#can't die because she's alive thanks to jackie

[lesbianlotties]

idk if you've talked or written abt this before, but what's your take on jackie's potential for cannibalism? i feel like most of the fandom parrots the "laura lee and jackie had to die first bc they would never have done cannibalism" , which kinda tracks but also kinda feels simplistic (and boring). like i don't think any of the girls would've even considered it until they were in such a fucked up situation, so if you put her through the right circumstances i feel like jackie could've gotten there (and im sure laura lee would've, even easier than jackie)

like i think a lot about how easy it could've been for jackie&shauna's fates to have been reversed, and if it were shauna who froze and jackie who went two more months without food while trying to live with the grief of losing shauna by talking to her corpse, i could absolutely see jackie starting to eat her. biggest difference being jackie would definitely not end up sharing bc she'd be very possessive abt being the only one to get to consume shauna

THAT'S 👏 SIMPLISTIC 👏 AND 👏 BORING 👏

thank you so much for asking because that's seriously such a good question. i've thought and talked and written a lot about laura lee going down the cannibalism rabbit hole, and even making the most of it (for catholiscism reasons!) but we should all be talking more about the endless possibilities of jackie's cannibalism era <3

the thing is these are all just fun possibilities to think about! there's no right answer! sure, it makes sense that jackie (and laura lee) died before the cannibalism because as characters they represents things that would go against it. but aren't we playing with dolls here? can't we consider all the possibilities? even if they aren't so likely?? because isn't the thing about cannibalism for survival that all of them would do it if it came down to it? and asking what would be the extreme circumstance that would push them there?

for jackie the obvious answer is shauna, always, for all questions tbh. her downfall wasn't the rejection of cannibalism not even the rejection of the wilderness stuff, it was shauna. at least mostly. it was shauna's betrayal and the fight with shauna which took away her will to live. at least mostly! but what if instead shauna had continued to be jackie's reason or at least escouragement to stay alive

i'm not the first one to say that jackie would've gone all out as step father to that baby (if somehow idk it wasn't jeffs or they got over it). she would've done everything to secure shauna and the baby's survival, and yeah i think that includes cannibalism!!

and let's even be generous to jackie and say shauna wasn't her entire world (she was but if there's space for an extra 1%) she was also a very commited team captain! along with shauna, the group also kinda betrayed her, discarded her, move on and away from her. but!! what if that hadn't happened? what if by some miracle instead of losing everything, jackie had come through as team captain in the wilderness, commited to keeping them all alive no matter what, used the influence she thought she had or at least used to have back home? she would lead, organize, talk them through it, make sure that all of them participated to stay alive

and who knows! girly might have even come up with more uh civilized ways of choosing a meal i mean victim. jackie taylor might have revolutionized survival and started an ethical cannibalism business in the wilderness! let's all give her the benifit of the doubt and a little credit as team captain and let her thrive a little!

also yeah 100% agree with you on her being too possessive of shauna's corpse to share lmao do you think that girl would've let anyone get a bite of shauna shipma??? be real. she was violently jealous of every person that laid eyes on shauna

[gloryride]

What Does Your Heart Look Like?

Was tagged by @morganlefaye79 to do this Quizz for my babies ♥ Thanks !!

I start with my main ones !

VANESSA - An open door, a burning hearth

Your chest is wide open, and your heart is a home. Others are welcomed in readily and asked to stay. You are comfort and love, everything you were never given but so desperately want to provide for others. You have built this welcoming hearth with your own two hands and won’t see anyone else left out in the cold. Be careful to not burn yourself out trying to keep everyone else warm.

Vanessa has a golden heart and will do anything for the people she loves. If a friend has a problem, she'll run out in the middle of the night to help. Whether it's beating up ex-boyfriends or wrecking their cars because some choom has rabies, she doesn't hesitate. She took Panam in when she didn't know where to sleep… Given that her family is a mess (father never known, mother dead, bastard siblings), she's built HER own family, with people who have no blood ties but who matter above all else. And she'd do anything for them. That's why Jackie's death devastated her … Because even though she's proud and confident, Vanessa knows that she's nothing without good people who love her. And that she loves with all her heart too!

On the other hand, if she doesn't love you, you can go and die deep inside a dustbin!

VIRGILE - Iced over, out of the sun

Your heart is very lonely, isn’t it? Is your fortress of ice self-made? Are others afraid of you, or are you afraid of them? Are you afraid of hurting them, or of being hurt? Vulnerability and connection can be frightening, but that’s no reason to shy away from their light, to tuck yourself small into corners, to build up frigid walls to keep yourself from feeling. You will heal when you allow yourself to draw closer to the flames and thaw.

Leaving his clan after his heart attack broke Virgile. He was alive, but alone, in a city he didn't know and working for NetWatch, which he hated. He was by nature a shy but cheerful nomad, and now he's just become quiet and sad. He seems cold and distant, but it's just that he's terrified of opening up. And when he did it with Evelyn, it didn't work. He found himself even more broken, more alone than before. He's a guy who craves affection and someone to be by his side, but he's convinced that he's crap and that no one would want him. After all, Eve didn't want … He'd rather have one one-night stand after another, or a friend/lover relationship with Valentin, than love…

Then Panam appeared. He didn't want to, but he loved her and was loved in return. That ice began to melt … before they broke up. His fault. Again.

Virgile closed himself off even more, and it will take time, until Panam returns, for him to open up a little, and no longer have this terrifying fear of being alone again.

ISAO - A cage with iron locks

You are an enigma. You take care to remain that way. You aim to keep people guessing; your motives are uncertain even to yourself. What is it you truly want? You’ll never know if you keep your heart locked away like that. You deserve to be known, truly and fully. Stop being afraid of what you might find if you open your heart up to self-reflection. Stop thinking that no one will love you the moment they understand you. You are more than the facade you put on.

Ah Isao … He grew up in a cage, tried to break free, but ended up back inside. He decided to stay locked up, because he knew he had more to lose by being free. But it cost him a lot. He's not a warm or expansive person, but this choice has put him in a prison that he can't get out of, and he keeps his distance from everyone.

After all, he's only loved once, an impossible love that broke him, but where he never had to show anyone anything. Apart from his sister Mieko, nobody really knows Isao.

And now that he has chosen a path of sacrifice, he remains in this sphere, not knowing what to do, just getting up every morning and accepting his destiny. He's just a facade for now…

OSCAR - A guiding, golden light

Just because you cannot see your own heart doesn’t mean that others can’t. Your heart is blinding, captivating, a fire so bright that others can’t bring themselves to look away. It illuminates the path they follow and cements you as a guiding star for their own wayward hearts. Every experience you’ve lived through has built your lighthouse heart up just a little higher. You are inspirational, a light that doesn’t go out.

Unlike Isao, Oscar is a ray of sunshine His heart is overflowing with love and kindness, and it's hard not to love him or notice him. He's a positive person, who sees the good in life and tries to show it to you.

He doesn't realise these qualities, he's just enjoying his life, but others see it. He has his flaws for being in his own world, but nobody (not even Placide) can deny that he's a lovely boy, always there for you, and that he knows how to have fun, despite living in a war zone like Pacifica.

Some people think he's mad, but he's a happy, innocent, radiant madman.

Tagging (no pressure, and sorry if you already did) : @angynomadsimp @a-pirate @fereldanwench @bnbc @86maylin

[jollyreginaldrancher]

Yellowjackets S2 e7 thoughts and stuff

Things are reaching a new low

It looks like they're snowed in.

I guess they're all gonna be pooping in the pee bucket now.

Shauna's still holding onto her child 😭

Is Shauna abrasive because of everything that happened or because she's worried they'll try to eat the baby?

The snow took Jackie from her and now she has to put her baby in the snow to protect it and I am not okay.

The credits are different this time. I never watch them but from the bits I've caught, they are definitely different this time.

The audio is different, lacking its usual gritty guitar riffs in the beginning, and layering the vocals over the vocals. Things are ramping up and we are really reaching the point of no return.

VAN BROUGHT THE TITTY PEN WITH HER. SHE KEPT THR TITTY PEN ON HER PERSONS THIS WHOLE TIME!

Tai you did not side-eye Van when Nat accused you all of needing help. You're the one eating puppies, my friend.

Though Van is shut tighter than a clam shell or a nun's legs, Taissa isn't Miss open book either.

Teen Van is really looking for the meaning of life. Ma'am you have a hot girlfriend during the cold winter. Keeping her warm is your purpose.

"I need to know why I'm still alive"

Because we love you, that's why. Next question.

Van for sure picked forage because Misty picked it. The pettiness 😅

Fuck Lottie specifically for the chore Shauna got

Ben is blurring the lines between the real world and his maladaptive daydreaming dimension

Bro's own fantasy bf dumped him.

He's gonna kill himself, isn't he?

Oh, Lottie is just straight up trying to torture the gals. She tried to put Misty in a full-on deathtrap. Run, Misty, run!

Maybe Gen is the pit-girl. Also thanks to Akilah for finally letting us know what at least one of the other girls is called.

Nah fuck Mari, I hope she IS the pit girl or that she dies because how dare you call my unhinged daughter psychotic? And how dare you insinuate my accidental murderer of a child is a killer?

Yas, Akilah! Thank you for side-eyeing Mari for me. Fuck you Mari.

Oh they're fully culting now.

I love how they're rationalising maybe eating the dead girl. Misty's not happy about it but I'm cracking up. Imagine you get cast in this and the one fucking time you get any screentime it's as a goon, rationalising potentially eating a corpse.

I'm genuinely surprised we haven't jumped back to the present. I can't remember the last time we stayed in one setting for this long.

Tai: I think my shadow-self is gone 🥹

Lottie: it better not be. That thing had gps.

Tai was graffiting.

Still not over Tai walking around in Van's clothes all season.

Tai: the other me is threatening my family

Lottie: that's your inner you telling you to run away with Van

Everyone keeps dumping on Misty for what though? They're just as bad 😭 let she among you who has not accidentally killed a friend or lover cast the first stone.

Anyway back to the 'fuck off Mari' days

Say what you want but Misty is a good friend who won't let her friends get eaten.

And now Shauna's mourning Jackie again but she's really gone and Shauna has to get through this in her own 😭😭

Fuck Todd and fuck Lottie for making Shauna think she had to kill the goat/the goat was gonna die.

I just want to hug Shauna 😭😭😭

Now it's Misty's turn to get tortured 🥺

Misty's guard is so persistent she even wears her glasses in a sensory deprivation tank.

I'm gonna pretend not to see the Morse code love notes and other indicators of Misty vibing with that guy and persevere with my MistyNat headcanon.

I still don't like or trust that guy hitting on Misty.

Did Ben bury Crystal? Or is Misty looking in the wrong place? Or was Crystal eaten by wolves?

I still think he's gonna kill himself or something.

He really looked Misty in the face and asked her to push him. He really did that. What a fucking asshole. Like not bad enough he wants to kill himself, he wants to do it in front of Misty and even wants her to kill him herself?!

What a fucking asshole.

Poor Misty

She doesn't deserve that. She doesn't deserve any of that. She's just a dumb kid trying to save everybody.

Oh fuck

Oh no

Oh fuck

No no no

No

No

Van can't have cancer

She can't have months to live

This isn't happening

LOTTIE DO YOUR FUCKING WILDRENESS MAGIC AND MAKE IT NOT SO

Tai took her ring off she was accepting shit and then Van announced this. No. No, i don't accept this reality.

I can't even get excited about them kissing and stuff anymore 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

I can't even be happy that I was right about Van being sick because I didn't want her to be sick. Or at least I didn't want her to be this sick 😩

Lottie's therapy sessions are 100% in her head. I am positive.

I fucking knew it.

Van sharing her booze with Misty 🥹

They talk so badly about her that I find it genuinely surprising that they actually treat her like a human being, and even extend the odd olive branch her way.

I definitely notice a shift within Nat. The clothes, the attitude. She seems way more chill now.

What's interesting is that Lottie seems to have shifted too. Like almost like they swapped clothes and personalities in a way. Not completely but they definitely had an effect on each other.

Just like the last two days or so seem to have completely changed Taissa and probably Van too. I really hope we see more of Van pre-Tai in the present day just as a baseline.

But yeah as sweet as this reunion is I am stressed as fuck because you just know bad shit is gonna happen and this won't last. Like with Shauna's happy dream about the baby, you just know they're going to wake up to death in the morning.

But Florence and the machine is playing (I think) and the gals are pals and having fun and we're seeing them interact in different groups for once and it's so heartwarming and sweet and I love them so much 🥹

I desperately wanna know what Misty was gonna say about that summer

Tai is going through those stages of grief. She's at denial. Van is at anger and she does NOT want to talk about it 😭

Van and Shauna dancing 🥰 you usually just see Shauna interact with Taissa but it makes sense that she would have been close to Van too. I mean next to Tai, she was the only other girl she called out to in her dream, when the baby was missing.

Poor Misty, dancing on her own though 🥺

I feel so bad for Misty. Like even when she's included she's not included in shit. That feels so rough.

Did Shauna just deck her? What the fuck? She blames Misty for the baby? And she bit Van? Great, now Van's gonna have an infection to content with cause. I doubt they have toothpaste.

Lottie really just volunteered to be her punching bag 😮

These girls were really meant to die, huh?

Like this is some final destination shit. No one will be standing by the end of it.

Holly fuck

And they're calling Misty a murderer and stuff but look at Shauna go.

Geez

Is Lottie a ghost right now? Cause Shauna fucked her up and I wouldn't be surprised if she fucking died just then.

Honestly surprised she had that much energy. I don't have that much energy on a good day, let alone after months of starvation.

Also when they get back they ought to build a shrine to Misty for keeping their asses alive through all of this. Ben, Shauna and Lottie especially. Van too though. Actually Van shouldn't pray to any god since she is clearly stronger than all of them combined.

And they found that body and now the shoes are starting to drop. Surely they won't go anywhere with this. It's not like they'll mess up the status quo, right? Right?

[alexkablob]

Will you please elaborate on Jackie’s death being narratively necessary because I do not get it

Jackie is the character who represents the world before the crash; she's the team captain, she's the one who refuses to adapt to the new situation or learn survival skills and instead clings to the social structure that she understands. And she's also, despite the surface-level mean girl persona, the heart of the team—the mediator, the one that gives pep talks, and abandoning that role and instead lashing out to try and feel some measure of control over the situation is what leads directly to her death.

Jackie can't survive because by being alive she reminds the other girls of the world they lived in before the crash, she gives them a tie to it, and that tie prevents them from falling apart to the extent that we know they do. Ritual cannibalism can't happen while Jackie's around.

Jackie has to not be around for a WHILE before the ritual cannibalism starts happening, too, she can't be a victim of it. Jackie's death happens because she has an extremely teenage blowout fight with Shauna that alienates her from the rest of the team to the point that, in a fit of teenage stubbornness, she goes to sleep outside and won't come in unless Shauna breaks and reaches out to her first. And what prompted her to blow up like that? The first instance of explicitly cultish behavior by the other girls, with Van convincing Lottie to lead them in a prayer to thank the forest for sending them the bear.

So it's not just that she has to die, thematically she has to die just like that: extremely presentably due to teenage drama, because it marks the moment that teenage drama evolves into ritual cannibalism.

(That wouldn't have happened with Laura Lee around, either, and that's why they both die well before things reach that point—though ironically, between Laura Lee encouraging Lottie to think of herself as a prophet and Jackie proposing the first instance of the girls creating intricate rituals to keep themselves sane in the face of an unforgiving deadly wilderness in the form of the Doomcoming, they both play key roles in it.)

For the other characters to become who they are in 2021, they had to freeze Jackie out in 1996.

[doodlelolly0910]

Close Encounters of the Spiritual Kind

Summary: Emma Nolan spent a lot of time alone, and that was fine by her. Because one is never truly alone. She should know. She can talk to dead people. What she didn’t expect was one of these spiritual encounters to hang around, taking her down a rabbit hole of missing women, revenge, and, least expected, love. Can she save the day and Killian Jones? Is there even another choice?

Read it from the beginning on AO3 and FFN!

A/N: This is it guys! This is the very end. I still can't believe it's over. I hope you guys liked it and I couldn't possibly thank you enough for reading and all of your amazing comments. Thank you also to @kmomof4 who has been invaluable during the whole process of writing this and just being an amazing support in general. And super huge thanks to the ever wonderful @courtorderedcake who created the beautiful artwork for this story. She deserves all the love. And away we go!

Epilogue

One year later

Killian Jones sat on his bunk and stared at the wall. The drab beige paint was peeling off the smooth concrete in several places, and Killian's mind began to imagine shapes in it, like one would imagine shapes while watching clouds. It had become a pastime for him, though he couldn't recall when it had begun. For the last year, his life had been reduced to a six foot by eight foot box, shared with another man called “Tiny”, though he was anything but. He didn't know where his cellmate was now, and he didn't care, his mind singularly focused. The slate gray polyester jumpsuit he wore felt stiff against the skin it touched, the thin white t-shirt underneath doing little to prevent the rubbing. He thought briefly about stripping it to the waist, but it wouldn't be much longer now.

The TV in the common area was tuned to a local news station, some of the older inmates having commandeered it for their recreation time, as they sat at a single table directly across from his cell. He couldn't see it but he could hear it, not that he was paying any attention. He scanned over the small space with sharp focus, ensuring that anything he had of value was tucked safely into the small box in front of him. Not that he had much. Just a few books, a couple of drawings and letters he'd received, a few plain, white shirts, nothing huge. The rest of them could fight over the remaining items he would leave behind for all he cared.

“And in other news out of Boston this morning, 62 year old Weaver Gold was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a long and arduous trial,” the reporter on the TV proclaimed, causing Killian's ears to prick up. He turned his head slightly so he could better hear, but remained seated on the bunk. “Gold was charged with several counts of assault, kidnapping, murder, and human trafficking, among other violations. This story broke last year when former BPD Detective Emma Nolan headed an undercover investigation into the head of one of Boston's most dangerous criminal empires. More on this story at 11. Let's go to Jackie with sports. Jackie?”

Killian smirked. It was the least the bastard deserved after all the irreparable damage he'd done to countless lives. He looked around his cell, the cramped space, exposed toilet, bars lining the only exit, and for the first time, the sight made him smile. He couldn't think of a more fitting cage for a crocodile.

The year since Killian had been sentenced for “racketeering” (in reality, the cash laundering scheme he had used to keep his operation afloat was the only thing they could connect back to him) was served uneventfully, for which he was grateful. He kept his head down and stayed mostly to himself, making sure that nothing would delay his release. He had made a promise to go on the straight and narrow and he didn't intend to break it. The police were more than lenient with him considering his own criminal operation.

As part of a plea deal including delivering testimony on Gold, he had received thirty six months in a minimum security federal penitentiary, and Will had received thirty himself.  Jefferson had stayed true to his word and helped them get the best deal possible but with the way everything had gone south, prison time became inevitable. Will had been released after eight months with good behavior to serve out the rest of his sentence on parole, as far as he had heard. He was glad for it. Killian had just had a parole hearing of his own, but he wasn't expecting any such miracles.

Until about an hour ago when a guard had stopped by his cell and told him his parole had been approved. And now he waited. His head was filled with images of his last day of freedom. It had been one of the worst of his life. He had killed a man. Watched other men (and a woman) die. He'd been beaten, broken, tortured for hours. But the thing that stuck out to him the most was Emma's pale and lifeless form in his arms.

It had been Milah all over again. Maybe worse, for he couldn't recall a time his soul had physically ached until that moment, like it had known immediately that it was missing its other half. She'd saved him, not only from the bullet, but from himself. He hadn't expected to ever walk away from the dark criminal underbelly alive. But here he was. Maybe he was a survivor after all. He didn't intend to squander a single second Emma had given back to him.

“Jones,” a sharp, commanding voice barked from just behind the bars of his cell. He looked up to see two uniformed guards waiting for him, an older seasoned guard called Spinelli, whom he knew, and a rookie officer that had just started last week. Howard, he thought he recalled. “Cuff up. Time to go.” Killian stood and obediently slid his hand and stump through the slat in the bars, smirking at the look of exasperation on Spinelli's face.

“Problem?” he asked cheekily, his eyebrow quirking up his forehead, and the rookie had to stifle a chuckle in a less than convincing cough, earning him a glare from the older guard and a grin from Killian.

“Be right back,” Spinelli muttered and stomped off towards the pod exit, leaving the rookie and Killian observing one another in silence.

“So…” Killian extended the conversation to the young officer, leaning up against the bars.

“No talking, inmate,” he replied, underconfident authority in his voice.

“Come, now. Who doesn't bend the rules every now and again?” Killian grinned, his tongue nudging his canine tooth mirthfully.

“Is that how you ended up here? All the fun of bending the rules?”

“Touché, Howard,” Killian agreed.

“It's Hendricks.”

“My mistake, lad. Didn't see a nametag,” he said. The younger man flushed scarlet.

“I forgot it this morning,” he admitted.

“Ah. Bit of a rule bender yourself then, aye?” Killian said with a wink and Hendricks bristled. “Don't worry, I won't tell. You'll do alright here, lad. Don't let these bastards get in your head and you'll do just fine.”

“No talking, inmate. Back away from the bars,” snapped Spinelli, who had huffed his way back in front of his cell as Killian finished speaking. Killian rolled his eyes and backed himself towards the bunk again. “Open!” he called out to the command center. A loud buzz rang out and the bars clicked, Spinelli reaching out to hold them shut for the time being.

“Palms, er, forearms flat on the wall, inmate,” Hendricks commanded. Killian complied. This was the very last time he had to do this. Never again. He'd promised her.

After a moment, the bars slid open and Killian was being fitted with what was called “the sleeve”, a mesh wrap with metal buckles in the back that wrapped around his body and secured his stunted arm to his torso, rendering it immobile. He was dressed with a chain around the waist next, a handcuff around his good wrist and the other end secured to the chain. The chain connected to another that hung between his feet where ankle shackles were added and connected as well. Spinelli stepped back, giving him a once over with a nod and a grunt, satisfied with his level of restraint.

“There we are, all nice and subdued and ready to leave prison,” Killian quipped. A thrill shot through him as soon as the words “leave prison” had left his lips. The rookie suppressed another chuckle.

“Just walk, Jones,” Spinelli grumbled, seizing him by the arm and leading him from the cell. Hendricks followed with his box of personal effects.

As they walked down the corridors, men yelling, cheering and jeering at him, he couldn't help but feel… excited.

When he got here, he was fresh out of spending the first three months of his sentence in the hospital getting physical therapy on his shoulder, two weeks of which was spent with his fractured jaw wired shut. He’d been arrested before, but prison was an entirely different beast altogether. And yet it was nothing at all, compared to what he'd gone through with Weaver Gold.

The day he had shown up at the docks, he had been so sure it was the right move. He had gone to Smee's with Emma and obtained a gun that couldn't be traced back to either of them. The plan was to slip in and kill the man, consequences be damned for the rest. He never expected to make it out alive. He had been so close to making it happen when he made one wrong turn and ran smack into Malcolm and Perdu.

He had fought a hell of a fight against them, but the two men eventually overpowered him when Malcolm wrenched his shoulder from its socket. Once again, he had underestimated Gold's influence, by extension to his henchman. It was when he was presented to the man himself like a wrapped gift that he realized just how far he had actually underestimated him.

Gold had wasted no time in his fervor to make Killian suffer. He nearly rejoiced in it. As soon as he was sunk to his knees, Gold smiled, offering a quick ‘Hello, Jones’ and cracking him across the face with the gold handle of his cane. Hence the fractured jaw. The older man was stronger than his looks portrayed. From there on out, it was a series of blows with the cane and taunts with a gun, his gun usually. He wasn't sure how long it had gone on for.

Then Will was led through the door and his stomach twisted. If Will was there, Emma was no longer safe. He had held on to that last mangled little piece of hope that she was still locked up where he left her, even as Will took a similar beating to the one he had. Right up until Emma marched out from behind those crates and everything went to hell.

He clenched his jaw at the memory as the door buzzed to let him in to the discharge area. Spinelli left his side, taking the box and setting it on a dented metal table next to them, but Hendricks remained, and he opened a locker to retrieve a standard set of street clothes for Killian. Jeans, a gray sweatshirt, and a set of laceless athletic shoes were set on the metal table beside the box as Hendricks worked on getting him unbound.

“Strip,” Spinelli instructed as soon as he was free of his chains and the sleeve. Killian had never moved faster to take off his clothes in front of two men in his life. Hendricks set about gathering his discarded jumpsuit and underthings, shaking them out and inspecting them as Spinelli stepped back towards Killian, who stood, hand clasped over his stump before him, naked as the day he was born.

“Arms out, mouth open,” Spinelli ordered. Killian did so, reminding himself for the hundredth time this was the last time he would ever have to do this. Spinelli searched his mouth with a tongue depressor, eyes scanning over every inch of his body to make sure he didn't have anything hidden. As if anyone would sneak something out of prison, but he was sure stranger things had happened. “Squat and cough,” he instructed next. Killian set his jaw and did that, too. Spinelli nodded. “Get dressed.”

Killian did so and Hendricks walked around him, putting things away. Once he was dressed, he picked up the box with his meager belongings and waited. Spinelli scanned his ID card and the metal door opposite to the one they had entered through buzzed and opened with a loud clank. They reached another door at the end of a short hallway. When Spinelli opened it, daylight flooded in from beyond the floor to ceiling windows that lined the room.

People milled about on the other side of the glass, waiting for a visit or for someone to answer their questions. The door at the end of the glass lined hallway led directly outside. He walked between Hendricks and Spinelli and they waited for clearance at the end of the hall before he stepped out the door into the yard. The two guards escorted him to the fenceline and opened the gate.

“Well, gentlemen, I'd say it was a pleasure, but frankly, I hope I never see either of you again,” he said, only half joking. Hendricks did chuckle at that and even Spinelli offered him a begrudging smile.

“Best of luck, Jones,” the older guard said and Killian nodded in acknowledgement, his eyes already set forward and searching for his future.

Killian Jones took his first free steps in over a year out the front gate, simply taking a moment to breathe it all in.

The rumble of a familiar engine had his head turning in a second, just in time to see a small, yellow Volkswagen Bug pulling up to the curb. Sunshine colored hair and a flushed face popped out of the driver's side door and Killian couldn't have held back his grin if he’d tried.

Emma's brilliant green eyes set on him and she smiled.

“Somebody order a getaway car?” she asked, walking around the front of the car towards him. Killian didn't care who was watching. He dropped the box of things that didn't matter to the pavement and rushed forward to the only thing that did, scooping her up in his arms and sealing lips over hers in a kiss that took both of their breath away.

His arms looped around her waist and he lifted her, her head falling back and laughing as her hands found purchase on his shoulders. He spun them around, resting his forehead against hers, refusing to let her go, not that she was even trying to escape.

“Hi,” she murmured, reaching up to cup his cheek, her thumb stroking over his less than immaculately groomed beard.

“Hi,” he replied, nuzzling into her touch, still a little disbelieving that she was here, alive, in his arms.

Emma had coded twice in the ambulance once medics were able to get to her and three more times in surgery to repair the damage in her abdomen. The last time had been the closest call. The doctor had been ready to call time of death, but Emma's heart inexplicably started beating again all on its own. No one could explain it. They had called it a miracle.

It had been a long road to recovery for her as well, but if nothing else, Emma Nolan was a fighter. She had completed grueling amounts of physical therapy and mental health evaluations, but she had never wasted a single second with Killian. Phone calls, letters, visits every weekend (with accompanying one hour drive both ways), Emma never complained, and Killian wouldn't be where he was without her. In every way possible.

Emma was released from the police force shortly after the incident, before she had even come home from the hospital. They had cited “medical reasons”, for which her resumé was grateful, but she had broken so much procedure it wasn't like she hadn't seen it coming. The women she saved had been worth it. Will was worth it. Killian was worth it. She and Will had set out to found a nonprofit for missing people, a sizeable donation from one Ivy Belfrey getting them off the ground, and she was happier now than she had ever been.

“You can't park there!” a voice shouted at them and they both turned from their embrace to see a stern looking woman in uniform on a golf cart motioning to her car. Emma waved at her in understanding as Killian set her back on her feet.

“Ready to get out of here?” she asked.

“Aye, my love,” he replied with a grin and another quick kiss.

“It's just you and me now.”

“I wouldn't have it any other way, agrà.”

The two got in the car and drove away, the scent of sea salt and jasmine following them on the breeze.

And when she brought him home to meet Ruby, the force of nature that was her best friend may or may not have actually passed out seeing the man from Emma's sketchbook come to life. But that was a discussion for another day.