#anyway my dark tower fic has 3 of the 4 perspective characters think about their grief. the 4th doesnt cause its elyan and hes occupied

[botanicallyinclinednerd]

In this house we let characters grieve over loss and trauma instead of pretending it never happened and only reference the loss a handful of times in passing without touching on how the surving characters are actually coping with the loss.

[thethirdamell]

I’ve seen a lot of people posting a few writing memes about fic titles so I just wanted to break down where all of mine have come from and what they mean in Accursed Ones because I’m bored. Probably nothing you don’t already know in here

1. Awakening  - Name of the game + Anders literally waking up + metaphorically waking up and understanding his obligation to help 2. Nothing For It - Mean to imply that Anders had no alternative but to help and be helped by Amell in turn 3. Conscription  - What it says on the tin 4. Joining  - What it says on the tin 5. It Comes From Beneath  - Name of the quest 6. Last of the Legion  - Name of the quest 7. Memories of the Stone  - Name of the quest 8. A Night of Revelry - Meant to be ironic considering what happens 9. Freedom for Anders  - Name of the quest 10. Freedom for Anders Part Two - Name of the quest 11. The Righteous Path  - Name of the quest 12. In Retreat, Panic  - A play on the Grey Warden motto. (Also my favorite chapter in the story.) 13. All Soul's Day - Name of the annum 14. The Dark Theurge  - Name of the demon 15. Paramour  - Name of the achievement for a romance 16. Ground Rules - Ground rules for a relationship 17. Lost in Dreams  - Name of a similar quest 18. Far Afield - Name of the quest 19. Far Afield Part Two - Name of the quest 20. Uprising  - Name of the quest 21. The Resolutionist and The Aequitarian - Amell and Wynne’s respective fraternities  22. Serpents High, Angels Low - Both the rules of the team’s card game and an over-arching theme of the fic where things that are presumed to be good/evil are often the reverse.  23. Malleus Maleficarum  - The name of a treatise on witchcraft elevating sorcery to heresy and a song Malleus Maleficarum by Ordo Funebris 24. Shadows of the Blackmarsh  - Name of the quest 25. The Blackmarsh Undying  - Name of the quest 26. Pride Goes Before Destruction - A reference to the Pride demon and Amell’s pride in thinking he can handle it 27. And a Haughty Spirit Before a Fall - A reference to Justice and Anders falling for Amell 28. The Apple And The Tree - A quote about Amell being like his father 29. Lullabies - A Song - Lullabies by Yuna 30. Fools Gold - Meant to reference both Quentin and Anders’ happiness. Also a song Fools Gold Fitz and the Tantrums.  31. Eyes of the Beholder - A play off “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder” meant to reference the difference between Amell and Anders’ perspectives on losing his eyes.  32. Blame it on the Night - Meant to indicate what happened isn’t Anders’ fault. Also a song - Blame it on the Night by Calvin Harris  33. White Lies, Red Eyes - A reference to both the colors of the Amell family and Amell’s personality 34. Spirits and Demons - What it says on the tin 35. Love is Blind - An overarching theme in the story. 36. Satinalia - Name of the annum 37. Brothers and Sisters - A reference to Wardens and Anders still having family without Amell.  38. Score One for Our Heroes - Meant to be ironic. Also a quote from Anders. 39. Out of Control - The current state of things and also a reference to A Leader on Losing Control by Corb Lund which is a Leonie song.  40. Justice for Naught - Meant to imply that sometimes there is no justice but you have to keep trying anyway 41. Here's to Us Blighters - What Oghren says when night is darkest 42. Bold and Brazen and Beautiful - Amell’s description of Anders 43. Monsters and Men - Self explanatory for Justice/Anders.  44. The Best Intentions - Oft Go Awry is Unspoken  45. Blessed Are the Peacekeepers - A quote from the Chant of Light 46. Champions of the Just - The rest of the quote. Meant to be ironic.  47. The Black City - A reference to both Kirkwall and the actual Black City 48. Rip Up Your Roots - A quote from Cor and what Anders does to cope, but the follow up, “You ain’t gonna have a tree.” is equally important.  49. A Good Man - A quote from Lirene about Anders 50. First Day - The name of the annum 51. As The Crow Flies - Foreshadowing Anders learning shapeshifting 52. Wintersend - Name of the annum 53. Chasing the Sun - Name of a song. Chasing the Sun by the Wanted.  54. Doubts and Revelations - What it says on the tin 55. Birds of a Feather - Flock together. Both a joke about shapeshifting and Kanders.  56. Snap - What it says on the tin 57. Ray of Sunshine - Joke on Bethany’s name 58. Oopsy Daisy - Joke on Merrill’s name 59. Pretty Reckless - Meant to reference both Anders and Hawke’s behavior.  60. Let's Try This Again - What it says on the tin 61. A Preoccupation with Spirits - A joke about Justice and alcohol 62. Meetings - What it says on the tin 63. Acquainted - Basically just Meetings Part 2 64. Bloodline Part One -  What it says on the tin 65. Bloodline Part Two -  What it says on the tin 66. Trail of Love - Name of the quest but also references Anders’ many past and future loves. Amell, Karl, Isabela, Hawke.  67. Rude Awakening - A call back to the first chapter meant to show how much Anders has changed. Anders takes on the role of Amell here and Hawke takes on the role of Anders with respects to Blood Magic.  68. Safe Harbors - A joke about sex with Isabela 69. The Best Laid Plans - Oft Go Awry is implicit.  70. Oft Go Awry -  What it says on the tin 71. All New, Faded For Him - This was an anagram like the quest in DAI but I can’t remember what it is an anagram for. RIP 72. A Year Ago Today -  What it says on the tin 73. Friends in Low Places - Name of the quest  74. No Turning Back -  What it says on the tin 75. Senior Warden Anders -  What it says on the tin 76. Bodies So Maimed - Quote from the Chant of Light about darkspawn 77. Down in the Dark with the Dead - A quote from Eli 78. Up in the Light with the Life - The opposite of the above quote 79. A Day for Silence - Name of the annum 80. My Failing and My Falling Part One - A line from Anders’ story for Nika and a reference to Hawke’s failure to protect his sister.  81. My Failing and My Falling Part Two - Same as above 82. Pain and Bane - Name of the poem Merrill sings. Also an overarching theme of the story 83. Luck of the Dog - Reference to the Dog Lords but also ironic considering Anders is not lucky.  84. Bird's Eye View - Both a reference to Anders’ transformation magic and his perspective on the Circles and how Bethany doesn’t share them 85. Act of Mercy - Name of the quest 86. The Revolutionists - Name of Decimus’s fraternity 87. Burn After Reading - what it says on the tin 88. Not in Hand, Not in Play - A quote from the chapter but also Fenris’ perspective on love and a theme of the story. It is or it isn’t.  89. Enemies Among Us - Name of the quest 90. Save Me - What it says on the tin 91. Benedictions - A Canticle in the Chant of Light that makes Hawke think of Anders 92. What Will The Neighbors Think? - A mini-theme throughout the story regarding Anders (in)ability to be openly in a relationship, be it with Amell, Justice, Hawke, etc.  93. Have Your Pie and Eat it Too - What Anders keeps trying and failing to do 94. Dead Set on Ending Badly - Foreshadowing  95. Where We Stand - Where Hawke and Anders’ relationship stands 96. Hearts of Gold or Near Enough - Meant to apply to all of the main characters 97. Ghilan’him Banal’vhen - The Path that Leads Astray. Foreshadowing. 98. Abstention and Absolution - Meant to be Ironic 99. Until the Last Dog is Hung - What it says on the tin 100. Free To Good Home - References the mages, Dog Lords, and also Anders 101. It Gets Easier - Narrator Voice: It did not get easier. 102. Luxury of Leaning - A reference to Hawke not having the option to pursue men as the scion of a noble house but doing it anyway because fuck you mom. 103. Dissent - Name of the quest 104. Into Madness - Play on words. Descend into Madness / Dissent into Madness 105. Fester - What it says on the tin 106. The First Sacrifice - Name of the quest 107. Once Removed - Play on words. A reference to Amell/Hawke’s Eyes and Quentin being Hawke’s cousin once removed.  108. Not Again - Haha get wrekt  109. All That Remains - Name of the quest 110. The Way Forward - A reference to Fenris’ quote about the stairs being out. Meant to symbolize that there are no other options for Anders, Hawke, and the narrative as a whole. Also, ironically, meant to show that Hawke does not actually move forward.  111. Lyrium and Lies - Foreshadowing 112. Ser Cumference and the Terrible Tower - A children’s tale vibe meant to show the dichotomy of man.  113. The Calm Before - Foreshadowing for the name of the next chapter.  114. The Storm - What was foreshadowed.  115. Long Time No See - A reference to both not seeing Amell for a long time and Amell not being able to see for a long time.  116. To Catch a Thief - Name of the quest 117. To Save a Sinner - Similar naming methodology of the previous chapter meant to show Isabela is more than just a thief.  118. On Deaf Ears - Both Hawke being deaf and Hawke not agreeing with Anders. 119. Hey Sparkles - Meant to give a “It’s gonna be okay dude” vibe.  120. Give Me A Sign - Sign language reference but also a plea for Hawke and Anders’ relationship to get better. 121. We Should Talk - About both Hawke and Amell, but Amell is the only one Anders talks to in this chapter.  122. The Weight of Years - Shit’s heavy 123. How Have You Been? - Asking the dangerous questions again 124. Spin a Story - Varric’s terrible advice to Anders but also Amell’s approach to interacting with Anders after they’ve been apart for so long. 125. Give and Take Part One - Commentary on Anders relationship with both Amell and Hawke.  126. Give and Take Part Two - See above  127. What You Make It - What love is according to Fenris 128. Letters from the Vigil - What it says on the tin 129. Consent is Key - A quote from the chapter and commentary on responsible use of blood magic.  130. What Have You Done Now? - A song. What Have you Done Now by Within Temptation 131. But This is All I Ever Was - A song lyric. Ditmas by Mumford & Sons 132. Wasted Time - Also a song lyric from Ditmas but like accidentally. 

[unfolded73]

The Nonlinear Property of Time (4/4)

A Season 7 AU story with time travel. Rated Explicit. Warnings for pregnancy sex and fanservice-ilicious daddy!Killian in this last chapter.

This fic is dedicated to @allrightfine – you finally wore me down. Thanks to @j-philly-b for betaing. Thanks to @bleebug for your amazing artistic talent.

A few important notes:

1. I came up with this fic before 7x02 aired based on a lot of the speculation going on in fandom, and even after it was no longer consistent with canon, I couldn’t resist writing it. It just became more involved to fully describe the time travel scenario. Anyway, the point is Wish Hook isn’t in this. But that does not mean I’m anti-Wish Hook – surprisingly, I’m pretty psyched for that story now. So please don’t compliment this fic by slamming that character and his storyline, because I don’t really want to see that.

2. This story has a present-Killian/future-Killian/Emma threeway. If that’s not your thing, this fic might not be for you, and that’s okay!

3. This whole scenario turned out to be way more angsty than I anticipated going in. (No wonder the Doctor is such a big mope.) Which I love but also it makes me glad this isn’t what happened canon.

(Chapter 1) (Chapter 2) (Chapter 3) (NSFW Chapter 3 art)

Chapter 4

They gathered after breakfast in the clearing near Henry’s cottage.

Killian stood beside Regina, the brace for his hook propped on the pommel of his sword, watching from a distance as Henry and Emma said their goodbyes. He could tell that Emma was trying to put on a brave face, but the tears were starting to flow as she pulled her son into a hug. His older counterpart was keeping his distance from everyone, allowing time for all the farewells.

“You gonna be okay there, pirate?” Regina asked him.

He met her eyes briefly. “I was imagining what I would do if staying here to protect Henry meant that I would miss the birth of my child. That I really would miss all that time with Emma. And… if I knew that that was the only way to keep both Henry and my unborn child safe from whatever is coming…” He sighed. “I’d stay.”

She reached over and tentatively squeezed his hand. “Thank you.” Regina then let go and stepped back, her discomfort with even that brief moment of connection evident. “But that isn’t what you’re doing. You aren’t going to miss the birth of your child.”

“Then why do I hate this so much?” he asked, his jaw aching as he clenched it.

“Because living day to day without the person you love feels like torture sometimes,” Regina said. “There’s an ending in sight for you, though. Focus on that.”

Emma and Henry walked over and joined them, and Emma pulled a surprised Regina into a hug. “I’m pissed that you won’t be there when the baby comes,” she said.

Regina laughed, her voice the slightest bit watery. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of people willing to babysit.”

Emma scoffed as she let go of Regina. “Not to babysit, just… I don’t know. I figured you’d keep me sane when the baby is crying nonstop and my mother is being annoyingly optimistic about everything.”

Killian’s attention drifted from the two women to Henry, who had wandered over to the older Killian to say goodbye to him. It was such an odd thing, he thought. First, he had to endure a period of time without his wife, and then after that a period of time without his stepson. From the younger Killian’s perspective, at the start of this slow path through time, it felt like an eternity until they would all be reunited again. His older self might have kept mum on how long it would be, but Killian knew. The subtle signs of age on the other man’s body, the desperate way he had touched his wife, the sadness in his eyes as he said goodbye to Henry now. It would be years, not months.

“Hey,” Emma said, taking his hand.

Killian swallowed around a lump in his throat. “Hey, yourself.”

She put her arms around him. “Take good care of Henry.”

He chuckled. “He’ll probably need to take care of me. I’ll be useless without you.”

“No, you won’t.” She pulled him tighter, and he could feel the rounded bump of her abdomen, a little bit more pronounced every day.

“Look after yourself, love. Eat balanced meals, and take your vitamin—”

“Killian, don’t imagine it like my life is going on without you.” She pulled back and held his face in her hands. “Imagine that I’m frozen in a bubble. Nothing’s gonna happen without you there. I’ll eat healthy and take my prenatal vitamin because you’ll be there to remind me. Okay?”

“Okay.” He blinked, feeling tears spill over onto his cheeks, and kissed her. “Not a day will go by for me that I won’t think of you.”

Her resulting smile broke his heart. “Good.” She kissed him again. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.” He squeezed her hand, not wanting to let go, and brought it to his lips. “Always.”

She pulled away, and he finally had to drop her hand. Killian was barely holding himself together, knowing that breaking down into sobs right in front of everyone would just make all of this harder. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the magic bean, reluctantly handing it over to his other self. “Appreciate every single day,” he told himself.

“You know I will.”

Emma went over to Henry one last time, taking his face in her hands and kissing his forehead, just the way she’d done when he was little, when she had to lean over him to do so. Now he stood almost a head taller than her, his shoulders broad. When she seemed like she might linger indefinitely, the older Killian gently guided her away.

As Killian watched, his counterpart hurled the bean, and a portal opened in the clearing. Squinting, Killian could see the black pavement of Storybrooke’s main street in the middle of the glowing spiral hole, the clock tower in the background. He felt a swell of homesickness, not just for Emma, but for Granny and Snow, David and little Neal, Ashley and Alexandra and even Zelena, gods help him — all of the people who made his adopted hometown a home.

Emma looked back, her eyes filled with tears. The other Killian put his arm around her, and before he could take another breath, the two of them turned and ran through the portal. It closed behind them, the woods left unnaturally silent in its wake.

That night, as he fell asleep listening to the sounds of the nocturnal creatures of the forest, Killian mentally marked a single line on a tally sheet inside his mind. One day down without his wife; many, many more left to go.

~*~

Storybrooke, Years Ago

At least his time in Hyperion Heights meant he didn’t have to readjust to modern life. The way to brew a pot of coffee, or run the dishwasher, or drive a car — thanks to his cursed memories, all of those tasks were at his fingertips, so to speak. And thanks to his false memories of attending the Seattle Police Academy and studying to be a detective, he was now positively overqualified to be Sheriff’s deputy in a quiet Maine town where nothing remarkable ever happened.

The day they returned to Storybrooke, he took his prosthetic hand off and put it in a drawer. It reminded him too much of those lonely months as Detective Rogers, when he didn’t even know he had a wife to miss. When he didn’t know that Henry and Ella and Lucy and Regina were his family. If Emma had any opinion about him going back to the hook, she didn’t comment on it.

He could tell when Emma would start to talk to him about something like it had happened yesterday (because of course for her, it had), then would stop and check herself and gently back up and explain. He hated that she had to do that, that she had to be reminded of all the years he’d lived without her. He wanted her happiness to be pure, not adulterated with the knowledge of the time he’d spent away from her side.

On the plus side, the waning of Emma’s morning sickness as she started the second trimester of her pregnancy combined with his having missed her so desperately meant their sex life was electric — probably the best it had ever been, even compared to those first few months after their wedding. As they lay in bed in the soft afterglow, his hand on her growing belly, he would talk to her. He told of how the first time he saw the way Henry looked at Ella, Killian knew he was a goner. How he and Regina had witnessed their small wedding in the resistance camp in the forest. How Ella had gone into labor at the most inopportune of times, and that he had helped Tiana deliver the baby while Regina held off the forces of darkness with every spell in her arsenal.

He told her about Rogers, and how lonely he’d been, even if he hadn’t known why.

Emma combed her fingers through his hair and pressed her lips to his cheek and listened. In less time than he would have credited, it was like he’d never been away from her in the first place.

He marked the days, knowing that a time would come when he would need to let himself into the pawn shop for a particular magic wand and write out instructions and take them to Zelena so that the time loop would finally be closed.

~*~

Emma shut off the shower and slid the curtain back, pausing to squeeze the excess water out of her hair before stepping out.

“Swan?” Killian called, and she could hear his footsteps through the bedroom. “Do you need a hand?”

She rolled her eyes. “I can manage to get out of the shower without falling down, babe, I promise.”

He ignored her snark, walking over and holding out his elbow. “Nonetheless, I’m here, so you might as well hold onto me.”

She glared at him, but put her wet hand on his shirt sleeve and allowed him to take some of her weight as she maneuvered over the lip of the tub with her prodigious belly. Killian handed her a fresh, fluffy towel.

“Thanks,” she said, starting to dry herself off.

“Did the shower make you feel better?”

“My back is still killing me, so not really.” She grimaced down at her protruding belly button, now an outie, and observed once again that she couldn’t see her feet. “I’m ready for you to come out of there, little girl,” she said, patting her abdomen. As if she knew she were being spoken to, the baby kicked.

“Two more weeks, love.”

“Two more weeks ‘til the due date, but that means any time from now on would be considered full term,” she said as she toweled off her hair and followed him back into the bedroom.

“I’m sorry you’re uncomfortable,” he said. “What can I do to help?”

She sighed. “Can you rub my back?”

“Of course.”

Emma hung her towel up and pulled on a pair of clean underwear and lay down on the bed on her side, bringing her knees up so that her spine curved out. “I can’t even lie down on my stomach for a proper backrub.” Complaining felt good. “And my hips hurt, which is just stupid.”

Killian lay down behind her, his hand kneading into her lower back, and she moaned in appreciation. “Right there?” he asked her somewhat unnecessarily.

“God, yes, right there,” she gasped as his fingers dug in deeper.

He stifled a groan. “How it is that you can make me hard so quickly just with the sound of your voice? It’s witchcraft, Swan.”

She turned and looked over her shoulder to see this erection he was bragging about, and sure enough, she could see the hard outline of him through his jeans. Emma snorted and turned back around. “But then you look at me and it kills your boner just as quickly.”

“I can only assume, since I have told you a hundred times that I am aroused by the sight of your pregnant body, that you are fishing for reassurance. But that’s all right, darling, I’m happy to provide it.” His hand continued to work on her back as he talked. “You are beautiful and sexy, and when I look at you, I’m in awe of the fact that you’re carrying my child and at the same time I just want to fuck you.”

Emma shivered, smiling secretly to herself. “Okay.”

“I’m glad it’s okay with you that you drive me to distraction on a daily basis.”

“And here I thought you were afraid I was going to fall down in the tub; you just wanted an excuse to see me naked.”

He chuckled. “It can’t be both?”

Emma hummed to herself, dragging a thumb over her nipple. “We can have sex now if you want.”

Leaving off the deep tissue massage, Killian began trailing his fingers up and down her spine, making her shiver again. “What about your back and your hips and whatever else is paining you, darling?”

She shrugged. “My back is better, thanks to you, and now I’m kind of horny. Look, don’t question my rapidly shifting hormonal state. There’s no explaining it.”

Laughing, he curled his body against hers and reached around to stroke her over the thin cotton of her panties. She often felt a little swollen and sensitive down there these days, and his touch had her instantly gasping and grinding against his fingers.

It was clear that Killian wanted to take his time, as he gently rolled her over onto her back to spend some quality time kissing her. Which was nice, but what Emma really wanted right now was a quick fuck, not to be romanced. On the other hand, her husband was a wonderful kisser. Not only that, she could tell by the way he was stroking his hand up and down her body that he was trying to communicate to her through touch that he still appreciated her physically. The least she could do was lie back and enjoy it.

Killian pulled down her underwear and Emma helped him, kicking it off onto the floor. Before he could resume his attentions, the baby kicked hard enough to hurt, and Emma winced. Maybe lying back and enjoying it wasn’t in the cards for her either.

“I think she wants me to turn over,” Emma said, rolling away onto her side again.

She listened as her husband undressed, and then she felt him press against her back again. This time he was all skin and hair and hard cock, falling naturally against the crease of her ass as he nuzzled her neck.

Emma tangled their legs together, none too subtly spreading her thighs and angling her hips to accept him inside. Killian made some adjustments and used his hand to guide himself into her wetness, and she groaned with relief as he filled her.

It was a familiar rhythm for them, an all-too-familiar position, and Emma found herself longing for the day when she could feel Killian pressed against her chest again, could wrap her legs around his hips and lie back and let him fuck her into the mattress. She slid her hand down between her legs and clenched her thighs, her fingers kneading and pressing against her clit. Emma didn’t need his help with this part of it; in truth, preferred to take care of herself when Killian was fucking into her from behind, but he wrapped his arm around her and put his hand over hers and it was nice, like he just wanted to feel the way she pleasured herself, like it heightened his enjoyment to do so.

Emma tilted her head back and lost herself in the friction, the delicious pressure, and then her orgasm hit suddenly, making her moan low and loud in the quiet bedroom. After a handful of strokes, Killian followed, his teeth leaving impressions in the skin of her shoulder.

The lay together for several minutes, panting, breathing gradually slowing down and in no hurry to pull apart. When he finally slipped from her body and rolled to lie on his back, Emma turned over to cuddle against his side — as close as she could, anyway, given her current shape.

He put his hand on her belly and was soon rewarded with a flurry of motion from their daughter. Killian laughed. “There she is, right on schedule. Very indignant about the things we’ve been getting up to, isn’t she?”

Emma giggled and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his hand on her skin. “Should we tell her when she’s older? That we used to have sex when I was heavily pregnant and that she would always kick me afterward like she was taking a karate class?”

“Oh, aye. I’m sure we’ll scar her in a myriad of ways, Swan; what’s one more?”

~*~

“Killian?”

“Up here, David!” he called, holding the front part of the diaper down with the stump of his left wrist so that he could fold the tabs over with his hand. After two weeks, he almost had it mastered. Fastening the snaps of the little garment Emma called a ‘onesie’ with nimble fingers, he scooped up the crying, wiggling infant, putting his hand under her head and his wrist under her back. “Now now, Maureen, don’t fret. I’ve got you, sweet love.”

Turning, he looked at the disarray of the baby’s room and frowned. Not exactly the kind of thing that would impress his father-in-law. Maureen snuffled, rooting against his collarbone.

David ducked his head in and grinned. “There’s my granddaughter!” he said. He made a few silly faces at the baby before holding out his arms. “May I?”

“Of course,” Killian said, passing the baby over. “Did Emma tell you to check on me?”

David gave him a guilty glance as he led Killian out of the nursery. “She might’ve mentioned that she was going to run a few errands on her own this afternoon.” He bounced the baby in the practiced way of a man who had spent many an hour with his own, and Killian envied him his natural ease. “How are you?”

“Fine. Maureen was a little fussy earlier, but that miraculous pump Emma has allows me to feed her, so—”

“Yeah, there’s a lot of things in this realm that make taking care of baby easier,” David said as the two men went downstairs. “Not that I had the opportunity to take care of Emma, but… you know.”

“Aye. Can I get you anything?”

Little Maureen’s eyelids were drooping, seduced into sleep by the way David was gently swaying back and forth. “No, I’m fine. Just wanted to see this little one and check how you were doing.”

Killian scratched behind his ear. “I mean, I’m not as good as Emma at… anything, really. But it’s…” He looked at the way his daughter’s eyelashes fluttered, at her tiny, perfect nose and pink cheeks. “She makes it all worth it. I would endure every hardship ten times over for her.”

David brushed his lips across the top of the baby’s head. “Yeah. I know exactly what you mean.”

Killian decided to take advantage of not holding a baby for once and moved to start cleaning up the kitchen.

“So…” David said, still swaying back and forth. “I noticed you’re not wearing the hook.”

“Aye,” he said, filling the sink with hot soapy water. “Even though I don’t keep it sharpened, I was still worried I might hurt her.”

“Well, don’t you have a prosthetic hand? Emma told me you had one from when you were cursed in Seattle.”

Killian frowned, turning around. “She did?”

Another guilty expression from his father-in-law. “She might’ve mentioned it.”

Turning back to the sink, Killian concentrated on his task. “It belonged to my cursed persona there. I don’t… I don’t like the reminder.”

“Of being cursed? I can understand that.”

He winced. “I don’t mean a reminder for me. I mean for Emma.”

There was a pause. “Sorry, Killian, you lost me. Reminder for Emma of what, exactly?”

He dried off his hand, giving up on the dishes and leaning against the sink. “Of the fact that I’m so far removed in time from the man I was when she told me she was pregnant with that little life ruiner,” he said with a forced smile and a nod at his daughter, now slack and sound asleep in her grandfather’s arms. “I’ve been back for more than six months, and I think she’s almost forgotten.” He grimaced and shook his head. “Not forgotten, but she doesn’t think about it every day. She’s stopped constantly checking herself on whether she’s assuming I’ll remember something I might not remember anymore. I don’t want there to be a constant reminder for Emma of the fact that I had to live a segment of my remaining years without her, after how hard we fought to be together.”

“I’m not sure you’re giving my daughter enough credit. I mean, look, you should do what makes you comfortable. Wear a—” He glanced around the kitchen. “—spatula at the end of your wrist for all I care. But I just think if you have a device that would make it easier to take care of a newborn — not that you aren’t doing an amazing job already; clearly you are — why not use it?”

“Did Emma tell you to say that?”

“No.” David smirked. “Let’s just say I read between the lines.” The baby startled herself awake and wiggled in David’s arms. Shifting her position into the crook of his elbow, he looked down into her face and grinned widely. “I still think she kind of looks like me,” he said as he booped her gently on the nose.

Killian groaned. “Not this again.”

“Come on, she has my eyes!”

“I have blue eyes, mate.”

“Yeah, whatever, pirate.”

~*~

Storybrooke, Present Day

“They’re here! They’re here!” Maureen shouted from the front room, nearly knocking over her father’s telescope in her haste to get to the front door. “Mom! Dad! They’re here!”

She wrestled open the door a little bit too forcefully, and it banged against the doorstop as she ran onto the porch.

People were piling out of the nondescript dark blue car at the curb as Zelena’s green monster pulled up behind and she and Robyn got out. Maureen was almost distracted from the new arrivals by Robyn’s blue hair. She loved Robyn’s hair. She wanted blue hair too, but her parents said she wasn’t old enough yet.

Maureen hadn’t met any of the other people, but she knew who they were. Aunt Regina, she’d seen pictures of. Henry too, although most of the pictures of him were when he was a teenager, and he looked like a grownup now. The other lady must be his wife, she thought, and the girl was their daughter, Lucy. Maureen’s dad had told her lots of stories about Lucy.

There was a blur of blonde hair as her mom ran out of the house and down the stairs and collided with Henry, hugging him tightly. Then she felt her dad’s hand on her shoulder, and Maureen looked up to see him watching the reunion. He looked kind of like he was going to cry, which made Maureen’s stomach roll over.

Regina approached and held out her hand. “Hello, there. I’m Regina.”

Maureen shook Regina’s hand. “I’m Maureen.” Regina was pretty, with dark lipstick and dark hair, and Maureen felt nervous about what to say to her. She looked up at her dad again.

He smirked at Regina. “Do we hug?” he asked her.

“Absolutely not,” Regina replied, but then she hugged Maureen’s dad anyway, which was weird.

Maureen looked back at the lawn, where her mom was talking excitedly to Henry’s wife, her voice kind of high-pitched and fast. Lucy glanced over, and Maureen waved nervously at her.

With a smile, Lucy approached. “You’re my aunt, right?”

Maureen puffed up a little bit at that. She was someone’s aunt, and that meant she had responsibilities.  “Yeah,” she said in a firm voice. “I can show you around if you want. Do you want to come see my room?”

“I delivered the package and the hook, exactly as instructed,” Zelena said. Maureen looked up out of curiosity. Zelena had delivered Dad's hook to someone? Why would she do that, Maureen wondered. For as long as she could remember, sometimes her dad had worn his hook and sometimes his mechanical hand, depending on what he needed to do. She’d asked him once why, and he had said that it took two hands to wash all the dirt off of her at the end of the day, but one hook to properly captain the Jolly Roger. She knew that last part wasn’t technically true, but after that one time a boy in her class had made fun of her dad for only having one hand, after she’d punched him and made his nose bleed, she’d decided that she didn’t really care why he wore the hook. It was pretty and she loved it.

~*~

Emma poured herself another glass of wine, smiling at the controlled chaos coming from the living room where everyone had gathered after dinner, her whole family under one roof, with kids and grandkids and great grandkids, even.

Zelena and Regina joined her in the kitchen, and she filled their empty wine glasses before they asked.

“So let me see if I’ve got this straight,” Zelena said. “You two and Hook traveled by portal to Ella’s realm by magic bean — let’s call that Point A — Hook and Regina stayed there for several years, got cursed to live in Seattle, the curse was broken with true love’s kiss, I brought the Black Fairy’s wand to them there — let’s call that Point B — Hook traveled back in time to Point A, took you back to here to Storybrooke, you had Maureen and lived happily until a few weeks ago when Hook sent me to Point B to bring him the wand. Have I got all that?”

Emma sipped her wine. “That pretty much sums it up.”

“And so for a little while there were two versions of Hook in the same place,” Zelena went on.

“For about twelve hours or so.” Emma narrowed her eyes at Zelena. “I know what you want to ask me.”

“No, you don’t, because I am going to be a bigger person than that. I don’t always have to be the comic relief, asking inappropriate questions. I’m capable of some measure of decorum, you know. I’m capable—”

“I did have sex with both of them at the same time,” Emma said.

“There isn’t enough wine in the world for this conversation,” Regina said, taking a large drink from her glass as if she were testing that theory.

Zelena put her own wine glass down and gripped Emma’s upper arms, looking her dead in the eye. “Emma, I’ve never respected you more than I do at this moment,” Zelena said reverently. “This is the true fairy tale.”

“Yeah, well, let’s keep this one out of any storybooks, okay?” Emma replied with a giggle.

~*~

“Finally, Captain Hook is starting to look his age,” Henry said as he came out onto the back porch to join Killian. Dinner had been demolished hours ago, and the two excited girls were finally in bed asleep, and Killian had taken the opportunity to sneak outside for a breath of fresh air.

“What’s that?”

Henry pointed at his hair, where Killian knew there was a liberal smattering of grey amongst the brown.

“It’s weird. It’s been two weeks since I’ve seen you, but for you, it’s been years,” his stepson said, leaning against the porch railing. “I mean, we knew this day would come, but it’s one thing to know and another to know.”

“Aye.”

“I can tell you’re happy, though. You seem settled — in a good way.”

“I’m very happy.” He scratched behind his ear. “Your mother and I missed you terribly, but it’s been a wonderful adventure, raising Maureen.”

“She’s very… spirited,” Henry said diplomatically, and Killian laughed.

“You can say it — she’s a handful.”

“Okay, she’s a handful, but she wouldn’t be my sister if she weren’t.”

“Aye, I suppose that’s true.” They stood side-by-side in silence for a few minutes, staring out at the darkened sky. “How long do you think you’ll stay here in Storybrooke?”

Henry shrugged. “For a while. There’s certainly nothing for us back on the west coast, and I don’t think any of us are in any hurry to get back to Ella’s realm.”

“That’s good news.” He knew Emma wouldn't want to let him go anytime soon.

“How do you do it?” Henry asked.

“Do what, my boy?”

Henry exhaled. “Live a normal life. A life without danger, and monsters, and curses. I grew up with all that stuff, and then for a few years, it was all so quiet. And yeah, I left home to visit other realms so that I could find my own story, and obviously, I’m glad I did. But I wonder if I didn’t also do it because I missed all the drama and danger. Maybe I’m addicted to it, a little bit. So now I’ve got a chance at my own happily ever after, my own happy beginning, and I’m terrified I’m going to screw it up because I have no idea how to just live an ordinary life.”

Killian reached over and rested his hand on Henry’s shoulder. “Well, first of all, I don’t think there’s such a thing as an ordinary life. There may not be monsters here anymore, but an interesting life doesn’t hinge on fighting monsters. It’s learning something new every day, or finding fulfillment in your work, or running through the forest pretending to be a wolf because your daughter insists you’re a wolf.”

Henry laughed. “You’re pretty wise, old man.”

“Aye, well, I’ve lived a lot of years. For example, I’ve lived the last ten years twice over, so I had plenty of time to soak up lots of extra wisdom to impart to my stepson.”

“Ugh, you’re going to be insufferable about that, aren’t you?”

Killian grinned. “You can count on it, my boy.”

END