And while there’s still a lag in her memories, so that it doesn’t feel like she’s waited three and a half years for this moment, she also recognizes that it wasn’t just yesterday they last embraced. Snow cries, her chin crumpled and quivering as the tears fall from her eyes, and David cradles the back of her head the way he’s done for as long as she can remember.

After getting to witness the happy reunion, the small crowd in the large room disperses to allow the royal family their privacy. Soon, it’s just her parents in front of her. She looks around to see that Killian has slipped away, but Regina and Robin are still there, awkwardly shuffling and casting quick glances at the guards still at their posts.

As if thinking of the other people in the room brings attention to them, she hears Snow gasp as she looks over Emma’s shoulder.

“Regina?”

“Hi… Snow. Queen Snow.” Regina is stiff, but smiling, and she walks forward a few steps toward the woman now older than she was when she disappeared. “This whole royal business suits you.” She waves her hand to indicate the room they’re in and everything it entails.

“You’re not - are you…?” Snow works to gather her words. “You look so young.”

“That’s what happens when you end up in a cursed town where time stands still for a few decades or so.” She shrugs, shuffling forward a couple more steps. “Look, Snow, we don’t have to stay…”

“Nonsense,” Snow says quickly, striding forward to take Regina’s hands. “I think it’ll do us some good to work this all out. We’ll set you up with rooms in the east wing.” Her statements leave no room for argument, and Regina gives a curt nod, but adds a smile to soften it a bit. “While they set up a room for you, why don’t we all go sit and you can tell us a bit about… everything.”

The reunited royal family makes their way to Snow and David’s quarters, with Emma’s arms looped with theirs, and Regina and Robin close behind. Upon entering their sitting room, she almost cries at the familiar scent, and she knows if she doesn’t keep going, doesn’t keep talking and immersing herself back into this world, that she will break down, but there’s no time for that. And it’s nothing her parents need to witness. Tonight, later tonight, when she’s alone with Killian again, she’ll allow herself the time to process all of it. Provided he doesn’t find a way to flee the castle or something.

“You’re so skinny,” Snow murmurs as she observes Emma wandering around the space. “I mean just, so skinny. Did you ever eat while you were gone?”

“I worked as a cop. I spent a lot of time at the gym and the rest of the time eating pizza.” At their blank looks, she shakes her head and smiles. “You guys would like pizza.”

David makes some soft comment about her referring to them as ‘you guys’ and smiles. “Twenty years of etiquette training down the drain,” he mutters with a fond expression on his face, directed at Emma.

She grins at him in response, wandering wider to look at the flowers her mother has displayed. She can sense the magic on them, and recognizes them from the field that should be barren and cold this time of year. Her fingers glide along a perfectly preserved petal as she sighs.

Even as she strolls about the room, she listens to the conversation her parents have with Regina. They both seem to be handling her reappearance better than she expected. But the former regent makes it perfectly clear almost immediately that decades as Regina in Storybrooke have erased much of the anger and malice that went along with being the Evil Queen in Misthaven. She also makes sure to introduce Robin, who hasn’t quite regained his true memories, but small tidbits keep shining through for him.

“I don’t feel as if I’m home yet, but I’m hoping my former memories will return soon,” he explains. He also tells them that it helps that he was actually transplanted into the fake town only weeks before Killian was, all because he tripped into the wrong place at the wrong time.

It’s not long before a maid comes to inform them that their room is ready, and Snow and David bid the other two goodnight with promises to talk more tomorrow, after everyone has had some rest.

And then, Emma is left alone with her parents.

On the morning she disappeared, Emma wondered a lot of things, the first of which was whether or not she’d ever see her family again. She didn’t have much time to organize the rest of her thoughts because she was immediately thrown through a portal and forgot her whole life roughly three steps later.

“So,” Snow breaks the silence, “tell us what you’ve been up to the last couple years. Memory curse, right? We used to have those around here all the time until Regina – the Evil Queen version of her – disappeared.”

“They’re so confusing,” Emma confesses, having spent a few days with alternating realities battling it out in her mind and memories. “How many sets of memories do you guys have if they were so common?”

Snow and David look at each other, before they look away again in thought. Snow holds up her hands to count on her fingers while David stares at the ceiling, squinting, as if picturing each different lifetime.

“We’ll just assume a lot,” David finally says, especially when Snow looks like she’s contemplating taking off a slipper to keep counting.

Still, it helps that her parents have been through something like this before, so she opens up and tells them about how she ended up in the forest, and how she made friends in town quickly. She tells them about her job and her hobbies and all the idiosyncrasies of Storybrooke, spending a great length of time on things like indoor plumbing and electricity. And grilled cheese, she can’t leave out grilled cheese.

Several times, Emma has to remind herself to sit still, instead of sprawling across the chair like she would if she were in the sheriff’s station. As it is, she spends plenty of time explaining the clothing she’s wearing, telling her parents all about jeans and sweaters. She realizes she looks utterly out of place in this world as she’s dressed right now, but they’re more curious than confused or put off about it.

She tells them all about Cat showing up on her doorstep, and about when he first changed back into Killian, and how the last six months they’d done little else but focus on getting her memories back. She decides it’s better not to tell them what they were doing any time they weren’t focusing on their mission, though.

“How did you remember?” David asks. “There’s not much that can break a memory curse like that.”

“True Love’s Kiss,” Emma tells them, as if there was any doubt it could be anything else.

Snow sighs dreamily. “Sounds awfully familiar, if you ask me.”

The equal amounts of surprise and pride in her parents’ eyes is comforting, and well-timed when there’s a knock on the door. The guard on duty opens it, and Emma’s smile brightens as she sees the Jones brothers on the other side. Liam leads, with Killian ducking behind him, both of them with their hands held behind their backs. Killian’s clothes may be modern, but his mannerisms are the same as ever.

It’s an obvious contrast from the ease of his actions in her apartment. Even when she didn’t know who he was, she was used to the cocky swagger he exhibited in those short bursts of time. Reconciling Captain Hook (which she still has to control herself from laughing about) with Lieutenant Jones is still a little like playing with a paper doll, as far as her memories are concerned. The man that stands behind his brother is more lieutenant, but with prominent facial hair and a nervous scowl if she’s reading him correctly.

“It’s good to see you again, Princess. Would you care to take a walk with me?” Liam doesn’t waste any time, and judging by the ambushed look on Killian’s face, he had no idea this was a plan.

“I’d love to, Commodore.” Emma rises from the chair. She goes over to wish her parents a good night, kissing them both on the cheek and accepting their tight embraces before she moves toward the brothers. She immediately forgets any princess decorum as she reaches for Killian, giving him a solid kiss on the lips and pressing her forehead to his as she tries to instill some of her calm onto him. “I’ll meet you in my quarters in half an hour, okay?” He nods in response, giving her a wan smile as she moves away.

Liam smiles at her, giving a bow and holding out his arm for her to take before they leave the room. It’s only once they’re out of the sitting room and the door is shut behind them, and they’re halfway down the hall when one of them speaks again.

“Do you suppose we’ve just fed him to lions?” Liam questions.

“Nah, he’ll be fine. Guy lost a hand and became a cat and somehow managed to steal the Jewel of the Realm from you,” she jibes. “Pretty sure he can handle his future in-laws.”

Liam laughs as loud as she remembers. “Oh, how I have missed you, Princess. But I must correct you. It’s no longer Commodore. I’ve decided to retire and settle a little bit. Maybe find a life outside the navy.” Now that she gets a good look at him, she realizes he’s not in the regulation navy uniform. Gone are the white trousers and ornate coat. Instead, he’s dressed in plain black breeches and a white shirt, looking more informal than she’s ever seen him before.

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“I’ve been told that I was so focused on my career that I seemed to have forgotten about my family. Since I’ve lost a lot of time with my brother, I want to correct that as much as possible. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll also find a family of my own since my dear brother seems to have found one in you.”

“He would’ve shared with you sooner, you know. But he was so worried you’d think he was throwing away his career.”

“I would’ve. I didn’t understand at the time. I didn’t understand until I was afraid you were both gone from my life forever.” He stops for a moment, turning to her and placing his hands on her upper arms. “As tragic as your kidnapping was, Princess, it helped me see that I was missing too much by being out there. I only worked as hard in the beginning because I wanted to pay your parents for the debt of taking us in. They didn’t have to, but they gave us shelter, they took Killian under their wing, they let us be part of all of your lives.”

Emma moves her hands to clasp his arms at the elbows. “It was just as rich of an experience for me. I’m sure my parents feel the same way, and I wouldn’t be here again if it weren’t for Killian.”

“And I don’t think Killian would be here if it weren’t for you,” he responds without hesitation.

They walk all the way to the other end of the castle, meandering back at a leisurely pace in order to give Killian plenty of time to talk with the king and queen, and since Killian hadn’t had much of a chance to tell Liam about his animal adventures, she gives him little bits of information. Mostly she tells him about how she called him Cat, and that his missing paw went a long way into convincing her that he wasn’t some crazy person spouting nonsense about being her pet.

“Speaking of hands,” Liam adds once they’ve almost reached her quarters. “He does seem to be missing one. But that just means you’ll be offering him one of yours now, yes?”

Emma smiles, deciding not to answer even though Liam clearly knows she’ll say yes if Killian asks. “Goodnight, Liam.”

“Goodnight, Princess. By the way, you should know I’ll be on duty as guard for the first half of the night. I want to make sure neither of you go anywhere after we’ve just gotten you back.” He smiles to show he’s joking, but then he purses his lips a little. “But I’ll be way down that end. Just in case.”

Her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline, her smile growing wider as she understands the implications. “Goodnight, Liam.”

He chuckles, even as he walks away.

Entering her room is an otherworldly experience. The quiet and stillness is almost unbearable after having lived with technology and automobiles for the last three years. But everything in the room is pristine, the bed made to her usual specifications. There’s a large vase of flowers on the table by her chaise lounge, and she recognizes almost immediately that they’re the same flowers her mother displays. She admires them for a moment, but moves on in order to do something that’s more important.

Every window, every door to her private terrace, every conceivable entry into the room is swiftly reinforced with magic of her own making. She would’ve been powerless to almost anything the morning she was taken, but now she can ensure that once she and Killian shut the doors for the evening, no one else will be able to even budge a hinge without blaring alarms sounding in the whole castle.

“Thank you, security systems,” she mutters as she draws all the curtains closed and snaps her fingers to light the candles spread throughout the room. She might miss lightbulbs, but there is a charm to being able to light and extinguish any candle with just a small gesture.

Having been promised their privacy, there are no maids to dress her for the evening. It’s fine, though, because what would they do? Strip off her sweater? Peel the jeans from her skin? No, and while it sounds incredibly appealing to leave that job for Killian, she has other ideas. She uses the basin in her washroom to freshen up, tying her hair into a messy bun after she washes her face and brushes her teeth. Then she wanders into her closet and undresses, leaving her modern clothes on the floor for the time being.

Her fingers run along all the different delicate fabrics in her closet. Even the cotton has a better consistency. She passes by each section of gowns and attire, finding her way to the very back and grinning at what she finds. Black corset, with black skirts.

He’ll either love the throwback, or he’ll run screaming from the room. But either way, she has to. She just has to.

-x-

Bloody hell, this is worse than an overnight siege, Killian decides the second Liam asks if Emma would like to go for a walk. He’s just been handed over to something worse than pirates, in his opinion. He’s been fed to the king and queen, holders of his ultimate fate.

He’s being dramatic and he knows it.

They’re all quiet, and he has no idea if they’re waiting for him to speak first, or if he’s going to have to wait ages for them to deem him worthy of their voices. He doesn’t have to wait long; just as he opens his mouth to say anything, David suddenly stands up.

“You stole one of our ships.”

As soon as the clipped words are out of his mouth, Snow sighs. The exasperated noise is one he’s all too familiar with, especially paired with her quiet words of “Oh, David,” that her husband mostly ignores except for the clenching of his jaw.

Killian swallows, glancing between the two of them and taking note of Snow’s encouraging smile before he responds. “I paid for it.”

“You terrorized the rest of my fleet.”

“Not for very long,” Killian counters. It’s not a lie; he did stop antagonizing the Misthaven Navy after the day Liam shot at him.

“We didn’t make unreasonable demands,” David says, his demeanor cracking with the simplicity of the statement.

“Not unreasonable for you, perhaps.”

“But for you? What was so bad about what we were asking you to do? In this family, we work as a team -”

“Aye, a team. And every suggestion I made was thrown out the window before it could be considered. If you haven’t noticed, your majesty, your daughter is back and darkness has been defeated because I followed the path that called to me. My demands were simple. I wanted to be seen as the man that wanted to marry your daughter. Not just another body that served the crown.”

“I didn’t - we never…” David throws his hands in the air and moves away from his usual perch, pacing around to the back of their chairs and back again. “Okay. I’m sorry we ever let you feel that way. But now you’re back. Will you continue your life of piracy?”

Killian considers this statement. He always thought he would bring Emma home and go on his way, thinking she wouldn’t be capable of loving the man he became. Now that she’s back, and she does love him, it’s hard to say what he’ll do with his life.

“I don’t know,” Killian admits. He pulls his arms around to fiddle with his hook. The fact that neither of them even flinch at the metal attached to the brace at the end of his arm is reassuring. “Your majesty, with all respect, a life of taking orders isn’t something I believe myself to be made for anymore. I’m willing to give up the lawless life under very obvious circumstances, but I don’t see myself stepping back into the war room to be your strategist again.”

David grumbles, crossing his arms and wandering to the window to stare out at the darkened courtyard outside.

Snow, who has largely remained silent during this whole exchange, clears her throat to command his attention. “We don’t want to ask you to do anything that isn’t in your heart, Killian. And you’re right, we often set aside your perspective because we were too wrapped up in our own. Sometimes, sharing a heart gets in the way of listening to others,” she admits. David, sighs, moving to stand behind her chair and placing his hands on her shoulders. “You were always like a son to us. Emma would’ve grown up all alone if it weren’t for you, and getting to see you both mature, and then slowly fall in love, was like watching a fairy tale come to life. You still love her?”

“Aye, more now than ever,” Killian admits with no hesitation. The king and queen have a wordless conversation before Snow focuses back on him.

“What we do want,” Snow continues, “is for you to be part of our lives. Now, I believe I have something to return to you.” She stands, coming forward and reaching into her skirts to retrieve a small pouch.

“I kept it polished for you,” she tells him.

“And I made sure she didn’t polish it too much or else the band would be a half moon at this point,” David adds on. A smile is just barely visible in his eyes, just beneath the never ending affection for his wife.

Snow tumbles the ring into his hand from the upturned pouch, and he marvels at how it gleams. Still, after all these years, it looks like the perfect selection for Emma.

“All other discussions can wait until morning,” Snow reminds him as she closes his fingers around the ring. She reaches up and hugs him, her arms just as familiar as he remembers them. “Welcome home,” she whispers once, before she moves away. She reaches for David’s hand as she passes him, squeezing it once and smiling at him before she bids them both goodnight.

Left alone with David, Killian is unsure what to do. He bows, thinking that the king will leave it there, but David moves around the chair that’s standing between them and stops when he’s a yard away from Killian.

“Because I still need to say it, Killian, thank you for bringing Emma back alive. Talk of piracy and stealing ships aside, there’s no way I could ever repay you for that one act.” Without warning, David moves forward and gives Killian a hug. He slaps the former lieutenant on the back a few times before moving away again. “Goodnight, Killian.”

Feeling lighter than he has in years, Killian walks the familiar path from the king and queen’s quarters to Emma’s rooms. He passes Liam on the way, this time not hesitating to initiate a bear hug with him. Even while growing up, he got all his embraces from the staff or the queen, or Emma who hugged him best of all. He’s lost over three years of the ability to hug his brother, on top of all the years Liam wasn’t around.

For some reason, as he eases towards the door at the end of the hall, that’s when the nerves hit. He’s sure the lead in his stomach won’t allow him to move further, but he manages to push open the door, shaking off a chill of magic when he turns to close it. Clearly, Emma is not joking around with security measures this time. He locks the door out of habit, walking through the antechamber and putting out candles as he goes. He enters her bedroom and closes that door, as well, intent on finding Emma.

His attention is immediately brought to the bouquet of flowers on the table, and Killian realizes it’s where the breakfast tray sat the day Emma went missing. He’s just about to fall down another hole of memories and thankfulness for being back, when Emma clears her throat.

It’s like a startling moment of déjà vu, with Emma spread across the comforter, smile in place. Her hair is all pulled up, leaving the lines of her décolletage exposed. She’s in the corset and skirts from their first night together, her legs crossed just so to hide her privates. He bites his lip against the devilish smile he knows is on his face.

“This all seems a bit familiar,” Killian says as he saunters forward. Years of experience don’t have him as shaky or unsure of what to do next, but he wants to let her lead tonight.

“A few things have changed,” Emma responds, smirk in place, fluttering her eyelashes in a coy manner.

She acts demure, but he knows better. “For the love of all the ships in the realm, please tell me you brought condoms back with you.”

Instead of a response, she shifts off the bed, gliding towards him with the sheer shirts swirling around her legs. At the same time, she waves her hand, and a line of the foil packets appears in her hand. “They were stashed in my coat pocket. Just in case.”

“Always good to be prepared for every eventuality.”

“Just kiss me already,” Emma says, chuckling as she does. She twists a hand into the fabric of his waistcoat and pulls him to her, their lips meeting somewhere in the middle as their arms wrap around each other. He turns his hook so it won’t catch on the delicate materials, but doesn’t hesitate to palm her backside, feeling the warmth of her skin just beneath the fabric.

Piece by piece, she strips the clothes from his body, leaving the brace and his boxer-briefs for last. She’s seen him without his brace before; that’s not what bothers him. But this is her first time seeing it on. As if to reassure him, she draws her hands down his arms, linking one hand with his fingers and grasping his hook with the other.

“I love you, Killian Jones, Captain Hook, thankfully no longer Cat.”

He ducks his head to kiss her, something simple and momentary before he responds. “I can confidently say that I love you, Emma Swan, Princess of Misthaven, Deputy of Storybrooke.”

Her whole face lights up with her smile, her eyes crinkling as she releases hand and hook so she can pluck at the waistband of his underwear. “How about losing these, and loosening my laces?”

“Surely you secured this with magic, Swan. Why delay by asking for help?” She’s in the process of turning away from him, so he takes advantage to wind his arm around her middle and pull her back to him. “In case I forgot to say so, darling, you look divine in this.” He uses the tip of his hook to draw her hair off her neck, enjoying the way her breath stutters as she shifts into his erection. Her whimpering moans when he kisses down the side of her neck are also pleasurable. The sharp cry of his name with at least three expletives following is the real treasure, though, when he bites and soothes with teeth and tongue.

She loses her patience after that, finding the ties to her skirts and practically ripping them off as she moves far enough away for him to access the back of the corset. He doesn’t tease her any longer, instead pulling at the knot and loosening the laces just enough for her to be able to unclasp it without discomfort.

Emma, he’s forgotten, looks stunning in candlelight. But he gets to remember as they come together again and again, until the flames in the room all extinguish on their own and the only light left comes from what’s left of the fire in the hearth. Only then do they settle, their bodies sated, their adrenaline all spent, and no threats looming over them in the near future.

Killian is jostled awake by movement next to him. Apparently, he’s been a little spoiled by Emma’s memory foam mattress back in Storybrooke. Turns out the land without magic does have a few tricks up its sleeve. It's entirely too early to be awake. The sun isn't yet peeking above the horizon, if the back of his eyelids are anything to go by. A dip in the bed this time is what alerts him to Emma’s movements, and he cracks open an eye to watch her climb from the bed.

“Swan,” he grumbles, trying to reach for her as she stands.

“I’ll be right back,” she tells him, bending to retrieve his shirt from the floor.

“It’s too early. Come back, love.”

“I wanna go down and grab us breakfast. No matter how many times everyone kept telling us that we would talk today, I plan on bringing back enough food so we can barricade that door and stay here for at least a day or two.” As she finishes fastening the buttons, she tosses a saucy look over her shoulder. “I wanna make up for some lost time.” She bends to lift his jeans, but Killian practically leaps from the bed to snatch them up.

“Now, Swan, it’s your first day back to your homeland. Don’t you suppose we should at least swing through and say good morning?” He eases the pants from her hands, anxious to keep the pockets upright as he does so. He half-folds them, placing them down on the chaise before he moves forward to pull her close by tugging the tail of the shirt. “Of course, when you look like that, I’m hesitant to let you leave at all.”

“This early? No one will be up. No one in the kitchen. No one snooping around wondering why I have a beautiful set of teeth marks on my neck that I want to leave for just a little longer before I heal them.”

Releasing the fabric, Killian slides his hand down until it rests at the juncture between her thighs. Emma gasps, pressing closer to him as one of his fingers slide inside her. “I’ll let you go, but in just a moment, and only once I’ve watched you fall apart. Deal?” The words are a husky whisper, delivered straight to her ear, and she shivers against him.

“Hell yeah, it’s a deal.” She yanks his head down none too gently to kiss him again, and it doesn’t take long for her voice to rise in pitch and volume, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she clutches on. He suspects that grip and his left arm clamped around her lower back are the only things keeping her upright. He hopes that no one is still keeping guard down the hall, or that Emma placed some sort of sound-proofing on the barrier she put around the room, as the lack of upstairs and downstairs neighbors allows her the freedom to call his name without restraint, her triumphant call of “Yes!” echoing off the stone walls.

“Okay,” Killian says, still catching his own breath as Emma collapses in his arms, “now we can go get breakfast.”

She laughs in response. “Oh, sure. Now that I���m torn between dragging you back to that bed to sleep off that orgasm or cause a couple more.” She half-heartedly smacks his arm and kisses him soundly once again. “Let me get some pants on or something.”  

The satchel, it turns out, had been delivered to her room, which he failed to notice when he entered the night before. When Emma wanders from the bedroom to find a fresh change of clothes, Killian scoops his jeans from the chaise and slips them on before digging the ring from the pocket. He’s waited three and a half years for this moment. There’s no time like the present.

When Emma walks back in, Killian is on his knee, his eyes trained on the door so as not to be caught off guard. They smile at each other, even with two yards between them.

As they sneak through the halls towards the kitchen, she’s wearing his shirt and his ring. They leave a note for her parents outside her parents’ quarters, addressed to Snow, with her ring inside. The Queen wisely informs everyone that they’ll postpone the homecoming breakfast until the following morning as she slides the peridot back onto her ring finger.

-x-

“What I’m saying is that the Dark One’s memory curse on the town is wearing off, and these people are freaking out.”

They’re all seated around the large table in the war room, with Ursula in attendance to explain the after-effects of finally dispersing the Darkness. It turns out, Ursula has been keeping tabs on Storybrooke for a long time to make sure nothing was going wrong with the Dark One’s cursed town. But like a sea witch, she’s kept all of her information to herself until now.

It’s been three days since they broke Emma’s memory curse, since they defeated the total darkness that was threatening to destroy more and more families. While they’ve been trying to find some semblance of normalcy since returning to Misthaven, it’s clear that they’re not done with Storybrooke yet, just as the town is not done with them. Emma’s thoughts have wandered to the little home she’s grown fond of more times than she can count, lost in the memories of sidewalks beneath her feet, snow catching on her eyelashes under the fairy lights outside Granny’s diner.

“What do you propose we do, have the merfolk bring them all back here in shifts?” This suggestion from Killian isn’t the worst thing Emma’s ever heard, but it’s not exactly the best solution.

“Some of those people have been there for decades,” Regina comments. “Maybe even longer. We questioned Rumplestiltskin about the town, and he says he’s been using it for at least three hundred years. He got mad at a village for making fun of his name, of all things, so he transported the whole thing to this other land.” She rolls her eyes as she talks, clearly expressing her exasperation with cleaning up after this man.

Robin, having regained his own memories, has been instrumental in helping Regina compile all the data on the fake town that has served as its own prison for centuries. “The curse was so layered that it eventually learned on its own. It’s the strangest thing, but if it were younger, they probably would have all transported back automatically once his magic stopped feeding the spell. As it is, the town has become a source of magic on its own, in a land completely devoid of magical sources. The good thing seems to be that portals won’t strip travelers of their memories anymore. We’ll have to send another emissary to be sure, of course.”

“Because magic beans are so easy to come by?” Emma asks skeptically. Last she heard, it takes an arm and a leg to get ahold of one of those. Mentally, she berates herself, and reaches for Killian’s hook on her right. Thoughts of what he’d look like in a soft flannel shirt, a cozy wool sweater, matching socks, run through her head. She glances at him to catch his eye, smiling when he winks at her, and almost misses what her father is saying.

“Actually, portals might be easier than you think. We made a deal with the giants while we were trying to get to Storybrooke. They’re going to open up a trading post. It took a lot of persuading, but we did them a favor by sharing some magic from the fairies with them, so they can come to land and take part in human spoils whenever they’d like. It looks like we’ve found peace in another area of this world.”

“That’s great,” Ursula mentions, probably because that means her human transportation business will finally dwindle again, but she doesn’t stop there. “But if some of these people have been trapped there for centuries, there’s no way they’ll want to return. Storybrooke is the only home they know. Their families are long gone.”

“Well, we could always establish this town as another sector of Misthaven. I know the town, and all the townspeople. I don’t ever remember actually seeing a mayor, which means the chain of command was probably all part of the curse. They’ll need leadership. What else is a defunct regent going to do with her time?” Regina mutters the part, but in that flippant way she’s so good at. “The politics over there work a little differently, but I’d like to return to Storybrooke and run for their mayor.”

Regina and Snow branch off to discuss the fine details of what would go along with mayorship of a town as an extension of Misthaven. If any two people can figure out a good way to make this all work, it’s those two. Weird to think that her mother and step-grandmother have such a relationship and history, when Emma only knew her as her best friend.

The memory of Regina bumping into her in the hallway and claiming they weren’t besties makes her grin, especially since they went right on solidifying their friendship. Perhaps Rumple never anticipated how close they would become, and how instrumental they would both be in his downfall. The idea of Regina leaving, however, almost makes her sad. She wouldn’t expect things to stay the same after the turmoil they’ve all been through, but how is she to go on living in Misthaven when she feels like she belongs somewhere else?

Between the homecoming celebrations and her own quiet time with Killian, talks about what they’ll do now have been sparse, few between, and almost non-existent. She’s not told Killian about how she stares out the windows sometimes and wishes she could pop over to Granny’s and grab a hot chocolate. She actually misses work. Emma knows she’s going to be met with resistance, but the decision is easy for her. “I want to return, too.”

All conversation ceases around her, with every set of eyes turning to stare at her with varying expressions. Her parents look shell-shocked, Regina looks confused, and Killian just looks… well, like he knows exactly where her mind is. This should come as no surprise since he knows her so well.

“But Emma -”

“But nothing,” she cuts off David. “It’s nothing compared to decades or centuries, but I’ve been there for three years. I love my job, I like my friends. My life is there. If magic beans are readily available, then we can visit any time?” It comes out as a question no matter how hard she tries to make it a statement.

“We can?” Killian says, purely to tease. She hasn’t gotten around to telling him just how much she already misses electricity and grilled cheese sandwiches. The cooks tried for her yesterday, but it just wasn’t the same. The easy smile on his face further tells her he already knows, and the usual look in his eyes says he will follow her to the ends of the earth if she asks.

“We can,” she reasserts, moving her hand to squeeze his forearm when he gives her a nod. “And you could visit us,” Emma states, looking at her parents. David, poor David, looks devastated at the idea of his princess leaving again. They just got her back and she’s already talking about leaving. Snow, however, looks like she’s considering it, and Emma knows if she can get her mother on her side, they can both convince her father that it’s a sound idea.

“The sooner we figure this out, the better,” Ursula reminds them. “There are people in that town that are panicking because they want to get home with their families. We need to either get them back to where they belong without draining my resources, or we need to get them calmed down.”

“How about you take us back with you when you go again? I’ll even help make a spell that will use a little less of your own magic so you can transport us easily.” Regina pushes back from the table, standing and preparing to make her accord.

They seal their agreement with a shake of their hands, rather than a signed contract. The fact that deals can be made without there being a hefty price or threat of punishment on the side is probably the best part of Rumplestiltskin being locked up in a magical cage in their dungeons. Once Regina and Robin have left the room to go pack their belongings, Ursula and the rest of the major council disperses, leaving just the king and queen, Emma, and Killian.

There’s a heavy silence over the table, one that makes her think that even if Snow is considering it, her parents aren’t happy that she plans to leave them again. Plus, it means she’s giving up her rights to the throne if she moves to Storybrooke for good. She even has ideas to pitch on how that should be handled, but that’s a conversation for another day.

“We can have the wedding here,” she blurts out. Killian turns and raises an eyebrow at her, but she barrels on. “We haven’t set a date yet, but we can always plan it to take place here. I would never want to deprive you of another big moment in my life, but I really feel like Storybrooke is just…home. I mean, it’s not home. You guys will always be my home home, but I’m comfortable there. I’m happy there. I like having a job and technology and we can visit any time if this bean thing is really going to work out.”

David gets up from his chair, pacing a few times as Emma talks, and then stopping behind Snow’s seat as she finishes. They both stare at her, shifting their eyes minimally to look at Killian as well. Snow tilts her head back to look at David, and he looks down at her, and they do their married-conversation-without-words bit before they look at her again.

“Okay,” they say in unison.

“Go back with Regina and Robin. It’ll probably help to have a member of the current royal family present while everything gets situated, particularly for those from our kingdom,” David tells her.

“We’ll start planning the wedding. We’ll come visit in a few weeks when the first bean crop is ready for harvest so we can deliver some to you,” Snow says. “And try pizza,” she adds with a wide smile, the word sounding weird coming from her mouth.

It’s hard to think she’ll be leaving them again, but hearing Snow say they’ll come visit soon makes her feel like this is the right decision. This is what she wants. And while she hasn’t really talked to Killian about it, she knows that he enjoyed their time in Storybrooke enough to lament the things he’s also missing.

“Will you send word to Regina to wait for us?” Emma asks as she stands from her chair. Behind her, Killian moves his, and comes to stand beside her.

With a gesture, David draws one of the guards from the doors, relaying the message and sending him on his way. “We’ll be there as soon as we can be,” he tells Emma, accepting the hug she offers and holding her tight. He only releases her when she tells him how much she’ll miss him again, and that she loves him, and then she moves on to Snow.

Her mother is crying, of course, just barely. But Emma knows it’s hard to say goodbye so soon after what they’ve been through. She tells Snow the same thing she said to David, and includes an extra tight squeeze as she tells her how much she’s looking forward to planning the wedding when she sees her again.

A half an hour later, Killian returns to her quarters after packing as much as he wanted from his room. While he had unofficially moved in as soon as they got back, he still had to retrieve the things he most wanted to bring. And tell Liam.

“How’d it go?” Emma asks, not looking up from her own task of putting some of her Storybrooke clothes back into the satchel they brought with them.

“He cried,” Killian says, but she immediately hears the scratchiness in his voice, so she turns her head and raises an eyebrow at him until he looks at her. “Okay, fine, we cried. Happy?”

“Yes, actually.” He was trying to be a smartass, but Emma’s response is genuine. She stops her packing for a second to walk over, not even hesitating as she reaches up to kiss him and wraps her arms around him at the same time. It’s a chaste kiss by the standards they’ve set over the last three days; they have absolutely made up for lost time. But it’s the beginning of their own wordless communication. She doesn’t need to tell him she loves him right this moment (she’ll tell him a thousand times anyway, but it can wait another minute or two). She doesn’t need to thank him, or explain how much this means to her. She knows he would wave off any of those statements if she tried. “I’m just about finished. Any word on how long until the others are leaving?”

“And I quote, there’s not enough time for you two to go at it like rabbits again,” he says, pressing his lips together to ward off the smile that wants to creep up. “End quote.”

“Damn,” she mutters. “Oh well, just means we’ll have to wait until we’re back in my apartment with all those lovely, battery-operated toys.”

“See, now I’m fully on board with going. I had just the slightest hesitation earlier, but you’ve fully won me over with this idea.” She shakes her head, kissing him once before going back to her task.

Killian leaves ahead of her, so Emma has a moment in her room by herself. It feels a lot like a heavy goodbye, even though she knows they’ll be back to visit. Even if the bean trade falls through, Ursula has agreed to help in cases of emergency. The mark for her shell is still on Killian’s arm, so they can call her if they ever need to get back to Misthaven. She turns around the room slowly, smiling at the flowers in the vase, knowing that her mother made the fairies enchant a whole field just so she could go stand someplace where Emma spent so much of her time.

Now, she’s thinking that the same meadow might make a beautiful location for a wedding some day. With that thought in her mind, and a smile on her lips, she walks out, extinguishing all the candles before she closes the door behind her.

-x-

Storybrooke is in calm chaos for weeks. Dealing with who wants to stay and who wants to leave is the trickiest bit. There are many people who, just as Ursula and Regina figured, don’t want to return to a place where their families are long gone. There are others who simply believe they fit better in a modern world than the one they were taken from. Will Scarlet, especially, says he’s a much better man in Storybrooke than he was in Misthaven, or Wonderland, or Oz… or so he claims. He is spending a great deal of time at the library, but Emma has suspicions that it’s because of Belle, and not because of the books.

Most fascinating is watching the connections between the people of the town come out of the woodwork. It turns out that Ruby and Mulan already knew each other, having met as they were on their own adventures, and traveling together for some time. They’d both been attracted to the other, but far too timid or unsure to pursue the idea of really traveling together. What had been a tentative start of a relationship when Emma saw them before the search party set out blossoms into a beautiful partnership.

Graham laughs, his whole body shaking with the action, when he realizes precisely who Emma and Killian are. “You’ve both come a long way from those hand-offs in the hallway. My favorite little tart thieves. No wonder you always felt like my younger sister,” he marvels to Emma. Killian smiles, happy to observe the interaction. He’s been meeting the people Emma has spent her last few years with, and it’s jarring but in a wonderful way.

He’s had the only reunion he was concerned with. Stepping onto the docks yesterday to find Brennan was a surreal experience, especially when his father sizes him up. The last Captain Jones saw of his sons, Killian was barely retaining his memories. His father seemed ten times larger than the average man, so standing before him now, their statures so similar, is the hardest part to swallow. But then Emma was beside him, easing the tension he felt in his shoulders. Introducing him to Emma might be his favorite part of the reunion.

Their stories are not so unique. There are children and parents, friends, lovers, enemies who decide to bury the hatchet – all types of camaraderie all over this town that was born of petty hatred. Person by person, story by story, they sort through every resident in the town to take an accurate survey of everyone there, figuring out where each one wanted to live and shuffling them toward the piers to help get them ready for Ursula.

Shortly after everyone gets placed where they want to go, life returns to something resembling normal. Since the bean crop is just about at its harvesting point, Killian is pretty sure they’re bound to get a message any day about Emma’s parents planning a visit. The idea makes her absolutely giddy. She wants her parents to see that while they were separated for far too long, she was by no means abused in her temporary “prison” town. She talks plenty about taking them to various places in town, not hesitating to point out a new one as they walk to dinner one night, or as he walks with her to work the next day.

He always gives her a kiss on the cheek before they part, with her heading into the station and him walking the last couple blocks to the docks on his own. He knows boats and ships, so what better place for a pirate than working at the docks. His crew, all but Smee, returned to Misthaven to go find their bluer seas. He sent Smee back to retrieve his ship, but hired the man to be his first mate once more, for good over greed this time. Amazingly, Smee happily comes aboard, glad to lend out his services of finding people and goods when not working on the Jolly Roger.

The fair trade of magic beans and goods in Misthaven ends up being so lucrative that Storybrooke becomes something of a tourist destination. There aren’t a lot of visitors in the winter, but in the summer, there are people popping in every day of the week. It means that they have to come up with a conversion rate for gold to money, which is an interesting affair, but it works out fantastically for Granny’s bed and breakfast, and the diner. With the extra revenue, Regina begins making plans for updates and upgrades, for new construction projects and a reassessment of the schools. Everything that can be improved is given a thorough inspection by their new, watchful mayor.

It also works out great for Killian and Brennan. Since he’s already been working on the docks all this time, he and Killian start up an ocean tour business, taking their vacationing Misthaven folk out on the sea and around the coasts they can now travel to since the curse has lifted. When Liam comes to visit, the Jones family has their own day. Liam has more memories of Brennan, and so the two connect much easier than Killian initially had. But having them all together is more valuable than anything else.

When he returns home after the first night, Emma is waiting for him with a knowing smile on her face. She pulls him into her arms as soon as he closes the door, easing the tension and nerves that he managed to hide all day long. Having a family outside of Emma is still startlingly new to him, but he’s adjusting.

The king and queen’s visit is a much-anticipated event for the town. Much like a visit from any other top-ranking officials, the residents all put forward their best efforts. Granny, who knew Snow as a child before she and Ruby were sent to the cursed town, gets to host the royals as her guests. During their visit, Killian gets a taste of how it must’ve been adjusting him to modern amenities. Emma’s parents were told in advance what to expect, however watching David operate light switches is Killian’s new favorite activity.

On the second day of their vacation, Emma and Snow go out shopping for modern clothes for the king and queen to wear during the rest of their stay. In their new outfits, David looks like any other random bloke in town, and Snow looks like a perfect school teacher, her prim cardigans and soft pastels the perfect style for her demeanor.

“In another life, in this town, I think I would’ve enjoyed being a teacher,” Snow tells them after Emma points this out.

The four of them squeeze around the table at Emma’s apartment for meals, and it’s obvious that the space that used to feel adequate is no longer enough. Hand-me-down castoffs are well and good, but as soon as they start shopping for Killian and filling the closet and drawers with his clothes as well, they realize that they’re not destined to inhabit the one-bedroom apartment for something longer than a temporary stay.

Finding a house to live in is an adventure all on its own. They wait until David and Snow return home to go out looking, wanting to devote their whole attention to the task. They bicker about the details, sometimes to the point of going just beyond the term of disagreements and entering fighting, but it’s only through these interactions that they discover ways to resolve them. And make-up sex is the very best way to end any argument, of course.

When they do find a house, it’s a choice they can both agree on. The process of filling the house with more than just furniture and clothes is something they both delight in. Emma has a knack for finding the perfect paintings and artwork to put on the walls, and Killian excels at finding knickknacks and functional items of the perfect style. Soon, picture frames line the walls and sit across the mantel, and curtains they picked together cover their windows.

After a little over a year of residing in peaceful Storybrooke, they head back to the Enchanted Forest to prepare for the wedding. Brennan and Smee sail the Jolly Roger between the realms with the help of the magic beans and ferry guests to Misthaven for the event.

For some of them, it’s their first time back to their homeland, so David and Snow open their doors to any guests, housing all of the wedding-goers in an attempt to make everyone as comfortable as possible.

Killian can hardly believe the transformation of the flower field when he sees it the day of the wedding. Platforms and walkways, all specially crafted with the fairies’ magic, are placed over the flowers so that none of them are disturbed during the ceremony. In the center, a dais has been built up to accommodate the nuptials. With their flowers all in bloom, and the sun shining down on them, Killian and the guests wait patiently for Emma and her parents to walk up the path.

He might be biased, but she’s the most beautiful bride he’s ever seen. The dress is more modern, having been purchased in Storybrooke, but her head is topped with a flower crown made of the delicate buds from the field. The event outshines every ball the kingdom has ever held, with the reception taking place in the main hall. They spend their first night as husband and wife in Emma’s old quarters, with her magic surrounding and protecting the room again, just in case. As is the trend in their lives, this is the room that witnesses another of their firsts.

While the guests all return to Storybrooke in the days that follow the wedding, Emma and Killian stay behind to begin the first leg of their honeymoon adventure. As a princess, Emma had little chance to explore the kingdoms, so they set off on a journey to remedy that. Killian takes her on a tour of the best ports he visited. The second half of their tour is spent exploring the country that houses their new home. Storybrooke still won’t show on any maps, keeping their little magic town a secret of sorts, but the broken curse means that the residents can move beyond the town limits.

Killian is sure that their life in the Enchanted Forest would’ve been filled with plenty of excitement, but as they settle back in after their journey ends, he discovers that they’ve hit the exact amount of thrills to fit their lifestyle. Some nights they dance to whatever music comes from the stereo, and sometimes they go sailing for the joy of feeling the wind in their hair. They make dinner slightly more often than going to grab Granny’s for takeout, and they live and work and love every single day, enjoying every single moment.

And when the time is right, they get a cat.

The End.

Thank you for reading! xo

#cs ff #cs ff au #captain swan ff #csbb #csbb 2017 #sarah writes ff #wait for the moonrise #enchanted forest/modern au #*quietly sobs* #it's the end

[a-winterprince-blog]

Family Ties (15/15)

Summary: Not long after receiving a strange warning in a dream, Killian finds himself forced to go to Camelot and deal with a long forgotten enemy. The heroes follow to aid him, but soon they are pulled into a net of family secrets and intrigues, with a foe who seems to bring back the dead. Killian is reunited with his family, but can he trust them?

Rating: Mature Content Warning: Mention of rape and minor character death. Corresponding chapters will be marked accordingly.

As always, a huge thank you goes out to my wonderful beta @onceuponadisneypotter (AO3) and my two amazing artists:@thisisartyannaand @captainodonoghue! You can find the story on ff.net, as well.

wow, I cannot believe this is the last chapter! Thank you guys for sticking with me, I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did. There is one more fanart for this chapter, you can find it on @thisisartyanna ‘s blog or right here. Apart from that, happy Christmas time to those of you who celebrate it (yes, I am one of those annoying people who start in December...).

Trigger warning: This chapter contains mentions of rape and minor character death

"ARTHUR!" Hook yelled, kicking open the door to the throne room.

Nimue was right; there was no guard to be seen. Given the opportunity to destroy the very heart of magic, Arthur had thrown all caution to the wind. He was almost disappointed. He would've loved to warm up a little.

The king of Camelot was idly sitting on his throne and polishing his sword. He looked up in alarm when Hook entered.

"Killian," he said, tightening the grip on his sword. "What are you doing here?"

Hook closed the door behind him. He didn't want Arthur to run away.

"Look we didn't get the chance to talk. I didn't recognize you, otherwise I would have reached out to you. I know we passed on bad terms..."

"Quiet," Hook snarled. "I don't want to hear what you have to say. I know what you did."

Arthur nervously licked his lips, stepping from one foot on the other. He didn't know what he was talking about.

"To my mother," Hook continued. "I know what you did to her."

Finally, Arthur understood. His eyes widened. His bloody blue eyes that he had inherited. Hook wanted to vomit right there.

"You don't know what you're talking about," the king said. "That was many years ago. I was young and foolish, I can see that now."

Hook growled, pulling his sword. "You should have thought about that before."

The first blow came unexpected for Arthur, and he barely managed to block it. Killian was almost disappointed; he wanted a good fight. He attacked again and again, forcing Arthur to lose ground.

Normally, he fought with finesse, but not now. Now he just brutally slashed at his opponent, trying to hit him. It didn't matter, where. He just wanted it to hurt.

Arthur's face was soon read and sweaty. He was clearly not in form, never having to fight himself. But his technique was good, he had to admit. Hook vaguely remembered him being a knight before he was crowned king.

And yet, he had clearly never faced an opponent who seriously wanted to harm him. It was ridiculously easy to make him lose his sword. Soon, Arthur was kneeling before him, his eyes closed as he awaited his death.

Hook was dissatisfied. He didn't want it to be this quick. He wanted it to hurt. But he would take what he got. He raised his sword.

"Wait!" someone shouted.

He turned and was surprised to see David running towards him.

"Killian, stop!" the prince yelled.

Hook turned back to Arthur, ignoring him. He focussed on his sword hanging in the air. Should he behead him? Stabbing was slower and more painful. He changed the angle of his sword.

""Killian, STOP!" David repeated, grabbing his hand. "You don't want to do this!"

"Oh, I assure you, I do," he said darkly.

"Look, I can see you're angry. But whatever he did, this isn't worth it!"

Hook shook his head to get rid of the little voice in his head. He wasn't willing to let go of the darkness so quickly.

"He bloody deserves this," he snarled, taking better aim. Maybe he should stab him through the eye.

"I'm sure he does," David said in his bargaining voice. "But you don't. This isn't about him, Killian, this is about you. You worked so hard to be where you are, don't let him undo that!"

Hook clenched his jaw. He had to kill Arthur for what he'd done. He just had to. But the bastard was getting in his head.

"Think about your daughter! Think about Emma! They wouldn't want you to do this. Are you really willing to let him destroy your happiness?"

Deciding he finally had enough of this, Hook thrust his sword down. The tip hit right before Arthur's knee, and the king flinched, letting out a whimper. He let got of the hilt, letting his sword clatter to the ground. Instead, his good hand found Arthur's neck, squeezing just enough to make him gasp for air.

"I won't kill you," he said quietly. "But if this was just you and me, I wouldn't hesitate a second."

Letting go of Arthur, Killian grabbed his sword and put it back in its sheath. He nodded at David, turning to leave the hall. The prince followed him.

After she had sent David after Killian, Emma returned to the spot where she had last seen Morgana and Nimue. They weren't there. Instead, she heard loud voices from a room nearby. She tried to open the door, but it was locked.

Suddenly, there was a loud thud. Then it was quiet.

The door opened, almost hitting her in the face. She jumped back.

Morgana emerged. She had that look on her face that Emma had seen briefly a few days ago. And now she knew who it reminded her of: Hook. Not Killian, but Captain Hook at his most vengeful.

She seemed calm, but one look in her eyes told Emma that she shouldn't get in her way if she valued her life. This wasn't the Morgana she knew. This was the Morgana who had slaughtered an entire kingdom to keep her son safe. And suddenly, she understood what was about to happen. She felt her stomach turn, but she knew that there was nothing she could do. She knew that Morgana wouldn't hesitate to kill her, as well, if necessary.

Only Nimue could stop her now. Emma looked back into the room as Morgana slowly walked down the hallway like an angel of death. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the tiny figure curled up on the floor. She knelt beside her, feeling for a pulse, even though she knew there was none.

In death, Nimue le Fay looked like a child, small and thin. All the authoritative air that usually surrounded her was gone. Emma stretched out two fingers to close her eyes as the first screams reached her ears.

She walked into the main hall where everyone was waiting with their eyes wide open. She pulled Henry close to her chest, trying to blend out the sounds from outside. She saw Kara sitting at the table, biting down on her thumb, and pulled her in as well. She held her until the screams stopped, which thankfully didn't take long.

The silence afterwards, however, seemed to last an eternity.

Finally, Regina opened the door to look outside. She nodded, and Robin followed her, while everyone else stayed inside. They came back quickly, carrying a barely conscious Morgana between them. No one said a word about what it looked like out there, and no one asked.

They sat her down in the big chair that had been Nimue's, because it had armrests. She barely managed not to fall out. Emma tried to ignore the dark liquid that had splashed her dress.

"Morgause is here," Kara suddenly said, turning all the attention to her.

Before anyone could ask her, how she knew, the door opened and the witch entered. She was closely followed by Gold.

"Well well, what do we have here?" Morgause said, smiling cheerfully. "Why is everyone so serious?"

"Where's my daughter?" Milah asked, stepping forward while reaching for her sword.

"Alive. For now." Morgause smiled at her. "But it's good to see you. You're doing really well outside of prison. Sadly, I can't allow that. You see, I have a promise to keep. I made a deal when I got you out of the underworld, and there is someone who prefers you a little more like... this."

She flicked her hand, and Milah's neck turned, making a horrible cracking sound that made Emma squeeze her eyes shut as a reflex. She heard someone gasp, and before she even looked, she knew, why.

Milah was lying on the ground, eyes open and lifeless. She looked away, only to see Gold staring at his again dead ex-wife. It was impossible to tell what he was feeling, but he seemed unable to look away.

"Now that I've held up that end of the bargain...," Morgause continued as if nothing had happened.

Her eyes fell on Morgana.

"Ah, my wonderful sister. I assume that is her work outside? Very impressive."

She made a step forward, but Kara stepped in her way.

"Get away from her," she said with a threatening tone in her voice.

"And just the other person that I need," Morgause smiled. "Rumple, tie her up for me, would you?"

"I'm not your pet," Gold snarled, but Morgause dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Henry said, putting himself in front of Kara before Emma could stop him.

"How lovely," Morgause snarled, snapping her fingers and producing a flame.

"HENRY!" Emma and Regina both yelled at the same time, but it was too late.

Henry turned away as the fire hit him. When his mothers had reached him, it was already over. Henry coughed from the smoke, clearing the air around him with his hand. He was unhurt.

"Don't you get it?" he said. "You can't hurt me!"

Morgause hissed angrily, getting ready to produce another flame.

Suddenly, she let out a sharp yelp, grabbing her waist. Dark blood flew out from in between her fingers.

Gold was standing right behind her, his hand still holding the dagger.

"That is my grandson you're attacking," he snarled.

Morgause still gasped for air, but her face turned to a smile.

"You foolish old man," she laughed. "You've stabbed me. So what? I can easily heal myself."

She waved her hand, but nothing happened.

"Actually, you can't," someone said from the door. "Sorry for the inconvenience."

They all turned to see the man that had entered.

"Hades," Morgause said weakly. "Why are you doing this? We h-had a deal."

"Yes," the God of the Underworld confirmed. "And you broke it."

"I sent her back to you!" Morgause yelled, her panic turning to anger as she looked at the amount of blood coming from the wound.

"No, you didn't," Hades said, nonchalantly stepping over Milah's body. "I understand that it's confusing, the dead look so alike if you look at them from this side. But in my world, death doesn't equal death."

He sat down by the table, crossing his legs.

"You see, I only get the souls that have unfinished business. It's fun to watch them struggle with all the things they did wrong in life, unable to ever resolve them. Just look at her, when she was in my realm, she constantly thought about her son, whom she abandoned. You can feel their guilt from miles away, and I promise you, their crying is better than Mozart. But," he said, holding up a finger, "you needed her for that child inside her, and you promised to give me both back in addition to your mother, sister, niece and nephew, didn't you? And you didn't give her back to me."

He got up again, kneeling beside Milah.

"Something or someone in this world made her hope - I know, nasty word - that her son would forgive her. On top of that, she died while fighting for her daughter. You see, she doesn't feel quite as guilty anymore. Ergo, she is not in the Underworld as you promised."

He looked up, pointing at the door.

"I do appreciate the little present you gave me out there, I really do. It's just that I am very picky, and you promised me this exact soul..."

"Hades, please," Morgause begged.

He squatted down in front of her, watching the blood leave her body open-mouthed.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I can't hear you. You'll have to tell me when you're down there. Actually, let me speed things up."

He grabbed her arm, disappearing into nothingness. Gold's dagger fell to the ground.

"Are you sure you will be fine?" Morgana asked, unwilling to let go of Kara.

"Yes, mother," her daughter replied. "I am the Lady of the Lake now, remember?"

Morgana sighed, pressing her daughter closer to her chest.

“It should be me,” she said.

Kara shook her head. “You and I both know it can’t. You shouldn’t be around magic.”

Emma smiled up at Killian, who was holding Calie. She had been exactly where Nimue predicted Morgause was keeping her. Tristan had been with her, working as Morgause's babysitter. Now that she was dead, he was finally free from the influence of the potion, and he had thanked them and apologized for his role in her kidnapping over and over again.

Calie seemed to be fine, considering the circumstances. Honestly, it was a relief that it hadn't been Morgause who was with her all the time.

Emma gently caressed her tiny hand with her thumb, while her index finger was wrapped tightly into her fist. It was good to see her again.

"You're free now, mother," Kara said. Nimue and Morgause are gone. Where you are going, you won't have magic, you will be too far gone from Avalon. You can start over."

Morgana smiled, kissing her daughter's head one more time.

Kara looked at Killian.

"Take care, of that one, little brother," she said, pointing at the sleeping baby. "And of yourself."

"Always," Killian smiled.

"And you," she said, looking at Henry. She seemed at loss for words for a moment. "Take care, as well. Maybe I'll hear from you again."

Henry, who was standing between Emma and Regina, nodded and said nothing. Instead, he smiled back. Emma wrapped her free arm around his shoulder. This was probably not how he had imagined things.

"Well," Kara said. "I supposed that's it."

She looked around all of them one more time before putting the apple she'd had in her hand on the ground. It started spinning, growing into a whirling mass of colors.

She watched as the stepped into it one after the other. Emma had to let go of Calie's hand so Killian could hold her closer to his chest, shielding her with his arms.

A few seconds later, they were standing in the middle of the main street of Storybrooke.

"It's as if we never left," David said, looking around.

Emma looked around for Killian, reaching for Calie's hand again. The little girl immediately captured her finger  like she had before. Things had changed. And it was good that they had.

#csbb #captain swan big bang #csbb 2017 #captain swan #captain hook #killian jones #emma swan #family ties #ff

[prongsie]

“Liam!” Killian whirled and there, hands propped on his hips and shaggy curls falling into his face, stood his brother. He sprinted through the crowd, seizing Liam’s hand. “David and Mary Margaret have already run off. Well, David’s over there.” He waved in the Nolans’ general direction. “And Mary Margaret is over that way somewhere, but you’ll never find her in the crowd. But you have to meet Emma. I don’t think her family is here yet and…”

“Whoa, slow down, little brother.” Liam held up his free hand, laughing. “Let’s take it one step at a time.”

Emma watched them approach, her fingers clutching the strap of her bag. She smiled shyly.

“Emma. Emma this is my brother. Liam.” He stopped in front of her, gesturing between the two of them.

She bit her lip, like she was trying not to laugh. “Pleased to meet you.”

Killian Jones and The Girl Who Lived

A Captain Swan AU by @thegladelf

Summary: Every young witch or wizard’s first year at Hogwarts is life-changing, but Killian doesn’t know just how life-changing it will be until he meets Emma Swan. OUAT/Harry Potter AU following Killian and Emma’s first year. Rating: G Content warnings: Character death, discussion of childhood abuse Other pairings: David/Mary Margaret, brief Killian/Milah & Emma/Neal, possible Regina/Robin.

First chapter here: (tumblr) (ff.net) (ao3)

OMG... Can’t believe this is the end. All those months planning, sketching... This is it, guys. My final piece for this awesome crossover between two things I have in my life and my heart. I want to say thanks to my awesome author @thegladelf for this amazing story! @captainswanbigbang for the work and effort to do this event, is like WHOA I admire them so much!! @jemmingart for being my partner in crime :D 

And you guys, thanks so much for all the feedback, your comments, all the love is... aashjdgaskd. I love this community so much!! And long live Captain Swan!!

♥

#csbb #Captain Swan #once upon a time #killian jones #emma swan #cs fanart #cs fanfic #csbb 2017 #harry potter au

[utopiozphere]

Assassin’s Creed: Misthaven

Story by: @delightfully-difficult-pirate Co-illustrated by: @cocohook38

“I did horrific things on my quest to destroy those who had betrayed my brother and I.  Same after I lost Milah.  But you know what?  I can’t bring myself to regret my actions.  Because despite the fact that I may have damned my soul, I rid the world of evil men.”

    “We work in the dark to serve the light,” Emma whispered, reciting the motto of the Assassin Brotherhood.

Chapter 9

#csbb 2017 #cs au #Captain Swan #Ravenz Art #SCREAMS #I AM SO SORRY I FORGOT TO PUT THIS ONLINE #I WAS AT SCHOOL THE WHOLE DAY AND CAME HOME TO SLEEP #OIAWSFDVCJNAS #OTL

[delightfully-difficult-pirate]

Assassin’s Creed: Misthaven (7/18)

Summary: For hundreds of years, the Brotherhood of Assassins and the Templar Order have waged war.  For Princess Emma of Misthaven, that war has become personal.  After a mission gone wrong, the Templar Grandmaster, placed a curse on Emma’s son that is slowly killing him.  Emma will stop at nothing to save Henry, even if it means going rogue from the Brotherhood and consorting with pirates.

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Sex, Adult Language.

AN: A special thank you to @preciouscucumber for being an ever patient and diligent beta. To @cocohook38 and @utopiozphere for the awesome artwork they have created. And to @icecubelotr44 for her encouragement every step of the way.  

AO3

Tumblr 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Art for Chapter 7 by @cocohook38

              Killian, Swan, and his crew arrived in Camelot in the late afternoon and immediately Killian set about arranging lodging.  He settled on The Frog and Frigate, and though the inn had definitely seen better days, it had enough room to house the seventeen of them without draining Swan’s purse.  That same night, Killian set out to find a contact he hoped would be able to provide him with the information Swan would need for her mission.

               Killian wasn’t in contact with many people from his days in the Templar Order, since many would be obligated to kill him on sight.  However, there was one man he had made an effort to keep track of: William Scarlet, the self-proclaimed Knave of Hearts.

               Will had run with Robin’s gang of Merry Men once upon a time, though he had never been an official member of the Order.  He’d only become an associate after his lady love, Anastasia, had run off and married the Order’s second-in-command, Lord Ferdinand Stanford, who was also known as the Red King.  Even so, Killian had worked with him on a few missions and had developed a fondness for the lout.

               Years later, when Killian had set his sights on killing Lord Stanford, he’d gone to Will for assistance.  The Knave had been more than willing to help.  With the Red King dead, Will had had another chance to woo back Anastasia.  The last Killian had heard the two of them were living quite happily in Camelot.

               Scarlett was not a hard man to find.  After asking a couple of questions, and passing over a few pieces of silver, Killian learned that Will could usually be found at a tavern called The White Rabbit.

               “Got something to sell?” The barkeep asked when Killian inquired after Scarlett at The White Rabbit.

               “I might,” Killian replied, tucking his hand and hook into his belt.

               “Have a pint.  Scarlett will be around in a bit,” he was informed.

               Killian rolled his eyes, but bought a pint of beer and took a seat at an empty table.  The beer was hoppy and not at all to Killian’s taste.  The tavern, however, was just the type of place Killian frequented.  It was full of disreputable men and woman and as he waited, Killian watched as numerous illicit deals were struck.

               “So, Leonard tells me you might… By the gods, Jones!  Is that you?” Scarlett exclaimed as he took a seat across from Killian.  Killian could only laugh at the dumbfounded expression on Will’s face.

               “Most people call me by my more colorful moniker now,” Killian held up his hook.

               Will’s eyes glanced at the shining metal implement that had replaced his missing hand, but he quickly returned to staring open mouthed at Killian.

               “You haven’t aged a day,” the shocked thief finally whispered.

               Ahhh.

               “Technically I’ve aged a few years since the last time I saw you,” Killian corrected him.

               “Aged a few years…Jones, it’s been thirteen!”

               Killian shrugged. “I spent about a decade in a realm called Neverland, where physical aging is frozen.”

               Will frowned. “Isn’t that where your brother died?”

               “One and the same,” Killian confirmed.

               “What the devil drove you back to there?” Will looked at Killian expectantly, obviously expecting an exciting story.

               Not in the mood to revisit one of the darkest times in his life, Killian gave Will a simplified version of his motivations. “I went to Neverland to retrieve Dreamshade, which has the ability to kill even the most powerful sorcerer.”

               However, Will’s next statement told him that the thief was well aware of Killian’s turbulent past. “You wanted it so you can kill Robert Gold.”

               The name of Milah’s murderer sent white-hot rage coursing through Killian.  For a moment, he was back on The Jolly Roger, watching helplessly as Robert Gold plunged his hand into Milah’s chest and removed her heart.  He’d crushed it with a squeeze of his fist and dropped the ashes in front of where Killian had been tied to the mast, slowly bleeding out from the loss of his hand.

               Killian chugged the remainder of his beer, desperately trying to push back the painful memories

               “Is that what has brought you to Camelot?”

               “Sadly not.  I’m here on business and was hoping you could help get the lay of the land.”

               Will raised his tankard in a mock salute.  “What do you need to know?”

---

               Though she wasn’t keen to announce her presence in Camelot to the Brotherhood, Emma needed to know whether or not word of new status of traitor had managed to travel this far south.  The local base in Camelot was operated by her old friend August.  She was rather confident that even if he was aware of her treachery, he wouldn’t immediately alert the Brotherhood before at least hearing her out.  He adored Henry.  

               August had gone to Camelot a few years ago to help establish an Assassin presence in the country.  Though the mission had been marginally successful, the Brotherhood had established a local base of operations in the capital city to cement their small foothold.  August had been placed in charge of the base in reward for his efforts and he now helped coordinate all Assassin activity in the region.  He did so out of his teashop, Geppetto’s Tisanes, and that would need to be Emma’s first stop if she wished to make contact with him.

               So, the morning after arriving in Camelot, Emma ventured into the city with only a vague memory of where August had opened his shop.  Thankfully, people were eager to give her directions; the teashop was well known to the locals for having quality tea and tisane blends at fair prices.  Emma was sure that the Brotherhood’s connections with trading companies played a role in that.

               To Emma’s surprise and pleasure, Geppetto’s Tisanes not only sold teas and tisanes, but also served them.  Patrons occupied all of the dozen tables that lined the shop’s walls.  Men and woman from all social rankings, she noticed, taking in one man’s silk doublet and another’s rough canvas trousers.

               Emma approached the counter and waited until the shop’s lone attendant, a young man, was able to attend her.

               “Afternoon Ma’am.  What can I get you today?” he asked as he wiped a stray tealeaf off the counter with a towel.

               “I’m here to see Mr. Pinocchio,” she told him.

               “And who may I say is calling?” The attendant asked, his eyes assessing her.

               “Swan.”

               He raised a brow. “Just Swan?”

               “Yes.  Just Swan,” she replied curtly.

               The attendant nodded and headed through a door that Emma assumed led to the back of the shop.  She studied the selection of teas behind the counter and contemplated purchasing some of the chamomile tisane.

               When the attendant returned, he lifted a portion of the counter and indicated she should cross through the gap it left.  Steeling herself for whatever happened next, she followed him through the same door he had left through earlier.  She was right that it led to the back of the shop.  She couldn’t see the walls for all the crates that were piled high along them.

               August was sat at a table in the center of the room, placing tealeaves on one side of a set of bronze scales.  It had been a few years since she’d seen her friend.  There were a few more strands of grey in his brown hair and in his beard, which was longer than she had ever seen it.

               “Swan, to what do I owe the pleasure?” August asked as he stood, coming around the table to offer her his hand.  She caught a quick glimpse of his hidden blades before she took his hand and shook it, feeling odd.  The August she knew would always wrap her in a hug whether she wanted one or not.

               Did he know she was a traitor?  That she had killed one of their brethren?

               “Business, as I’m sure you can guess,” she told him, her voice as casual as she could make it.

               August nodded, and then looked at the attendant who was still loitering behind Emma.  “That will be all, Becket,” he ordered.  Emma couldn’t help but notice the disappointed look on the young man’s face as he returned to the front of the shop.

               “Follow me,” August whispered, pulling on her hand.  He head led her around a pile of crates and down a very thin gap between them and the wall.  It ended when it reached the corner of the room and Emma watched as August crouched and unlocked a trap door set into the floor.  Though she was still a bit worried, Emma followed August through the trap door.  Once he had lit a few lamps, she saw that she was in a subterranean room lined with all manners of weapons and gear any Assassin would could possibly need when on a mission.

               “Emma, it is so good to see you,” August said as he wrapped her in the hug she had been missing earlier.

               “It’s good to see you too,” Emma said, relaxing into his embrace.

               After Emma had turned down his proposal of marriage when she had discovered she was with child, things had been difficult for the two of them.  August had been bitter at her refusal and nothing Emma could do could sooth his injured pride.  It had taken a few years, but eventually the two of them had returned to being friends despite that part of their history.

               “I didn’t receive any notice that you were coming to Camelot,” August said, his brows furrowing.

               “I’m afraid I’m not exactly here on official business,” Emma began.  She was unsure of how to proceed with her explanation.  August was one of her closest friends, but he was also a profoundly loyal Assassin.  Even if he wasn’t aware that she was now a traitor, could she trust him to help, or at least not interfere, with her mission?

               “There is a rumor that Robert Gold is here in Camelot,” she said, going with the same story she told Nemo.

               Her friend frowned.  “Are you sure?  I haven’t heard anything like that; I would have sent word if I had.”

               Emma shrugged. “I can’t be sure, not until I search.”

               “Everything I have here is at your disposal,” August said as he got up and began searching through a desk drawer.  He pulled out a copper disk about the size of Emma’s palm and handed it to her. “This will lead you to the safe houses we have set up in the city, should you need one.”

               “Thank you, August,” she said, meaning it.

---

               Emma returned to The Frog and Frigate after her visit with August armed with a detailed map of the city and updated knowledge of the local politics.

               Rumpelstiltskin had arrived in Camelot three years ago, just months after young King Arthur the seventh had ascended to the throne.  He had ingratiated himself quickly with the untried and nervous King, goading him into renewing his families quest to return the Holy Grail to Camelot.  When the old King’s advisors had disagreed with the notion that some magical cup would solve all of Camelot’s problems, they had been booted removed from their positions.   Rumpelstiltskin then became the King’s most trusted, and sole, confidant.

               Understandably, angered a number of aristocrats and for the past two years, there had been a bit of a rift between the King and his court.  Only recently had it begun to heal, with the King agreeing to marry Lady Gwendolyn, the daughter of Camelot’s formerly most powerful Count.  Rumpelstiltskin was an outspoken critic of the marriage.  Officially, he didn’t believe the woman suitable in temperament to be Queen, but everyone knew it was because he feared losing his influence over the King.

               Emma was holed up in the inn’s private dining room contemplating whether or not she could risk speaking with the disgruntled members of the court in hopes of finding an ally when Hook found her.

               “Swan! Care for a spot of lunch?” he asked, poking his head into the room.

               At the thought of food, Emma’s stomach answered for her.  Hook laughed and returned a few minutes later with two plates of food, one in his hand and the other balanced on the flat of his hook.  Emma pushed her map out of the way to make room.  Lunch was roast potatoes and a cut of meat Emma couldn’t immediately identify.

               “Have you had any luck in finding the acquaintance you mentioned yesterday?” Emma asked, around a mouthful of well-seasoned potatoes.

               “I did, in fact.  Scarlet’s always been good at keeping his ear to the ground and I’m sure he’ll be helpful when we need information.” Killian poked at the meat with his hook as he talked and Emma was glad she wasn’t the only one who was a little suspicious of it.

               “How did your visit with the local Assassin Leader go?” Killian asked, giving her a smug look.

               Emma wasn’t surprised that Hook had known where she had gone even though she hadn’t told him of her destination.

               “It could have gone worse. Word of my betrayal hasn’t managed to travel this far south,” she replied as she took a cautious bite of the meat.  It tasted like goat, but she wasn’t entirely sure.

               “I made sure not to tell Scarlet too much about what we had planned.   Even so, he did let me know that five nights from now, the royal family is hosting a ball to celebrate the King’s recent engagement.  It may be the perfect opportunity for us to abduct this Rumpelstiltskin.”

               Emma stared at Hook, trying to comprehend his logic behind his plan.  “A ball… You’re suggesting we infiltrate the royal castle of Camelot and abduct the court sorcerer while they are hosting a ball?”

               “Come now, Swan.  History tells me this is a tried and true Assassin tradition.  Didn’t Ezio Auditore once assassinate a prince at his own banquet?” Hook countered.

               Emma blinked. “He was protecting the Prince, actually.” she answered, amazed that Hook knew such an obscure piece of Assassin history.

               He waved his hook dismissively. “Regardless, at a soiree of this size, the guards will be tired, over worked, and likely a bit drunk.  It’ll be the perfect time to go unnoticed.”

               Slouching in her chair, Emma rubbed her forehead, frowning.  However much she disliked the proposed plan, she had to admit that Hook’s reasoning wasn’t far off the mark.  With so many people attending a royal function, there would be plenty of unknown faces to blend in with if needed.

               “I can only see this plan working if Rumpelstiltskin isn’t attending the ball itself.  We can’t kidnap him from a room full of people,” she said, beginning to consider the plan against her better judgment.

               Hook grinned, excited, and Emma’s heart skipped a beat.

               “I’ll talk to Will again and see what he can tell me about the sorcerer’s habits.  Providing, of course, you don’t mind giving him an idea of who you are after.”

               Emma thought about that as she finished her lunch.  She wasn’t thrilled about the idea of revealing so much about her plan to another person.  As friendly as she had become with the men of Hook’s crew, only the Captain and Starkey knew the target of her mission.

               “Do you trust this Will Scarlet?” She finally asked.

               Hook took his time to think about her question before answering. “It’s been over a decade since I’ve worked with the man, but he’s never been the type to sell out another for his own benefit.  The only way he would betray us would be if Anastasia is in danger.”

               Emma had to grudgingly admire Hook’s honesty, but she wasn’t ready to let down that wall yet. “Why don’t you take me to meet Scarlet and I’ll judge for myself whether he is trustworthy.”

---

               Killian was initially hesitant to take Swan to The White Rabbit.  Even though he knew that Swan was more than capable of taking care of herself, he felt the need to protect her from any situation where she might need to do so.

               So during the walk to the tavern, Killian found himself walking closer to Swan than was strictly necessary, under the guise of telling her about his history with Will Scarlet.  She asked a lot of pointed questions, probing his memories of the thief.

               When they reached The White Rabbit, Killian casually rested his hand on the small of Swan’s back as he guided her towards the bar.  She gave him a questioning look, but didn’t object.

               “Will you tell Scarlet that Jones is here to see him?” Killian asked Leonard, the same barkeep from the night before.

               “Got something to sell this time?” the man asked, glaring.

               “No.  But he should be expecting me.” Killian had had Logan deliver a message to Scarlet earlier in the day that he would be stopping by.

               Leonard grunted. “Scarlet’s busy.  Have a pint while you wait.”

               Killian noticed Swan rolling her eyes at Leopold’s recalcitrance as he purchased two pints of beer.  He was happy to see that they appeared to have run out of the hoppy beer from the night before and had switched to an ale.

               He and Swan took a seat at a table near the back of the tavern.  Since they both wanted to keep their backs to the wall, he and Swan both ended up on the same side of the table.  Together, they sipped their ale and watched the taverns other patrons.  Well, Swan was studying their surroundings, but Killian found himself watching his companion instead.

               “Has your friend become a fence?” Swan asked, her eyes glancing around the room.  He figured she was cataloguing all of the available exits.

               “I suppose,” he answered.  It fit.  Scarlet had always had a good eye for valuables.

               Killian was almost finished with the halfway decent ale when Scarlet dropped into the seat across from Swan and himself.  Scarlet gave Swan a quick once over before he grinned at Killian.

               “Jones, I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

               “Scarlet, this is Swan. It is her business that has brought me to Camelot.  Swan, William Scarlet.” Killian introduced them and watched as the two of them sized the other up as they shook hands.

               From the way she was frowning, Swan was clearly unimpressed with Scarlet.  Killian couldn’t blame her; Scarlet had always had an aura of a man who couldn’t be fully trusted.  His smile, unless it was for Anastasia, was always a little sly, his hands too quick.

               Regardless, Swan forged ahead.  “I need to know about the court sorcerer, Rumpelstiltskin.”

               Scarlet clucked his tongue. “He’s a mystery, that one.  Showed up out of the blue a few years back and weaseled his way into Arthur’s good graces.  Word is he practices dark magic.”

               Swan frowned, evidently unhappy to be receiving information she had heard before.

               Scarlet continued, “Came to see me, last year, asking about some dagger.  Gives me the creeps, that one.” Scarlet gave a visible shiver to emphasize his point.  “Is he who you’re after?”

               “In a way,” Swan said tersely.

               Scarlet shrugged his shoulders.  “Well the Kingdom won’t be sad to see him gone.  What kind of information do you need?”

               “I need to know his habits.  Does he keep to himself?  Spend most of his time in Merlin’s Tower?  Go anywhere in the city on a regular basis?” Emma demanded.

               Taking a sip of his pint, Hook watched as Scarlet leaned back in his chair, obviously deep in thought.

               “Rumor has it he spends most of his time in the Tower,” Scarlet said eventually, with some reluctance.  “Only really appears when the King requests his presence for meetings or royal functions.   Even then, he leaves as early as protocol allows.   Rarely comes into town.”

               Killian grinned.  If Rumpelstiltskin normally left royal functions early, he would likely be alone in his tower the night of the royal ball.

               “Any chance you have a map of the castle?” Killian found himself asking, excited that his plan may have true merit.

               Scarlet rolled his eyes at him before he replied, “Might.”

               “It would be quite helpful if we could borrow it,” Swan said as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

               Scarlet looked unconvinced about lending out such a valuable bit of information.  Or at least he was until Killian fished into his pocket and laid a couple of silver coins on the table.  Scarlet quickly scooped them up.

               “It’s at home.  I’ll bring it by your inn in the morning.”

---

               Emma was pleased to find that Scarlet was good on his word and did, in fact, show up the next day at The Frog and Frigate just as she was finishing her breakfast.  Map acquired, she and Hook commandeered the same private dining room she had used yesterday to pore over it.

               The map was remarkably detailed.  It not only included the locations of main rooms and halls, but smaller ones such as closets and lavatories.  There were even notations about the usual routes guards took in different parts of the castle when on patrols.  She had no doubt that Camelot’s King had lost some precious items to the intrepid William Scarlet.

               “If this is accurate, there is a small gate on the south side of the castle that leads to the gardens.  It looks like there is a service road that cuts through the forest that leads up to it.  We could enter the grounds there and as so long as we avoid the kitchens, we should be able to make our way towards the Tower without being noticed,” Emma muttered, mostly to herself.

               “Yes, we could do that, or…” the sound of a chair scrapping against stone caused Emma to raise her head.  Hook made his way over to where she sat and held out his hand in invitation.  Confused, Emma none the less placed her hand in his and allowed herself to drawn towards him.

               “Or, we could attend the celebrations as invited guests, have ourselves a jolly good time, and then wander off.” Hook’s left arm wrapped around her waist, drawing her close, and he began to lead her in the first few steps of a waltz.  “The guards won’t outright challenge a couple of lost guests, or those seeking somewhere private for some.... personal delights.” Hook had brought his lips close to her neck as he’d spoken, practically breathing the last words in her ear.

               Emma shivered.  “We’re planning to abduct one of the most powerful sorcerers in the realms and all you can think about is personal delights?”

               “I am a man of many talents, Swan,” Hook whispered.

               Emma allowed herself to enjoy the feel of Hook’s arms around her for a moment longer than she should have before pulling away.  He let her go without a fuss.

               “First things first.  We have plans to make.  Pleasure will have to wait for later.”

               As soon as the words left her mouth, Emma figured she was in for some witty and flirtatious comeback from Hook.  Instead, he simply smiled and bowed.  “I look forward to it,” before joining her in once more studying Scarlet’s map.

               “We can make out way to Merlin’s tower through the gardens,” Hook added, tracing the route he was describing with a finger. “Once we have the sorcerer, we can go out through the gate you mentioned.  Starkey can meet us with a carriage or cart.”

               Together, they managed to come up with the beginnings of a plan that seemed like it would actually succeeded. However, there were a few factors that needed to be sorted before they could fully commit to arranging the finer details.

               One, they would need invitation to attend the royal ball.

               Two, a well maintained but unremarkable carriage would be needed to transport them to the castle and again away once they had Rumpelstiltskin in custody.  It would also need to be sturdy enough to make the overland trip back to Hedge’s Run and The Jolly Roger.  Hook had deemed it too dangerous to involve any of the local barge captains and risk the journey by boat.

               And, most importantly, three, Emma would need to determine how she could hide any necessary weapons and gear she would need within whatever frippery was in fashion this season for Camelot’s ruling class.  

               The invitation, of course, would be the hardest to obtain.  When asked whether or not he though Scarlet would be able to procure one, Hook shook his head.

               “I’m sure he can get us a carriage no one will miss and some respectable clothes, but I doubt he is that well connected.  We will need a legitimate invitation.  A stolen one would only get us arrest.”

               Disappointing as his assessment was, Emma agreed.

               Sadly, that would leave them with only one other option: The Brotherhood.

---

               Around midday, Emma set out once again toward Geppetto’s Tisanes.  August, she hoped, would have the contacts to procure an invitation and not ask too many questions about why.

               The teashop was busy when she arrived, with both August and Becket alternating between being behind the counter selling tea and serving those customers drinking at the tables.  Emma managed to secure a table of her own when a couple of elderly gentlemen left and settled in to wait.

               After a few minutes, August brought her a pot with tea a deep red in color and a single cup and saucer.  No sugar, no cream.  He knew she wouldn’t use either.

               The tea was her favorite, called Yunnan Black, and it came from Mulan’s home empire in the east.  It was rich and malty, with a note of sweetness at the end.

               It reminded her of home, of long days learning the intricate art of diplomacy from her mother and even longer nights mastering the Assassin’s deadly arts.  Mulan had first introduced her to the tea when the two of them had been Initiates together, trying to memorize the many ways to kill with a single stroke of a blade.

               Allowing herself to enjoy the memories, time passed, and eventually the shop’s business slowed enough to August to join her at her table.  He brought with him his own pot of tea, a pungent smelling brew that made her wrinkle her nose.

               “It is a pleasure to see you again so soon, Emma,” her friend said with a smile as he sat across from her.

               “Likewise.  However, I’m afraid I am here to talk more business,” Emma replied, glancing around to assess the safety of speaking in the shop.  It was mostly empty, with Becket behind the counter and a few patrons lingering at a table on the far side of the room.

               August gathered their pots of tea and cups onto a tray and transported them into the back of the shop, jerking his head to indicate she should follow.

               “This should be fine,” Emma said.  Trying to make August navigate the steep ladder down to the secure room below while balancing pots of hot tea seemed dicey.

               August nodded and together they cleared a spot on his worktable.

               “I need an invitation to the royal ball being held in a few days,” Emma said frankly.

               August barely reacted to her blunt request.  The only sign of his surprise was barely visible tightening of his lips. He, like Emma, had been well-taught not to show shock even at the most outrageous of statements.

               “Emma, why?” he asked calmly.

               Emma sipped her tea, fortifying herself.  “Robert Gold enjoys the finer things in life and isn’t likely hiding among the common folk of Camelot.  If I am to find him, he’ll be among the elite of the kingdom.”  

               August studied her for a few moments.  Every Assassin was trained to spot a lie, but they were also schooled in how to tell one without giving any of the telltale signs.

               “I have a few contacts who may be able to get one.  I’ll see what I can do,” he said at last, sighing heavily. “Just promise me you don’t do anything rash, if you do find him.  I can’t help you if you create a diplomatic incident.  Not without the Brotherhood’s say-so.”

               “I promise,” Emma said.  The lie tasted like ash in her mouth.

Chapter 8

A/N: Trying something new by putting the art in the story, please let me know if you like it!

#CSBB #CSBB 2017 #CS FF #CS AU #Captain Swan #Assassin's Creed: Misthaven #My writing #AC:M

[the-captains-ayebrows]

I subscribed to so many fics today. So. Many. Fics.

CS Big Bang, what have you done to me?

#csbb 2017

[captainswanbigbang]

CSBB Snippet

Here’s a snippet from a CSBB work in progress for you to enjoy!

Killian stared for a moment, his jaw slack. “That’s my shirt,” he commented, “and my pants. Care to explain yourself?” The clothes were entirely too big for her, and she was more likely to trip than anything else. “Come here.”

Emma gave him a confused look, but complied without argument. “Did I do something wrong?” she asked.

“You’re fine,” he said, trying not to laugh. “Why don’t I just…” He wasn’t sure how to say it without upsetting her. “The pants are a bit long,” he suggested.

“Should I change?”

“I’ve got it,” he said. He knelt down and ran his hands down her leg. She didn’t say anything, but he could feel her tensing up. Before she could back away, Killian started rolling up the cuff of the pants. “Relax,” he admonished gently when she jerked her leg, almost kneeing him in the face. Bloody hell, he thought exasperatedly, he was only trying to keep her from hurting herself.

“Killian…” she warned as he began to work on the next cuff.

He heard her breath hitch when his fingers brushed against her calf. Her skin felt unbelievably soft under the rough pads of his fingers. For a moment, he allowed his mind to wander in a less than gentlemanly direction. “Something wrong, princess?” he asked, hoping she didn’t hear the catch in his voice.

“We’re going to starve if you don’t-” she stammered when he started tracing nonsense into her skin. “I mean… we… Killian!” When he chuckled, she threatened to kick him. “Food,” she reminded him, “remember?”

Like this snippet? Reblog with your thoughts in the tags to let the author know what you think!

#csbb #captain swan big bang #captain swan #author 14 #2017 snippets #csbb 2017

[wellhellotragic]

If your stuck at home bored and need something to read

I’ve got you covered. All of the fics on this list are either one shots or completed multichapters. I left out anything that was still WIP-ish.

Multichapters:

A Poor Man’s Mantra 

Summary: Killian’s life just isn’t going to plan. A bad breakup and a demotion might actually be the least of his problems when he realizes that he’s falling in love with his brother’s new girlfriend.

Rating: M-ish

1, 2

A Rather Common Name

Summary: She hated him. Okay, maybe hate was a strong word, but he was a dick when they met. So why did she tell him about the apartment for rent in her building? And why did she let him in; let him climb her walls? Why did she let herself trust him when every man she’d ever been with had betrayed her? Why did she think he’d be different?

And why, despite it all, did she still love him?

Rating: M

1, 2

Forever 

Summary: How do you compete with a ghost, when the ghost always wins?

Rating: M

1, 2, 3 

If Looks Could Kill

Summary: Emma Swan is a dedicated FBI agent getting over a bad breakup. When she and her partner, Ruby Lucas, are forced to go undercover as contestants on a reality show, Emma is forced to try and win the affections of Killian Jones, a man she despises.Killian Jones is a lost boy. Having recently been nicknamed the ‘Bad Boy of Boston,’ he’s been living up to his moniker using women and rum to avoid dealing with his dark past. When he’s forced to take the lead in a reality show, he encounters a gorgeous blonde who turns his world upside down.Miss Congeniality meets The Bachelor

Rated: M for language, violence, and smut.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, Epilogue

No Handlebars

Summary: Before moving to the city he’d thought his days back at school in London had been wild, but American’s put the British to shame in their attempts at debauchery. Or that fic where Killian and Co. rent a barcycle for the night and everything goes wrong…

Rated: Probably Teen but let’s just go with M to be safe

1, 2

Nuuk 

Summary: When a chance encounter with a blue-eyed mystery man on an ill-fated flight turns Emma Nolan’s life upside down, she has a choice to make: Continue with her arranged marriage to Senator Gold’s son to save her parent’s company, or turn her back on everything she’s ever worked towards for a chance at happiness. (Part of the 2017 CSBB)

Rating: M/E (there’s smut!!)

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

On©e Shots:

36 Questions

Summary: They say all it takes is 36 questions. 36 questions between you and a complete stranger and suddenly you’ll both fall madly in love with each other. 36 agonizingly personal questions that force you to reveal your deepest darkest secrets. Well, that, and 4 minutes of staring into the most devastatingly blue eyes you’ve ever seen.

Rating: Um, mature I guess

Bubble Boy

Summary: Killian has seen it all. Or at least he thinks he has, but this one may just take the cake.

Rating: Teen

Dream a Little Dream

Summary: He’d loved her for years, but had never said anything. Then the war came, and it was too late. One night, one dance, one last chance…

Rating: Teen

Dreaming of a Pink Christmas

Summary: Emma Swan despises the pink christmas tree currently living in her apartment. It’s nothing short of an abomination. But when Emma decides to replace it with a freshly chopped tree of her own, Her bug gets stuck in a storm, and she’d forced to call the last person she ever wanted to see again. The man that broke her heart. (Part of the 2017 CSSS)

Rating: Mature (there’s smut)

Happily Ever After…Again

Summary: With the dark curse broken, everyone was finally free to move on. But to move on to what? (ya, that sucks but I’m tired and busy so it’s what you get for now.)

Rating: G

Ocean Blue

Summary: There were three things certain in Killian Jones’s life.

1) His brother was his idol. 2) He was helplessly in love with Emma Swan. 3) She absolutely didn’t love him back.

She’d made that clear five years ago when he left Boston. So when he was forced to return to Boston once more, a city he swore he’d never return to, Killian had never expected to see Emma Swan again, much less at Liam’s funeral.

Losing his only brother was devastating. Learning what he had done was worse.

Rating: Mature

Rm. 6725

Summary: Emma Swan is having a horrible day, and just when she thinks things might look up, she gets stuck with a very cranky patient, but God is he gorgeous.

Nurse Emma Swan

Rating: Mature

Unintended Side Effects

Summary: After overhearing a conversation between Emma and the girls, Killian decides to grow his hair back out to prove a point. Emma isn’t pleased.

Rating: Teen

Until the End

Summary: Even forever isn’t long enough

Rating: Mature

The Weeping Willow

Summary: Random feels based off of a post about weeping willows…

Rating: Teen

[mayquita]

Pictures of Reality (8/16)

Happy Thanksgiving for all those who celebrate! I’d like to take advantage of this festivity to thank all the @captainswanbigbang mods for doing an amazing job organizing this event. I’d also like to express my gratitude to all those who have given this story a chance, thanks for your likes, comments, kudos and reblogs. It means the world to me.

Summary: Emma Swan returns to her birthplace, Storybrooke, in search of a fresh start after a life marked by abandonment and betrayal. After a year there, she finds the stability she needed and also the possibility of learning about one of her passions, photography. Killian Jones, a former British war reporter with a tragic past, establishes himself in the same town as an instructor of photography, following in the footsteps of his best friends, the Nolans. What will happen when their paths cross? Will their common passion for photography help them heal old wounds?

Rating: M (Language, mature themes, implied sex)

Warnings: Alcohol abuse, mentions of the loss of a limb in an armed conflict.

Other ships / Characters: Although, obviously, this is a cs fic, Snowing plays a major role here, mainly David. In fact, the story contains three different points of view, those of Emma, Killian and David. Also, Henry appears in the story as Regina’s adopted son but he is not Emma’s biological son.

Beta: I’d like to express my gratitude, as always, to my beta @jarienn972 I’m aware that you have had to deal with a monster of more than 100k words and English is not my mother tongue, so I value your effort even more.

Artist / art: Go visit @imagnifika’s blog and enjoy her amazing art. There is no specific art for this chapter, but the picset of the previous chapter also serves for this. In addition, the photo from Emma's Instagram account will be part of the fan art that Kate has created for an upcoming chapter.

Art for the prologue/ Art for chapter 1 / Art for chapter 2 and banner / Art for chapter 3/ Art for chapters 4-5  / Art for chapters 6-7

Special mention to @saraswans , thank you so much for your perpetual support, for believing in me when I doubted myself and for offering ideas to make this story grow.

Don’t forget to go read and enjoy the rest of the amazing csbb stories and art.

Word count: ~ 10800 (116k total in 16 chapters)

Also on (From the beginning): Ao3 / Ffnet (Current Chapter) Ao3 / Ffnet

Tumblr: Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

What to expect from this chapter?  It will be the longest of the entire fic for a reason, or for a few, actually. Several talks, a new couple in the making, some confessions, a snowball fight, photos (lots of them) and we’ll see if Killian is able to fulfill his part of the deal by helping his friends. In compensation for its absence in the last three chapters, this chapter will be written only from Emma’s pov.

CHAPTER 7

My dearest Emma,

I don't know how to start this letter... but I'll do my best. I don't even know if your adoptive parents have kept the name your mother chose for you. The social worker assured us that they had accepted, but I guess we'll always have that uncertainty. Anyway, for us, you will always be our Emma.

Today is a special day, your first birthday. I would like to send you my best wishes for this first celebration, the first of many, if only in the form of this letter, with the hope that perhaps one day, these words will come to you in one way or another.

Maybe we can establish a new tradition in our lives from now on, what do you think? Maybe we can take advantage of this special day to contact you through these little missives, to express how we feel in your absence, to convey that no matter how much time passes, you will always have a place in our hearts, Emma.

It's only been a year, but we've probably missed many of your most important milestones: your first smile, your first steps, maybe your first words. I hope your parents were able to immortalize those moments in some way. And maybe one day, you can help us to remember them through those images.

I would like to talk to you a little about us now. Your mother has already turned eighteen and has finally been able to leave the house of that evil woman, the person who managed to separate us from you. Now, she is living with us and nothing and nobody will be able to separate us - ever - despite all the obstacles that get in our way.

It's hard, though, to be separated from you and have no certainty of how you are, if you are growing up happy. I truly hope so and that with our act, we have managed to offer you a future. And maybe, in a few years, we will be part of that future as well.

Until then, I can only wish you a happy and full life.

Your father who loves you and never forgets you,

David.

Emma Swan. Storybrooke - December 9, 2017

The moment Killian came through the door to the classroom the following Saturday Emma knew something was wrong. As in the last class, the first thing he did was to look for her until their eyes met and he offered her a smile, but this time, his smile not only did not reach his eyes but it seemed forced.

Emma turned her gaze to the window on her left, and let her eyes roam the streets of Storybrooke, while a strange sensation settled in the pit of her stomach.

The images of their two shared kisses, those that she herself initiated, jumped into her mind at that moment as a reminder, or rather as a warning. Their dangerous game had begun at the moment when she, in a defiant and impulsive movement, had pulled him into a searing kiss, with the capacity of shaking her up and down both metaphorically and literally.

She had fled after throwing the "a one-time-thing" statement while cursing herself for letting her feelings, or rather, her physical impulses, cloud her reason.

She could not risk everything she had gotten when she decided to stay in Storybrooke, she should not let anything or anyone get too close to her heart since that would pose a threat, a possibility that it would be broken again.

But that damned Killian had gotten under her skin in such a way that she could not think of anything other than the softness of his lips against hers, his wrecked expression, his intense gaze bored into hers. She did not even need him to be in her presence, just a simple text sent by him or the memory of some of his explanations in his melodious voice were enough to make her body betray her, humming with a craving for more.

It was as if Storybrooke had weakened all her principles, causing the walls around her heart to begin to crack, as she had succumbed again to the temptation of his lips. And although she tried to convince herself, assuring herself that it was no more than a simple physical attraction, deep down she was aware that she was totally seduced by Killian.

Their second kiss had also been caused by an impulse. She could not bear to see the suffering reflected in his face, so she had acted in an almost desperate attempt to alleviate that suffering or at least make him forget for a moment.

Even though they had seen each other again after the kiss and his behavior had been the usual, perhaps he had understood her reluctance in the wrong way, or perhaps, even though she had not yet revealed much of herself, he had come to the conclusion that she was not worth the effort, maybe…

“Emma?”

The sound of a voice brought her back to reality. She straightened in her seat as her head turned in the direction of the sound, meeting Elsa and Anna and their inquiring looks, with a hint of concern in Elsa's eyes and one of amusement in her sister's.

"Are you okay?" Elsa asked quietly.

"Yeah, I got distracted." She mumbled a poor excuse, feeling a bit uncomfortable at their scrutiny.

"I bet I know the cause of your distraction." Anna said, tilting her head slightly in Killian's direction, her lips curled upward in a conspiratorial smile, as if they were sharing a secret, but to Emma, it meant that her sensation of uneasiness increased.

"Anna!" Elsa muttered under her breath, scolding her sister. Then she addressed Emma back. "Don’t listen to her. We just wanted to know if you would like to join us to practice."

"To practice..." Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion as her gaze roamed around the classroom. In fact, the rest of the students had split up into teams and were beginning to manipulate their devices. Emma shifted uncomfortably in her seat wondering how long she had been lost in thought.

"We’re practicing white balance." Elsa came to her rescue while giving her a soft smile.

Her sister, however, did not seem so diplomatic. "Wow, you were really distracted.” She grinned at her as she cast a sidelong glance at Killian.

Was she really that obvious? She had to find out. "What do you mean?"

Anna rolled her eyes as she deliberately ignored her sister's warning look. "Do you remember that our ice cream parlor is in front of Granny's? We were witnesses of an intimate moment between you two on Sunday."

Emma felt a flush of embarrassment burning her cheeks as she wished to merge with her seat and disappear. She recovered rapidly though. No way was she going to show any hint of vulnerability to two people she barely knew. "It was just a kiss." She muttered in a dismissive tone while shrugging her shoulders.  "And we'd better start practicing." She added in an attempt to change the subject.

Elsa nodded and grabbed her camera, but Anna did not seem to take the hint, much to her disgrace.

"Just a kiss?" She snorted, getting some heads to turn in her direction. "Are you kidding me? You two were making out." Emma opened her mouth to interrupt her, but Anna continued with her speech. "And it's not that I was stalking you, or anything like that. I was just waiting for Kristoff, but you two were giving quite the show out there." Emma's cheeks began to burn again as her desire to fade or run away increased. At least Anna was wise enough to mumble her words, but after a small pause to take a breath, she continued. "Isn’t it the coolest thing? The teacher and the student sharing a romantic moment?"

"Anna - enough! Don’t you see that you're making her feel uncomfortable?" Elsa hissed, coming to her rescue again. But Emma’s relief was short-lived. After giving one last warning glance to her sister, Elsa turned to her, her lips drawing a shy smile. "I know it's none of my business, but you two make a beautiful couple, Emma."

"Ahem, ladies, I wouldn’t like to interrupt your deep conversation, but it may be more convenient if you leave it for the end of the class. We have work to do now." This time it was Killian who came to her rescue, although his intervention did nothing to mitigate her embarrassment. In fact, it was quite the contrary, as Emma felt like a child receiving a reprimand after committing mischief.

At least his attention call got her teammates to finally leave her alone. It was almost comical to see how their contrite expressions matched as they both turned their eyes to their respective cameras. Emma cast a sidelong glance at Killian, anxious and fearful of what she might find. When their eyes met, he cocked his head slightly and arched one of his eyebrows, as if he wanted to make sure she was okay. She nodded silently, curling her lips into a small smile. To her relief, Killian returned a genuine smile, while his eyes remained locked with her own, causing a warm sensation to spread to her heart, making the previous tension and uncertainty fade away.

The rest of the class continued smoothly. Once the two sisters decided to leave behind their gossip and focus on photography, Emma found herself enjoying the practice. Both, Elsa and Anna, were pleasant company and seemed to have a genuine interest in learning. She was grateful to feel included in a group, to be part of something, contrary to what happened in the first class.

The class came to an end without Emma hardly noticing. Reluctant to leave so soon, she took her time collecting her belongings as she watched the others leave the classroom. The last ones to leave were the two sisters and Emma tensed instantly, fearing that they would try to hook her into an embarrassing conversation again. That did not happen though, since Elsa practically dragged her sister towards the exit. Before leaving, both turned and waved, while Anna pointed her head in a non-subtle gesture towards Killian. After Elsa's last gentle pull, both finally disappeared from her sight.

Killian didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave either, since he remained in his seat, his gaze focusing on some files on his desk. After taking a deep breath, Emma slung the camera bag over one shoulder and approached him.

"I'm sorry for what happened before," she commented, pointing to her seat as she looked at him from under her lashes.

When Killian looked up and met her gaze, she swallowed and licked her lips instinctively, cursing inwardly at the power he had over her. Only an intense look on his part was enough for her to get lost in his stormy blue eyes. But if he also smiled at her the way he was smiling now, she lost all ability to function properly. Bastard.

"It's okay, lass." He replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "The only reason I interrupted the conversation was because you didn’t seem especially comfortable."

“Thank you… I guess.”

They remained silent for a few seconds, while Killian got up and began to gather his belongings. Emma stood there, hesitating whether to leave or wait for him, but then she caught a shadow darkening his expression, just as at the beginning of the class.

It was then that she remembered something. Killian had told her that he would talk to his friends to clear things up. Maybe that conversation hadn’t gone well? "Are you... Are you okay? You seem a little off.” Killian's face softened instantly. "Everything is fine, love. A little tired, that's all." Killian assured her in a tone that seemed convincing, but that did not quite reassure her, not when his smile did not reach his eyes. "You managed to fix things with your friends?" Emma insisted, because that was what friends were supposed to do, right? Try to comfort each other. Although she was not sure that this was the most appropriate way to bring up the subject. She needed practice in the friendship thing, a concept still so new to her.

"Aye, we did." Killian hurried to answer, his lips twisted in an attempt at a smile as he reached behind his ear to scratch. "It was a long time ago, I was just a child, that’s why they didn’t tell me, but everything is fine now."

There was more than that. Emma could tell by the way he turned his gaze away slightly as if he felt uncomfortable in some way. But she would not push, it was not her business, after all. "I’m glad to hear that." She said simply.

She did not want to leave, but she did not have any excuse to stay either. For that reason, she started walking towards the exit door. "I better go. See you on Tuesday?"

"Wait, I'm leaving, too." Killian grabbed the backpack and started walking in her direction. "In fact, I'm hungry. Do you mind accompanying me to Granny's to get a bite?" Killian dropped the invitation in a nonchalant tone, as if it had just occurred to him, but the glint in his eyes and that damn smile of his indicated something different. So, even at the risk of continuing to fall into his clutches, she accepted. "Yeah, I'm starving."

It was the moment they arrived at the diner and Ruby received them with a smirk while she arched her eyebrows meaningfully when Emma realized that this encounter was the closest thing to a date she had had in years. This time, the photography lessons had not acted as an excuse, nor was there a need to vent. Emma ignored both Ruby and those thoughts and instead dragged Killian to one of the more distant booths.

Emma had been honest with Killian when she assured him she wanted them to know each other. But the walls around her heart had been up for so long that it was difficult for her to find a crack that would allow her to open up. And this improvised meal would allow just that, a small step on the way to open, a means to share more moments with Killian. So, she left all her worries behind and focused on Killian. It was not a complicated task, honestly, especially when both shared the same passion for photography. Inevitably, the conversation ended up leading to that topic, although she did not mind in the least, especially when that meant listening completely enthralled as Killian told her some of his experiences as a war reporter. She was aware that Killian's experiences were far from the fantasy of a movie, that he had witnessed traumatic events and had had to immortalize the terror of other people. Perhaps thanks to his expressiveness or the cadence he endowed his voice with, or perhaps thanks to the content of his experiences - a mix of adventure, risk, and action, his explanations allowed her mind to travel with him to get an idea of what it would be like to live on the edge and feel the adrenaline running continuously through her veins. It was a way to add some emotion to her monotonous life, even if it was through someone else's experience.

He was in the middle of one of his stories when something seemed to catch his attention, causing him to fall into silence suddenly while his body tensed and his gaze traveled to the entrance. She turned in the same direction, looking for what could have produced that sudden change in him. What she found left her somewhat confused. Killian's friends, the Nolans, had just entered the premises and after waving their hands in greeting, they went straight to their booth, their faces adorned with warm smiles.

"Hey, guys, what a surprise to see you here!" Mary Margaret said in an enthusiastic tone, as soon as they got to where they were sat, while her smile grew wider. "Hi!" Emma responded by offering a tentative smile, not quite sure how to act, since, although she knew the couple by sight, they had never been introduced before. There was a small, awkward moment while they remained standing there, their smiles not disappearing from their faces as they glanced at Killian, who seemed lost for a second until finally, he reacted. After clearing his throat and scratching behind his ear, he made the appropriate introductions. It was evident that the tension had not disappeared from his body, but Emma did not have time to evaluate his strange behavior since, without hardly noticing, she was surrounded by Mary Margaret’s arms in an unexpected embrace. Emma was slow to react, stiffening at first, surprised by so much effusiveness for a stranger, not yet accustomed to so much physical contact. "It's a pleasure to be able to meet you properly at last, Emma." Mary Margaret did not seem to notice her stiffness, because the hug persisted a couple of seconds more as Emma patted her back tentatively. Luckily, she did not have to repeat the same action with her husband. David simply offered her his hand while giving her a gentle smile. "It's a pleasure for me too, Emma." Killian interrupted them then, "We’re in the middle of lunch. Would you like to join us?" His voice trailed off, while he directed his gaze to her, "Do you mind if...? "Sure, it's not a problem at all." Emma assured as she moved to make room for Mary Margaret. David chose to sit next to his friend.

All of them remained silent for a few seconds, only broken by Ruby, who came over to take note of their orders. Before leaving in the direction of the kitchen, Ruby gave her another meaningful look, which she deliberately ignored. She would have time for explanations later.

"How was the class today?" Mary Margaret was the first to break the ice, her gaze traveling from Emma to Killian. After listening more carefully, Emma realized something curious. Despite being American, there was a slight hint of a British accent in Mary Margaret’s voice, acquired after so many years living in London. "Killian has told us a lot about you and your talent." David added, not giving her time to answer his wife's question. A soft blush crawled up her cheeks, while Emma tossed uncomfortably in her seat. "Killian has also told me about you both. It’s good to be able to meet you at last." She was not accustomed to receiving compliments and even less to others talking among themselves to praise her. It was such a new feeling that she did not really know how to react. "And as for my supposed talent, it's not a big deal, I just push the button and sometimes I'm lucky to capture a good image." She shrugged as she glanced at Killian.

To her surprise, Killian rolled his eyes, the corners of his lips rising slightly. "Since it seems you don’t believe in an expert's word, let's see what another expert in the field has to say." Killian teased as he grabbed her camera. “May I?” She nodded as she held her breath. Of course, David would also be an expert in photography, how could she have forgotten? He was the director of the local newspaper, for God's sake. Her stomach tightened in knots of anticipation, feeling nervous about what David might think.

"We’ve practiced the white balance today.” Killian explained to his friend as he showed him the photos she had taken a while before. David frowned professionally as he studied the photos intently, causing her nerves to increase. "They could spend hours observing or taking photographs." Mary Margaret muttered to her side as she offered her a knowing smile. "But I don’t need to see your photographs to be certain of your talent. Killian has that special ability to discover hidden potentials, so if he's sure, so am I." There was something about Mary Margaret - maybe her soft voice, or her kind expression. Whatever it was, Emma felt enveloped in a sense of reliability and security. Emma smiled back in gratitude, feeling comfortable enough to trust them. "According to Killian, now I just have to learn to use that talent." "And he's right." David confirmed, still holding a professional expression, though his eyes showed a glimpse of something deeper than Emma could not identify. "There are good pictures there and that was just a practice. If you really like photography, you should continue practicing and learning. And listen to the professionals." Despite the content, his last words did not sound like a reprimand, but rather as a joke - at least she interpreted it as so by his casual tone and the wide smile that he directed at her, leaving behind his professional attitude. Still, that did not stop her cheeks from blushing again. Fortunately, Ruby arrived at that moment bringing the dishes ordered by the Nolans. When Ruby left, everyone seemed to forget about her and her damned talent, focusing instead on food. The food acted as a catalyst though, and after a brief pause, a new conversation about Storybrooke and the few places that offered food began. With the passing of the minutes, Emma felt more and more comfortable with the Nolans, and even Killian seemed more relaxed surrounded by his friends. She did not miss the effort they put into making her feel included in the conversation. The affection and familiarity they felt for Killian and he for them was evident, but the trust between them, far from making her feel excluded, caused her curiosity about these two most important people for Killian to increase. It was as if, knowing as much as possible about the Nolans brought her even closer to Killian. Maybe that's why she made an effort to improve her social skills by being open and participative.

"So, after so many years living far away, what made you return to Storybrooke?" Suddenly, Killian started coughing repeatedly. Emma narrowed her eyes in confusion, noting how his cheeks had turned a reddish color, his eyes watering. David was gently tapping his back while Mary Margaret watched him with a worried expression.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked, unable to hide the concern in her voice, as she reached for his hand instinctively. "Aye, love." Killian managed to respond in a hoarse voice between coughs, while trying to catch his breath. "I just choked because of the bloody beer." After a few seconds, Killian seemed to recover enough though the tension had returned to his shoulders, making the suspicions that something was wrong to increase. "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked again, her eyes never leaving his face. "Aye, lass, just a little tired, that's all." He assured through a weak smile that once again did not reach his eyes. "You should rest, which means that the time has come to leave." Mary Margaret gestured to David for him to get up, then she turned to Emma. "It has been a real pleasure to chat with you, Emma. I hope we can repeat it soon." Her soft expression and voice seemed to indicate a genuine interest in knowing her, which had the ability to warm her heart. David also offered a gentle smile before addressing his friend. "Go home and rest, I'll call you later." Only when they disappeared through the door did Emma realize that they had not answered her question. Something told her, however, that she would have a new opportunity soon. Suddenly, the possibility of adding two more friends to her, rather short list, did not seem bad at all.

//

Storybrooke woke up the following Saturday covered by a thick white blanket. Emma chose her favorite place in her apartment, a small bench under the window that opened in the kitchen, to contemplate the first major snowfall of the season, while holding a cup of steaming coffee in her hands, wrapped in her favorite blanket. It was kind of perfect. She could sit for hours watching the inexorable fall of the snowflakes. It was almost magical, and also calming, to see how the landscape transformed into a huge white canvas. Suddenly, the need to immortalize that magical landscape took hold of her, so Emma placed the cup on the kitchen countertop and grabbed the camera. After making the adjustments that she believed were necessary, she began to shoot. The calm did not last long, though. The moment she realized the time, she jumped as she hurried to her bedroom. She had been so absorbed in the snow that she had lost track of time. If she didn’t hurry, she would be late for the photography class. The little peace that still remained completely disappeared at the moment when she went out and discovered that her bug was covered by a thick layer of snow. She huffed in annoyance while raising her eyes to the sky. But she was not willing to let anything, not even the inclemency of the weather, make her mood worse, so, after she armed herself with a little patience and resigned to being late, she began to work to unearth her vehicle.

Twenty minutes later, Emma hurried into the classroom, trying to catch her breath, while noticing how a flush spread through her body from the exercise. "I'm sorry... the snow." She muttered an excuse, not bothering to look at Killian, walking to her seat as she began to remove her beanie and other outerwear.

"It isn't necessary for you to take off your coat, lass. In fact, you don't even need to sit down. We're leaving right now."

Emma stopped short, turning around to, this time, look at Killian, unable to hide the confusion on her face. "What?"

"Given that it's indispensable for a photographer to use the resources available or to be able to work in unfavorable circumstances, I thought we could practice taking pictures of the snow." Killian explained in that particular tone of his, with the ability to enrapture anyone who was listening to him. "In addition, we're lucky that I have found a spot in the nearby park which hasn't yet been altered. The white blanket remains intact, or at least it was ten minutes ago, so we better get going, before it's too late and someone ruins our work material."

All the others hummed in agreement, as they picked up their belongings, got up and started heading towards the exit. Emma, however, remained standing awkwardly, still recovering from the race to get to class on time.

"And remember guys, we must take special care with our devices in adverse weather conditions. We don't want our cameras to suffer any damage, do we?" Killian warned his students, earning some nods in response before everyone left the classroom, only she and him remained.

"Sorry, my car was buried by the snow." Emma made a new attempt at apology the moment they were left alone, while Killian approached her, causing the butterflies in her stomach to begin fluttering.

"It's okay, Swan, I figured it." His lips twisted upwards, drawing a frank smile, to her relief. All the weirdness of the previous Saturday seemed to have vanished from his features. Everything had gone well also in Tuesday's practice, his strange previous behavior seemed therefore to be an isolated event.

"There's another thing." He added as if he had just remembered it. "I have decided to invite the students, and you too, of course, to have a drink at Granny's this evening as compensation for my absence a few weeks ago, and also in celebration, since this is the last class of the year."

Emma realized at that moment, that the Christmas break meant they would not see each other and therefore, wouldn't continue with practices for three weeks. Her heart tightened a bit at that prospect, which did nothing to improve her dislike for this particular holiday. "You mean like a pre-Christmas party or something?" She asked, unable to prevent a hint of slight disappointment from slipping into her voice.

Clearly, he had noticed her discomfort since he did not respond immediately. Instead, he cocked his head and stared at her, as if he were studying her. "Look at it this way, it will be like an extra class since we will practice social photos." Killian offered through a half smile, his eyes never leaving her own.

He was so close that she could almost touch him. In other circumstances, or with another person, she would have been immediately intimidated by the invasion of her personal space. With Killian however, she had to repress the impulse to pull him closer to her. She was no longer sure if that need to feel him that close came from the momentary intimacy they were in, from the possibility that they were to be separated for three weeks, or simply from her undeniable attraction to him. But she had learned that lesson and had decided not to act impulsively again. Now it was up to him when he would decide to make the next move.

Fortunately, Killian had brought up their lifeline, photography, so she clung to that. She rolled her eyes in an attempt to hide how she was affected by his mere proximity. "You always have photography in mind, don't you?" She continued before he could reply. "And no, don't come with the excuse of sleep, because I'm sure you also dream of cameras and photos."

The way he chuckled caused tiny wrinkles to appear in the corners of his eyes, while his dimples deepened in a way too adorable for his own good or hers, given the matter.

"Well, lass," his tongue darted out to lick his lips once the laughter subsided. "I can assure you my dreams are plagued in most occasions by other activities even more pleasurable." His silky voice, almost purring, caused a liquid heat to travel to her very core while her mind decided to act on her own, imagining the content of those possible wild dreams.

The bastard knew the effect he was having on her. His lips drew a wide smirk while he reached out his hand, his fingers barely brushing her cheek. She held her breath, her skin tingling in anticipation, her gaze lost in the blue depth of his eyes. "Have I ever told you that I find particularly endearing the way your cheeks blush?"

His touch was as light as a feather, only a faint pressure of his fingertips touching her skin, but that was enough for a chill to run through her body, while her heart threatened to come out of her chest. A furious flush crawled down her neck to her cheeks, as Killian's touch became more intense, causing her instinctively to tilt her head so that it rested on his hand.

The sound of approaching footsteps broke the moment, causing both to jump while Killian withdrew his hand from her face as if it was burning.

"Oh, sorry, guys." It was Elsa the one to blame for the interruption. The poor girl seemed a little embarrassed when she entered the classroom, not daring to look at them. "I... I haven't seen anything, I just forgot my beanie." She muttered as she grabbed the garment and made her way back to the exit. Before leaving though, Elsa looked at her and gave her a soft smile of, she supposed, approval.

The small interruption allowed her to regain some composure. "At least it's not the worst she's seen of us." Now it was her turn to be smirking at him. Two could play the same game. She stuffed her hands in the back pockets of her jeans as she closed the distance between them.

She noticed his Adam's apple bobbing, while his brows knitted together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Her ice cream parlor is right in front of Granny's and she may have witnessed our little dalliance." She shrugged as she chewed on her bottom lip in a mischievous way. His gaze immediately strayed from her eyes to her lips while his pupils dilated. "And now, maybe it would be better if we leave, in case someone else comes looking for the professor." She wrapped the last word around her tongue making it sound almost indecent.

After offering him one last tempting smile, she turned around in the direction of the door. While walking, she heard a soft groan followed by a broken "bloody hell" making her grin to widen. She was playing a dangerous game, she was aware of it, but for the first time in a long time, she wasn't afraid of the flames of the game burning her, or rather, she didn't mind being consumed by the fire that she was sure Killian Jones kept inside

//

The walk to the park took only a few minutes. When they reached the spot chosen by Killian, Emma couldn't prevent a soft gasp from sliding between her lips, pleasantly surprised to observe the landscape they had before them. A long, white blanket covered the entire surface of the park while the branches of nearby trees also appeared laden with snow. Despite the cold, there was a kind of calm around them, as if time had frozen in the course of the snowfall, drawing a picture that seemed taken from a fairy tale.

She turned her head around to check the reaction of the rest of the students. They seemed equally dazed by the sight of it, all of them gazing silently with wide eyes and slightly open mouths.

It was funny, because Emma was sure that, in other circumstances, this landscape would have gone totally unnoticed by most of them, all too engaged in their daily routine to pay much attention to what was happening around them. But now that they had begun to observe the world through a lens and through Killian's eyes, an infinite number of possibilities opened up before them, allowing them to find beauty in something as dull as a town park.

"Well, guys, I see that the landscape has really left you a little impressed, that's good." Killian addressed them in that professional yet close tone that had Emma completely mesmerized. "Inspiration is the first step to getting good photographs, but remember, we're dealing with snow. The beauty of a snowy landscape is undeniable, but it can also be an added difficulty for us, the photographers."

"Because of the light." Aurora offered tentatively.

"Very good, lass." Killian gave her his most charming smile, causing the girl's cheeks to blush slightly. It was evident that most of the students had fallen under the spell of Killian since, where before there was hardly any interest, now there was a real desire to learn. "Indeed, snow is a great reflector of light, so if we want to achieve the desired effect, we must, amongst other factors, apply the correct exposure compensation."

Killian continued explaining, walking among them to make sure everyone was able to get the correct parameters before starting to take pictures.

Leroy, though, seemed to be losing patience since, a few minutes later, he snapped, "Come on - we're talking about white snow... it can't really be that hard to get a decent picture."

Killian stopped, turning to him as he tilted his head slightly and crossed his arms over his chest. His face seemed unperturbed, but she could feel his tension in the way the muscle in his jaw twitched slightly. "Go ahead - show us." He replied with an even voice while holding his hand out as if to emphasize his words.

Leroy seemed intimidated, both by the challenge that had fallen on him and by the scrutiny he was being subjected to by the others. Emma could not deny that she was enjoying the scene, since Leroy would show himself up the moment he took a photo in automatic mode.

He grabbed his camera and, after casting a defiant look at Killian, shifted his eyes to the viewer without bothering to touch the controls. He took a couple of shots and then observed the results on the screen.

"Well?" Killian asked, a slight hint of annoyance in his voice.

Leroy kept his eyes on the screen for a few more seconds until, finally, he rolled his eyes and let out a sigh of defeat. "The snow is gray." He admitted reluctantly.

"See? This is a clear example that we should never rely on automatic mode, not when we have so many resources at our disposal. Why should not we use them?" To his credit, Killian not only did not kick the guy when he was down, but he channeled what happened to continue teaching them. Her admiration for him grew at times.

The moment Killian gave the go-ahead, they started taking pictures. Although it might be contradictory, the action of pressing the button and immortalizing the moment was always relaxing for her. It was as if she lost track of time when her eyesight remained fixed on her camera's viewfinder. Today was not going to be an exception either since, almost without her noticing, Killian began to evaluate their results.

Emma watched as he dedicated the same time to all his students, offering smiles of encouragement as he praised them well for their effort, or for the good result obtained. She also observed how Tink, the only other single girl in the group along with Elsa and herself, lingered during her interactions with Killian, while maintaining an attitude that was perhaps too close, a wide smile and a fluttering of lashes included.

A strange sensation, which she did not dare to name, settled in the pit of her stomach while she did not miss any of their movements. That pull faded though when his eyes fell on Emma, his lips drawing that special smile, just for her.

"Excellent job, lass, as usual." He commented after contemplating her photographs. He held her gaze for a few more seconds, causing the flutter in her stomach to become more intense until finally, he cleared his throat and addressed the others. "And now, guys, I know you're looking forward to it. You can go play in the snow." Indeed, it seemed that all of them had been waiting for the words because, at that moment, they started running as if they were little children who had discovered the snow for the first time.

"And don't forget to protect your cameras!" He shouted at them in warning before they got too far away.

A laugh bubbled in the back of Emma’s throat at the surreal scene, the landscape no longer intact, but full of life now. She was about to make a comment about it to Killian when both Elsa and Anna hooked each of one of her arms. Before being dragged, literally, by the two sisters, Emma offered Killian one last look and an apologetic smile, to which he replied with a smile on his own and a nod of his head.

Emma let herself be carried away by the enthusiasm of the others, participating in group photos, making selfies and even she decided to also collaborate in the construction of a snowman whom Elsa, who loved the snow, decided to name Olaf. Even Leroy had left behind his permanent state of grumpiness and Archie, usually serious and the voice of reason, let himself loose a little by joining the others in their games.

She enjoyed more than she imagined, sharing laughs, jokes and knowing glances. She felt lighter, as if she had let part of her baggage escape, while the sense of belonging that had appeared the moment she arrived at Storybrooke became more intense.

Emma was so entertained that didn't realize at first that Killian hadn't joined their improvised snow party. It was Elsa who pointed at him, "What is he doing?" she asked, gesturing towards somewhere behind Emma's back. She turned to follow the direction of her gaze and found Killian, camera in hand, leaning slightly forward while he seemed to try to focus something.

Her eyes narrowed in confusion first and then widened in surprise when Emma realized what he was trying to do. The lens he was using, a macro if she was correct, was the one that gave her the clue.

"He's trying to make a photo of a snowflake." Emma commented almost in awe, unable to hide the pride she felt. She did not need to see the picture to know that it would be perfect.

"Wow, really?" It seemed that she was not the only one affected by Killian's talent, if the hint of admiration in Elsa's voice was indicative.

The fact that he was using his left arm and his prosthesis as if it were something natural in him warmed her heart. His initial reluctance to use the prosthesis seemed completely forgotten. She was not an expert on the subject but Emma sensed that one of the first steps to recovery after a traumatic event was adaptation and acceptance, and Killian seemed to be on the right track.

Almost without realizing it, she was holding the camera and pointing it towards him, immortalizing the way he was working. That was when Killian noticed her, looking away from the viewfinder, searching her eyes.

"Will you show me the result?" Emma asked as she approached him.

"Uh... I think it's better if we wait to see it on a larger screen, and I should also edit the image..."

Emma rolled her eyes at Killian's sudden reluctance. "Let me see if I've understood correctly. You're telling me you just made a picture of a snowflake and you're not going to let me see it. Seriously?" She rushed towards him in an attempt to grab the camera, but he was faster. Before she reached him, he raised the arm that held the device, leaving it out of her reach.

"Oh, come on!" She scoffed while pursing her lips. "I need practical examples if I want to learn how to make these kinds of photos." She did not give up, moving even closer to him, only inches away.

"Uh, maybe this was all I wanted." He leaned and whispered into her ear, his breath caressing her skin and causing a chill to run down her body. "It's freezing here, Swan. I needed a source of heat."

"You don't need to use a poor excuse for that, you know." She suggested, shooting him a provocative look from under her lashes. Indeed, it was as if the temperature had risen several degrees in the last seconds. "Could you show me the picture, please?" Her voice slipped between her lips in a soft murmur, causing the blue color to almost disappear from his eyes as his tongue peeked out of the corner of his mouth in an almost indecent way.

For a moment, Emma forgot where they were, but the background noise of the other students brought them back to reality. Killian cleared his throat and, without separating from her, lowered his hand. "If you ask me that way..." He grinned at her before handing her the camera. Any chance of retort died on her lips the moment her eyes fell on the picture, leaving her speechless. Emma was amazed to see the small details and the defined geometric shape that had been captured in the image. It was like contemplating a tiny gem that nature offered them. "I want to learn how to take pictures like that." She muttered under her breath, unable to look away from the screen.

"The lens does practically all the work, actually. You wanna try?" Killian offered in a soft voice.

Of course she wanted to try. But before she had time to look through the viewfinder to locate a snowflake, Killian suddenly wrapped his arms around her and turned her, standing just behind her. "What the hell?" The moment she heard the impact of a snowball against Killian's coat, she realized what was happening.

Killian turned around again, keeping her behind him. "What did I say, guys? Be careful with the cameras!" He yelled, clearly annoyed.

"Sorry, Mr. Jones, it was not my intention." Emma recognized Robin's voice in that sincere apology.

"Your aim is just awful, mate!"

"Oh, shut up, Will!" Emma stuck her head out from behind Killian to see what was happening, it seemed like they all were involved in a snowball fight. Her heart skipped a beat since that was one of the activities she longed for the most as a child when winter came. Unfortunately, there were not many children willing to play with her in those years, so she always had ended up frustrated. But that was not going to happen today, Emma thought with determination.

She left the shelter offered by Killian, standing in front of him and helping to put their respective cameras in the protective bags, placing them on a nearby bench, far enough from where the rest were playing. "Thank you for your act of gentlemanliness. Now, it’s time for a revenge. You wanna join me?"

"Actually I was protecting my camera." He admitted while scratching behind his ear. "But I am always a gentleman." He hastened to add, his lips drawing a smirk.  "Even so, I would prefer not to be included in the snowball fight. I'm at a bit of a disadvantage here." The light tone in his voice and the half smirk on his face seemed to indicate that he was joking, but Emma also detected a certain truth in his eyes.

"Please, that's the worst excuse I've ever heard." Emma rolled her eyes, while bending down quickly and grabbing a handful of snow, squeezing it lightly with one hand to give it consistency. Then, without giving him time to react, she threw the snowball hitting him in the chest. "See?" She knew that she had acted correctly when he gave her a wild look while muttering, "You just started a dangerous game, Swan." This time it was she who received the impact on one shoulder. The war had begun.

And what a war! During the following minutes, they became fully involved in the game, sometimes as allies and other times as opponents, throwing snowballs, or receiving hits, running to protect themselves or to reach their target faster. Such was the intensity that they were depositing in the game that the poor Olaf, who stood in the middle of the battlefield suffered the consequences, being knocked down when Robin fell on it in an attempt to protect himself from an impact.

She did not remember having so much fun in her life, to the point that her stomach ached from laughing so much.

Killian also seemed to have the time of his life, if the perpetual smile on his lips, the brighter than ever sparkle in his eyes, and his cheeks flushed as much by the exercise as by the cold were indicative enough. If he was already very handsome, now he was irresistible. For that reason, she tried to stay away from him, since he did not trust herself.

In the end, everyone ended up exhausted, their clothes soaked and Emma was sure that the next day all her muscles would ache and she would have marks of different impacts all over her body, but it would have been worth it, without a doubt. The adrenaline rush had allowed her to release tensions and the game had made her feel even closer to the rest of the students. In fact, after the sad fate of Olaf, they decided to rebuild it, all of them working as a team while she was the person designated to take pictures of the action.

They were engaged in the task when she heard footsteps approaching. She turned to see who had dared to go for a walk despite the cold and snow. Her eyes widened in surprise when she met the Nolans right in front of her, holding hands.

"Oh, what a surprise! What are you doing here, guys?" Mary Margaret asked politely, her lips drawing a soft smile.

"Hi! Killian thought it was a good idea to go out and take pictures of the snowy landscape. Let's say we got carried away a bit by the circumstances." She commented, her smile matching hers, as she turned her head, looking for Killian.

Her smile faltered a little when she realized that Killian's previously relaxed features had now subtly darkened and his shoulders seemed tense. Emma frowned, surprised at the change in his attitude, but calmed down at once when the corners of his lips lifted up drawing a smile while he waved at them.

Maybe it was just a figment of her imagination since she was over-analyzing all his reactions, fearing the possibility that the shoe would drop at some point. Emma shook her head slightly, burying those thoughts in some hidden corner of her brain and instead focused on Mary Margaret and David.

"I can see that. You're doing an excellent job with that snowman." David chuckled softly and, after giving her a warm smile, went to greet Killian and help them in the construction.

"So, have you gone for a walk?" Emma asked Mary Margaret, genuinely interested.

"Yeah, in fact, despite the cold, the mornings after an intense snowfall are the days when I prefer to go for a walk. It's as if everything is calm, as if time had suddenly frozen. It's overwhelming and beautiful at the same time, something I missed back in London where life moves much faster than here." The longing was evident in Mary Margaret's voice and Emma could also detect a spark of sadness in her eyes. But what surprised her most, to the point of a warm sensation spreading through her body, was the fact that the two of them had the same thought about the snowy landscapes. She felt an instant connection to that woman she barely knew.

"I was thinking the same thing when Killian brought us to this place. It's like magic, really." Emma confirmed offering a smile of understanding.

They kept a light chat for a bit while Mary Margaret watched the others work and Emma took pictures. At some point, almost without realizing it, Emma looked away from the viewfinder and instead focused on Killian and all his movements. He, on the other hand, looked at her from time to time, offering her his most captivating smile every time their eyes met, causing the butterflies in her stomach to flutter hard.

Out of the corner of her eye, Emma noticed how Mary Margaret's sight traveled from her to Killian, while she kept a thoughtful expression until her eyes widened suddenly, as if she had just realized something.

"Oh my god! You like Killian! And he likes you!" Mary Margaret almost screamed with excitement, causing Emma's heart to nearly stop at that very moment.

"What?" It was the only thing she managed to say before her throat went dry and a furious blush crept from her neck to her cheeks.

"Sorry, I didn't..." Mary Margaret's voice trailed off, while she seemed clearly embarrassed. "I mean... I had never seen Killian so happy, and you have that expression on your face as if..." Mary Margaret paused again, as if trying to find the right word. Emma held her breath, not entirely sure she wanted to continue listening to her. "... as if there were no one else around."

Emma looked away immediately as her cheeks burned even more and she wanted a hole to open beneath her feet and carry her away. She felt like a teenager who had been caught with her first crush. She was really that obvious? She schooled her features so as not to betray any more of her feelings.

But there was something else in Mary Margaret's words, something that on one hand warmed her heart, but on the other, caused a pull of fear to settle in her stomach. The fact that Killian's happiness could depend on her was a great responsibility, something she was not sure she could carry properly.

"We're just getting to know each other." She muttered, not daring to look at Mary Margaret.

"That's good."

They remained silent for a few seconds while she raised the camera again, using it as an excuse to keep busy.

"So, the meetings on Tuesdays are not merely academic, are they? Are they also a way to get to know each other better?" Mary Margaret asked tentatively, not willing to leave the topic of conversation just yet. Sensing her discomfort, she added. "I'm sorry, really. It's not my intention to make you feel uncomfortable, it's just that... this is what we've always wanted for him, that he can finally move on, and it seems that this time he's on his way to achieving it."

"It's okay..." Emma shrugged, as a wave of gratitude washed over her, at the way she seemed to care about Killian. Emma wondered how he had any inkling of doubt about their affection for him. "It seems that we have a lot in common and we understand each other."

When Emma looked at Mary Margaret, she found an unexpected emotion in her features and a special glow in her eyes which she could not identify, but it was as if she was looking at her with tenderness and understanding, making her feel a little overwhelmed, but at the same time also safe, offering a feeling that she could trust these people.

Emma offered her a half smile and then turned her gaze back to Killian. When their eyes met, her heart skipped a beat. She did not care if it was destiny or just coincidence, but she could not be more grateful to have crossed paths with Killian and for once, she allowed herself to dream and trust that maybe this time her heart was not going to be affected, at least not in the wrong way.

Theladyswan Sometimes, a simple snowfall can offer you much more than a white blanket covering everything. Sometimes it means flushed cheeks, bright eyes and traveling to the past, becoming a child again. Sometimes it means a snow fight or working as a team to create our new friend, Olaf. Sometimes a simple snowflake may contain more beauty than the most precious jewel. Thank you for helping me discover all this and appreciate the small details.

 //

 "I kissed him. Twice." Emma snapped, not taking the time to assess the consequences of her confession. She had arrived at Granny's early, intending to talk to Ruby. After the brief talk with Mary Margaret, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about Killian and a possible relationship with him, but all this was so new to her that she found herself in need of venting with someone and the most appropriate option was her friend.

"You did what?" Ruby asked, wide eyes.

"Who did you kiss?" Another voice asked almost in unison - Graham, arriving at the most inopportune moment.

Emma bit back a groan and suppressed the urge to bury her head in her arms. This wasn't how she had thought the conversation would unfold. Graham took the stool next to her, implying that he wasn't planning to leave anytime soon. They both stared at her, one with an amused expression and the other with a slight frown.

Since she couldn't swallow back her words, she had no choice but to give an explanation, so, after letting out a long sigh of resignation, she continued speaking.

"I kissed Killian."

"That's my girl!" Ruby's face split into a giant grin as she lifted her hand for a high five. "I want all the details."

"Wait, wait, wait ... You mean the instructor?" Graham's eyebrows knitted together as he gave her an inquisitive look.

In response, Emma shrugged and wrinkled her nose. "Oh" It was all Graham said at first. Then he brought his hands to his heart, while his features twisted in an overdramatic gesture. "You wound me, Emma. What does that guy have that I don’t?" Although it was evident that he was feigning his annoyance, Emma could detect a hint of disappointment in his voice. Fortunately, she did not have to answer since Ruby came immediately to her rescue. "Oh, come on, as if you didn't have eyes for another blonde who sells ice cream." Ruby smirked at him as she arched one of her eyebrows, causing Graham's cheeks to turn pink while his eyes cast down to the floor. This was new... "You mean Elsa? Is that why you switched coffee for frozen yogurt?" Ruby chuckled as she lifted her hand for a new high five. Emma, instead, pressed her lips together, suppressing the laughter that threatened to escape. Graham looked truly mortified, as if he wanted to vanish right then, or flee away.

A pull of affection for him washed over her. It was quite adorable to see how the responsible and impassive sheriff lost his composure revealing how much that crush affected him.

"I believe we were talking about you, not me." He grunted as he pursed his lips, adding even more cuteness to the scene.

"He's right." Ruby agreed, of course. "So, two kisses and nothing else? What from now on?"

Emma shrugged, taking a deep breath. "I don't know... It's complicated." She admitted reluctantly.

"Complicated... You like him, he likes you. I don't see any complications there." The way Ruby put it made it really simple, but something else caught her attention.

"So, do you think he likes me?" She bit her lower lip, hating the vulnerability reflected in her voice.

"Oh, come on, Emma, everyone can see it." Ruby rolled her eyes and then looked at Graham for confirmation. He nodded, his lips drawing a small smile. "You just have to see the way he looks at you, honey." Ruby's features softened, as she reached out and squeezed her arm gently. "Listen, we know that you're a reserved person, and even though you don't talk much about your past, it's obvious that you’ve got a broken heart, but also, you've told us more than once that getting to Storybrooke changed your life. Now is the time to give your heart a chance to heal, don't you think?"

A warm feeling traveled directly to her heart, while she was extremely grateful for Ruby's words. She couldn't help to wonder how she had been so lucky to finally find two true friends who cared so much about her. She blinked a couple of times holding back the tears that threatened to spill.

"Speaking of the devil..." Graham whispered, his head pointing subtly towards the door. "Go get your chance, Emma." He winked at her, his lips curled into a smile of encouragement.

Emma turned her head to look for Killian. His face lit up at the moment their eyes met, his bright smile acting like a dart straight at her heart. She was so fucked up...

Before going to meet him, Emma sent a smile of gratitude to her friends, approaching Graham and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, guys, you're the best. By the way, maybe a blonde who sells ice cream will appear around here soon." The last thing she saw before getting up and going to meet Killian was how Graham's cheeks blushed again, while Ruby smirked at both of them, clearly enjoying the scene.

//

Emma couldn't deny that Killian had had a great idea in bringing everyone together to celebrate a pre-Christmas party. She decided to ignore the mixed feelings that these festivities entailed for her and instead, let herself get carried away, enjoying the company of Killian and her friends. Even Henry was there, flitting from one group to another, his smile never disappearing from his face.

The affection she had for the boy was undeniable. Her heart tightened in her chest every time she remembered that he had been the initial reason why she had decided to stay in town. She was watching as Henry showed one of his favorite storybooks to Ariel and Tink when an unexpected whispered voice into her ear made her flinch.

"I have some terrible doubts..." She hadn't even seen Anna come when she was suddenly right by her side, an expectant gaze and a wide grin on her face.

Emma didn't even have time to reply. At the moment when Anna was certain that she had gotten her attention, she launched herself with one of her interminable speeches, so Emma let out a subtle sigh as she armed herself with patience.

"I can't decide which couple is the most adorable, apart from me and Kristoff, of course... first, my sister and Graham, with those shy expressions, and those dreamy looks, and then you and the professor, all passion and unresolved sexual tension."

Emma almost choked on her drink when she heard Anna, feeling the blush creeping up her cheeks again. "We're not a couple." She mumbled weakly, cursing inwardly for letting herself get involved in these kinds of conversation.

"Neither are Graham and Elsa, not yet. But it's only a matter of time. Believe me, since I'm quite the expert here." Anna assured as she gave her a conspiratorial look.

Anna was right in something, though. Elsa and Graham made a super cute couple and it was evident that the feeling was not one-sided. And Anna and Kristoff seemed deeply in love, so she wasn't able to decide if it was a good or bad thing that Anna had compared them to those two powerful couples.

Fortunately, Anna soon found another target, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She looked for Killian, who had spent half the time at her side and the other half taking pictures of everything and everyone.

He was in his element, no doubt, involving different people and convincing them with his charm to pose for him. From time to time, he looked for her and even on occasion he took a picture of her from a distance.

"I still can't believe it." Emma winced again, hearing another voice, this time from David, right next to her. She realized that he was looking at Killian, an expression of disbelief on his face.

"What do you mean?"

"Just a few months ago, that scene - Killian taking photos so naturally, would have been inconceivable, and yet look at him now, as if nothing had happened." David commented, his voice revealing a mixture of relief and pride towards his friend.

"He has also used the darkroom that you prepared for him." For some reason, Emma found it important to let David know. It had been his idea, after all.

David then stared at Emma tilting his head slightly, as if he were studying her. He seemed to hesitate for a moment but then nodded subtly, as if he had convinced himself. "I'd like to express my gratitude towards you, Emma, since all this progress has been thanks to you."

What was happening today? Had everyone agreed to make her feel overwhelmed by emotions? Emma swallowed the lump formed in her throat as she shook her head. "I may have contributed at the beginning, but it was all Killian's work, actually. He was the one who saw the potential in me and decided to exploit it. But I can't be happier to have helped him, even indirectly, to regain the self-confidence he so badly needed."

David directed her that questioning look again, but to her surprise, she didn't feel intimidated, but curious to know what was going through his head. "I guess from your expression and attitude that you already know at least part of his past." Emma nodded as her lips drew a half smile. "He has been through a lot." David continued, without taking his gaze from her. "And, I hope you don't get offended, but your eyes tell me that your life hasn't been easy either, so I'm so glad that you found each other."

So do I... she thought, not daring to say it out loud. After offering him one last smile of gratitude, Emma turned her gaze back to Killian. She couldn't deny it anymore, he had crawled under her skin in such a way that he had made all her walls wobble. But this time, she wasn't afraid of her walls falling apart. Quite the contrary, she couldn't wait for the last brick to fall. Although something told her that they'd still have to work on the shield that protected Killian's heart, she could wait. She wasn't going anywhere.

//

Thanks for reading. Let me know what did you all think :)

Christmas has come to Storybrooke! After witnessing some resolutions of the new year, we will advance a little in time, until we reach the end of the course. We will also discover how Killian deals with the burden of guilt and regret. Will he be able to handle it?

#cs ff #cs au #csbb #captain swan ff #captain swan #mayquita writes #my cs writings #pictures of reality #cs au ff #csbb 2018

[wellhellotragicwrites]

Things I wrote!

Multi Chapters:

Forever (Complete)

Summary: How do you compete with a ghost, when the ghost always wins?

Rated: M

1, 2, 3

Gilded (In progress)

Summary: Once upon a time, a great prophecy was told. A child would be born of true love, capable of becoming the brightest of lights, freeing the world from evil, or to become the darkest creature the world had ever seen. Choices were made, destiny fought, but fate is a tricky thing. It’s often the path that we take to avoid it, that leads us straight to our demise.

Rating: M

1, 2,

If Looks Could Kill (Complete)

Summary: Emma Swan is a dedicated FBI agent getting over a bad breakup. When she and her partner, Ruby Lucas, are forced to go undercover as contestants on a reality show, Emma is forced to try and win the affections of Killian Jones, a man she despises.

Killian Jones is a lost boy. Having recently been nicknamed the ‘Bad Boy of Boston,’ he’s been living up to his moniker using women and rum to avoid dealing with his dark past. When he’s forced to take the lead in a reality show, he encounters a gorgeous blonde who turns his world upside down.

Miss Congeniality meets The Bachelor

Rated: M for language, violence, and smut.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27

Nuuk (Complete)

Summary: When a chance encounter with a blue-eyed mystery man on an ill-fated flight turns Emma Nolan’s life upside down, she has a choice to make: Continue with her arranged marriage to Senator Gold’s son to save her parent’s company, or turn her back on everything she’s ever worked towards for a chance at happiness. (Part of the 2017 CSBB)

Rating: M/E (there’s smut!!)

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Of Wolves and Lambs (In progress)

Summary: Killian Jones has known a lifetime’s worth of pain. He’s lost everyone he’s ever cared about, but when the love of his life is murdered, he vows that nothing will stop him from getting his revenge. Even if it means losing his soul to do so. 

What starts off as a simple quest for revenge turns into a world filled with secrets and lies. Nothing is what he thought, and no one seems to be who he thought.

Rated: E

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, ?

On(c)e Shots:

36 Questions

Summary: They say all it takes is 36 questions. 36 questions between you and a complete stranger and suddenly you’ll both fall madly in love with each other. 36 agonizingly personal questions that force you to reveal your deepest darkest secrets. Well, that, and 4 minutes of staring into the most devastatingly blue eyes you’ve ever seen.

Rating: Um, mature I guess?

A Rather Common Name (Complete)

Summary: She hated him. Okay, maybe hate was a strong word, but he was a dick when they met. So why did she tell him about the apartment for rent in her building? And why did she let him in; let him climb her walls? Why did she let herself trust him when every man she’d ever been with had betrayed her? Why did she think he’d be different?

And why, despite it all, did she still love him?

Rating: M

1, 2

Dream a Little Dream

Summary: He’d loved her for years, but had never said anything. Then the war came, and it was too late. One night, one dance, one last chance…

Rating: Teen

Dreaming of a Pink Christmas

Summary: Emma Swan despises the pink christmas tree currently living in her apartment. It’s nothing short of an abomination. But when Emma decides to replace it with a freshly chopped tree of her own, Her bug gets stuck in a storm, and she’d forced to call the last person she ever wanted to see again. The man that broke her heart. (Part of the 2017 CSSS)

Rating: Mature (there’s smut)

Happily Ever After…Again

Summary: With the dark curse broken, everyone was finally free to move on. But to move on to what? (ya, that sucks but I’m tired and busy so it’s what you get for now.)

Rating: G

No Handlebars  (Complete)

Summary: Before moving to the city he’d thought his days back at school in London had been wild, but American’s put the British to shame in their attempts at debauchery. 

Or that fic where Killian and Co. rent a barcycle for the night and everything goes wrong…

Rated: Probably Teen but let’s just go with M to be safe

1, 2

Ocean Blue

Summary: There were three things certain in Killian Jones’s life.

1) His brother was his idol. 2) He was helplessly in love with Emma Swan. 3) She absolutely didn’t love him back.

She’d made that clear five years ago when he left Boston. So when he was forced to return to Boston once more, a city he swore he’d never return to, Killian had never expected to see Emma Swan again, much less at Liam’s funeral.

Losing his only brother was devastating. Learning what he had done was worse.

Rating: Mature

Rm. 6725

Summary: Emma Swan is having a horrible day, and just when she thinks things might look up, she gets stuck with a very cranky patient, but God is he gorgeous.

Nurse Emma Swan

Rating: Mature

Unintended Side Effects

Summary: After overhearing a conversation between Emma and the girls, Killian decides to grow his hair back out to prove a point. Emma isn’t pleased.

Rating: Teen

Until the End

Summary: Even forever isn't long enough

Rating: Mature

The Weeping Willow

Summary: Random feels based off of a post about weeping willows...

Rating: Teen

#wellhellotragic #hellotragic #cs ff

[a-winterprince-blog]

Family Ties (13/15)

Summary: Not long after receiving a strange warning in a dream, Killian finds himself forced to go to Camelot and deal with a long forgotten enemy. The heroes follow to aid him, but soon they are pulled into a net of family secrets and intrigues, with a foe who seems to bring back the dead. Killian is reunited with his family, but can he trust them? Rating: Mature Content Warning: Mention of rape and minor character death. Corresponding chapters will be marked accordingly.

As always, a huge thank you goes out to my wonderful beta @onceuponadisneypotter (AO3) and my two amazing artists:@thisisartyannaand @captainodonoghue! You can find the story on ff.net, as well.

"If we know where Morgause is keeping Calie, what are we waiting for?" Milah asked.

They were all sitting around the table in the main hall, save for Nimue, Regina, Henry and Kara. They tried to keep the children out of the fight as much as possible, much to their dismay, but it just seemed irresponsible to let them participate. Regina was still nowhere to be found. The Lady of the Lake, on the other hand, had kept her promise to not help them, and Morgana's interference, which gave Morgause free passage to Avalon, had only made things worse.

"Nimue mentioned a place Morgause used for cover a long time ago," David reasoned. "We don't have any proof that she still does, and even keeps your daughter there."

"It's the only clue we've got," Milah said stubbornly.

Killian thoughtfully scratched his beard with his thumb.

"It might be worth looking at," he said.

Emma raised an eyebrow. Was he seriously considering this? Milah was grasping at straws.

"If she does keep Calie there, she will likely guard it. How do we get past her?"

"We need a distraction," Milah said as a matter of fact. Her voice was commanding, as if she was giving orders rather than making suggestions. "Then, while she's gone, one, maybe two people sneak inside and get our daughter."

The way she looked at Killian left no doubt as to who she thought that second person should be.

"We don't have th means to distract her," Emma said, deciding to intervene before anyone thought this was a good idea. "We already saw how powerful she is, there is nothing we can do to make her leave that place and risk losing Calie. If she is keeping her there, of course. We still don't know that."

"Yeah, she could probably fight all of us at once," David agreed. "Especially if Gold is helping her."

"Exactly," Emma said firmly. "I get that you want to find her as soon as possible, but if we attack her, we lose."

She suddenly realized that with Gold and Regina gone, and Morgana and Calie bound to Avalon, she was the only one with magic if they decided to fight Morgause. And she was clearly no match for her.

Milah didn't seem happy with the answer, but she seemed to accept that she was outvoted. For now.

"In that case, we should focus on finding Regina," Robin said. "She is probably in trouble. And we need her if we want to stand any chance at all."

"I'm worried as well," Snow said. "She wouldn't leave for this long without telling anywhere."

"Well, she did," Emma said. "Robin, no offense, but Regina chose to go off alone. I get that you wanna find her, and so do I, but we don't even know where to start searching. She has magic, she can just poof herself wherever she wants to go."

"So you just want to sit here and do nothing at all?" Milah asked sharply.

Emma opened her mouth, but before she could respond, Kara entered the room.

"That's exactly what we should do," she said, sitting down at the taböe. Henry closely followed her, not looking up as he sat down next to Belle.

"I thought you were told to go to bed!" Morgana said, looking at her daughter.

"Morgause plans to sacrifice me and Henry's sister, this concerns us, too," Kara said stubbornly. "As I said, we should just wait. Force her to make a move."

"How would that help us?" David asked. "We're not prepared to fight her, especially not on her terms!"

"It wouldn't be on her terms," Kara argued. "She needs mother and me, and if we don't come to her, she has to come to us."

"It's brilliant," Henry agreed. "Morgause can come to Avalon now, so we should let her. Nimue won't let Kara and Morgana leave, but if the fight is here, they can help. Together, we can bring Morgause down."

"Plus, if we're fighting in her precious home, Nimue will help us," Kara added.

"We can't just leave Calie in her power until she decides to come here!" Milah protested.

"She will be safe," Kara said. "She needs her alive for the ritual, she won't risk anything happening to her, as Nimue said."

"Just because Nimue said it, it's not okay," Morgana said sharply. "Quite the opposite actually."

Kara raised an eyebrow at her across the table. "Are you afraid I'll turn into her? Don't worry, I won't. But it's the smart thing to do."

David sighed. "I hate to admit it, but I think she's right. There's nothing else we can do, she's too powerful."

Killian nodded slowly. "I think you're right. Besides, if we bring the fight to her, Calie will be in danger, we cannotrisk her getting caught in the crossfire."

Milah quietly muttered an agreement, but she didn't seem happy. Emma couldn't blame her. Looking at Henry, she realized that she would act exactly the same if he was being held captive somewhere. And Calie was just a baby and therefore a lot more vulnerable and fragile.

Unbidden, a picture of Calie came to her mind, lying in her crib and sleeping. And suddenly, Emma truly realized that her life was on the line. They might not get her back. She might die. Killian would be devastated, and so would she. So far she had only seen this as another mission, and Calie as what stood between her and Killian.

But maybe she had gotten attached to her in the last few months. And maybe she had acted stupid and jealous by making a baby responsible for problems in her relationship. Calie, after all, only wanted a home with a family who loved her. She didn't mean to drive anyone apart.

Emma felt stupid for just thinking these obvious things, but somehow, it felt as if she was only now thinking clearly. She clutched her hands into fists under the table, where no one could see, nails digging into her palms. They just had to find her.

"It's not enough," Milah said when everyone else had left. She was furiously pacing the room, arms crossed in front of her chest. "We can't just wait, there has to be something else we can do."

"I know," Killian mumbled. "But they're right. We can't beat Morgause on our own."

"What happened to you?" Milah asked, clearly disappointed. "You used to do whatever you thought was right, without looking back or spending hours worrying about what might g wrong!"

"You mean without thinking about the consequences," he said. "Like when I took you with me and didn't think about the child you were leaving behind."

"That wasn't you," she snapped. "It's not your burden to bear. I left him, and I will never forgive myself. But I made that choice, not you."

"But I didn't care," he said. "I didn't even question it, because I was scared that you would change your mind and stay with him. It was selfish. And you're right, a younger me would've plunged into this fight head first and gone to find her. And maybe I would've survived. Maybe she would've. But I can't rely on a maybe, not with my daughter. I have more than me to think about."

"She's my daughter, too, you know that, right?" she said quietly.

"Of course she is, it just slipped out...," he mumbled.

She shrugged, fingers threading through the material of the dress Nimue had given her. "It's fine, I understand. You raised her so far, with Emma. You didn't even know I was alive."

She tugged her hair behind her ear, giving him the chance to better look at her from the side.

His mother had healed her, but she was still incredibly thin and worn out. He wondered how she had managed not to lose her mind in that cell. He himself had never been imprisoned for more than a few weeks. Most of the time, in the waters that he faired, you didn't survive much longer than that. You could either flee from prison or be executed.

But Morgause had kept Milah for nine months, and another four in the knowledge that her child was in the hands of a lunatic witch. But she had always been mentally strong.

"I'm glad you're alive," he said, earning him a surprised look. "I know things are different now. Me being with Emma, 200 years later. I'm not the man you knew anymore. But it's still good to see you."

Milah smiled. "Thanks," she whispered.

Emma dug through piles of linen and leather on her quest for something more comfortable to wear. The wardrobe that they were allowed to use was quite big and contained more clothing than she had ever seen in one place, but most of it were dresses. Not really her first choice when preparing for a fight.

It seemed ridiculous, but choosing the right outfit was the only way she felt she could prepare. If she wore something that she could move and wield a sword in, no matter how useless a sword would be in this fight, then maybe she'd feel like they stood a chance.

She didn't even know if she needed to be ready now, or in a week, or maybe even a month. Waiting for Morgause to come to them might put them in a better position because that way, they could choose the ground, but Morgause could choose the time. They had no way of knowing when she would strike. They had to be ready every moment of every day and night. It had only been a few hours, but it was already straining.

None of them knew how she would strike. Would she announce her arrival? Would she sneak in and quietly take them out one by one? Try to kidnap Morgana and Kara when they were alone? Bring Calie with her and use her a leverage?

Every creak was suspicious. Every shadow could try to kill her.

Emma closed the wardrobe with an exasperated sigh. She wouldn''t find anything here. Maybe she should try to find another one. It would certainly keep her busy.

"Swan?"

She jumped at the sound of her name, spinning around and half lifting her hand in case she had to protect herself.

Killian was standing in the doorframe, still dressed in his ballrobes, save for the coat. He looked tired and worn out, with dark bags under his somewhat cloudy eyes. When was the last time he really slept? When was the last time anyone of them really slept?

"Hey," she said with a fleeting smile.

"What are you doing?" he asked, nodding towards the wardrobe.

She shrugged, sliding her hand over the closed wooden door.

"Trying to find something better to wear. This doesn't exactly qualify as combat clothing."

She pointed down her dress.

"I'll doubt you'll find anything here," he said, pronouncing what she had already suspected. He pushed off the doorframe, stepping into the room.

"The le Fay's seem to be very fond of their long dresses. I suppose if you have magic, you don't need  practical clothes to force an enemy to his knees."

"It still wouldn't hurt," Emma muttered.

He nodded, coming closer yet again. He was now standing so close that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body, her shoulder still turned to him. She sensed that there was something he struggled to say. She looked up, turning to face him.

"What is it?" she asked.

Killian swallowed, and his forehead slightly creased.

"If I... If I don't make it, I just wanted to say goodbye," he said quietly.

"What are you talking about?" she whispered, eyes blown wide.

"Morgause doesn't need me," he continued. "I'm just in her way. I won't hold back, I can't, not with my daughter in her hands, but I don't have magic to defend myself. She could kill me with a thought if she wanted to."

Emma stared at him, refusing to let the truth of his words sink in.

"That won't happen," she stated, trying to convince herself as much as him. "You've been in so many fights, you survived in Neverland for two hundred years. You won't get killed by some crazy witch!"

Even as she said those words she was aware that her argument was weak. Suddenly it hit her that she could lose him. Not just him; her parents, her friends, her own life. And if they failed, Morgause would get through to Henry and little Neal.

She felt the fear clawing at her gut and gripping it with icy hands.

"I was just lucky," Killian said, but she barely heard him. "And I never faced a demon as powerful as her.

She saw her own fear reflected in his eyes. He wasn't just saying goodbye in case he didn't make it, he expected that he wouldn't. Morgause was an enemy he'd feared since childhood, and normally he would do anything to avoid a confrontation with her, but she didn't leave him a choice. She had his child.

"If I should die, promise me that you will take care of Calie," he continued, nervously licking his lips. "Please. I need to know that she'll be safe."

She nodded, stubbornly blinking away the tears stinging in her eyes. "We'll take care of her together," she said. She raised her hand to his face, cupping his cheek and feeling the scruff. It was longer than usual, since he didn't really have the time to shave. "You'll see her grow up. We'll raise her together."

She tried not to think about where Milah stood in that equation. That was a problem they could tackle once all this was over. She and Regina had found an agreement, as well, after all.

"But just in case," he insisted.

"I promise," she whispered.

Emma's hand slid to the back of his head and she pulled him in, kissing him slowly and deeply. She pressed him closer, standing on her tiptoes as he slid his arms around her. She came up for air, but dove right in, trying to inhale every part of him. Maybe, if she held him closely enough, he wouldn't go away, and she wouldn't lose him.

Their kiss grew more passionate, and her hand raked through his dark hair, trying to hold onto him. The door closed at a flick of her hand as she pushed him towards the bed, fingers already working on the thread on his linen shirt.

He let out a gasp when his knees hit the bed and he was forced to sit down, but it was muffled by her mouth on his. She straddled his lap, finally breaking the kiss to rest her forehead against his. Her fingers were still gripping his now loose collar. She could hear him quietly panting.

"My parents could come in any second," she whispered, trying to be reasonably.

"Mmh," he hummed, leaning forward to pepper her neck with light kisses.

Her hands slid to the back of his shoulders for support.

"And we should be ready to fight in case Morgause comes."

She heard a quiet groan of disapproval as Killian's hands slid down her legs to the hem of her dress. She couldn't agree more.

"To hell with her," she muttered, dragging his shirt up over his head and lunging in for another kiss.

That witch wouldn't destroy this quiet moment.

When Killian entered the room, he found his mother and sister talking. They didn't notice him at first, and he stood in the doorframe, watching them with a smile on his lips. Sometimes he felt the urge to pinch himself, to be certain that he wasn't dreaming. His mother and sister, alive and well, could that really be true?

"When I had to stay at the castle, I told you to go to Avalon," Morgana said quietly. "Why didn't you?"

Kara shrugged, grinding her teeth and looking at the ground.

"I wanted to save you first."

"You would've been much safer with Nimue, and she could've helped me as well," Morgana argued.

"All I knew about her was that she abandoned you as a baby!" Kara snapped.

Killian couldn't help but smile. She had a point. He didn't trust Nimue either.

He shifted on his feet, and Morgana turned his head. She smiled, gesturing for him to come and sit next to them on the bed.

"I already told Kara about Liam," his mother said.

Kara looked away, her eyes shining suspiciously. Killian remembered how close she and Liam had been. Back then, he'd been the annoying baby brother they had to look after. They were much closer in age, always taking off together. Only later, when their father had left them, things had changed. Liam had started taking care of him, acting not just as his older brother, but as his parent, as well.

For Kara, Liam's death must be a shock. She remembered all of them as children, and suddenly she heard her best friend and brother was dead, and her baby brother a two hundred year old pirate.

"You told me about Liam, but what about Brennan?" Morgana asked. "Did he die, too? Did you and Liam grow up alone?"

Her eyes were filled with worry.

Killian felt a lump in his throat as he remembered his father lying on the ground, the knife protruding from his body. How could he tell them?

"He left us," he said. It was true, he had. Did he really have to tell them what happened more than a century after? "He booked passage on a ship and sailed away in the middle of the night, trading Liam and me for a boat."

"What?" Morgana asked, sucking in her breath.

"He wouldn't do that!" Kara exclaimed.

"He did," Killian said grimly. "He gambled away all his money, and when the soldiers waited for him to arrest him, the only thing he had left to offer were Liam and me."

"What happened after?" Morgana whispered, eyes blown wide.

"Well, we served on that ship for almost ten years. First under one captain, then another when the first one died. And then we managed to get into the Royal Navy." He decided to leave out Captain Flint's general treatment of the crew and the eye of the storm. "You know what happened after."

"And you never saw our father again?" Kara asked in disbelief.

Killian hesitated, deciding that he had to tell the truth.

"I did," he said quietly. "One more time, centuries later."

Quietly, he told them what happened and how he killed him to help his quest for revenge.

"You killed our father?" Kara whispered, looking at him in utter disbelief.

He could vividly imagine how he turned from her grown baby brother into a monster in her eyes within seconds.

"It did," he said, closing his eyes. "I wish I hadn't, but it's too late now."

His mother gently grabbed his hand. "You were angry," she said calmly. "And he hurt you."

"How could you?" Kara said between tears.

Killian opened his mouth, but he didn't know how to respond. Kara stormed out, wiping away her tears.

He wanted to go after her, but his mother stopped him.

"Let her. She'll calm down eventually," she said.

"No, she's right," Killian mumbled, turning to her. "I killed our father."

He frowned, looking at her. "Doesn't that bother you?"

She gently brushed a strand of hair out of his face. "It's not how I imagined things, but I'm glad you're alive at all."

He shook his head. "The last time you saw me, I was a little boy. I came back as a pirate. I was a villain. I killed dozens, probably hundreds of people. I killed my stepfather, your husband. You didn't even blink. How can you pretend like that doesn't bother you in the slightest?"

"Because it's nothing compared to what she did," suddenly someone said behind him.

Killian spun around. Regina stood in the doorframe, her face stern as always.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're back," he stated.

"I didn't expect you to miss me," she said cooly. "Aren't you curious where I went?"

"I assume you're about to tell me," he sighed.

Regina entered the room. If she was in any fight while she was away, her clothes didn't show it, being smooth and clean as always.

"I went to Dumnonia. Or, what's left of it."

"Dumnonia?" Killian asked, growing more and more confused. "Isn't that the kingdom Morgause destroyed?"

"Morgause didn't do that," Regina said, looking at Morgana. "Did she?"

"How can you be so sure?" Killian asked, looking at the two women.

"Because the spell is still up. Arthur said Morgause found a way to break it, but it's not broken. I couldn't enter. I only saw the damage from outside the gates. Whoever did it wasn't affected by the blood magic."

"A relative of Igraine?" Killian asked, still confused. "Who has magic in her family?"

"Not of Igraine. You know, I have given it some thought. Arthur mentioned he visited Dumnonia with his father, which means that Uther could enter. And so could Igraine and her family. The only person tying them together is Arthur, which means that the spell is linked to him. So whoever destroyed the kingdom and killed everyone has magic and is closely related to him."

Regina looked at Morgause. "I can only think of one person who fulfills these criteria."

Killian looked at his mother. "Don't be ridiculous," he said, half laughing.

Morgana's eyes met his before fixing on the ground. She was nervously picking her fingers.

"No," he whispered, his heart sinking to his stomach.

"She's Morgause's secret weapon," Regina continued. "I knew we couldn't trust her."

"Killian," Morgana started, breaking off.

"Please tell me this isn't true," he said quietly.

"I didn't have a choice!" she said, her voice shaking.

"No choice but to... slaughter an entire kingdom?"

"Morgause was threatening you, she would've killed you!" Morgana whispered.

Killian shook his head, clenching his jaw. Without another word, he left the room.

#csbb #csbb 2017 #captain swan big bang #Captain Swan #captain hook #killian jones #emma swan #ff #ouat #family ties

[clockadile]

Silence greets her, which is odd. There are days that he meanders from the bedroom after a lengthy nap, still blinking open his eyes as he heads for his food dish, but this is late even for him. She figures he’ll come out soon and pulls a fresh liner out of the box under the sink to change out the garbage can.

“Cat? Come on, buddy, it’s dinner time. I did promise you tuna tonight, little man.”

Emma’s too busy fussing with wrangling the bag from the trash can to notice the footfalls that finally come in response to her voice.

It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for! Chapter 5 of @lifeinahole27‘s fic Wait for the Moonrise is up and it seems Killian has found Emma at last. But will Emma remember him? Will Cat be able to resist climbing the curtains? Will I find a natural way to segway this into a link to @captainswanbigbang? No? Well here’s this week’s chapter art anyways! And you might find one extra sketch in the chapter itself Tumblr AO3 FFN

#captain swan #CSBB #csff #cs fanart #cs crew #ouat fanart #ouat art #wmr #wmr art #my arts #my animation #ouat #cs #csbb 2017

[prongsie]

The room was empty except for a tall mirror leaned up against the back wall. High as the ceiling with a gold frame and an inscription carved across the top in a language Killian never heard of before.

Emma stood in front of it, her fingers touching the glass, looking like she wished she could step into it.

"Do you see them?" She spoke low, as you might in a church.

Killian Jones and The Girl Who Lived

A Captain Swan AU by @thegladelf

Summary: Every young witch or wizard’s first year at Hogwarts is life-changing, but Killian doesn’t know just how life-changing it will be until he meets Emma Swan. OUAT/Harry Potter AU following Killian and Emma’s first year. Rating: G Content warnings: Character death, discussion of childhood abuse Other pairings: David/Mary Margaret, brief Killian/Milah & Emma/Neal, possible Regina/Robin.

First chapter here: (tumblr) (ff.net) (ao3)

My second piece for this WONDERFUL story, this moment was one of my favorites in this chapter, the thing about Emma’s parents always give me the feels. so I wanted that touch of hope and importance in this scene. 

#csbb #Captain Swan #once upon a time #killian jones #emma swan #cs fanfic #cs fanart #csbb 2017 #harry potter au

[utopiozphere]

Assassin’s Creed: Misthaven

Story by: @delightfully-difficult-pirate Co-illustrated by: @cocohook38

             “Tell me, Captain, what is your favorite constellation?” Swan whispered.

            Wrapping his other arm around her waist, Kilian turned them again so they were facing west.  He pointed her arm at Deneb, the top most star in the constellation of Cygnus.

             “I have always been partial to swans.”

chapter 6

#csbb 2017 #cs au #Captain Swan #spaaaaaaace #emma swan #killian jones #Ravenz Art

[captainswanbigbang]

CSBB Snippet

Here’s a snippet from a CSBB work in progress for you to enjoy!

“Your boy could have much worse habits.” And it’s true: Henry could be addicted to video games. Or rather, more addicted. She’s just lucky that he enjoys imagining the story rather than watching it play out on a screen. “Killian was rotten when we were growing up.”

That piques her interest. “Really?” she asks in disbelief. “How so?”

“Oh, you know,” Liam leads. “Boys will be boys and such.”

“Nuh uh.” Setting the equipment between her feet to steady the shot, Emma looks up at Liam, pulling the hood of her slicker forward. “You and I both know that I don’t stand for that logic. And you wouldn’t bring up the topic if you didn’t want to share a story.”

Grinning wide, Liam claps her on the shoulder. “Have I told you how much I enjoy your company, Emma?”

She shrugs. “Not today you haven’t,” she concedes. “But get to the point.”

Liam crosses his arms over his chest, leaning his head forward so his hood properly shielded him from the rain. “Killian was probably 12 when this happened. After our mother died and father left us, I had to take on the role of parent and brother. But Killian just lashed out. He wouldn’t come home at night.” He rolls his shoulders back and straightens up a bit. “I still, to this day, don’t know where he ran off to sleep at night. But when I could wrangle him home, he spent the entire night downstairs in the living room.” Liam paused in the middle of his story to glance at Emma out of the corner of his eye. “Watching I Love Lucy reruns.”

“No!” Emma gasps, to which Liam nods, his smile growing wider by the second.

“I would come down every couple of nights to make sure he was still there and there he was.” His words are tinged with laughter now, as Emma’s sure that he’s seeing preteen Killian, wide-eyed and half asleep on their couch, in his mind’s eye. “I asked him about it once and he yelled and stormed off and didn’t come home for three days. His teacher eventually sent him home because he was rank.”

Like this snippet? Reblog with your thoughts in the tags to let the author know what you think!

#csbb #captain swan big bang #captain swan #author 16 #2017 snippets #csbb 2017

[wellhellotragic]

Me Monday

Because I never know what day is for self promotions, and Monday feels like as good a day as any...

Multi Chapters:

A Poor Man's Mantra (Complete)

Summary: Killian’s life just isn’t going to plan. A bad breakup and a demotion might actually be the least of his problems when he realizes that he’s falling in love with his brother’s new girlfriend.

Rating: M-ish

1, 2

A Rather Common Name (Complete)

Summary: She hated him. Okay, maybe hate was a strong word, but he was a dick when they met. So why did she tell him about the apartment for rent in her building? And why did she let him in; let him climb her walls? Why did she let herself trust him when every man she’d ever been with had betrayed her? Why did she think he’d be different?

And why, despite it all, did she still love him?

Rating: M

1, 2

Be Alright (In Progress)

Summary: Sometimes all it takes is one phone call to completely turn our lives upside down.

He’d left. That was all she’d known. He’d packed up in the middle of the night after a stupid fight, leaving no trace behind of where he’d gone. But when David’s phone rang one night telling them that Killian was in a hospital in Boston, everything changed. For Emma, it was the last call she ever expected and it meant facing the ghosts of her past and releasing everything she’d kept bottled up and hidden away.

But then again sometimes it’s the tragedies in our lives that finally let us feel again.

Rating: M

1, 2, 3,

Devil’s in the Details (In Progress)

Summary: It’s a well known fact that angels and demons exist. No one is saying that they don’t. Hell, you’ve all met your guardian angels before. But some of the facts, well you humans seem to be a little murky on those. Take Emma for example. Blonde, witty, beautiful. She must be an angel right? Wrong. She’s as wicked as they come. And she’s about to have the time of her life tormenting a certain English bloke.

A comedy of errors….

Rated: M

1,

Forever (Complete)

Summary: How do you compete with a ghost, when the ghost always wins?

Rated: M

1, 2, 3

Gilded (In progress)

Summary: Once upon a time, a great prophecy was told. A child would be born of true love, capable of becoming the brightest of lights, freeing the world from evil, or to become the darkest creature the world had ever seen. Choices were made, destiny fought, but fate is a tricky thing. It’s often the path that we take to avoid it, that leads us straight to our demise.

Rating: M

1, 2,

If Looks Could Kill (Complete)

Summary: Emma Swan is a dedicated FBI agent getting over a bad breakup. When she and her partner, Ruby Lucas, are forced to go undercover as contestants on a reality show, Emma is forced to try and win the affections of Killian Jones, a man she despises.

Killian Jones is a lost boy. Having recently been nicknamed the ‘Bad Boy of Boston,’ he’s been living up to his moniker using women and rum to avoid dealing with his dark past. When he’s forced to take the lead in a reality show, he encounters a gorgeous blonde who turns his world upside down.

Miss Congeniality meets The Bachelor

Rated: M for language, violence, and smut.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, Epilogue

No Handlebars  (Complete)

Summary: Before moving to the city he’d thought his days back at school in London had been wild, but American’s put the British to shame in their attempts at debauchery.

Or that fic where Killian and Co. rent a barcycle for the night and everything goes wrong…

Rated: Probably Teen but let’s just go with M to be safe

Nuuk (Complete)

Summary: When a chance encounter with a blue-eyed mystery man on an ill-fated flight turns Emma Nolan’s life upside down, she has a choice to make: Continue with her arranged marriage to Senator Gold’s son to save her parent’s company, or turn her back on everything she’s ever worked towards for a chance at happiness. (Part of the 2017 CSBB)

Rating: M/E (there’s smut!!)

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Of Wolves and Lambs (In progress)

Summary: Killian Jones has known a lifetime’s worth of pain. He’s lost everyone he’s ever cared about, but when the love of his life is murdered, he vows that nothing will stop him from getting his revenge. Even if it means losing his soul to do so.

What starts off as a simple quest for revenge turns into a world filled with secrets and lies. Nothing is what he thought, and no one seems to be who he thought.

Rated: E

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, ?

On©e Shots:

36 Questions

Summary: They say all it takes is 36 questions. 36 questions between you and a complete stranger and suddenly you’ll both fall madly in love with each other. 36 agonizingly personal questions that force you to reveal your deepest darkest secrets. Well, that, and 4 minutes of staring into the most devastatingly blue eyes you’ve ever seen.

Rating: Um, mature I guess

Bubble Boy

Summary: Killian has seen it all. Or at least he thinks he has, but this one may just take the cake.

Rating: Teen

Dream a Little Dream

Summary: He’d loved her for years, but had never said anything. Then the war came, and it was too late. One night, one dance, one last chance…

Rating: Teen

Dreaming of a Pink Christmas

Summary: Emma Swan despises the pink christmas tree currently living in her apartment. It’s nothing short of an abomination. But when Emma decides to replace it with a freshly chopped tree of her own, Her bug gets stuck in a storm, and she’d forced to call the last person she ever wanted to see again. The man that broke her heart. (Part of the 2017 CSSS)

Rating: Mature (there’s smut)

Happily Ever After…Again

Summary: With the dark curse broken, everyone was finally free to move on. But to move on to what? (ya, that sucks but I’m tired and busy so it’s what you get for now.)

Rating: G

Ocean Blue

Summary: There were three things certain in Killian Jones’s life.

1) His brother was his idol. 2) He was helplessly in love with Emma Swan. 3) She absolutely didn’t love him back.

She’d made that clear five years ago when he left Boston. So when he was forced to return to Boston once more, a city he swore he’d never return to, Killian had never expected to see Emma Swan again, much less at Liam’s funeral.

Losing his only brother was devastating. Learning what he had done was worse.

Rating: Mature

Rm. 6725

Summary: Emma Swan is having a horrible day, and just when she thinks things might look up, she gets stuck with a very cranky patient, but God is he gorgeous.

Nurse Emma Swan

Rating: Mature

Unintended Side Effects

Summary: After overhearing a conversation between Emma and the girls, Killian decides to grow his hair back out to prove a point. Emma isn’t pleased.

Rating: Teen

Until the End

Summary: Even forever isn’t long enough

Rating: Mature

The Weeping Willow

Summary: Random feels based off of a post about weeping willows…

Rating: Teen

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