#henry-centric ff

[searchingwardrobes]

Christmas in Storybrooke: 4/13

This chapter has some parts from Emma’s point of view as well as some CS fluffiness with hints of pancakes :) Updates will be daily from now until New Years. (God help me!)

Summary: My Hallmark Christmas movie fic in which flights get cancelled and Henry’s “best friend’ gets snowed in with him in his quirky hometown for Christmas. Only with magic and fairy tale characters.

Rating: M for suggestive scenes and adult situations, not smut

Trigger warnings: Henry is an adult. Read that again: Henry is an adult. Look at the picset: that’s Andrew J. West. If Henry actually behaving like an adult makes you feel icky, the don’t read this.

 Can also be read on A03

Tagging @snowbellewells @kmomof4 @jennjenn615 @kday426 @whimsicallyenchantedrose @teamhook @bethacaciakay @snidgetsafan @delirious-latenight-laughs @winterbaby89 @yohoyohoafandomlifeforme @distant-rose

 Chapter Four: Sleigh Ride

Emma felt odd sitting at her parent’s dining room table in one of the plush chairs from the living room. Even after all these years, she wasn’t used to being fussed over. She even still chaffed at her husband’s constant care and attention, made only worse by Dr. Whale’s diagnosis of preeclampsia. Her hand rubbed absently over her swollen abdomen. She wouldn’t deny that this cushioned seat was doing so much more for her back than the wooden dining room chair would have.

She looked around the table at those gathered around. Her father was spooning more mashed potatoes onto Robyn’s outstretched plate while simultaneously laughing with Killian over something. Zelena nudged her daughter, admonishing her to stop with the mashed potatoes already, then gave David an apology. Emma pressed her fingers to her lips and swallowed a giggle. Who would have ever expected the Wicked Witch of the West to be admonishing her daughter to be a more polite guest in Prince Charming and Snow White’s home?

Killian caught her delighted expression and winked at her, then took her hand and kissed it. He didn’t let it go when Belle said something to him on the other side of the table. Her mother rose to pull a fussy Ava out of her high chair. Regina reached for the baby eagerly, and Snow handed her over. Regina made faces at the baby and tickled her tummy.

Emma’s eyes drifted to her oldest son who was making gestures with his hands as he explained something to his Grandpa Rumple across the table. Evangeline threw her head back and laughed as she lightly touched Henry’s arm. Rumple folded his hands under his chin, only the slightest smile lifting one half of his mouth at the obviously hilarious story. Evie patted Henry’s shoulder, then started talking animatedly. Emma assumed she must be adding to whatever tale Henry was weaving.

“What are you thinking, my love?” Killian whispered in her ear.

She gave him a small smile and a wink. “For one precious moment, everyone is getting along. I’m enjoying it while I can.”

He chuckled and brushed a kiss to her forehead.

*************************************************

Grandpa David – Uncle David Henry mentally corrected – stood in front of the fireplace in the farmhouse living room with an eager grin on his face. He rubbed his hands together gleefully.

“Okay,” he announced to the family gathered around the Christmas tree, “Sn - ahem, Mary Margaret and I decided that instead of gifts this year -”

The children all suddenly groaned.

“Now wait a minute,” David said teasingly, crossing his arms and casting a glare at all the kids, “you haven’t let me finish. Instead of gifts, we’re giving experiences.”

Grandma Snow – Aunt Mary Margaret Henry corrected once again – joined her husband with a huge smile dimpling her face. “It's something I read about on a blog. See, instead of things, you arrange something for you and your loved ones to do together. Most of you will be receiving tickets to certain things on Christmas morning -”

At that, the kids perked up and started to whisper excitedly.

“Are you gonna take us to Disney World?” Charlie asked in a high-pitched squeal.

“Just wait and see,” his grandmother replied in a sing-song voice. Henry shook his head. She was still horrible at keeping secrets.

“Whaddya need to go to Disney World for?” Robyn piped up with a roll of her eyes. “Just take the Joll-”

Zelena grabbed her daughter’s arm.

“Ow!” she protested. “What was that for?”

Zelena glared at her daughter.

“Anyway,” David jumped back in, “the first gift we’re giving was kind of a last minute one, and we’re so excited that we pulled it off.”

Snow made her way over to Evangeline and took her hands. “I know how hard it must be to miss Christmas with your family. But, being in Maine means you can check off some Christmas traditions you can’t get down south in Atlanta.”

David leaned and looked out the window. “They’re here, darling.”

“Everyone bundle up and meet us on the porch!” Snow called. “We’ve got a gift for Henry’s friend Evie.”

Evie turned wide eyes on Henry. “What is all this about?”

He shrugged. “I guess we better go see.”

The kids beat everyone out the door, and by the time Henry and Evie got bundled up and headed out, they had to get up on their toes to see the front yard of the farmhouse. Parked there was a white sleigh trimmed in red, with Buttercup hitched to the front. The cream-colored horse shook her mane and the sound of jingle bells filled the air. Sitting on the driver’s seat was a scowling Grumpy. Lined up behind the first sleigh were six more, each being driven by one of the dwarves.

“Merry Christmas, Evie!” Snow exclaimed, clapping her hands with glee.

“Okay, everybody!” David shouted. “Line up to ride! Two to a sleigh, or two adults and one child.”

Henry grabbed his mom. “We have this many sleighs and horses in Storybrooke?”

“For the horses, three are your Grandpas and the other four came from Storybrooke Stables. As for the sleighs,” Regina shrugged, “well you only said Evie coudn’t see any magic.”

Henry’s gaze found Evie, who was standing with her mittened hands pressed to her mouth, her eyes shining.

“Oh, Mrs. Nolan,” she gasped, “this is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done . . . “

She trailed off, rendered speechless, and Henry’s grandma embraced her. “It’s your gift, so you get to go first. Who do you want to ride with?”

Evie’s gaze met Henry’s as all three of his siblings ran to Evie, tugging at her arm and begging to ride with her. The last thing he wanted to do was share this sleigh ride with a little kid wedged between the two of them. He pushed his way towards Evie and extended his hand.

“If I may,” he said, struggling to remember the charming ways of the men in his family, “I would like to share this ride with Evangeline. Just the two of us?”

She smiled and took his hand. He tried to ignore the groans of protest from his siblings, and the looks exchanged between the adult members of his family. Instead, he guided Evie down the front walk and helped her into the sleigh. He stepped inside, adjusted the wool blanket on the seat across their laps, and told Grumpy they were ready to go.

“This farm is beautiful,” Evie sighed, taking in the snow laden pines, oaks, and maples all around them. She snuggled down in her seat, a contented smile upon her face. “I feel like I’m living a Hallmark Christmas movie. All this snow, and the festival, and ice skating . . . now this? Thank you so much Henry for giving this to me. For bringing me here.”

She smiled up at him, and the muscles in his arms twitched. He ached to put his arm around her, and maybe yesterday he would have, before he was aware of how he felt about her. Evie had never shied away from his touch. She would grab his arm or his hand, lean against his shoulder when she was tired, grab him around the waist for a hug when she was upset. He suddenly realized she had always been the one to initiate those things.

She shivered, then yawned. Henry took a deep breath, then lifted his arm and put it around her shoulder. She melted into him, shifting to cuddle deeper into his side. He lowered his cheek and rested it against the top of her head.

“I’m glad you’re here too,” he told her.

They were silent for a few moments, enjoying the whooshing sound of the sleigh and the jiggling of the horse’s bells. A lantern swung from a hook at Grumpy’s side on the driver’s seat, and it cast bright beams of light across the fallen snow. A few yards behind them, they could hear Robyn and Hope singing “Jingle Bells’ at the top of their lungs as his Aunt Zelena begged them to stop. Evie looked up at him and laughed as the girls dissolved into pre-teen giggles.

“Your aunt and uncle are so nice,” Evie commented. “Why have you never mentioned them?”

“Um . . .” Henry awkwardly cleared his throat, “I don’t know. I guess I just talk about Neal more?”

“And your grandparents? I thought they were the ones who owned the farm. Where are they?”

“They’re . . . on a cruise.” He winced at the blatant lie as he pulled his arm away from Evie. It didn’t feel right to make a move on her when he was keeping so much from her.

She didn’t speak again for the rest of the sleigh ride, neither did she look at him. He tried to tell himself she was just enjoying the scenery, but he couldn’t ignore the tension that had suddenly fallen between them.

****************************************************

An hour later, Emma had her feet propped up on the ottoman, her toes reaching towards the fire place of her own living room. Killian was sitting on the floor next to her, and her fingers were absentmindedly in his hair. She looked over at the sofa where Henry and Evie sat. Henry’s arm was draped across the back of the couch, almost but not quite touching Evie’s shoulder. The girl herself was as close as she could be to Henry without actually touching him. Both wore Santa hats on their heads that they had gotten at the Snow Festival earlier in the day. When they had first gotten home from the farm, Evie had chased Henry around the living room for ten minutes before convincing him to don the hat so she could take a selfie to post on Instagram. Now they sat alternating between staring into their mugs of hot chocolate and steeling glances at one another. The four of them had been chatting in front of the fire ever since the kids had all gone to bed, and a lull had settled comfortably around them.

Evie let out a sigh and dropped her head on Henry’s shoulder. “I’m tired,” she said with a small yawn. “I think I’ll head upstairs to bed.”

“You know,” Henry commented with forced nonchalance, “I’m pretty tired myself. I’ll go up too.”

Killian tilted his head back to share a knowing glance with Emma, and she hid her chuckle by taking a sip of her own cocoa.

“Good night, lad,” Killian called behind them, “good night, Evangeline.”

“Good night,” they chorused back. Emma craned her neck to see Henry’s hand hover at the small of Evie’s back, then she couldn’t see them anymore.

“He’s in love with her,” Emma told her husband softly once she was sure they were out of earshot.

“I know,” Killian chuckled, “I think all of Storybrooke can tell.”

“Except for Evie.” Emma sighed as Killian shifted to rest his head in her lap. “He loves her but won’t tell her because he’s too clueless to see that she loves him back.”

“Don’t worry, love,” he told her, sitting back up so he could look at her, “they’ll sort it out. Just like we did so long ago.”

Emma’s breath caught at the way his hair was all disheveled from where her fingers had been running through it, the way his cheeks were flushed from sitting so close to the fire, and the way his lips quirked up in that roguish half-smile of his. She groaned when she bent over to try and haul him to her, her broad abdomen getting in the way.

Killian’s expression quickly morphed to one of concern at the sudden sound, and he rose quickly to his knees beside her. “Are you well?” he asked, cupping her face with his hand and prosthetic.

Instead of answering or even rolling her eyes as she was so wont to do, she lunged forward instead to give him a rough kiss. She felt him smile beneath her lips, and then he was giving as good as he got. She clutched desperately at his shirt, their teeth clashing with the force of her assault.

“Take me upstairs, pirate,” she ordered before nipping at his earlobe.

“Emma,” he protested feebly as she trailed kisses down his neck, “Whale said -”

“No over-exerting myself, I know,” Emma huffed. She pouted at Killian as she pulled away. “Do you have any idea how horny pregnant women can get?”

He smirked at her, “I’ve experienced it first-hand twice, my dear.”

“Is that supposed to be joke?” Emma couldn’t help quipping with a wink. Then she put on her most seductive smile, draped her arms around his neck, and spoke with her lips just hovering over his. “I know you can be gentle with me, Killian. Please? I want you.”

She almost gave a satisfied smirk of her own when she saw the sheer lust shining in his eyes. But instead she let out a yelp as he stood and scooped her up into his arms in one smooth motion.

“If the lady insists . . . “

“Oh I do,” she purred. Then she bit her lip as he headed for the stairs. “I’m not too heavy am I?”

She asked him the same thing every night. He smiled down at her.

“I’ve carried rum barrels heavier than you.”

She smiled at the familiar line as he toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck. “You know, I like that line better now than the first time.”

“Because your pregnant and worried it changes how I feel?”

“No. Because it’s my husband saying it.”

#cs ff #henry-centric ff #ouat ff #christmas fic #christmas in storybrooke

[seriouslyhooked]

I’ll Stay (Vulnerable)

Cannon divergent oneshot based in 3A when everyone is back from Neverland. CS-centric, and involves Emma coming to grips with her feelings for Hook much earlier.  Available on FF Here and AO3 Here.

A/N: Hey everyone! In this chapter, we are taking things back to season 3 and we are rewriting it. I know, I know, you’re all shocked. Me – a devoted follower of fluff and hope – is going to rewrite a storyline where Emma and Henry left everyone behind and forgot them? Yup. Absolutely. Would write this fic a hundred times in a hundred different ways if I could. In this divergent little drabble, we made it through Neverland and got rid of Pan without any more curses or nonsense. Everyone knows what could have happened, but they avoided it, and now Emma is grappling with the fact that something more than a ‘one-time thing’ is happening between her and Hook. Inspired by the song ‘Vulnerable’ by Selena Gomez.

The irony was not lost on Emma that sleep was eluding her.

After what felt like an eternity fighting to get Henry back from the clutches of Pan and from the brink of danger, they were finally home. They’d staved off another curse, circumvented another terrible twist that would have ripped them all apart once more, and, most importantly, her kid was safe, sleeping in his bed and on the road to healing from this terrible adventure.

Over the past week, Emma had barely closed her eyes. Leading them through Neverland and navigating the wickedness of Gold and his father was a constant struggle. The physical toil and the emotional pain had been profound. She was exhausted and weary, but still, sleep would not come.

Here in the loft, the air was quiet, and the mood was peaceful. The moonlight trickled through the glass pane of her window, and the curtains caught in the breeze filtering in from outside. The temperature was perfect, cool and refreshing, but warm under the covers. The bad guys had been beaten, Storybrooke was safe, and the calm seemed stable, at least enough to last through the night. But it didn’t matter. Despite her best efforts, Emma could not sleep. She’d tried everything, but none of it would work.

It’s never going to work, she said to herself dejectedly. Not until you face this.

“Yeah, that’s not happening,” she muttered aloud, shutting down the part of her that wanted to work things out instead of always avoiding.

She heaved out a sigh of defeat and tossed the rumpled sheets off of her. Climbing out of bed and tiptoeing to the kitchen, Emma made sure to avoid all the noisiest parts of this apartment. She didn’t want to disturb Henry or her parents, but she couldn’t handle being cooped up in that bed. It was getting her nowhere. In fact, it was making things worse. Lying there in the dark, she was bombarded by memories and what ifs. It all was overwhelming, and enough to drive her mad.

Wordlessly she moved to the kitchen and found herself reaching for the ingredients needed for a calming cup of cocoa. Despite the lateness of the hour, she knew it would be a small token of comfort in a long, unrelenting night. The motions of preparing the sweat treat were soothing. This was a ritual she had grown accustomed to, and was mindless enough to lose herself in. But this late-night activity, which usually saw her through the worst of days, didn’t yield the desired effect. Her thoughts still wandered, circling back to a particular pirate who perplexed and provoked her.

I don’t understand his motives, she said to herself, knowing this was her cynicism taking the lead. Why is he still helping? Why take the risk? What is he after?

Why does he have to be ‘after’ anything? The reasonable part of her brain replied. Why can’t you just accept that he cares about you?

Because it can’t happen.

It already has. The kiss, in Neverland…

It was a one-time thing.

It doesn’t have to be.

It does.

It doesn’t.

It does.

You’re scared.

Of course, I’m scared! He’s Captain freaking Hook!

He’s just Killian.

“He’s not just anything,” Emma murmured as she mixed in the chocolate, watching the warmed milk turn to a rich, silky chestnut color. Here was the kernel of truth she was terrified to admit. To Emma, Hook wasn’t just a villain or a pirate. He was more, intricate and messy and moving and intriguing.

During their time in Neverland, Hook had awakened something in her. It started with the kiss, that sinful encounter that drove her to distraction, but also struck her heart, piercing armor she had been building up for years. Okay, maybe it started before that. There were plenty of heated glances, and barbed bits of repartee between them that almost felt like foreplay, but the kiss lit a fuse she didn’t realize existed. It was meant to be a power move, a strategic plan to shut him up, maybe the vent some of her frustrations out, but the consequences lingered, and they were ones that Emma never saw coming.

She could still taste him even now, the ghost of that embrace tracing touches on her skin. Pressed up against him, the roughness of leather and metal, the scrape of his beard, the taut lines of his body… She’d given into him in that moment and lingered in the pleasure. When they kissed, Emma allowed herself a minute just to feel and to live. For a fleeting blip of time, the world wasn’t crumbling around her. She was restored and she was hopeful, but it had to be just once. She wasn’t meant to want any more than that. She certainly shouldn’t still be thinking of it now, but here she was. And she was thinking of more too, thinking of the ways he’d risked himself, the ways he’d supported her, the way he’d saved her father. She acknowledged in the silence of her self-dialogue that she had grown to count on him, and that she felt drawn to him, even when his obvious role had come to an end. She should have been eager for him to go, now that the task of defeating Pan was over, but the thought of him leaving left an aching, empty feeling in her chest.

Over the past few days, Hook had luckily shown no real signs of setting outward. He was still sarcastic and cocky and cutting. He was practically gleeful every time he got to torment David, and his actions towards Neal and towards Gold were downright frosty still, but there was honor underneath it all and a respect he gave the others and this town that spoke to a more gentlemanlike nature. She had seen him when they located Henry, and observed a genuine relief when she was reunited with her son. She noticed the way he minded the others, helping far more than he hurt, and how he bit back the bullshit bad guy act when they just couldn’t take it. He could read a room, and he often did, though he hid behind the swagger and the accent. And more than once there was something that colored his gaze, swimming in the blue depths of his eyes. When he looked at her, he hid nothing, and let the weight of his affection flow between them. He may not say the words aloud, but he laid it all out there, showing a vulnerability she never imagined but desperately craved. He wanted her, and Emma… well Emma wanted -

“Couldn’t sleep?”

Emma jumped, her hand moving towards her chest and making contact with the speedy pacing of her heartbeat. Adrenaline spiked in her system, but she immediately relaxed when she saw it was only Mary Margaret. Emma worried for a moment that the conversations playing in her head may have been whispered out loud, but her mother (God that was still so weird to say), showed no awareness. Seeing as Mary Margaret was incapable of keeping secrets, Emma knew her own were safe. At least for now.

“No. You?”

“I wish,” Her mother said, reaching into the cupboard and coming out with cinnamon, bringing a small smile to Emma’s lips. “I never can after these escapades. But your father? Out like a light the moment the bad things pass. It’s almost like it never happened.”

“Lucky guy,” Emma joked, and her mother chuckled, a thoughtful expression coloring her face.

“We are all lucky tonight. It was almost so much worse.” Snow’s words had the lilt of unshed tears hanging on the end. Emma could see the mistiness in her mother’s eyes, and felt the weight of her worry. “We almost lost you again, Emma.”

“I know, but you didn’t,” Emma said, placing a hand on her mother’s shoulder. Snow placed her own hand over it and took a deep breath, nodding. She wiped two stray tears away quickly but collected herself.

“Everything that’s happened… well it’s put things in perspective for me.”

“Like what?”

“I was wrong, Emma. In Neverland, when I practically interrogated you about Hook.” 

To say that this was unexpected was an understatement. Emma was shocked at the acknowledgement, even though she appreciated the words.

“It’s fine.”

“It isn’t,” her mother emphasized, and Emma stayed quiet. Snow was right after all. It wasn’t great. It had caused more pain in a series of painful events, but Emma planned to just move past it and leave the discomfort behind them. “I didn’t understand what you had been through. Even worse I jumped to my own conclusions. I was pushing you towards Neal, thinking Hook was the bad guy, but in the end, looking at the full picture, that’s not really the story, is it?”

“No, it isn’t,” Emma agreed. “Honestly, I can’t really follow the story anymore. I feel…”

“Lost?” her mother asked. Emma nodded.

“Yeah. Crazy right? We leave Neverland, and somehow I’m more lost back home than I was there.”

“Maybe,” her mother mused, as Emma poured two glasses of cocoa. She handed them to Snow for added cinnamon, but she was curious as to her mother’s hesitation.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, are you really lost, Emma? Or are you scared of facing what it is that you want?”

The words were a swift punch to the gut, but Emma sustained them, taking a sip of her cocoa and braving up to respond honestly. “The second one. But it’s insane. How is it possible? A few weeks ago, I’d never even met this man. He’s a pirate – a villain from a story that I read as a kid. Things are moving so quickly, and yet their standing still. I don’t know what to do.”

“Do you trust him?”

“As much as I trust anyone,” she admitted, the truth coming out for the first time since meeting him.

“Do you care for him?”

Emma nodded, not daring to say that part just yet. Her mother’s eyes softened, a look of love despite the strangeness of this suitor.

“Does it have potential?”

“I don’t know,” Emma whispered, but the feeling in her chest that had been there for a while now was blooming something fierce. This may not be her gut, per se, but it was something adjacent, an instinct and an emotion screaming out that there was more than meets the eye here. This was different. This was special.

“If you think about the future, is he there?”

“I think I want him to be,” Emma said, knowing there wasn’t much thinking to be done. That was what she wanted, and now, she’d finally confessed it.

“Then you have your answer. It’s just a matter of facing it and doing what you need to do.”

Her mother’s observation hung between them and Emma realized Snow had immediate expectations. “You mean now? But it’s late.”

“So? He’s a pirate. I don’t know much about them, but I’ll hazard a guess that they don’t keep normal hours.”

“This is crazy.”

“Affairs of the heart usually are, Emma. You’ll recall I once bashed your father in the head with a rock, and yet the thought of going one more day without him by my side…” Emma’s pulse skipped a beat at the mention of her heart. Another sign that deep down she had known for quite a while what she wanted. “You’ll never sleep until it’s settled, honey. Believe me, I know. You take after your mother, just as I took after mine.”

Emma didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry at her mother’s joke, but she found herself hugging Snow close and thanking her. From there, things got a bit hazy. She was working off of adrenaline, moving to her room and changing out of her pajamas before heading into the Storybrooke night. It was just after midnight, not tremendously late, but by small town standards it was as quiet as quiet could get. Everything was closed now, the diner, the inn. Even the bar was locked up tight, and that was as late-night as Storybrooke ever got. There was no one around, just Emma and the pounding of her heart. Still, she kept moving, following the advice of her mother and the sense of what-if that had nagged at her all evening.

Soon enough she was at the docks, following the lamp light, and headed in the direction of the Jolly Roger. It wouldn’t be difficult to spot, as the only Enchanted Forest vessel in the harbor, but still Emma worried. What if he’d left in the dark of the night? What if he believed her when she said this didn’t matter? What if she was too late?

When the ship came into view, she exhaled a sigh of relief, but it was quiet. The lights were out. There were no signs of movement anywhere. And then she heard it. Singing, feint at first, but louder as she approached the boat. The voice was deep, but ruggedly refined. She knew it was Hook, but she’d never actually considered what he’d sound like in a song. His voice was beautiful and a little haunting, the seafaring shanty being one of heartache and loss. It was somber and serene, but despite its content, it was also a little bit hopeful. At least to Emma. Because if Killian was up signing instead of sleeping in his quarters after all they’d faced in the past few weeks, maybe that meant he was thinking thoughts like the ones that she’d been plagued with.

On their voyage to and from Neverland, Emma came to know this ship intimately, and the wooden planks called out to her. They were familiar and welcoming, two things she never believed she would ever say. It would be so easy to come aboard and just announce herself. But instinctively she knew it wasn’t okay to board this ship without permission. Insecurities crept in at the realization. She was intruding. This wasn’t right.

This was stupid, she reasoned to herself. I should have waited until morning. I should have –

“Swan?”

The voice she most wanted to hear played strange tricks on her now, sending a shiver of anticipation through her system and a tiny bit of terror as well. She looked to the deck but didn’t see him, then she realized the voice had sounded out from a higher locale. Her eyes climbed the great mast of the Jolly and there he was, perched atop the crow’s nest. With a coordination and grace reserved for the movies, he swung down from the great height with a rope from above. The action only tensed the hard lines of his muscles even more, and Emma took each movement in, unable to look away.

Hook was still dressed in a way she was used to seeing, but now he was missing his jacket and his vest. His hair was tousled, and his beard a touch darker, or perhaps that was a trick of the moonlight. She’d never seen him like this before. He was somehow even sexier than usual, and it overwhelmed her. He descended from the ship at a hurried clip, moving towards her with purpose and precision. He closed the distance between them, until they were mere inches away from one another. When he was near enough, his eyes searched her whole being for signs of trouble, and his hand came out to reach for hers in a show of comfort. She extended hers in kind, and her body came alive at the contact. Her breathing caught as her eyes met his cerulean gaze, brimming with intensity and earnestness.

“Emma, love, are you all right? Is it Henry? Has something happened?”

The worry in his tone was evident, and the honesty she felt flowing off of him broke the last fragments of her will power. She couldn’t take it anymore. She was in this, and it was damn well time that she act like it.

She practically leapt into his arms, pulling him down by the v of his somewhat unbuttoned shirt and kissing him as she’d wanted to ever since walking away back in Neverland. The instant delight that came was heady and addictive, and this time Emma knew that she could savor it. There was nothing looming on the horizon – nothing poised to stop them or intrude on this big moment – and for the first time in a long time, Emma felt free. Free to feel and free to want something only for herself.

Hook needed only the briefest moment to respond. He practically purred out his approval, the growl he let loose buzzing through her and setting her ablaze. His expert use of hand and hook left her shaking. He pulled her even closer, closing the remaining space between them, and enveloping her in every part of him. Emma stopped knowing where she ended and he began. God, this was perfect. Easily the best kiss she’d ever had. How could anything possibly feel this good? His hard body had her squirming in his grasp, seeking any semblance of friction and relief. She’d been carrying desire for this man for too long, but compartmentalizing and hiding it away. Now it flowed freely, surrounding her, engulfing her, and leaving her breathless.

She wasn’t the only one trying to soak in every moment. Hook was just as ravenous, nipping and teasing her with touches designed to seduce and to entrance. He was hot and fierce and alluring, the scent of rum and salt and sea air clinging to him. It felt dangerous and daunting, but also natural and filled with need. Like magnets flung towards impact, two opposites attracting and finding something more. Many parts of this were familiar, but then it changed, sparked fire, and blazed to something past her comprehension.

With the benefit of privacy and time, Hook took control and guided the kiss. He was dominant and demanding in ways Emma never allowed another man to be. It set her soul on fire, and tilted the world into a whole new point of view. This heated embrace stole every shred of sanity Emma had left, but she wouldn’t trade it for anything. Neverland was about her making a statement, and tonight was as well. But Hook would have his say this time, and he showed her so much more through luscious actions than anyone ever had with words. This kiss was a revelation, a seduction any siren would be proud of, and here she was, caught within the storm but finding that she loved it all the same.

Coming up for air was a struggle, mostly because now that she had done this, Emma didn’t want to let go. But after the fervor of first contact, they both knew that they had to talk about this. For Emma, it was time to fess up, and to confess that the fear of taking a chance was overwhelming, but that the fear of losing a chance at this was even more jarring.

“It’s difficult for a man to determine if he’s dreaming when a woman as lovely as you appears like this, Swan.” Killian uttered the words as his fingers traced along her jaw. His hook held her hip in place, the cool metal a source of strange comfort. Emma nuzzled in closer, leaning against his palm and breathing him in as her eyes closed. “But in all my years I’ve never had a dream that compares to you. So it must be real. Please, Gods above, let it be real.”

“It’s real,” she whispered, pressing another soft kiss on his lips. “We’re real. I’ve been scared as hell to say that, but I…”

“I understand, love. It’s wholly unexpected. And I’m not exactly the kind of man a woman like you deserves.”

“Don’t say that,” she pleaded, and the pain in his eyes sent a sharp sting through her heart. Obviously he didn’t see himself the way she saw him. But maybe with time, things would be more clear.

“It’s the truth, Swan.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Aye.”

“Do you want me?” He nodded immediately, his hold on her tightening, whether or not he realized it. Her lips curved up to a small smile at that, and she not so secretly loved how sure and certain he was in this.

“Yes.”

“Would you ever hurt me?” she asked, her voice breaking slightly, and the pain of her past surging up in darkened memories.

“I might, love, but Gods strike me down if I do, because it’s the last thing in the world I’d ever want.”

“And that’s how I know,” she whispered. Looking at him with new conviction, willing him to believe her. “That’s the difference with you, Killian. I see you, I see your heart, and I know you see me. Not the savior, not the sheriff, not the lost little girl or the woman with walls. You see me. Just me.”

“You’re all I see, Swan. Have been for some time.”

She didn’t know who started their next kiss, but she felt the frenzy of it all the same. It was just as magnificent as before, but this time sincerity simmered throughout as well. The understanding they were reaching made it all the better. Knowing they were both going to jump here gave her comfort, but there were still some words to say.

“I don’t really know how to do this,” she admitted, running her hand across his chest as their foreheads touched. She looked down to avoid an embarrassing exchange. Patiently he waited, but when she stayed stock still, he tilted back and brought up his hook. He gently nudged her chin back up, prompting her to see that there was nothing like judgment in his eyes.

‘Neither do I. But we’ll see it through. Together.”

“I’m not good at letting people in.”

This time he grinned, looking like a man who was up for the challenge of scaling her walls. She almost rolled her eyes until he took her hand in his and pressed a gentle kiss upon it. It was an intimate gesture that made her heart soar. Who was this man who could be so roughish and rough one moment and yet gentle and sweet the next?

“That makes two of us.”

“I’m going to fuck this up,” she affirmed, assured of the missteps she would make and wanting him to realize she was so much less than perfect.

Now he looked frustrated, and his voice ground out in a graveled, gruff tone. “Not possible.”

“How do you know?”

‘Because you’re you, Swan,” he murmured, pressing sweet kisses to her face, to her neck and jaw, then her lips once more. “You’re rare and remarkable and real. You can do anything you set your mind to, anything but push me away. I’m in this, Emma. Entirely and completely. It’s soon to admit that, but you deserve the truth, and you’ll always hear it from me.”

“I really want to trust you,” she whispered, clutching onto his shirt and letting this one last worry live between them.

“And someday you will. In the meantime, I can wait. I will wait. As long as it takes.” That was all it took. Peace finally claimed her, and something in her settled.

“Okay,” she murmured, leaning in to hug him and basking in his heat and the gentle thrumming of his heart.

“Okay,” he replied, a lilted whisper in her hair as he held her close.

They remained out there for a while more, but neither needed to say anything for them to realize what must come next. Emma needed to go home, and he would see her there, safe and sound. They walked together, down Main Street in the moonlight, hand in hand, with the closeness of lovers, and the poise of two similar souls seeking comfort in each other. No one was around to see them, but Emma knew they would very soon. She wasn’t going to hide this, and someday they’d walk in the light together, letting everyone know exactly where they stood.

When they were back by the loft, Emma stalled, not wanting this to end. She wished she could invite him up for a drink, a drink that would no doubt turn to more, but she couldn’t. Instead, they needed to say goodbye for now, but she found she wasn’t sure how.

Killian took the moment to pull her in, kissing her one last time, and saying again with actions what words could only half describe. This kiss was sweet but insistent, a reminder and a promise of all that he would give and all that they could have if they chose to be together. When they broke apart, Emma was certain in him and in herself. This was happening. This was right.

“Until tomorrow then, love,” he whispered, pressing one last kiss upon her cheek.

“Good night, Killian.”

His eyes lit up and he smiled at her use of his real name. She made a promise to herself that she would use it more often. He waited for her to go inside, and only when she’d done so did he finally walk away. Leaning against the wooden door, Emma sighed in relief and smiled.

This is the start of something good. Something true. Something… happy.

And with those final thoughts, Emma headed back to bed, and found that sleep came swiftly, bringing with it dreams she hoped would come to pass.

……………..

If I gave you every piece of me, I know that you could drop it Give you the chance, I know that you could take advantage once you got it If I open up my heart to you, I know that you could lock it Throw away the key and keep it there forever in your pocket

If I gave the opportunity to you, then would you blow it? If I was the greatest thing that happened to you, would you know it? If my love was like a flower, would you plant it, would you grow it? I might give you all my body, are you strong enough to hold it?

If I show you all my demons And we dive into the deep end Would we crash and burn like every time before? I would tell you all my secrets Wrap your arms around my weakness If the only other option's letting go

I'll stay vulnerable, yeah I'll stay vulnerable, yeah I'll stay vulnerable

If I hand you my emotion, would you even want to take it? If I give you all my trust now, would you fumble it and break it? If I let you cross my finish line, then would you wanna make it? I think I'm ready, won't you come and flip the switch and activate it?

If I show you all my demons And we dive into the deep end Would we crash and burn like every time before? I would tell you all my secrets Wrap your arms around my weakness If the only other option's letting go

I'll stay vulnerable, yeah I'll stay vulnerable, yeah I'll stay vulnerable

If I show you all my demons And we dive into the deep end Would we crash and burn like every time before? I would tell you all my secrets Wrap your arms around my weakness If the only other option's letting go

I'll stay vulnerable, yeah I'll stay vulnerable, yeah

If I show you all my demons And we dive into the deep end Would we crash and burn like every time before? (I'll stay vulnerable) I would tell you all my secrets Wrap your arms around my weakness If the only other option's letting go

(I'll stay vulnerable, yeah)

Post-Note: So, what did you think? Honestly, I had no intentions of writing this chapter right now. I knew the song needed to be in the mixtape, as I love it, and it fits so well with this series of CS love stories, but I have a number of other fics I am working on now that need attending to. Nevertheless, here we are, and luckily, this has proved to be the perfect palate cleanse for my other writing. My multichapter stories will be back soon. I’ve already started writing, and in the meantime, we all get an added little romantic bonus. Hope you enjoyed this dose of fluff, thank you all for reading, and know that I’m wishing you safe, healthy, and well. xE.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9,Part 10,Part 11, Part 12,Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24,Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31,Part 32, Part 33, Part 34, Part 35, Part 36, Part 37, Part 38,Part 39,Part 40, Part 41, Part 42, Part 43, Part 44, Part 45,Part 46,Part 47, Part 48, Part 49, Part 50, Part 51, Part 52, Part 53,Part 54,Part 55, Part 56, Part 57, Part 58, Part 59, Part 60,Part 61,Part 62, Part 63, Part 64, Part 65, Part 66, Part 67, Part 68,Part 69,Part 70, Part 71, Part 72, Part 73, Part 74, Part 75,Part 76,Part 77, Part 78, Part 79, Part 80, Part 81, Part 82, Part 83,Part 84,Part 85, Part 86, Part 87, Part 88, Part 89, Part 90,Part 91,Part 92, Part 93, Part 94, Part 95, Part 96, Part 97, Part 98,Part 99,Part 100, Part 101, Part 102, Part 103,Part 104, Part 105,Part 106, Part 107,Part 108, Part 109, Part 110,Part 111, Part 112,Part 113, Part 114, Part 115,Part 116, Part 117, Part 118,Part 119,Part 120, Part 121, Part 122, Part 123,Part 124, Part 125,Part 126, Part 127, Part 128,Part 129,Part 130, Part 131,Part 132,Part 133, Part 134, Part 135, Part 136, Part 137, Part 138,Part 139,Part 140, Part 141, Part 142, Part 143, Part 144, Part 145,Part 146, Part 147, Part 148,Part 149, Part 150, Part 151,Part 152, Part 153, Part 154, Part 155, Part 156, Part 157, Part 158,Part 159, Part 160, Part 161, Part 162, Part 163, Part 164,Part 165, Part 166, Part 167, Part 168, Part 169, Part 170,Part 171,Part 172, Part 173, Part 174, Part 175, Part 176,Part 177, Part 178, Part 179 , Part 180, Part 181, Part 182, Part 183, Part 184, Part 185, Part 186, Part 187, Part 188, Part 189, Part 190, Part 191, Part 192, Part 193, Part 194, Part 195, Part 196

#captain swan #captain swan fic #cs fic #cs ff #cs fluff #cs smut? #cannon divergent #cannon divergence #captain swan rewrite #emma swan #killian jones #ouat rewrite #cs oneshot #captain swan oneshot #the mixtape #cs mixtape #captain swan mixtape #i'll stay vulnerable

[thebeautyofdisorder]

Mobile! Friendly Master List (Updated 11/8/21)

Dracula Voice Porn (I know everyone’s number one priority here):

Dear Zoe – You’re Exquisite – I’m Going to Make You Last  – After All This Time (Finale) – You’re Mine Now – The Convent Gate – Who are You? – The Army of the Faithful – I Could Tear You Apart – Drink My Fill – One Should Never Rush A Nun – Do You Think Provoking Me Is Clever? – Invite Me In  – There Is No Baby (Trilogy)  – My Finest Bride – You Were Having A Nightmare  – Toilet?  – We Must Do This Again  – Step Outside the Circle

Other Voice Porn Excerpts:

Angelus' Laughter – Claes Bang Whispering In Danish

Fanvids by Fandom:

BBC Dracula: 

Kill of the Night - Tumblr / Youtube / Tiktok

Haunted Heart - Tumblr / Youtube / Tiktok

Dragula - Tumblr / Youtube / Tiktok

BBC Sherlock (Sherlock x Irene): 

The Riddle - Tumblr / Youtube / TikTok

Heavy In Your Arms - Tumblr / Youtube

Shoot To Thrill - Tumblr / Youtube / Tiktok

Half God, Half Devil - Tumblr / Youtube / Tiktok

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 

I Want My Innocence Back - Youtube

Feed On Me - Youtube / Tiktok

Cold Favours - Tumblr / Youtube / Tiktok

Christian Woman - Tumblr / Youtube / Tiktok

Harry Potter (Snape-Centric):

Light ‘Em Up - Tumblr / Youtube / Tiktok

Evil In the Night - Tumblr / Youtube / Tiktok

Star Trek: Into Darkness: 

Fire! Battle! In Metal! - Tumblr / Youtube / Tiktok

True Blood: 

The Rush - Youtube

I Can’t Decide - Tumblr / Youtube / Tiktok

Before I’m Dead - Tiktok

Pirates of the Caribbean:

The Master’s Song - Youtube

Heavy Fire - Tumblr / Youtube / Tiktok

The Tudors (Henry x Anne):

My Number One - Tumblr / Youtube

Alan Rickman:

Addicted - Tiktok

El Tango Roxanne - Tiktok

My Writings:

 Harry Potter (Severus x Hermione):

The Ties That Bind - Rated M - In Progress - Tumblr / AO3 / FF / Wattpad

Dracula BBC:

The Undone & The Divine - Rated M - Agatha/Dracula/Zoe - Masterlist / AO3

Dangerous Game - Dragatha - Convent Gate AU - Tumblr / AO3

There Wasn’t A Single Thing To Eat In the Kitchen Until You Walked In - Rated M - One Shot - Dracula/Zoe - Tumblr

Sherlock BBC (All Sherlock x Irene):

The Smitten Detective (Hidden Blog Post # 57) - One Shot - Tumblr / AO3 /And this awesome fanart that was made for it!

Did You Miss Me? - One Shot - Rated M - Tumblr / AO3

The Caretaker - Rated T - Unfinished - Tumblr (Ch 1) / AO3 (Ch 1-3)

 Untitled Drabble - Rated T - Tumblr

Pulverbatch RPF (Benedict Cumberbatch/Lara Pulver AU):

#PULVERBATCH  - One Shot - Rated T - Tumblr / AO3 (AO3 preferred, might’ve made edits to this one that I didn’t change on tumblr?)

Truth or Dare - Rated M - Unfinished - Crack!Fic - AO3

Graphics/GIFS/Misc:

Adlock Polyvore Collage: Right Here

The Burnt Orange Heresy GIFS - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

BBC Dracula GIFS - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12

My ‘Dragula’ Fanvid GIFS - 1 - 2 - 3

Claes Bang - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

Voiceplay GIFS - 1 - 2

Jekyll & Hyde GIFS - 1

BBC Sherlock GIFS - 1

Jonathan Roxmouth -  1

#bbc dracula #dracula 2020 #sherlock #adlock #spuffy #btvs #true blood #star trek into darkness #pulverbatch #snamione #my writing #my vids #my gifs #ladygreensleeves33

[unwoundfutureost]

list of professor layton fic recs

here by popular demand, a full list of fics i think everyone should read because they’re really good and i’ve lost litres of tears over them

all of these were hand-picked with care 

mostly one-shots but there are still a lot of multichaps in there... i’m only reccing ao3 fics this time and ff.net has most of the multi-chaptered fics so sorry skjdh

under the cut because i have. a lot 

the ends justify the means by misthalleries

words: 2,066

chapters: 1/1

warnings: grief, parental death, mourning, etc. etc. all the canon stuff just a little more detailed 

it’s a really good one-shot fic that’s just a clive character study and it portrays him really well. like it writes it so that you really relate to him i dunno how to further explain you should read it though

You Can Run by AnonymousPuzzler

words: 8,329

chapters: 1/1

warnings: narrated by bill hawks, who dies at the end

another one-shot that kind of ties together loose ends between unwound future and layton brothers mystery room, explains stuff for alfendi, justin lawson, and more! it’s also just a really smooth and cool plot and seeing bill hawks’ perspective is kinda cool. also not to condone death but bill hawks has ruined a lot of lives so seeing him get kinda ‘what he deserves’ is kinda interesting

green carnations by redmacallan

words: 7,181

chapters: 1/1

warnings: character death (desmond’s husband and daughter)

YES i know i’m ALWAYS going on about this one but it’s seriously so good. it portrays descole’s entire identity crisis thing INCREDIBLY well not to mention Gay Desmond in a typically homophobic period (the fic sets the professor layton universe in the 1960s) and it’s just very realistic and well done and there’s a layton desmond ruinion thats so. augh you can feel their frustration through the screen it’s so great and i’ll never stop talking about this fic thank you

Reuinion Tour by St4re4ter

words: 22,537

chapters: 7/7

warnings: none that i can remember

first multichap fic on this rec list!!! this is basically a ranlay rewrite of professor layton and the miracle mask but it gives randall more character and kind of a motive that makes more. sense??? idk it’s like they kind of added on or did a slight revamp of randall but very well and the added motivations kinda make the story richer and also adhd randall and hershel r heavily implied and there are so many heartbreaking lines in this idk you should read it

Doldrums by TheMockingJ3

words: 1,294

chapters: 1/1

warnings: mention of death brother

it’s canon compliant and nothing gets resolved but that’s part of why i like it??? it’s basically set in randall, hershel, and angela’s high school years and they come across a magazine with desmond on the cover and angela asks hershel if he has any siblings. and there’s so much detail to it and it gets some points across in such a realistic way idk i just like it a lot because it leaves you upset and frustrated but like in a good way.. i like it i like how they portray the characters it’s the very definition of a slice of life 

Taking To The Sky by Yamiyoru

words: 1,364

chapters: 1/1

warnings: none

basically what happens to randall after the events of miracle mask.. it’s very good and there’s a hopeful ending and i don’t want to spoil too much but it’s just randall finding himself basically. there’s implied henry/angela and randall/hershel and overall it’s just a very, idk, content fic. it’s hopeful

ten years by sunfish

words: 504

chapters: 1/1

warnings: none

this is really short but there are so many feelings packed into this baby. first of all the title is kind of a punch to the gut but also its just a very. small compact filled with emotions fic, with flora trying to forgive clive and subtle throwaways to her relationship to the professor and the professor’s disappearance in layton’s mystery journey and the anime. i just had to put this here i like it too much to not put it

A Proper Young Lady and English Gentleman by AzureMist 

words: 1,818

chapters: 1/1

warnings: transphobia

trans flora and hershel fic!!! that’s really all i can say it made me smile and the bit where hershel mentions his two deadnames is kind of gold and both of them vehemently ignoring flora’s father.. idk for me it was just really cool to see the father/daughter trans solidarity dynamic i liked it a lot

Kintsukuroi by Glowbug

words: 13,864

chapters: 11/?

warnings: nightmares, guilt, etc. it’s in the tags

okay i’m actually not that far into this one yet but so far i like it a lot... first of all emmy centric plus emmy redemption arc is really good and how they portray emmy is just :ok_hand: also slight ace attorney crossover as they make a trip to the fey village. synopsis of the story overall is the professor got kidnapped and luke needs emmy’s help to save him it’s really sweet but also i think it’s on a permanent hiatus or at least a really inconsistent update schedule rn because it’s been at 11 chapters for a while now

Spectral by AnaScrawls

words: 15,760

chapters: 7/?

warnings: some violence, i would say canon-typical to azran legacy

this fic made me cry like 90 times it’s. very good. basically the plot is during the events of professor layton and the azran legacy hershel begins to recall hazy days of long past and it really explores the relationship between desmond and hershel before hershel remembered i’m not doing it justice with this awful description i’m writing you should really just read it... it’s still updating i think every four mouths?? half year or so so very slowly but it’s really worth it to read

the girl and the golem by valorskills

words: 5,352

chapters: 3/?

warnings: none as of now i think

generally i don’t recommend shorter fics on permanent hiatus but this one is genuinely pretty good. it follows the story of aurora the golem and desmond’s daughter who’s stuck in targent and their escape and it’s only 5k but i think it’s worth a read bc the au idea behind it is really really cool

“Hershel” by goldenregit

words: 1,948

chapters: 1/1

warnings: none 

it’s exactly what the description says i included this one because it’s a punch in the gut to read esp when you know the full story behind desmond and hershel.. it’s well written too so i recommend checking it out if you’d like a kind of character study of hershel and desmond on their short time aboard the bostonius

Turnabout Brothers by Minmei

words: 51,787

chapters: 10/?

warnings: none probably

i haven’t actually read that far into this one bc when i started it i had not seen azran legacy yet so i didn’t want to spoil myself but from what i’ve read so far it’s pretty good!! you’ve read the title so you can probably tell it’s an ace attorney crossover but basically i think the basic plot is get desmond out of jail idk it sounds interesting so far i think you guys should check it out. it’s also a sequel to Storm’s End (26,379 words, 2/2 chapters) by the same author, which i ALSO haven’t read yet but it’s about desmond reconstructing his life i’m pretty sure it sounds cool so that’s why i’m adding it on this list 

Turnabout Adoption by WrightFamilyAgency (Unicornfoal)

words: 111,458

chapters: 54/54

warnings: (possibly temporary) death of parents, car accident

THIS FIC IS SO GOOD and it’s one of the most popular fics in the professor layton tag so i’m sure a lot of you have probably heard of it... it’s actually a revised edition of the section set in 2019 of Luke and Apollo Wright (962,790 words, 491/491 chapters) by the same author, but i’m linking this version because it’s shorter and i’m reading it rn!!! basically it follows phoenix’s disbarrment years where he’s adopted trucy and he goes out and adopts luke and apollo too! there’s a plot concerning the ‘death’ of luke’s parents and it goes canon-divergent from the rest of ace attorney i think, but it genuinely is very good... there’s clay/apollo/luke friendship and it’s a really cool found family fic and there’s so much attention to details (the author made a court record for almost every chapter and a luke’s journal entry to go with, and luke writes letters back to the prof and vice versa and aaaa it’s just really nice). anyway yall read this pls

you’ve made it to the end!!! i’m not putting any ff.net fic recs in this list yet because i’m still exploring it for good ones!!!! i might make a second list soon containing ff fics but for now it’s only ao3... also, if these aren’t enough and you want more, dm me!!! i’ll be sure to find something for you :ok_hand: p.s. if the formatting of this post is too hard to read lmk too and i’ll fix it up

#professor layton #professor layton fics #fanfiction recs #I SPENT ALL MY FREE TIME WORKING ON THESE

[justanoutlawfic]

Please can I get Red Snowing #22 for the ficlet prompt please? Thank yooooooou! :)

Okay, so this started off as a cute Pregnant!Snow ficlet and turned into well…basically my idea of “missing scenes” from a Red Snowing centric 3B…

This was a prompt submitted to me from this ficlet meme. Send me a number & a pairing and I’ll write a ficlet!

Also on AO3/FF

Cravings were nothing new to both Ruby and David. Theycould remember Snow’s pregnancy with Emma very vividly. She wanted nothing butcheese and chocolate throughout the entire thing. David once even rode hishorse into town, late at night, just to get the type that Emma seemed to bewanting. Snow hadn’t asked him to, but he had insisted, anything to make hisgirls happy.

This pregnancy, things seemed to be working a littledifferently. Snow craved nothing but fruits and vegetables. It seemed that she couldn’teven stand the smell of cheese most days, so it was a banned food in thepalace.

One morning when David and Ruby headed into the kitchen,they found Snow sitting over a plate filled with chocolate cake. Both arched aneyebrow, this wasn’t like their wife, not at all.

“That stuff can’t be good for you, especially not thisearly in the morning,” Ruby said, causing her wife to look up. “Bub cravingchocolate, finally?”

Snow shook her head. “In fact, he or she is giving mehell over feeding them this.” She rubbed her stomach.

“So, what’s the deal?”

She bit her lip. “I just…I just wanted to feel closerto Emma for a minute.”

The dining room fell silent. They had been avoidingthe conversation for a while. Deep down, they knew they felt the same. Theywere over the moon excited about the pregnancy, it had been something they hadbeen discussing before Pan’s curse hit. Yet, it was bittersweet. They had noclue where their daughter and grandson were, if they’d ever see them again.

David put a hand on her shoulder. “We’re going to bewith them again, one day.”

“How do you know that?”

“Aren’t you always the one that has hope?”

“I’ve lost my daughter twice, now. I’m not sure howmuch hope I’m supposed to have.”

Ruby settled down in thechair beside Snow. “She’s Emma, our Emma. The one who didn’t give up on ourpeople. We’ll be a complete family again, someday.”

Ruby stood in Emma’s old bedroom in the loft besideSnow. Their hearts were heavy inside their chests. When they woke up in theloft, it was as if no time had passed at all. The only real indicator was Snow’sswelling baby bump. She hadn’t been pregnant when they were sent back to theEnchanted Forest, someone had to have set yet another curse over them. They hadhoped that Emma and Henry would be back too, yet their beds were empty.

Ruby’s hand slid through Snow’s. There were no wordsthat could ease either mother’s pain. Downstairs, they heard a knock on thedoor, but didn’t move. Not until they heard a voice, a very familiar one atthat. It wasn’t…it couldn’t be…

They rushed down the stairs and they saw her, theirlittle girl. She looked just as she had a year prior, if even more vibrant.Snow couldn’t help it, she ran directly to her daughter and threw her armsaround her. Ruby joined in on the hug, tightening it. Emma was clearly caughtoff guard, but hugged them tighter.

“As you can see, there’s a lot that’s happened,” Davidsaid. “We just can’t remember any of it.”

Snow pulled away from her daughter, placing a hand onher cheek. “Where’s Henry?”

“He’s at Granny’s.” Emma’s face fell a bit. “There’sum…there’s something I should probably tell you now.”

“What is it?”

“The memory potion Hook brought to us…it was onlyenough for one person.”

Ruby bit her lip. “So, Henry doesn’t remember us?”

“As far as he knows, I’m an orphan, that he’s the onlyfamily I have.”

Snow let out a deep breath. “Well, then I guess it’sup to us to help him get his memories back. Just like he did with us.”

Ruby couldn’t help butnotice the doubt in Emma’s eyes. Before she could question it, everyone wasgrabbing their coats to head to the inn.

David collapsed onto the bed next to Ruby thefollowing evening. Snow walked over, distributing the mugs.

“What’s wrong, David?” She asked.

“It’s Emma…she um…she was engaged, back in New York.”

Ruby nearly choked on her tea. “She what?!?”

“I guess the Wicked Witch hired a flying monkey tocharm her, pretend to be her soulmate. If Hook hadn’t shown up, she would’ve marriedhim.”

“He could’ve killed her, before we got her back,” Rubywhispered.

David tilted his head. “There’s that.”

Snow raised an eyebrow. “What else could it be?”

“What if he hadn’t been a minion of hers? What if Emmahad found her actual soulmate in New York? What if she had gotten marriedwithout us there? Missing yet another milestone?”

“But that didn’t happen.” Snow placed her hand on topof his. “She’s here, we’re not going to miss anything else.”

Ruby nodded. “Our family is back together. That’s whatmatters.”

That relief only lasted so long. As they continued thesearch for the book and eventually tried to come up with a plan to defeatZelena, Snow came to realize that her daughter planned on leaving Storybrooke.She had only just gotten her daughter back, how could she lose her again? Shetold David and Ruby about it, but when Henry got his memories back, theyassumed it was over.

That was until David brought the baby back to thehospital after they saved him from Zelena. Ruby went to the door to get Emmaand Henry to meet the baby, when she overheard her daughter and Hook talking.

“Has your power been returned since Zelena’s beendefeated?” He asked.

“No.” Ruby felt a pang in her heart. Emma’s magic waswhat made her special, she knew how hard she had been working on perfecting itwith Regina.

“I’m sorry, love,” Hook said.

Emma shrugged. “That’s okay. I won’t need it in NewYork.”

Ruby froze in place. New York? Emma still planned ongoing back to New York? Henry had his memories back, Zelena was defeated. Theirfamily had just grown, she was a big sister! And yet…she still planned on goingback? She had to play dumb when she heard Emma calling for Henry to meet thebaby. It was a time for celebration, not for worry…

The following night, Snow and David were sleepingwhile Ruby sat in the rocking chair that Marco had built, cuddling her son. Shefelt her heart swell with love for him, just as it had when she got to holdEmma for the briefest moment before David brought her through the wardrobe. Thepast few days had seemed to be a repeat of that. When David and Emma went to gofind the baby, she had held Snow while she cried, tears falling down her ownface. They had the same fear: would they lose their son for 28 years as theyhad their daughter?

“Ruby?” Her head snapped up and found Emma standingthere. “What are you still doing up? Seems like the little guy is asleep.”

“Just appreciating some quiet time.”

“Can I know his name yet?”

“Tomorrow.”

Emma rolled his eyes. “That whole thing is superannoying.”

“Welcome to royal family tradition.” She let out adeep breath. “So, I um, I heard you talking to Hook yesterday.”

“Please do not turn into Snow, there is nothing goingon between us.” Emma said, settling into the chair next to her.

“Good to know, but I actually meant what you said, aboutNew York.”

She froze. “Did you tell David and Snow?”

“No. I didn’t think they needed that after all they’vebeen through.”

“Ruby…”

“I don’t get it. Henry has his memories back; thecurse is broken. Zelena is defeated. This place is safe again.”

“For now.”

“I don’t think this has anything about safety. Let’snot pretend that New York is some magic bubble.”

Emma sighed, knowing that her mother was right. Shefolded her arms over her chest, not really wanting to get into it.

“Either way, it was home.”

Ruby tilted her head. “Because you forgot about thisone.”

She scoffed. “You sound like Snow.”

“She told me what you said to her, under the curse.How until you got here, you didn’t have anyone. You called Mary Margaret yourfamily, an apparent stranger. You wouldn’t let her leave, you listened to herwhen she told you to stay. What’s different now?”

“Everything, Ruby! You all have a new baby…”

“And that doesn’t replace you. We want to be a family,a real one.”

Emma sighed. “I think it’s too late for that.”

Before Ruby could say anything else, Emma headed backup the stairs. In the dark, no one could see the tears that fell down Ruby’sface. They were really going to lose her again. The next day when Emma’s planswere revealed, Ruby could see the same hurt on her spouses’ faces. David headedinto the back to try to call Emma, his wives following him.

“She’s not answering,” he mumbled. He met Ruby’s eyes.“You didn’t look too surprised.”

“We talked about it last night,” she admitted. “Shethinks it’s too late for us to be a real family.”

“Of course it’s not. It’s only going to turn into thatif she leaves again.”

“I think she’s scared, David.”

“Scared of what?”

“That this is real, this is where she belongs. She’sbeen running for so long, when she finally got us back, we had to leave her again.”

“Not like that was our choice,” Snow pointed out. “Pandid that to all of us.”

“I know that, she knows that. But it doesn’t changethe hurt she’s been through. For the past year, she thought she was an orphanagain, she comes back and we’re having another baby.”

Snow looked down at the baby in her arms and kissedhis head. “This is terrible. We’re losing her again.”

“Maybe not,” David said, trying to remain hopeful. “Iheard Regina and Robin talking. She said there’s no way in hell she’s losingher son twice.”

“Emma could still leave.”

“Like she would ever willingly be separated fromHenry.”

“She could still visit.” Snow sighed. “At least we’dsee her then.”

“If she’d even want to see us,” Ruby mumbled.

“No matter what, we’re family. Look, she’s not leavingyet. Let’s just try to focus on the present. I’m sure once she comes back, she’llbe calmed down and we can all talk.”

The party went on, but it wasn’t the lively affairthey were hoping for. Without Emma there, it didn’t seem like much of one atall. They decided not to do the name reveal until she returned. Just as theywere all cooing over the baby, the doors to the diner opened and Emma rushedin, running directly into their arms.

“You weren’t answering your cell, we were worried,” David said.

“I’m fine,” Emma breathed. “I’m home.”

The three spouses exchanged a look, not wanting to gettheir hopes up. There was something about Emma, she looked happier than she hadbefore, despite her tear stained face. She was looking at them in a way shehadn’t in quite some time, with all the love in the world.

“Does that mean you’re not leaving?” Snow asked.

“Yeah, I’m not going anywhere.”

Henry jumped up from his seat. “We’re staying inStorybrooke?”

“Yeah kid,” Emma pulled him into a hug, though hereyes stayed on her parents. “This is where we belong, this is where our familyis.”

Three sets of eyes filled with tears. They didn’t knowwhat had brought about this change in their daughter. They knew that theproblems between them weren’t going to magically go away, they had to work ontheir relationship. Trips to Archie were probably in order. None of thatmattered, though. Their baby girl wasn’t leaving.

Emma looked over at Snow. “Mom.” She glanced over atDavid. “Dad.” Finally, her eyes locked on Ruby’s. “Mama. I missed you.”

They pulled her into a big hug, not letting go forwhat seemed like forever. Nestled between them was the newest member of theirfamily.

“Mama, I’m sorry for what I said, about it being toolate,” she whispered.

“Don’t be, pup,” Ruby kissed her temple. “It doesn’t matter.”

“I never wanted to hurt you three, I haven’t beenmeaning to, but I know I have.”

“It’s okay,” David assured her.

“But how?” Emma looked up at all of them. “How can youforgive me?”

“Sweetheart, you have been through so much. We cannot imaginebeing in your shoes, you’ve been having to process so many emotions.”

“Besides, no matter what,” Snow gave her a soft smile.“You’re our daughter. We will always love you, no matter what.”

“I…I love you guys, too.”

It was the first timeEmma had let out that admission, but after her whole crazy journey in the past,it felt right.

#red snowing #red snowing au #red snow #red charming #snowing #red snow au #red charming au #snowing au #mama snow #daddy charming #mama ruby #charming family #charming family au #mama snow au #daddy charming au #mama ruby au #prompt #fic #loboselinaistrash

[snowbellewells]

“Looking for a Heart That’s Not Walking Away”   ~chapter five

This is a canon divergent/AU multichapter I’ve been working on since before season six premiered.  I got really stalled midway through, and had stopped putting it on Tumblr due to lack of interest and only posting on ff, but I’m back and jazzed about it again, so I’m posting it here again as well.  I’d love to here what you think.  It picks up in around 5x15 through 5x17 and then goes way off how 5B wrapped these particular story threads off.  A Liam and Belle centric, though Captain Swan and others have large supporting roles.  The previous chapters can all be found under the same title on ff.net.  (I wish I could offer you a cool graphic for this, but I don’t have that skill unfortunately.)

“Looking for a Heart That’s Not Walking Away”

~chapter five~

(“…we’re just fumbling through the grey…”)

             “Belle, wait…what do you mean?” Emma asks, brow furrowing in consternation, still squeezing Belle’s wrist as if to offer silent support through touch.  “He’s here now?  Granted, you’d think someday I might stop being surprised by the way magical people come and go all the time, but how is that possible?”

           Belle shakes her head, pressing her lips together and tamping down the sudden panic she feels rising more certainly all the time. She just knows her husband has returned, and she cannot be sure what that will mean for their unborn child, those she has come to care about and depend on in his absence, or for herself and her own well-being.  She meets the Savior’s eyes fully, knowing Emma deserves all the information she can offer.  She has never had the opportunity to get to know the Enchanted Forest’s returned princess as well as she would like, but she is sure that Emma won’t leave her to fend for herself in this, which may well put her in Rumple’s crosshairs…and for that Emma must be prepared.

           “I can’t say that I know exactly,” Belle sighs, feeling woefully clueless and unhelpful, and not liking it one bit.  There isn’t much in the world that she can’t do a bit of research on, understand better, and then prepare for, but unfortunately, Rumple has put her in just such a situation now and admitting it stings. She doesn’t really know what she’s even facing. “It’s been nearly six months, but I’m almost certain Rumple altered my memory somehow.  There are too many details of that entire encounter with Hades, as well as Rumple and my final conversation, which I can’t recall.  It isn’t normal.”  She looks now at her hands, fidgeting anxiously with the petals of the offending rose and honestly wanting to tear it to shreds.  Without a single word aloud, Liam reaches forward and takes her hand, twining their fingers together and making her nervous fidgeting cease.  She shoots him a silently grateful look, then draws in a steadying breath to press on.  “Still, I wouldn’t put anything past his capabilities at this point. He could have made some sort of deal, done something for Hades that caused that villain to let him leave the Underworld again.  Whatever it is, I think you all had better make yourselves scarce in the library.  If he is in town, he’ll come here, and until I know what he wants, I don’t want any of you getting hurt.”

           All of them start to argue with her right there; four indignant voices speaking at once and drowning each other out, but the message is clear: they aren’t running out on her, won’t be leaving her to face the Dark One alone.  She is warmed to the bottom of her soul at their solidarity and friendship, but she still forces herself to shake her head.  “Thank you all, really, but I mean it.  Rumple won’t hurt me – at least not physically.  I’m not in danger from him…” she cuts her eyes to Killian and Emma at that. “We can’t necessarily assume that for anyone else.”

           “Doesn’t matter, Lass,” Killian bites out automatically, his eyes hard and sparkling with feeling and determination.  “We won’t be leaving you to deal with him alone and hiding for our own safety.  It isn’t right that you should have to do so, and begging your pardon, but the bloody Crocodile is unpredictable.  You don’t know what he might do – even to you – now.”

           “Aye,” Liam nodded, murmuring his agreement with his younger brother softly, “besides, they may not be scars which show, but the man has already hurt you…quite deeply.”

           Belle looks over her shoulder to seek Liam’s eyes briefly, the expression in hers sad and resigned.  “That may be,” she replies, in equally quiet but decisive tones, “but I chose him.  I married him.  And, for better or worse, I must see through the consequences of that decision.  He’s my husband – and the father of this child,” her hand falls to rest on her stomach, trying to ignore the tightness and the roiling that has started up within, “and if nothing else, I need to reach closure with him and determine our course from here.”

           Henry reaches out then, taking her other hand and squeezing it comfortingly in his growing one.  “I’m sorry, Gran-” he begins, then trips to a halt, swallowing the ‘grandma’ label that she’s a fair bit too young for.  She can see on his youthful face that he’s sorry for bringing the flower into the library at all, for exposing the little haven she has created for herself to outside dangers and reminding her of the pain and trouble still before her to deal with; in truth, just sorry to have upset her, sweet, good hearted young man that he is.  “I mean, Belle, I mean…”

           Taking pity and squeezing his hands back tightly in hers, Belle stops Henry’s floundering by giving him a wobbly smile and shaking her head.  “Please don’t apologize,” she hurries to reassure this one last legacy of Rumple’s family line.  This grandson he could have cultivated a relationship with, had a bit of Bae, his son, back in his life through his brave boy, but instead he tossed the opportunity away, betraying Henry as he had her, and only choosing to care about this precious young man when it suited him or served his purposes.  Her voice trembles a bit with the overload of varied emotion, but she whispers in his ear, “No Henry, please, I was wrong before. I will always be your Gran, if you’ll have me.  None of this is at all your fault.”

           Henry smiles more clearly, nodding his understanding and pressing her hand again in return.  Then, suddenly, a stabbing pain shoots through her stomach, and Belle doubles over with a harsh gasp, probably crushing Henry’s fingers before she can even try to control it.  This shouldn’t be – isn’t right – but there’s no denying the blinding spasm of pain, the clench in her midsection where her baby resides, even if she is still almost two months from delivery.

           Wincing, Belle tries to bit back further exclamation, but the reaction of the three men already surrounding her in concern is immediate and intense.  Liam’s hand is at the small of her back in an instant, warm and steadying; she can sense his presence hovering even as things go a bit fuzzy and unfocused with adrenaline and fear.  Meanwhile, Killian darts off and returns in seconds with one of the comfy armchairs stowed in the corners of the children’s reading section.  Henry rushes to get her a glass of water, and she hears Emma already calling for help from just a few steps away.  Their presence ensconces her comfortingly even as the twist in her gut panics her.  It can’t be – it’s too soon!  Her baby, her little girl, her reason for fighting back to her feet; she simply cannot lose her, can’t bear the thought that she might be in danger.

           Gently, Liam’s hands at her shoulders ease her down into the chair Killian has brought, and Killian kneels in front of her, his one good hand clutching hers, urging her to grip his fingers as hard as she needs if it helps. Belle forces herself to take deep breaths as he urges and ground herself.  

           “Easy, Lass,” Liam soothes, rubbing his hands across her shoulders, “you have to stay calm.  It will be alright.  It will. It must.”

           She nods blindly, glancing down to meet Killian’s upturned blue eyes, haunted and hopeful at the same time.  Liam may have spent ages in Hades’ domain, but somehow the ways life and the real world can break and steal what a person loves most and how quickly what one treasures can be lost have not marked him in quite the same way.  He was the one lost to Killian.  And though he knew guilt, responsibility and hurt much too young, and for things he shouldn’t have had to bear, the world still hadn’t warped him with its cruelty for an entire lifetime – he was taken from it too soon for that to occur.  Just because horrible, unfair things shouldn’t be true or possible doesn’t mean they don’t happen all the time.  The look on Killian’s face tells Belle every bit as clearly as his brother’s touch at her back that he will do anything to make sure she and her little one will be safe, but also that he knows all too well that what is happening right now is also beyond their control.

           They aren’t left waiting much longer; all of her self-appointed supporters are tense and quiet as they watch her struggle to draw even breaths in and out.  Only a few minutes, though they might feel like hours, pass before the four of them hear the wail of Storybrooke’s one ambulance nearing and then coming to a halt just outside the library door.  Liam and Emma have already come to either side of Belle to steady her as she levers to her feet shakily and clutches each of their arms. Killian goes ahead of them, fussing over anything that might be in their path, while Henry gathers her purse and keys and brings up the rear.

           Belle wants to tell them that everything will be fine, that there is no need for them all to make such a scene, but she isn’t sure it’s true, and holding back actual cries of pain and keeping herself breathing somewhat steadily are taking almost all of her conscious thought.  They managed to get her outside the library to meet the EMTs on the front steps, and after that, things move in such an accelerated blur that Belle blinks and is hardly sure how she finds herself lying on the gurney in the back of the ambulance.  The workers are cautioning that only one person can ride with her, and then Liam is beside her, his long legs and tall, strapping frame looking comically folded up as he sits on the bench beside her murmuring softly, his thumb stroking the back of her hand in a soothing rhythm while his other brushes her hair back off her forehead.  “It’s going to be fine, Lass.”  He keeps repeating, “They know what they’re doing.  The wee one will be alright, don’t you worry,” so often that Belle begins to think fondly that it’s as much to reassure himself he isn’t losing them as it is to calm her.

           Storybrooke is not that big, and so it isn’t long before they come to a sudden halt at the ER doors of the hospital on the other side of town.  She feels herself lifted out on the gurney, and Liam is jogging beside them to keep ahold of her hand, answering as best he can any questions the doctors and nurses ask him about what has happened.  When they are about to push through heavy double doors into surgery is when the doctor in charge finally tells Liam he can’t go any further with them.  The last thing clearly tethering her to definite reality is loosed when he has to let go of her hand, and though Belle hears the calm reassurance he forces into his voice, promising he will be right there waiting for her when she comes back out, she still feels herself begin to drift away, unmoored without his centering presence; the fear and hurt taking over.  Not only does she fear for the life of this child – the little girl she has been anticipating – who has given her hope to carry on, but now even with Whale and several nurses, anesthesiologists, and personnel swarming around her like bees in a hive, she feels alone and isolated in her vulnerability.  Even if it all comes out alright, Rumple can get to her now, and she knows it.

           “Belle… Mrs. Gold?... Belle!” she hear Dr. Whale’s voice calling out to her seemingly from much further away than it should be, along with a persistent, annoying beep from one of the machines surrounding her that she realizes vaguely is attached to her somewhere.  She’s being given a warning impossible to follow right now. “You have to calm down!  Do you understand me?  You need to calm down!”

           It does feel as if the beat of her heart is pounding, ricocheting, against the wall of her chest cavity, banging and fighting to get out.  But there doesn’t seem to be anything in her power to stop it. A few more seconds and she feels the prick of a needle in her skin.  Finally, things begin to slow, everything grows even hazier, less distinct, and further away.  She closes her eyes and lets go…

~~~~~0000000~~~~~~0000000~~~~~

           The library is deserted, though in disarray as his love would never normally leave it – teacups and books and a golden tea rose strewn across the reference desk as if they had all picked up and vanished in seconds, which this silent intruder in the Beauty’s sanctuary knows is quite close to the truth.  Watching hidden and unseen in the disused antique elevator, the shadowy Dark figure that now emerges and walks calmly over to the vacated counter has witnessed the entire panicked interlude, but seen no reason to interpose his assistance and give away his presence – not just yet.  There is more he hopes to gather in information while they are all distracted.  Though his warning reunion gift yield a more dramatic and troubling effect than he intended, he senses that Belle is in good hands for the moment and will recover. For all Dr. Whale’s deplorable personal habits and erstwhile reputation, he actually is a quite capable doctor; if he hadn’t been before Regina’s curse, the constant danger and upheaval of Storybrooke has made him into one.

           No, Rumplestiltskin lets the smooth, cunning pirate brothers, the Savior, and his grandson care for his wife for the moment – though he will make sure all of them but Henry pay later for getting anywhere near her, for supporting her in what he senses is a growing resolve to leave him for good.  His chance to find and take the object he seeks is now, and the moment to reclaim his erstwhile love and safeguard both she and his unborn child will come soon enough.  He can bide his time.  He may be many things in both his original realm and this one, but impatient has never been one of them – not when waiting and planning his attack will achieve the maximum amount of damage to his enemies.

           In the long, shallow drawer that pulls out near where Belle often sits on long afternoons, the Dark One locates the hiding place of the key he seeks.  Moving to pull out the drawer, he finds it locked, much to his own consternation. Only pausing a few seconds, a sinister sneer parts his thin, pointed face as a bit of the eerie sing song of his Enchanted Forest persona slides into his voice, while with a flick of his wrist the lock is broken and the drawer slips free to bare its contents for him as he chortles, “Sorry Dearie, you may be clever, but you’ll have to do better than that.” 

           Deft fingers close tightly around the talisman he sought, the door is closed and locked once more.  Then with a last, self-satisfied glance around the large open room, he murmurs to the echoing stillness. “I’ll be back soon, Belle. Wait and see.”  Snapping his fingers, Gold vanishes in a puff of smoke as easily as he had appeared.  He is willing to bide his time until the opportune moment – the moment that will strike the rest of them to their core until they cannot respond to stop him. After all, he has all the time in the world.

Tagging a few who may enjoy:   @whimsicallyenchantedrose @nothingimpossibleonlyimprobable @bromfieldhall @dramawiie @kmomof4 @drowned-dreamer @mossandmushroom @laschatzi @ps1473-4 @galadriel26

#ouat ff #liam jones #belle #canon divergent mc fic

[searchingwardrobes]

Christmas in Storybrooke: 6/11

I know the number of chapters keeps getting lower, but usually I have the opposite problem. So when I outlined this, I underestimated how much I could fit in each chapter, so they keep getting combined. But it's been working out since posting a chapter each day has been more difficult than anticipated.

I'm a little nervous about this chapter because it and the next one are the reason for the M rating. And, well, it's Henry. Just remember - he's an adult. Andrew J. West. Andrew J. West. Repeat that mantra. It isn't smut, but Henry is definitely acting like a grown man. Having said all that, I love this chapter so much and hope you enjoy it too!

The title of this chapter comes from the song by Kelly Clarkson. I've been listening to her Christmas album a lot as I write this and my CS Secret Santa fic, and this song is so perfect for Henry and Evie!

Summary: My Hallmark Christmas movie fic in which flights get cancelled and Henry’s “best friend’ gets snowed in with him in his quirky hometown for Christmas. Only with magic and fairy tale characters.

Rating: M for suggestive scenes and adult situations, not smut

Trigger warnings: Henry is an adult. Read that again: Henry is an adult. Look at the picset: that’s Andrew J. West. If Henry actually behaving like an adult makes you feel icky, the don’t read this.

Can also be read on Ao3

Tagging @snowbellewells @kmomof4 @jennjenn615  @kday426 @bethacaciakay @teamhook @whimsicallyenchantedrose @snidgetsafan @delirious-latenight-laughs @winterbaby89 @yohoyohoafandomlifeforme @distant-rose

 Chapter Six: Wrapped in Red

The day Henry met Evangeline Crawford, he knew they had at least one thing in common. He had been staring down at his phone, not looking where he was going, when he smacked right into her. She was struggling to carry a box of paperbacks as she moved into the apartment across the hall. When he knelt to help her collect them, he teasingly asked her what grade she was in.

“Is that some sort of sick pick up line?” she had snapped with clear disgust.

He had rubbed the back of his neck, distressed that she had misunderstood. He had waved the book in his hand around. “I can tell you’re a grown woman. It was a pitiful joke about your taste in literature.”

She had snatched the copy of Ella Enchanted out of his hand and stuffed it back into her box as pink stained her freckled cheeks. “Lots of people read YA lit these days. Ever heard of The Hunger Games? Divergent?”

But the box she clutched defensively to her chest wasn’t filled with dystopian novels. Instead, they were all written by Gail Carson Levine, Shannon Hale, Melanie Dickerson, and Marissa Meyer. They were all fairy tales.

Henry really hoped in this moment that Evie’s reading tastes meant she had the heart of a true believer because what he had to tell her was incredibly difficult to believe. Of course, she’d almost fallen through a portal, so there was that.

She clutched a mug of hot cocoa in her trembling hands. His mom sat across from them at the kitchen table. His siblings had been sent outside to “practice their magic” on clearing the walk of snow. Hopefully, there would be no Frosty impersonations along the way.

“So,” she said, setting her mug down slowly, “you said let’s go inside and sit down. Well, we’re sitting. Now care to explain to me how a hole opened up in your parent’s shed and almost swallowed me?”

Henry let out a long, slow breath. “Okay, I don’t really know how to ease into this, so I’ll just say it. Storybrooke wasn’t on the GPS because it’s not supposed to be here. It was created by a curse that my mom – Regina – cast the day my other mom was born.”

“Seriously?” Evie’s voice was halfway between incredulous and hysterical.

“My mom,” Henry continued, pointing at Emma, “is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. I introduced them to you as my Uncle David and Aunt Mary Margaret, but they’re really my grandparents.”

Evie scowled at Henry. “You must really think I’m stupid. Those people are nowhere near old enough to be your grandparents.”

Henry swallowed nervously. “They are if time was frozen in Storybrooke for 28 years.”

“This is . . . this is . . . “

“Impossible?” Emma finished for her softly, putting a hand gently over hers. “I understand how you feel. I felt the exact same way when Henry first brought me here. But It's all true.” She tugged on Evie’s hand. “Come here, let me show you something.”

Evie seemed to be in a daze as she followed Emma to the front door. From the doorway, they could see Hope with her hands outstretched, sending bursts of magic to clear the snow from the front walk. By the side of the house, Leia and Charlie were supposed to be doing the same with the driveway. Instead, they were using magic to hurl snowballs at each other.

“Leia Snow and Charles David!” Emma shouted. “Is that what you’re supposed to be doing right now?”

“No mom,” they grumbled, turning reluctantly back to the driveway.

Evie swayed slightly on her feet. “Am I dreaming?”

Henry put his arm around her and guided her back inside. But instead of steering her to the kitchen table, he sat her down on the sofa. He took both of her hands in his; they were cold as ice.

“I know this is a lot to take in,” he said hesitantly.

Evie shook her head. “So, you’re saying that this town is magical?”

Henry nodded.

“And you’re the grandson of Snow White and Prince Charming?”

He nodded again.

“So, that makes your adoptive mom, who? The . . . Evil Queen?”

Henry squirmed a bit. “Um, yes, but she’s given up her evil ways.”

Evie nodded, staring down at the floor. “Are you telling me that fairy tales are -”

“True? Yes, that’s what I’m saying.”

Her brow wrinkled as she lifted her gaze to his. “Your book. That was all true?”

He chuckled. “I like to say it’s inspired by real life. I did get kidnapped and taken to Neverland like the character Elias in my book. And Peter Pan was an evil demon. But the rest? I made up.”

“So Tinkerbell and Tiger Lily aren’t co-captains of a an all-female crew of pirates?”

“Um, no. As a matter of fact, you met Tinkerbell yesterday. Tina?”

Evie dropped her head between her knees for a moment, then sat up and massaged her temple. “Who else have I met?”

“Well,” Henry began hesitantly with a glance at his mom, “my stepdad is Captain Hook.”

Evie rolled her eyes and let out a wry laugh. “Of course he is. He’s missing a hand. What? Did he hide is hook because I was coming?”

Emma shrugged apologetically. “We didn’t want to freak you out.”

Evie surged to her feet. “So instead you let me stumble around in the shed and . . . and . . . I don’t even know what happened in there!”

“It was a magic bean -’

“A magic bean?” Evie shouted, hysterical now. “What the hell?”

Henry stood, reaching his hands out tentatively to rest upon her shoulders. He was relieved when she didn’t shrug him off. “They open portals,” he explained slowly. “They used to be rare, but Tiny has cultivated fields of them on the outskirts of town. People use them to travel between the realms.”

“We keep a bag here and in the sheriff station in case of an emergency,” Emma spoke up. “I’m sorry we didn’t keep them in a safer place.”

“I’m . . . I’m . . . ,” Evie’s eyes looked panicked as she pressed her hands to her cheeks, “I need to go lie down.”

“Evie -” Henry started, but this time she did shrug him off when he went to hold her.

“Give her time, Henry,” Emma encouraged him, reaching out and squeezing his hand.

He looked up the stairs and hoped she wasn’t going up there to pack her bags.

************************************************

Henry tried to give Evie space, but after almost an hour, he couldn’t take it anymore. He made his way upstairs, opening the door of his old room as slowly and quietly as he could. The room was dark, and Evie was curled up on the bed in the fetal position. He couldn’t see her face as he eased down on the bed, wondering if he should say something to her. He reached his hand out twice, but both times, he snatched it back, unsure if she wanted him to touch her.

“Who’s Tiny?”

He startled as she rolled towards him. “I’m sorry?”

“Tiny,” she repeated, sliding up to lean back against the headboard, “you said he grows the magic beans.”

“Oh, um, he’s a . . . giant.” He winced, knowing how crazy it sounded.

She arched a brow. “As in Jack and the Beanstalk?”

He nodded. “Yeah, but Tiny wasn’t the bad guy, Jack was. And . . . um . . . Jack was a woman.”

Evie blinked. “Okay.”

Henry slid up to lean back next to her, swinging his feet over the edge of the bed. “The true stories are a lot different than the ones you heard growing up.”

She nodded, and they were both quiet for a really long time. Finally, she shifted closer to him and nudged his shoulder.

“I just have one question.”

He took her hand. “Anything.”

“How did you manage to hide a giant from me all this time?”

He laughed in relief, relinquishing her hand to envelop her in a tight hug.

****************************************************

Evie looked nervous as he opened the passenger side door for her. She stood on the sidewalk, staring up at the mayor’s mansion, her eyes wide.

“You grew up here?”

Henry cleared his throat. “Yeah. It was quiet and boring, though, trust me.”

She reached for his elbow and clutched it as they made their way down the walk. “I’m even more nervous about having dinner with them now that I know who they really are.”

“They can come across as a little . . . intense,” Henry admitted, “but they aren’t the Evil Queen and the Wicked Witch of the West anymore.”

“And Robyn’s Dad was Robin Hood.”

“Yes, but my Aunt, she . . . kind of tricked him into thinking she was Maid Marian.”

Evie stopped abruptly, and he turned to see her shaking her head incredulously. “Don’t take this the wrong way Henry, but your family is really screwed up.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “You don’t have to tell me that. I lived it, remember?”

“And your other grandpa is Rumplestiltskin who married Belle, also making him the Beast, but he also is the one who took your stepdad’s hand, so he’s also the Crocodile?”

He gave her an admiring grin. “You catch on quickly.”

She shrugged, seeming pleased. “Well, they don’t exactly want idiots on the FBI.”

They had reached the door now, and before Henry could even ring the bell, his mother had opened the door and embraced him. She then turned tentatively to Evie.

“Henry called and said he told you everything?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Evie replied, “and though my head’s still spinning a little bit, it’s also kind of . . . an adventure.”

Something about Evie’s expression seemed to make Regina relax her stiff posture and release a breath. “I’m so glad you’re taking this all in stride. I was a little worried . . . “ she trailed off as she ushered them inside.

“Just as long as you don’t serve her any apples,” Zelena teased as she came out into the foyer to join them.

“That’s not funny,” Regina hissed.

Zelena rolled her eyes and winked at Evie. “I’ve always been the one with a better sense of humor.”

Evie laughed as Zelena threaded her arm through hers and escorted her into the dining room. As they passed the stairway, Henry noted that heavy plastic still hung from the ceiling.

“Was the upstairs heavily damaged?” Henry asked his mom.

Regina waved her hand in irritation. “No, it’s just that the work crew isn’t too keen on putting a lot of work into it with the holidays and all. The three of us are going to have to camp out in the den tonight. I apologize for the state of my home, Evie.”

“No need,” Evie assured, as they all took a seat, “I’m honored that you had me over under the circumstances.”

“Well, you need something besides burgers at Granny’s and Pop Tarts,” Regina snarked.

“Mom!”

“Well, it’s the truth,” his mother huffed.

Henry dropped it as Robyn bounced in with a basket of rolls. “Hey, Evie!” she said as she plopped down beside her mother.

“Hey isn’t the proper greeting,” Regina corrected her.

“And don’t slouch, dear,” Zelena added.

Robyn sat up straighter, though she let out a huff as she did so. “Be glad you don’t have two moms,” she told Evie.

“I second that,” Henry laughed, giving his cousin a fist bump.

“Okay, you two, enough of that,” Regina scolded mildly. Then she picked up a spatula and started cutting into the dish in front of her. “I hope you like lasagna, Evie.”

“I love all Italian food,” Evie replied, accepting a helping from Regina. “One of the things I love about New York are the restaurants – especially the Italian places.”

“Well, I hope you like my recipe. It’s famous here in Storybrooke, but this isn’t little Italy.”

Henry had never seen his mom so nervous about her lasagna. She was usually downright cocky about it. Now she was holding her breath and watching as Evie took her first bite.

“I can see why,” Evie told her with a genuine smile, “this is really, really good Ms. Mills.”

“Thank you, and please, call me Regina.” She rose from the table to get the wine, and as she walked past Henry she whispered, “I really like her.”

Henry wanted to clarify to his mom that he and Evie were just friends. He wanted to roll his eyes when Regina winked at him. But honestly? He was pretty sure his feelings were obvious to everyone in town. But were they obvious to Evie?

***************************************************

“So, how bad was it?” Henry asked as they got out of the car at Emma and Killian’s house.

“Not bad at all,” Evie told him. ”Your Aunt’s a little . . . “

“Insane?”

Evie chuckled. “I was going to say eccentric.”

“How polite of you. Or are you doing that thinly veiled insult thing you say southern women are so good at?” Henry nudged her. “Should I call you Scarlett?”

Evie backed away from him with her hands behind her back, her winter boots leaving tracks in the snow. “Please, if I were a southern literary character I would never in a million years be Scarlett O’Hara.”

“Oh?” Henry asked. “Who would you be then?”

“Scout Finch, of course.”

“Ah, the tomboy.”

“Mhm, and Scout is way more fun. Scarlett would never do . . . THIS!” She punctuated the final word by attempting to throw a snowball at Henry’s head. He doubled over laughing when the snowball burst into a small flurry before it made an impact. Evie’s disappointed pout made it even funnier.

“And like both Scout and Scarlett, you know nothing about making snowballs. Have you ever even been in a snowball fight?”

“Yes!” Evie grumbled, putting her hands on her hips, “We do get snow occasionally back home, for your information.”

Henry gathered up some snow in his mittened hands. “Okay, and how did those go for you?”

Evie glanced away from Henry. “Kind of . . . the same way that first snowball I threw. But I thought it was just because the snow was . . . mostly ice and mud.”

“That’s pitiful, Scout Finch,” he said as he continued to work the snow in his hands, “because the key to a good snowball is to pack it really well. See?”

He waited until Evie had drawn close to see his snowball, then he grabbed her and shoved the snowball down the back of her shirt. She drew in a sharp breath at the sudden cold, then screamed as she danced around to dislodge the snowball.

“You are going to so pay for that fairy tale boy!”

“That’s a horrible nickname,” Henry laughed nonchalantly as he worked at another snowball. Evie was gathering up snow, but he wasn’t worried. She still wasn’t packing it hard enough as she ran for him. But instead of throwing a fistful of loose snow like the last time, she leapt towards him and smashed it in his face. He sputtered to get the snow out of his mouth and blinked his eyes. Evie was already sprinting away from him as she laughed, and he took off after her. Soon they were slipping and sliding all over the snowy lawn as they threw snowballs and stuffed other ones down each other’s shirts. By the time they made it inside, they were breathless with both exertion and laughter.

They stomped as much snow off their boots in the mudroom as they could, then peeled off their snow encrusted coats, hats, scarves, and mittens. Henry found a drying rack in the laundry room, and they draped all their wet outer wear over it.

“My clothes are soaked too!” Evie said with a half moan/half laugh.

“Me too,” Henry said, rubbing at his wet hair. His nose and ears were numb too.

Evie shivered as she rubbed at her arms. “I want nothing more than my warm pajamas.”

“And a pile of blankets,” Henry added as they made their way towards the stairs. The house was quiet, and his parents had turned off the Christmas lights. It seemed everyone else was already in bed.

They made their way as quietly as they could to the attic, and then Evie grabbed her pajamas from the end of the bed and dashed into the bathroom. Henry peeled off his wet shirt, then struggled out of his soaked jeans. Even his boxers underneath were wet. He hurried into fresh ones as well as a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. Then he draped his wet clothes over the radiator. He had just finished up when Evie came out of the bathroom. He turned towards her, and what he saw caused the breath to rush out of his lungs.

It took his mind back to that summer. Evie had come across the hall in a tight little black dress, the back half undone. She was red-faced and irritated that she couldn’t reach the damn zipper. To say it was a little dress didn’t really convey how short it was. It was for work, some undercover thing, and her legs had been on gorgeous display.

Just like they were now. She was standing there, the light from the bathroom spilling around her, in nothing but her pajama top. It was the same button-up flannel thing she had been wearing all weekend with the little snowflakes all over it, and it hit the top of her thighs. Nothing overtly sexy, but a complete turn on all the same.

“I - uh – forgot to grab the bottoms,” she explained, tugging at the hem of the shirt. He moved towards her, unable to speak. “Henry?”

Her hair was down, the ends slightly damp and curling slightly. It was hanging over one shoulder, and the side of her neck that was exposed drew his attention. He reached up and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, then drew his finger down the skin just behind it. She drew in her breath a little, but didn’t speak or pull away.

“Do you remember that day you came over and asked me to zip up your dress?”

She nodded. His gaze shifted to her eyes, which were watching him intently.

“You turned away from me, gathering your hair up off your shoulders. I felt like I was some bumbling teenager as I worked the zipper. I noticed this freckle here,” he bent and kissed the one behind her ear, “and the one here,” he kissed another on her neck, then he pulled back, his nose brushing hers. “I saw freckles on your shoulder blade, right next to the strap of your bra. I even noticed a cluster on the back of your right knee. And I wondered just how many you had and what it would be like to count them all and kiss every single one.”

She still didn’t speak as he pressed a kiss to the freckles on her nose. “One,” then he kissed each cheek, “two, three,” he kissed her forehead, chin, and each eyebrow, “four, five, six -”

“Henry,” she breathed as his lips hovered over hers, “there are a lot more than six freckles on my face.”

“Oh, you’re right. I missed one here,” he brushed a kiss against a freckle just below her lower lip.

He grinned when her breath hitched. He wasn’t sure who moved first, but then their arms were around one another as their lips moved together. He cupped her face as he swiped his tongue across the seam of her lips, and she parted for him on a sigh. Evie slipped her hand up the back of his shirt, running her fingertips along his spine. He broke away from her lips and kissed the freckles at the hollow of her throat. She let out a moan as his lips drifted lower, his nose nudging aside the neckline of her shirt. Then he was undoing the buttons, and he glanced up to see her eyes closed, her head tilted back. He took his time kissing each and every freckle as he undid the first button, then the second. He felt her tremble slightly when he exposed her breasts.

“Henry,” she moaned, “maybe we should . . . “

Her words were contradicted by the way she dug her fingers into his hair. And maybe they should have paused and considered what this meant for their relationship, but by the time Evie’s shirt hit the floor, neither of them were considering anything other than the way their bodies reacted to each other’s touch.

#cs ff #ouat ff #henry-centric fic #henry mills #christmas fic #christmas in storybrooke

[searchingwardrobes]

Christmas in Storybrooke: 3/13

Summary: My Hallmark Christmas movie fic in which flights get cancelled and Henry’s “best friend’ gets snowed in with him in his quirky hometown for Christmas. Only with magic and fairy tale characters.

Yes, you read that right. I outlined this fic, and it will be 13 chapters (well, 12 plus an epilogue) because apparently my muse loves to torture me. Once I finish Sleepless in Seattle, I’ll be updating this daily to hopefully finish by New Years. Hopefully . . .

Rating: M for suggestive scenes and adult situations, not smut

Trigger warnings: Henry is an adult. Read that again: Henry is an adult. Look at the picset: that’s Andrew J. West. If Henry actually behaving like an adult makes you feel icky, the don’t read this.

A03

Tagging @snowbellewells @kmomof4 @jennjenn615 @kday426 @bethacaciakay @teamhook @whimsicallyenchantedrose @snidgetsafan @delirious-latenight-laughs @winterbaby89 @distant-rose @yohoyohoafandomlifeforme

Chapter Three: White Christmas

 Henry rolled over on the lumpy futon, groaning and arching his back. How had ever slept on this thing as a teenager? Across the room, Evie was still asleep in the bed from the old guest room. She was on her side, one pillow under her head and a second one clutched to her chest. Her brow was furrowed and her fists clenched, and he wondered not for the first time why her body was always so coiled and tense in sleep. She seemed to be so steady most of the time, so unfazed by the rough nature of her work. Did she keep it all bottled inside?

He threw his blankets aside, also casting off such melancholy thoughts about Evie. Maybe she just couldn’t relax in an unfamiliar place while she was missing her family. He pulled a sweatshirt on over his undershirt, put some thick socks on his feet, and padded down the cold hardwood stairs to the second floor. It was quiet there, but he could hear voices drifting up from the ground floor along with the sounds of someone working in the kitchen. Sure enough, he found his siblings scurrying around the kitchen while his stepfather stirred a pan of scrambled eggs at the stove. A timer dinged, and Killian smoothly pushed the pan off the hot burner and opened the oven door to pull out a pan of cinnamon rolls.

“Morning, lad!” he called to Henry, in his usual bright morning voice. Killian’s love of the early hours had always been a source of slight irritation for both Henry and his mother. It never felt right that he was so chipper when the sun was barely rising.

Of course, the upside was having a breakfast chef. Once they had convinced him that broiled mackerel was not a suitable breakfast food, that is.

“Grab these eggs, for me?” Killian asked as he set the pan of sticky rolls on the countertop. Hope was next to the fridge pouring glasses of orange juice. Soon, they were all gathered around the table with plates of food.

“I’ve missed breakfast like this,” Henry sighed as he bit into a cinnamon roll. “Usually I just grab a donut or a bagel on my way to work.”

“Why do you still have to work for that online newspaper?” Hope asked. “You wrote that book.”

“Well,” Henry sighed, “novelists don’t exactly make a ton of money, especially when they self- publish. I have to pay the bills somehow.”

“It was a fantastic read, Henry, I couldn’t put it down,” Killian added, “I don’t know why a publishing company hasn’t picked it up.”

Henry warmed at the praise. Everyone in Storybrooke had supported his career. He was pretty sure everyone in town had bought multiple copies of his first novel. But to hear Killian support him like this meant even more. Not only because the man read voraciously but because he was the closest thing to a father he had ever had.

“Well,” he said, struggling to swallow his bite of egg as his heart soared, “I think they see fairy tale retellings as only selling in YA markets, and mine is definitely an adult book.”

“Yeah,” grumbled Hope, “Mom and Dad won’t let me read it yet.”

“Sorry, kid,” Henry sympathized.

Leia attempted to wipe her sticky fingers on the front of her nightgown, and Killian wordlessly handed her a wet wipe. “When do we leave for the farm, Daddy?”

“No!” Charlie protested, almost spilling his juice, “the Snow Festival is first!”

“But I want to ride Buttercup!” protested Leia

“Shut up, you two,” Hope snapped.

“Don’t tell your brother and sister to shut up,” warned Killian.

“Fine,” Hope muttered, rolling her eyes.

“And you two,” Killian added, pointing at the twins as they stuck their tongues out at each other, “you know full well we’re going to the festival first, then the farm. There’s no point arguing about it.”

“The festival’s going to be lame this year,” Hope pouted, pushing at her eggs with her fork.

“Hope,” a voice said from the stairs, “watch it, young lady.”

“Swan!” Killian exclaimed, jumping from the table and rushing to his wife, “I was going to bring breakfast up to you!”

Emma waved him off as he helped her into a chair. “I’m fine, babe. I’m not an invalid.”

Killian frowned as he started scrambling some more eggs. “But I worry about the stairs, love. It seems like a lot of strain, and Whale said you’re not supposed to over exert yourself.”

Emma rolled her eyes exactly as Hope had earlier. “You insist on carrying me up the stairs, going down is no big deal. And I’m already having to be pushed around the festival today in a wheelchair. At least let me eat breakfast at the damn table with my family.”

“Words, Mommy!” Charlie crowed with a smirk.

“Speaking of the festival -” Henry began hesitantly.

“Don’t worry,” Emma assured as she reached her hand over to rest upon his arm. “I sent a message to Elsa, and we also had an emergency town meeting. No magic.”

“Like I said,” Hope grumbled, “lame.”

“What’s lame?”

The silence became palpable as every head swiveled to the bottom of the stairs where Evie was just coming down. She had combed her hair and put it in a smooth, low ponytail, but she still wore her snowflake flannel pajamas.

“Hope was just expressing her opinions on our town’s annual Snow Festival,” Killian smoothly explained as he set a plate of food in front of his wife. “I’m afraid she’s getting to that age -”

“The tween age?” Evie laughed as she took the empty seat between Hope and Emma. She looked over at Hope and winked. “I remember those days.”

“She only thinks it’s gonna be lame cause there’s no mag-”

Henry reached over and clamped his hand over Leia’s mouth. “No . . . magi . . . “ he stuttered, wracking his brain to come up with a lie. “You know, the three wise men?”

“Yeah, magi,” Emma put in, “there . . . uh . . . used to be a live nativity scene . . . but, uh, people complained about the animals -”

“And their poop!” Charlie finished, dissolving into giggles. “Camels poo-oop, camels poo-op -”

“Charlie, that is not appropriate at the table,” Killian told his son firmly.

Henry caught Evie’s eye, who was holding her hand over her mouth and trying not to laugh. An awkward silence fell as Evie and Emma both started on their food.

“You know,” Evie finally spoke up, her gaze still on her eggs, “I work for the FBI. I can tell when people are lying.”

Silence reigned again, as the entire Jones family exchanged concerned glasses.

“But,” she continued, “I can also tell when a lie is innocent and when it’s more . . . nefarious. This is clearly a lie I can overlook.”

Everyone let out breaths they didn’t realize they had been holding.

Evie took a sip of juice, then added, “For now.”

*******************************************************

The family ended up being late to the festival, what with getting three kids out the door and maneuvering Emma’s wheelchair down the porch steps. Emma’s irritation at using said wheelchair not necessarily helping matters. So by the time they reached town hall, it was packed. Luckily, Regina, Zelena, and the Charmings had saved them a nice spot up front. The crowds, of course, also eagerly parted for the savior, calling out well wishes and concern for her and the baby. If Evie noticed Emma’s special treatment, she didn’t comment on it.

“As if this weren’t humiliating enough,” Emma grumbled under her breath. Henry exchanged an amused glance with Killian; they both knew his mother wasn’t fond of being fawned over like the princess and hero that she was.

Further introductions were necessary as Evie met the rest of Henry’s family for the first time. He had prepared his grandparents ahead of time to call themselves his aunt and uncle, and Neal at 13 was old enough to play along and pretend to be Henry’s “cousin.” Little Ava wasn’t even a year old and not yet talking. Evie eagerly took the baby from Mary Margaret (no “Snow” Henry had lectured everyone over the phone), and the little one seemed just as eager to be in Evie’s arms. His other mother and Aunt Zelena were also on their best behavior, welcoming Evie with rare warmth. Twelve-year-old Robyn was fascinated by Evie’s career in the FBI.

“Have you ever had to shoot someone?”

“Robyn!” Zelena reprimanded. “That is not an appropriate question!”

“It’s okay,” Evie laughed as Ava gurgled and grabbed at her nose. “No, Robyn, I haven’t. Most of what I do is more boring than you would expect. I mostly talk to people after they are brought in. I try to get them to tell the truth.”

Henry could tell by Robyn’s expression that she was disappointed. He also knew Evie was being vague on purpose; her specific job with the bureau wasn’t exactly an appropriate topic for children.

“Well,” Regina said, “it was nice to meet you, Evie, and I can’t wait to talk more later, but right now I have a job to do.”

His mom made her way up to the stage that had been set up in front of town hall. Everyone cheered as she waved to the crowd and stepped up to the microphone.

“Welcome everyone, to our annual Snow Festival!” she paused while the crowd cheered some more. “I’d like to welcome to Storybrooke, Qu-Mayor of Arendelle, Elsa Frost!”

The crowd clapped half-heartedly as this was much shorter than the usual speech. Normally, his mother reminded everyone of the Snow Queen and her spell of shattered sight that was thwarted by sisters Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle. Even though the spell happened in the summer, not the winter, the town had voted that the Saturday before Christmas was the perfect time to celebrate the historic Storybrooke event.

As Elsa came up the steps to join his mother, Henry realized he had never seen her dressed in normal clothes. Instead of her usual royal gown, she wore a simple blue off the shoulder sweater dress with black leggings and boots. Her hair was still braided over her shoulder, and laced through with decorative snowflakes. He wasn’t surprised to see her without a coat, hat, or mittens. As she often said, the cold just didn’t bother her. Everyone else gathered around, even his mother on stage, were bundled up and shivering.

Elsa embraced Regina, then turned to the microphone. “As always, I am delighted to be here. This town is full of so many dear friends.” Here Elsa searched the crowd, her gaze resting on Emma and Killian for a moment. “And now, I would like to present, Arendelle’s yearly Christmas gift!”

With that, Elsa lifted a large sheet off an ice sculpture that stood on the ground in front of the stage. Next to him, Evie let out an awed gasp, but she was the only one impressed. Everyone else gave only polite applause.

“That’s amazing,” Evie told him, “I’ve never seen something so intricate! And how did she get the ice castle to glow like that?”

It was beautiful, and it was no doubt made from Elsa’s ice magic. But normally Elsa made the ice castle while everyone watched in awe. The castle was slightly different every year, but it was always big enough for everyone to explore. It would have slides and turrets and winding staircases. Then Elsa always ended the presentation with a burst of magical snowflakes, intricate and as big as your hand that twinkled with glittery multicolored magic as they floated over the crowd. In comparison, this year’s sculpture was a huge disappointment. Hope caught his eye, her arms crossed and her eyebrows lifted as if to say, told you so.

“Henry,” Evie leaned over and whispered, “um, why is everyone glaring at me?”

Henry looked away from his sister and saw Leroy giving Evie a look so hateful he was surprised daggers weren’t shooting out of the dwarf’s eyes. “Oh ignore Leroy, he’s always in a bad mood.”

“No, Henry, not just him.”

Henry scanned the crowd to find that she wasn’t exaggerating. All of the dwarves were gathered around Leroy like a group of rural thugs from The Outsiders. Granny was giving her the stink eye over the edge of her bifocals, and even the fairies were staring snootily down their noses. Henry scowled, rubbed Evie’s arm comfortingly and marched over to Granny and the dwarves.

“Will you all lay off?” he hissed so Evie couldn’t hear. “It’s not her fault that her flight got cancelled. She’s essentially stuck here for Christmas, so the least you can do is make her feel welcome.” Without waiting for a response, he marched over to the fairies. “How do you think it looks to have a group of nuns shunning a visitor to town? I’d expect this from the dwarves, but not from all of you.”

“I agree,” a voice spoke up from the edge of the group.

Blue turned to face the petite blonde. “Tink, you aren’t even part of our order anymore.”

“And this is exactly why. You’re really going to pout over a silly little festival?” Tink then turned to Henry apologetically. “Hook told me about your friend. Introduce me?”

“Um, okay,” Henry said hesitantly, “but none of that Hook business, and your name is Tina, okay?”

She nudged Henry with her elbow. “I can be subtle.”

God, I hope so, Henry prayed to whoever would listen. As he walked back over to his family with Tink, his concern only increased. His other grandfather and Belle had joined them, and Elsa was bent over Emma’s wheelchair giving her a tight hug. Mercifully, Gideon had taken off somewhere with Hope, Neal, and Robyn. That was three less magical youngsters he would have to worry about. Hopefully the twins would keep behaving themselves.

“Henry!” Belle exclaimed, bounding over to him and embracing him in a tight hug. “We’ve all missed you. Did Killian tell you I have six copies of your novel in the library?”

He glanced over his shoulder to where Tink was introducing herself to Evie. Since his best friend’s eyes weren’t bugging out of her head, he assumed it was going well.

“Um, yes, he did, but considering that everyone in town bought their own copy, I think it was overly generous of you.”

“It was not,” scoffed Belle. “That book is a masterpiece, and we need to make sure it’s preserved for the future. Isn’t that right, Rumple?”

“Aye, it’s a great accomplishment, my boy.”

He slapped Henry on the back and smiled, but Henry still couldn’t shake the feeling that Belle was always happier to see him. Nevertheless, he shook his grandfather’s hand in greeting.

“We’ve been meeting your friend Evangeline here,” Belle continued in her eager, friendly voice. She put an arm around Evie in a half hug, and his friend tossed him a look that clearly said help! It wasn’t that Evie had an aversion to touch like Emma did, but meeting so many people all at once was clearly overwhelming her. Mary Margaret was now on stage announcing the snowman building contest, giving Henry a perfect opportunity to rescue her. He extended his hand towards her.

“I believe you told me once that you’ve never built a snowman?”

Evie grinned and took his hand. “I did.”

“You know what they say,” he told her with a wink, ”you never forget your first.”

He had no idea what possessed to say something so audaciously suggestive in front of his entire family.

“He gets that from me, you know,” Killian commented to Grandpa David as Henry walked away with Evie on his arm.

He had no idea what that meant, either.

***************************************************

“You know,” Evie grunted as she rolled their snowman’s head across the snowy ground, “no one ever mentions in Hallmark movies what a workout snowman building is.”

Henry chuckled as he helped her roll the head on top of their snowman’s torso. “I don’t think Hallmark movies are the best place to get accurate information about snow.”

Evie draped a scarf around their snowman’s neck, then looked around at the competition and frowned. “Ours looks like Frosty, but some of these are works of art.”

Henry nodded as he gave their snowman a carrot nose. “It’s gotten very competitive as the years have gone by.”

“Look at your stepdad and the twins,” Evie pouted.

Henry followed her gaze to see Killian lifting Leia to put a garland of poinsettias on their snowfairy’s head. It also not only had wings on its back, but Killian had helped the kids add glitter to intricate carvings along the bottom. The snowfairy had an hourglass figure as well.

“Yeah, Killian’s pretty artistic. You should see him carve a pumpkin.” Of course, he used his hook for those, but Evie didn’t need to know that. Come to think of it, he normally used his hook in the snowman building competition, so it was pretty impressive that he had done so well without it. “He and the twins won last year.” Until the twins were disqualified for bringing their snowpirate to live, that is.

Evie bent down to press buttons into the bottom of the snowman. “So what’s up with your grandpa?”

“What about him?”

“You and him; you seem kind of . . . distant.”

“Oh,” Henry replied, shaking his head. He had thought she was talking about Grandpa David, and he suddenly realized she thought David was his uncle. “Yeah, we’re not that close really.”

“He doesn’t have to be so cold,” Evie said with an edge to her voice.

Henry sighed as he turned the pebbles they were using for the snowman’s mouth in his hand. “I’ve tried to figure out why he’s like that, but I’ve given up. He says he loves me, but . . . .” Henry started pressing the pebbles one by one onto the snowman’s face. “It may be because of my dad. People say I look like him, and since he died . . . maybe it’s painful for my grandpa? But then other times, I wonder if he just doesn’t like me.”

“He should be happy to have a bit of his son in you.”

Henry shrugged. “Could just be his personality then.” Or being the Dark One, once again something else Evie couldn’t know. “Or it may be my stepdad. Killian and I are close, and, well . . . Grandpa has never liked Killian much.”

Evie nodded as she stood and brushed snow off her knees. “Everyone has some dysfunction in their family.”

“Even your perfect suburban family?”

She rolled her eyes. “Please, Henry, you have no idea.”

She gazed over his shoulder and smiled at whatever had caught her eye. Henry turned to see Hope, Neal, Robyn, and Gideon shoving handfuls of snow into each other’s faces and laughing instead of working on their snowman. Evie squinted.

“Is that . . . “

“Cerberus, the two headed dog of the underworld? Yep, it is,” Henry answered.

“Guess they’re Percy Jackson fans,” Evie mused as she put the top hat on their Frosty.

“Yeah,” Henry said dryly, “guess so . . . “

*************************************************

Evie plopped down on a bench next to Elsa who had been sitting and chatting with Emma in her wheelchair. Henry smiled as Evie said something to his mother, and they both laughed. When he reached them, Evie grinned up at him.

“I was just telling your mom how miserably we did in the competition.”

“And I was telling her that the only time I got so much as an honorable mention was when Elsa was my partner.”

The Queen of Arendelle giggled. “I think the judges felt sorry for us. You would think I of all people would be able to build a simple snowman.”

Emma grasped Elsa’s hand, her laughter leaving her breathless. “You should have seen it, Evie, a pitiful little thing that only reached our knees.”

“It looked like it was already melting,” Elsa added, fanning at her cheeks as tears filled her eyes from laughter. “With that huge carrot nose and crooked stick arms.”

“We named him Olaf,” Emma finished.

“Like in Frozen!” Evie exclaimed. “Cute! I bet you get Frozen jokes a lot with the name Elsa, and being blonde, and -”

“Dad!” Hope yelled so loudly over Henry’s shoulder that all four of them jumped. When they all swiveled towards her to find out why in the world she had screamed that way, she pointed near the ice skating pond. “I want to ice skate with Dad.”

“He’s coming over here now,” Emma pointed, then she mouthed to her daughter thank you.

“Mommy, mommy, look!” Charlie shouted, waving a blue ribbon in his hand as he and his sister and Killian approached. “First place!”

“And we didn’t even -”

Killian clapped a hand over Leia’s mouth before she could finish. “We didn’t even have the biggest snowman,” he finished.

“Our cerberus would have won if his second head hadn’t fallen off,” Hope grumbled.

“Uh uh,” argued Leia, “our snowfairy had glitter!”

Charlie stuck his tongue out at his big sister.

“Can you three get along for five minutes?” Emma groaned.

“Daddy!” Hope squealed, bouncing over to grasp Killian by the arm. “Come skate with me!”

Killian’s eyes grew wide and he scratched behind his ear. “Now love, you know how ridiculous I look trying to ice skate.”

Henry bit his lip to hold back his chuckle. A pirate who spent two centuries on a tropical island wasn’t exactly the most coordinated man on ice skates. Teasing him about it had become a favorite past time for all the Jones children.

“I see you, Henry,” Killian protested, wagging a finger at his stepson.

“How about if there’s a beginner on the ice with you?” Evie spoke up. She turned bright eyes on Henry. “I’ve never ice skated, but I’ve always wanted to.”

“I thought lots of people skate in New York City?” Charlie asked.

“They do, I guess,” Evie said with a wrinkled nose, “but what they don’t show in the movies is how crowded those rinks are. And I’ve never wanted to make a fool of myself in front of that many people.”

“Come on, then!” Hope cried, pulling her father down to the edge of the rink. Evie was right behind his little sister, and with a shrug to his mom and Elsa, Henry could do nothing but follow.

************************************************

Evie was clinging to Henry as if her life depended on it. Just staying upright was an incredible feat, and to say they were going a snail’s pace around the rink was an understatement.

“Whoa - oooh - woah!” Evie cried out as her feet slid back and forth beneath her. Her grip tightened on the collar of Henry’s coat.

“Careful!” he cried, wrapping his arms tight around her waist. “You’ll take me with you!”

“I take it back,” she muttered into her shirt, “building a snowman is a piece of cake compared to this.”

“You know,” he said against her hair, “it’s easier to skate going forwards.”

Still pressed against his chest, she tilted her face to look up at him. Her face was flushed, and wisps of her auburn hair had come free of her low ponytail. The green of the beanie on her head made the green in her eyes brighter, and even though there seemed to be a thousand layers of clothes between them, he was keenly aware of every one of her curves.

“So,” she said with a grin, “how do I turn around without falling on my ass?”

He suddenly realized he had a goofy grin plastered on his own face, and quickly cleared his throat. ”Um, very carefully?”

She rolled her eyes. “Thanks for the detailed instructions, Scott Moir.”

“If that makes you Tessa Virtue, I beg to differ.”

“Ha, ha, can you just help me face the other way, smart ass?”

He frowned down at her. ”Actually, I think it would be easier if I turned around.” He loosened his hold on her and then slowly let go with his left while keeping a firm grip on her with his right. “Don’t move,” he warned her as he pivoted. He tucked her into his side. “There, see?”

She wasn’t looking at him, but down at her feet. “Now how do I move?” she whispered as if talking too loud would sent her feet flying out from under her.

“The way my mom taught me is to pretend like your marching, only with tiny steps.”

“Which mom?”

“Does it matter?” Henry laughed. “It was Regina. Now, try it.”

Of course, he also had cursed memories of Emma teaching him. In his mind, those false memories still felt real. He cleared his throat to push the thought away as he watched Evie tentatively shift her feet back and forth.

“See, you’ve got it!”

Apparently, he had spoken too soon. Maybe there was a dip in the ice. Maybe it was the shock of Gideon Gold flying past at top speed. Maybe it was simply a sudden lack of balance. Whatever it was, Evie’s feet flew out from under her as a scream tore from her mouth. Henry moved to catch her, but her iron grip on his coat brought him down with her. He took the brunt of the fall and cushioned Evie’s landing.

Luckily, hysterical laughter poured out of her mouth. Henry let out a breath of relief, even as pain shot up his hip. Her laughter was contagious, and soon they were both breathless with it. Evie rolled off him and onto the ice, holding her side as she attempted to calm down. Henry rolled over to look down at her, his hand ghosting over her head, and then down her arm.

“Are you okay?”

“Me?” Evie gasped, laughter still spilling from her lips. “I landed on top of you!”

“As small as you are?” Henry teased. “You just knocked a little wind out of me.”

“Shut up with the short jokes,” she told him, smacking him lightly in the chest.

Without thinking, he grasped her hand and pressed it to his chest. They were both wearing mittens, but his heart still thudded. His gaze drifted from her eyes, those flecks of gold now shining merrily, and down to her lips. They were pink from the cold, but still full, and -

“Henry?”

“Yes?”

“The ice is kind of wet.”

“Oh,” he said, a blush filling his face as he scrambled to his knees. He helped her up, and once again she was clinging to the front of him, her nose buried in his coat.

“I think I’ll stay right here this time,” she told him.

That was definitely fine with him. The thought came unbidden, and Henry suddenly knew that his feelings for Evangeline Crawford went far deeper than friendship. But could he really expect to win this woman’s heart when every other word out of his mouth was a lie?

#henry centric fic #cs ff #ouat ff #christmas fic #christmas in storybrooke #family fluff and feels #henry mills #henry mills brings home a girl from the LWM

[searchingwardrobes]

Christmas in Storybrooke: 7/11

Another chapter that justifies the M rating, and it's Henry, so . . . be prepared. This is also where the angst begins, so buckle your seatbelts. You may have noticed that each of the chapter titles is a Christmas song. This one is probably a little obscure. It's a song by Matt Wertz. I don't even know who he is, honestly, but they play this song on the radio station my kids and I listen to. It's super cheesy, even my kids think so, and its peppy fluffiness clashes with the angst of this chapter. However, the title and even the lyrics fit the idea of Henry's crazy life. You'll understand I think after you read the chapter.

Summary: My Hallmark Christmas movie fic in which flights get cancelled and Henry’s “best friend’ gets snowed in with him in his quirky hometown for Christmas. Only with magic and fairy tale characters.

Rating: M for suggestive scenes and adult situations, not smut

Trigger warnings: Henry is an adult. Read that again: Henry is an adult. Look at the picset: that’s Andrew J. West. If Henry actually behaving like an adult makes you feel icky, the don’t read this.

Can also be read on Ao3

Tagging @snowbellewells @kmomof4 @kday426 @bethacaciakay @snidgetsafan @teamhook @whimsicallyenchantedrose @delirious-latenight-laughs @jennjenn615 @winterbaby89 @yohoyohoafandomlifeforme @distant-rose @let-it-raines

Chapter Seven: Snow Globe

Henry slept better than he had the entire time he’d been back home. Partly because the guest bed was far more comfortable than his old futon and partly because his activities with Evie left him thoroughly spent in the best way. He had fallen asleep with her in his arms, and he was pretty sure the loss of her soft curves pressed against him was what had awakened him now. The bed was also creaking with her movement, and he rolled over to see her swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Her hair, beautifully tousled and wavy, fell over one shoulder, leaving her back bare. He slid over to slip his arm around her waist and press kisses to her shoulder blade. The sun was just peeking through the window, so he knew it was early.

“Where are you going?” he whispered against her skin. He ran his hand down her spine. “Waking up to this sight makes me realize how many freckles I missed. I didn’t explore your back.”

“Henry,” she sighed with a hint of irritation. Yet she leaned back into him anyway and came willingly as he pulled her back down and into the circle of his arms. She shuddered as he trailed kisses down her back, his fingers tracing her freckles.

“You know this can’t go anywhere,” she said, turning in his arms with her eyes shut tight.

Henry felt as if he’d gotten emotional whiplash. Had he been misreading her all this time?

“Look at me,” he whispered as he traced her cheek with his fingertips. Reluctantly, she did as he asked, and he felt his heart stutter at those beautiful, mysterious eyes of hers. “If you think this was some friends with benefits fling, you’re wrong. That's not me.’

She gave him a tremulous smile. “I know that.”

He let out a relieved breath. “Good.” He swallowed down the nerves that came before he spoke again. It was risky, but she had to know. “And to be completely clear – I love you, Evangeline.”

Her face crumpled, her eyes suddenly welling up with tears. She looked as if he’d just given her horrible news. “You think you do – now.”

His brow furrowed. “My feelings may have crept up on me, but I’m one hundred percent sure of them now. So sure, that I’ll say it again. I love you.”

Henry pressed a kiss to her lips just to emphasize his point, and for a moment, she kissed him back, even wrapping her arms tighter around his neck as he rolled her onto her back. But then she pulled away, somewhat reluctantly, panting. Her gaze was sad as she cupped his face.

“Remember when we met?”

He smiled and turned his face to kiss her palm. “Of course I do. To be honest, I was attracted to you from the start, but you were engaged at the time.”

She gave him a smile as she ran a hand through his hair. “And you had just broken up with Grace. When Josh left, you were there for me. I remember you said you had been in a similar situation.”

Henry nodded, unsure where she was going with this. “That’s right. Grace hated New York City. We wanted different things, and she left.”

Evie searched his eyes intently, nodding as if he ought to be putting things together by now. “She wanted to come back home, you said. You grew up together. Now I know what that means. Who is she, Henry?”

“An old friend,” Henry repeated, “you know that.”

She sighed in frustration and gave his chest a slight push. “But who is she, really? She’s a fairy tale character, right? Or related to one?”

Henry rubbed his face wearily and rolled onto his back. Talking about their exes wasn’t exactly how he imagined their morning after going. “Her dad is the Mad Hatter, okay? He went back to the Enchanted Forest, and she wanted to go back there too. So we broke up. Met some guy there and is engaged now from what I heard. What’s your point?”

Evie propped herself up on her elbow. “The Mad Hatter? As in Wonderland?”

“Yeah.”

“And your first girlfriend, Violet, who was she?”

“What is this?” Henry groaned. “Why are you grilling me about my exes? You want to know how many women I’ve been with before we get serious, is that it? Cause let me assure you, I’m a pretty dull guy. One committed monogamous relationship after another. A complete relationship nerd.”

Evie rolled her eyes and shifted closer, propping herself up on his chest. The feel of her breasts sliding against his skin made him want to do anything but talk.

“Just humor me, please,” she begged him, “I have a point, I swear.”

He sighed, fiddling with her hair. “I just don’t understand why you’re asking about Violet. I was just a kid; it was completely innocent, puppy love.”

“She was your first kiss, though. So where did you meet her?”

He realized he had fudged the real story when he told it to Evie before. Of course, he hadn’t been completely lying. His memories had been erased, so in a way he really did meet Violet by the jukebox at Granny’s.

“At a ball in Camelot.”

Evie rolled her eyes, then flopped onto her back. He was still really distracted by her breasts.

“Oh, just at a ball in Camelot,” she repeated wryly.

Henry rolled over to nibble at her neck and cup one of her breasts. She held him close for a moment, sighing at his touch, but then she pushed him away again.

“Focus, please,” she reprimanded.

He relented, settling down with his head resting on her stomach. She began to thread her fingers through his hair. She hadn’t told him yet how she felt, but her response to his touch, and her affections despite her third degree spoke volumes. She had feelings for him beyond the physical, he could tell, but she was also afraid. He just couldn’t figure out why.

“How long did you date Violet?”

He sighed, but answered honestly anyway. “Until I was fifteen. And like I told you, we were young and innocent. And before you ask, her father was the Connecticut Yankee.”

“In King Arthur’s Court? Twain’s stuff is real too?” She chuckled. “Did you also graduate with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn?”

He laughed as well. “Haven’t met them . . . yet.”

“And after Violet?”

No wonder she was so good at her job. When she wanted answers, she was unrelenting.

“I dated one other girl in high school. She was my date to the prom my junior year, but my senior year we broke up. Mom didn’t like her. I don’t think my other mom and Killian were all that crazy about the relationship either, but they were nice to Ava. They had a similar upbringing to hers, so they understood her better than Regina did. She was also a year older than me, and when you’re sixteen, that can freak your parents out I guess.”

“And who was she? Was Ava her real name?”

Henry sat up and rubbed his eyes. “You promise not to laugh?”

Evie’s mouth quirked up in the corner. She gathered the sheets to her chest and slid up to lean back against the headboard. She lifted one hand.

“Girl Scout’s honor. I won’t laugh.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “I don’t think that’s a thing in the Girl Scouts.”

“Hey, I was a Brownie, for your information, and we have honor too.”

He couldn’t help smiling, relieved to see she still had her sense of humor at least. ‘Okay, fine. She was . . . . Gretel.”

Evie’s eyes widened. Then she coughed and quickly clapped her hand over her mouth. Then she removed it, cleared her throat, and asked, “As in Hansel and Gretel?”

He saw the sparkle in her eyes. “You swore you wouldn’t laugh!” he exclaimed.

She schooled her features, though her lips kept quirking upward. “Do I look like I’m laughing?”

“Maybe not on the outside.”

She cleared her throat and made a big production of smoothing down the bedsheets. “Okay, so you lost your virginity to the chick that shoved a witch into an oven. Got it.”

“How did you know that I . . . “

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Your parents didn’t approve? She was older than you? Come on now, Henry, I can put two and two together.”

He rolled his eyes, then reached out to gather her in his arms. Evie frowned, almost looked like she might cry, but she let him hold her close. He kissed her hair and rubbed her shoulders.

“What is all this about?”

She turned her face into his neck, and he ran his fingers through her hair.

“Have you dated anyone who wasn’t from . . . there?”

He pulled her away from him slightly so he could look into her face. He rubbed his thumb across her cheek.

“Why do you -”

“Just answer the damn question.”

He sighed. “If you’re asking if I’ve ever dated anyone truly from the Land Without Magic . . . no, I haven’t.”

“See?” she asked, her lip trembling. “You say you love me, but what happens when you go on some adventure and meet Cinderella or something?”

“Ella runs the day care center and is married with two kids.”

She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. You’re the grandson of Prince Charming, for heaven’s sake! You’re from a world of destined soul mates and true love’s kisses. There’s probably some princess out there under a curse that you’re supposed to go rescue or something. I’m a nobody, Henry. Just an ordinary girl who grew up in an ordinary suburb of Atlanta. Trust me, my dad’s into genealogies. I’m nothing magical or special.”

Tears were tracing down Evie’s cheeks now. He tried to pull her to him again, to kiss her and tell her she was wrong, but she fled from the bed, from him. She grabbed her clothes and went to the bathroom, almost slamming the door behind her. He heard the click of the lock, and a sound that he thought might be a sob. He followed, knocking at the door, and begging her to open it.

“Go away Henry.”

He pressed his forehead to the door, and spoke in a voice loud enough for her to hear, but gentle enough to convey his feelings. “I will, for now, but I love you Evangeline Crawford, and I’ll keep telling you that until you believe it. Until you believe how special you really are.”

**************************************************

Henry hadn’t expected Evie to be able to ignore him so thoroughly when they were staying in the same house and sharing a room, but she seemed to be just as tenacious in this as she was with anything else. Even here, at Granny’s annual Christmas Eve party, she had skillfully avoided him. It got to the point that Henry started to feel like a pathetic puppy in his attempts to follow her around. So now he sat in a booth at the back of the diner, nursing a beer as he watched another cluster of Storybrooke residents surround Evie. She was a bit of a celebrity at the moment, as word had gotten around that Henry had told her the truth about everything. She was the first outsider since Tamara and Greg, which definitely increased the aura of mystery surrounding her. At least he hoped it was mystery. He knew his hometown well enough to know that it could still be fear and suspicion too.

He watched Evie’s expression over the rim of his mug. He hated that she looked a little overwhelmed. As he lowered the beverage with a sigh, his stepdad slid into the booth across from him.

“So, my boy, care to explain what’s going on with you and your fair lass?”

“She’s not my anything,” Henry grumbled, taking another swig of his beer.

Killian arched a brow at him. “Seems to me you’ve been emphasizing this entire time that she’s just MY friend. If I were a betting man, I would say that something has happened to change that label?”

Henry narrowed his eyes. “You are a betting man.”

“Were,” Killian corrected, pointing a finger in Henry’s face, “and don’t change the subject. I’m quite perceptive, you know.”

He tilted his head, and Henry squirmed. A slow smile spread across Killian’s face as he leaned back in his booth. Henry tried to cover his sudden blush with another swallow of beer.

“Just as I thought.”

“I’m glad my angst is so amusing to you,” Henry snapped.

Killian’s gaze went from teasing to sincere. “Listen to me, lad, in my experience, when a lady runs it means her feelings run deep.”

Henry deflated. “How did you do it, Killian? How did you get past Mom’s walls?”

“With patience,” he answered softly. “I was in it for the long haul, and I knew I had to earn your mother’s trust by letting her set the pace.”

“But what if she thinks a future is impossible? That we’re just too different.”

They both knew he wasn’t talking about his mother anymore.

“And you think Emma was any different? Who could be more different than a villain and the savior? A pirate and a princess? Captain Hook and the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming?” He leaned over and grasped Henry’s shoulder. “I told your grandpa once that your mother and I were no fated love story. We had to fight for our love. We fought, and we won. When your mother saw I would never give up on us, she knew she could trust me with her future, no matter what it brought.”

Henry nodded firmly, encouraged by his stepdad’s words, but then he frowned. “But how do I convince her when she won’t even look at me?”

Killian winked. “When a woman cares for you, and you truly honor and respect her, she’ll seek you out. Just be sure you make yourself available; that your right there when she needs you.”

Henry nodded. He still wasn’t completely sure how he could strike that balance, but he could sure as hell try.

“Henry,” Emma’s voice interrupted their conversation. Killian tensed, his eyes wide with concern.

“Emma, love, why aren’t you still in the booth with your parents?” He rose and helped his wife settle in next to him.

“Sorry,” Emma said with a sigh, reaching over and squeezing her husband’s hook. Then she turned to Henry, “I just saw Evie kind of getting surrounded over there, and I was wondering why you weren’t coming to her rescue.”

“Um . . . “ he was now squirming under his mother’s gaze.

“Oh,” Emma suddenly said, exchanging a knowing glance with Killian, “I see.”

“Seriously, Mom, you too?”

“Henry,” his mother said gently, taking his hand, “whatever is happening between you too, you can‘t let her keep you at arm’s length right now. The dwarves, Granny, and Belle are all over there trying to convince her she’s actually a fairy tale character.”

“What?”

Emma nodded. “They’re giving her the third degree, and she looks a little lost. She may need you, despite whatever fight you’ve had.”

“We didn’t have a fight,” Henry countered.

Emma seemed to be fighting a grin as she glanced at Killian again. “Hmm, so it’s like that then.”

“She probably told him it was a one-time thing,” Killian quipped.

“Silly girl,” Emma giggled. “I should warn her that those are famous last words.”

Killian bent and kissed her then, and Henry groaned as he quickly exited the booth. “You two are nauseating.”

His parents just continued to laugh (and kiss) as he stood. But before he could reach the crowd that had Evie surrounded, she turned and practically fled out the door. He felt the curve of Killian’s hook nudge his back.

“Go to her lad.”

At his stepdad’s words, he looked back down at the booth. His mother was nodding her encouragement. Henry squared his shoulders and strode towards the door. The bell above it jingled as he opened it and stepped out into the frigid air. Evie stood standing in the gently falling snow, her arms wrapped around herself, her face tilted slightly upwards. Her auburn hair fell in soft waves down her back, one side pulled off her neck with a silver and gold clip. Her black dress was cinched at the waist with a gold belt, and the skirt flared out, its black tulle outer lining embroidered with sparkling gold thread. Several gold bangle bracelets tinkled at her wrists, and she wore gold ballet flats on her feet. The dress hit her at the knees, but her toned calves were still enough to make his thoughts go in a heated direction, especially remembering them tangled up with his in the early hours of dawn. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

She shivered, and he realized that the gold shawl draped over her bare shoulders was doing little to shelter her from the cold. He stepped up behind her, shedding his sports jacket, and draped it over her creamy shoulders. He stepped closer, his chest brushing against her back, his lips ghosting across the top of her head, but he refrained from doing anything more intimate. He gave her arms one quick rub with his palms, then stepped back to give her space once again.

“What are you doing?” she asked, turning to him. Her dress brought out the gold flecks in her eyes, and he couldn’t stop staring.

“Giving you my jacket. You’re cold.”

She tore her gaze away, then nodded over his shoulder. “Look behind you.”

He turned and saw a small crowd gathered at the window of Granny’s, among them the proprietress herself and half the dwarves. They scrambled off in a way that wasn’t remotely subtle when they glimpsed Henry looking their way. He sighed.

“Kind of like being in a fish bowl, isn’t it?”

Evie pulled his jacket tighter as she gazed up at the sky once again. “A snow globe’s more like it.”

“Mhm,” he agreed stepping close again and brushing snow from her hair, “I apologize. After the curse broke, and everyone realized my real mother was the savior, well . . . let’s just say they suddenly all believed themselves personally invested in my life. It’s been unfair, and honestly way too much to live up to.”

“Is that why they were all so intent on discovering my supposed true fairy tale background? To see if I’m worthy of you?”

He sighed, his hand still playing with her hair, “Ignore them. I love you just the way you are, and I don’t care where you came from.”

She said nothing for a moment, but turned away from him. He thought she might walk away completely, but she stopped at the patio awning. She leaned her head against it as she gazed up at the stars.

“It’s a beautiful night tonight,” Henry said softly as he came to stand by her side. “The moon is full.”

“Not quite,” Evie commented, “but I noticed it was the other night. It was beautiful, and so incredibly close.”

Well, that explained the wolf Killian had mentioned to Evie when he went to dig out the snow plow. Ruby must have been out that night in wolf form and getting into mischief. He didn’t mention that to Evie, though. She had enough to process without the news that Little Red Riding Hood was actually a werewolf.

“Evangeline was the star that Tiana wished on in the movie The Princess and the Frog.” Evie turned her gaze on Henry. “That’s one theory on who I am. A star that was cursed to be born a human in the Land Without Magic.”

Her voice was laced with sarcasm. He drew closer to her. “Evie, I’m so sorry. Just ignore them -”

“But that wasn’t the only possibility. According to Belle, there’s a Longfellow poem that could be about me. Of course, it’s based on a Cajun legend, so Granny thought they might both be me. A star, and a legend. Now talk about lot to live up to . . . “

“Evie,” he said softly, going to stand in front of her and placing both hands gently on her shoulders, “I don’t need you to be a star or some kind of legendary character. All I need is you.” He pulled her close, and he counted it as a small victory when she relaxed in his embrace. “Besides, I was an English major at NYU, remember? I read that poem, and believe me, I don’t want it to be you. That Evangeline wanders in search of her lover, and doesn’t find him until they’re both old. Then he dies in her arms.”

Evie pulled back, and he smiled to see a teasing grin on her face. “Hello, Henry, spoiler alert? What if I was planning on reading that?”

He chuckled, and then bent to kiss her. She stopped him, however, with a finger to his lips. He opened his eyes, which had fluttered closed, to give her a confused look.

“Snow globe,” she told him simply, cutting her eyes to the side.

He groaned when he saw his Grandma Snow and Belle peering at them through the window. His grandmother made a big show of scrambling away, yanking Belle with her. He turned back to Evie, but the moment was lost. She stepped away from the awning and onto the sidewalk. She shrugged out of his jacket and held it out to him.

“I - um, saw that there was a flight in the morning out of Portland direct to Atlanta. I was thinking I’d take it.”

“Evie -”

“The only reason you brought me here was because I couldn’t get a flight out. Now I can.” She shrugged as if it was nothing, but the tears glistening in her eyes said otherwise. “I think it’s for the best.”

“Don’t,” Henry said, unable to keep the edge out of his voice, “don’t push me away. I don’t want the damn jacket back, and I don’t want you to leave.”

She hugged the jacket to her chest, wrapping herself protectively. “I also had a pretty interesting conversation with your Grandfather Rumple. Or a lecture was more like it. He said his son threw his life away by choosing the Land Without Magic, and he hated to see you do the same. Said you were running from your destiny.” She tilted her head to the side. “Seems you left out one little detail about your fairy tale life, Henry Mills.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

She marched towards him again. “You led me to believe you were just descended from storybook characters. But me, you said, I’m just a regular guy, you said.” The green in her eyes over took the gold now, deep and stormy. She poked him in the chest with one finger. “You’re the author, and while I don’t fully understand what all that means, the Blue Fairy and Rumple very snootily informed me that it had something to do with you being chosen. Something about a magic pen and the consequences of not wielding it right?”

“Evie, I can explain -”

She lifted a hand to cut him off. “I know you aren’t trying to toy with my feelings. We probably didn’t set proper boundaries in our friendship. We had both just gotten our hearts broken, and we shouldn’t have found comfort with each other.” She pressed her palm to his chest. “You deserve so much more than me, Henry.”

Then she gave him a tiny shove and hurried away down the snowy sidewalk.

#henry-centric fic #ouat ff #henry mills #henry mills/original character #some cs #cause ya'll know me #holiday fluff #christmas fic #family fluff #humor #but angst now too #christmas in storybrooke