#give me the version where killian and henry team up once again | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

donteattheappleshook · 5 years ago

Text

Stone Hearts

Chapter 5/15

Trust me. Nobody is more surprised by this update than I am.

Ao3 Ffn.net

Emma’s eyes flutter open slowly, still half asleep and not quite sure why she’s half awake. It’s a moment before she feels the bed shift beside her. Another moment passes and she hears a small whimper. She’s fully awake now as she turns quickly to face Killian. He’s tossing in his sleep, his eyes clamped shut and his brow pulled low, beads of sweat already gathering at his temples.

Another nightmare, she thinks. It’s the third one this week. They started as soon as they returned from the Underworld. There had been a brief respite for a week or so after the incident at the bar when work was driving him to the end of his rope and he collapsed in bed before the sun went down, too tired to sleep. But now, it seems that even exhaustion can’t keep the dreams at bay.

“Killian,” she speaks quietly, shushes him as she runs the back of her fingers over his damp forehead and down along the side of his cheek. “Wake up, Killian, it’s just a dream, you’re safe.” She knows from experience that her words will do little to help him as she hears another strained whimper escape his lips, jaw clenched painfully tight. She brings her hands to his hair and runs them soothingly through it as she continues to try to coax him awake.

It’s another moment before he gasps, eyes snapping open as he lets out a cry that has her heart stuttering in her chest as he sits up in bed. His shoulders are tense, eyes darting madly about as though looking for whatever threat pursued him in his dreams. She sits up with him, places a hand on his shoulder and doesn’t take it personally when he flinches away before his eyes focus on her and the tension leaves his body. He groans, collapsing back on his pillow, chest still heaving.

“It’s okay,” Emma tells him gently wrapping him up in her arms.

“It’s bloody not,” he answers somewhat bitterly but he lets himself be pulled into her, laying his head on her chest and allowing his hair to be stroked like a child. He feels like a child and she knows it, he’s said it before. “They won’t stop,” his voice is bitter, angry and a bit defeated. Her chest aches for him.

“They will,” she promises. She knows he hates it. It’s killing him, feeling weak, feeling powerless. But what he went through… he died. And after he died, he was tortured. And then he died all over again. Of course that would affect him. She’s noticed his efforts. He’s stopped drinking; he tried to start running with Henry (and hated it choosing instead to teach the boy to sword fight), he’s even been to see Hopper, anything to help him get a solitary night of peace and rest. Nothing has worked and she feels impotent and powerless to help the man she loves.

“You guys okay?” Henry’s voice speaks up quietly from the crack between the door and the hallway. He sounds sleepy but also worried.

“Yeah, kid, we’re okay,” Emma tells him. “Come on in.”

They shift, making room for Henry to climb up on the foot of the bed. Maybe he’s a bit old to be climbing into bed with his mom and his quazi step-dad but they’re all a little vulnerable lately and Emma loves that he’s still on that cusp between childhood and adolescence where he feels okay seeking comfort like this. She knows it won’t last much longer.

Killian sits up with his back against the headboard. “Sorry I woke you, Lad.” he rubs a hand over his face, scraping through his hair.

“It’s okay,” Henry answers. “I wasn’t sleeping much either.”

Emma runs her hand through her son’s hair and kisses the top of it. She’s pretending not to notice that he’s gotten it cut in a style suspiciously similar to Killian’s.

“Was it another nightmare?” Henry asks and Killian nods. “Have you tried rewriting it?” he suggests and Killian frowns.

“What do you mean?” he asks and Henry looks to Emma.

“It’s something mom and I used to do when I was little. Or well, technically we didn’t since I guess those were all made up memories from when we were cursed in New York but it always helped when I had nightmares.”

Emma smiles at him. Rewriting them. She’d forgotten all about it - or well not really since technically she never really did it in the first place but that’s semantics. But she does remember the nights when she was a child, alone, in the system, dreaming horrible things, some real and some not, and she remembers trying to rewrite them, telling herself a happier story so that she could go back to sleep and let her dreams at least be a place she felt safe and happy.

“What does it entail?” Killian asks a little suspicious but sounding open to just about anything.

“First you tell us about your nightmare.” Killian looks hesitant but Henry continues. “Then we scratch it out and give it a different ending.

Killian still looks apprehensive but after a moment he starts to speak. “We were on the Jolly,” he looks to Emma who smiles encouragingly. “We were going to have a picnic. But then,” he takes a breath. “But then suddenly we weren’t on the water at the Storybrooke docks. We were back there.” His fist clenches a bit and she knows he means the Underworld. “We were on the river of lost souls and it was angry. All of them were so angry and they rocked the ship and they ripped the boards and I tried to fight them off but they were like smoke beneath my blade.” He reaches out then and takes her hand, holding it tighter than is comfortable but she doesn’t complain. “They took you. They took you and they pulled you under and I couldn’t stop them. And the ship, it took on water and it sank and I could feel them coming for me. Pulling at my legs, pulling me under and I felt the water fill my lungs and I knew I was dead but I was still there, watching it all happen, watching them take everything they could from me, watching you float lifeless next to me.”

He stops speaking, voice cracking and Emma wraps herself around him, placing a kiss to his shoulder. Even Henry doesn’t protest, his face screwed up in concern rather than disgust at his mom and her boyfriend’s show of affection.

“I knew all their faces,” he says so quietly she almost doesn’t hear him.

“Let’s rewrite it,” Emma says, turning to Henry who nods, contemplating.

“So you’re on the river of lost souls.” Killian looks at him, waiting. “And you see the souls moving in the water, coming towards you so you draw your sword ready to fight off whatever might be coming for you.” Killian frowns and so does Emma. This story does not sound like a happier version of his nightmare so far. “But they don’t come for you. They just float. They’re just lost souls wandering aimlessly. So you reach in. If they’re lost, they need finding. Our family finds people - it’s what we do.” Emma doesn’t miss the slight hitch in Killian’s breathing at Henry’s casual reference to him as family. “You get hold of one and pull it out.” He looks to Killian. “Who is it?”

Killian hesitates, looks to Emma almost in apology but she knows who it is and she nods at him to go on. “Milah,” he says almost in a whisper. Emma squeezes his hand. She understands.

“Let’s give her a lift,” Emma suggests. “Make our way to the bridge and let her move on.”

Killian nods, hesitates. “There are others…”

“Who’s the next one?” Henry asks.

“Balefire,” he answers softly. One by one, the people he’s lost, those he betrayed, those he abandoned and those who left him, the demons he had to face in his own personal purgatory are pulled from the water and one by one they find their peace.

Emma looks between her son and the man she loves, heart swelling at how strong the bond between them has gotten without her even noticing. She knows Killian takes care of Henry, loves him and will always watch out for him, but it’s nice to see that Henry feels the same.

It takes another week but eventually the nightmares stop. And every night that week, Henry and Emma are there, rewriting.

*********

Emma looked down from where she was currently climbing a freaking beanstalk with a handsome, somewhat roguish pirate that seemed incapable of shutting up. Don’t do that again she told herself. Instead, she focused on his voice, the lilt of his accent and the teasing tone as he accused her of being an open book.

“No, I have never been in love,” she told him but somehow it felt like a lie.

Jesus Christ how on earth could one man make first aid so confusingly arousing?

When they took out a goddamn giant she refused to acknowledge the giant flutter of panic when she couldn’t see him down below her and the tiny flutter in her chest when he told her they made quite the team.

She forced herself to squirm away as he held her tightly against him, pointing out the trip wire and ignoring the fact that she quite enjoyed the way she could feel the muscles in his arms wrapped around her.

Finally, when she pulled him out from under the rocks, ignoring the heat of his hand in hers and the pull in her stomach at his smile “you are blood brilliant, amazing!”

And there he waited on bended knee, offering her a hand and a chance at something. She wasn’t sure what that something was and it scared her. She knew she shouldn’t trust him, knew that she couldn’t take the chance that she was wrong about him, knew she should lock him up and leave him behind. But when her palm touched his and she saw the tentative smile pull at his lips… she decided, just this once, to trust herself.

She used their hands to pull him closer, catching him off guard as he tumbled forward and she caught his lips with hers. He let out a surprised ‘umph’ before leaning in and returning her kiss with enthusiasm. Emma didn’t know if it was the high of success, the tiny flutter of hope that he had stirred in her, or just that he was so goddamn gorgeous but she let herself “really get into it” just as he’d encouraged her to earlier.

She felt herself smile a little as they broke apart, certain he would have some sort of quip or innuendo for her and almost looking forward to it, but when she opened her eyes, her heart fell into her stomach.

His face was blank, no recognition in his eyes, no hint of the man he’d been a moment ago, the man who’d kissed her, the man who’d made her believe that maybe she could trust people. There was nothing.

“Killian?” she asked, voice small, surprising herself by the use of his real name.

His face remained unchanged as he reached forward and clamped his fingers around her throat. She panicked, hands clawing and clutching at his own as her eyes began to water and her vision went blurry. There was no rage in his expression, no hatred, no vengeance as he squeezed the life out of her. Killian was gone.

Emma gasped awake, hand reaching for her throat. She could still feel his hand there, still see the deadness in his eyes, the indifference. She heard movement coming from the door and looked up to see him, Killian - not Killian - watching her. There was no concern in his eyes, no fear or worry. Not even the slightest shred of emotion crossed his features as he looked her over through the tiny window in the door, clearly realised she’d been dreaming, and turned back around to man his post.

It hurt. More than the fingers at her throat had, more than the blankness of his stare in her dream had. Because this was real. It’s not him, she told herself. But that didn’t didn’t dull the pain or the cold that settled in her chest and spread its way through her limbs. She curled her knees to her chest on the thin mattress and let a few tears fall at the memory of nightmares and the family she had not long ago.

“Once upon a time,” she started, rocking herself slightly and convincing herself it was just to try force some heat back into her bones. “There was a girl with walls a mile high and a boy who climbed a beanstalk to get over them.” She smiles to herself a little, allowing herself the warmth of the memory of Killian, of how he’d persisted, how he’d won her, without trickery. She continues speaking, recounting how he’d bandanged her hand and she’d felt cared for and taken care of for the first time in her life. She reminds herself of what a team they’d made and how she realised that just maybe she didn’t have to fight every battle on her own. She laughs through her realisation that the attraction was definitely not one-sided as she felt him react to being pulled against her when he nearly triggered the trip wire. She smiles to herself as she recalls how he’d supported her, sung her praises, appreciating her strength and her intelligence rather than being turned off by it as so many men had before him.

“And he reached out his hand and I could see it in his eyes, the fear and the hope. And that was when I realised that while I’d started to believe that I could hope again, that there was someone else out there like me… that maybe he’d been waiting for the same thing, waiting for someone to trust him, to find him.”

She stopped, overwhelmed by the memory and the grief of their love story, of losing him. She didn’t want to cry anymore but she didn’t hate herself for it anymore either. She knew now that it wasn’t a weakness. She knew because of him. Promise me one thing, if I helped take off that armor, don't put it back on just because you're gonna lose me.

“And?”

She froze, his voice cutting through the silence and making her heart race though whether in fear or in hope she didn’t know. He spoke. He spoke again. What did that mean? What was he asking?

“And?” she repeated, hoping for clarification. She didn’t get any. And. And. it dawned on her then and she realised he was asking for the rest of the story. She wanted to read into it, wanted to hope but she was too tired, too beat down and too many times disappointed to let herself.

Instead, she let out a bitter laugh. “They lived happily ever after.”

There was another long, weighted silence and she assumed he’d lost interest, but then he spoke again, his voice softer, barely audible.

“They didn’t, did they?”

The tears fell freely now. “No, they didn’t.”

***

Emma threw a book against the door and almost smiled as it made a satisfying sort of crash against the metal. Useless. This was all fucking useless. None of these books were going to tell her how to do something impossible! She was the product of true love for fucks sake! She was born with a built in anti-theft device on her heart and no book was going to tell her how to break the laws of magic.

“What the hell does the king even need with my heart anyway?” she practically shouted at not-Killian. He stayed silent. “Oh yeah, that’s right,” she sassed. “You only speak in cryptic little phrases and questions when it’s convenient for you.” She rolled her eyes at his continued, predictable silence. She threw another book, this one nearly hitting the window where she could see the point of his ear and the flippy bits of hair beneath it. He didn’t flinch and Emma armed herself with another book.

She raised it, aimed and ready to fire when suddenly she noticed the title. She knew this book. She’d seen this book. It was one of Regina’s that she’d leafed through it in the crypt when she’d been practicing magic. It was a book of protection spells, the type of protection spells that had been cast around the border of Storybrooke on rotation since she’d first arrived. She ran her hand over the heavy red leather of it’s cover before opening it and starting to read.

She read for nearly three hours. Some of it she couldn’t make out but some of it she was able to decipher.

“Ah-ha!” she shouted, forgetting herself when she found it. She panicked as she heard movement coming from outside her door, saw not-Killian turning to see what the disturbance was. Quickly she dropped the book, making a show of trying to catch it and making a few more loud exclamations before it landed with a thud at her feet. Her guard stared at her for a moment and the moment lasted just long enough to make her worry that he hadn’t bought her poorly executed ruse. But, finally, his face as blank as ever, he turned his back on her again and she let out a sigh of relief.

Picking up the book, she quickly flipped to the page she’d found, reading silently this time. There it was, the spell, the spell keeping all of them trapped here in Storybrooke, the one that felt like running into a solid brick wall when you tried to cross the border.

She scanned the page quickly and her heart sunk so she read it again slower. Damn. Damn, damn, damn. If she read it right, and she was pretty sure she did, the spell could only be taken down by the one who cast it. ‘Stupid fucking magic laws’ she grumbled to herself somewhat despodent. So even if she and Henry did find a way out of this place they would still be stuck in town, right back where they started from a few days ago - only now even more alone.

She wanted to scream, cry out again, do something, hit something, anything to get this anger and frustration out of her body. Why? Why was there always something? Was six months really all she was allowed? Was that the deal as the savior? Was she cursed to never be happy, to never be safe?

She noticed movement through the window in her door as the cuff was held up, followed by a quick succession of rapps on the door. Henry! It was time for her to see Henry! She’d lost track of time but was suddenly more grateful than she had ever been in her life for this brief moment of humanity that Gold had allowed her - even if she still fantasized about separating his head from his shoulders.

Quick as she could, she ripped the page out of the book and crumpled it in the pocket of her jacket and jumped up to retrieve the cuff from the slot in the door. Once it was secure, she held her arm up to the window and the door was swung open. The man on the other side looked indifferent and unaware of her theft but then that was always his expression so she just had to hope he hadn’t seen her.

She stepped out and the hand that didn’t belong to Killian anymore resumed its place on her shoulder. She didn’t know whether to shutter or melt under the touch but she settled for tensing every muscle in her body and trying to ignore the memory of it’s warmth and the truth of its emptiness.

They walked to Henry’s room without a word passing between them apart from the warning of “five minutes” that she expected. She gave the door a warning knock.

“Hey kid it’s me, don’t shoot!” she called as she swung the door open.

“How do I know?” Henry called as she walked in, slingshot held at the ready.

She smiled. Sometimes she was just so damn proud that she made him. She shut the door and cast a quick glance behind her before whispering “Princess Bride.”

Henry lowered his weapon and whispered “Goldeneye” before running to wrap his arms around her with such force that he actually knocked her back against the door.

“Woah, kid, you’re getting strong!”

“I’ve been getting ready,” he told her. “There’s nothing to do so I’ve been doing push ups, pull ups, running, whatever I can. When it’s time to go, I’ll be ready,” he promised. She knew that it was more than that, more than a few days workout. He was growing up and the last few months of their lives had been particularly physically demanding but his voice was strong and certain and Emma felt a renewed sense of purpose, the one that appeared the first time she met Henry and that swelled within her each time she saw him.

“Good job,” she told him. “You’re okay? They’re not hurting you?” she checked his face and arms for any signs of harm and then his cheeks and eyes for any signs of exhaustion. “Are you getting fed enough? I can sneak you some of mine next time--”

“Mom, I’m okay. You need to eat too you know. Listen,” he told her, pulling her into his arms to whisper in her ear through the guise of a hug. “Ruby’s outside the window, she’s been here the whole time. We have a plan. They never watch me - except sometimes Archie but possessed or not he’s a wimp. If you can get out of your cell and get to us, we can do the rest.

Emma nodded and just let herself hold her son for the last few minutes she had left. She whispered promises that she would get them out and out of Storybrooke and he whispered that he knew she would. Before she was ready, the door was opened again and it was time to go.

The walk back felt longer, not just in the emotional sense but in a very real, very physical sense. Emma’s muscles felt like they were failing her as she tried to put one foot in front of the other and the hand on her shoulder felt like a weight she couldn’t support. The hallway stretched out before her, growing, it seemed, impossibly longer and suddenly it turned on its axis and Emma saw black spots in front of her eyes. She was gonna be sick. She was gonna be sick and she held her stomach as her feet gave out under her and she swayed towards the ground.

She didn’t hit the ground though. Killian was there, suddenly, quicker than she could have been, catching her - like muscle memory - holding her up before slowly lowering her to a seating position on the floor, his arms wrapped tightly around her and one hand in hers as he crouched behind her. For a brief, fleeting second, she felt the familiarity of the embrace, felt the somewhat muted heartbeat pressed against her back, felt the warmth of his chest and his breath on her neck and it felt like Killian, it felt like home.

She turned to meet his eyes as the blackness cleared from her own and she was met with the blue she had always loved. But behind it there was nothing. No concern, no love, no support. Muscle memory. That’s all it had been. She felt sick all over again and she ripped herself out of his hold, shoving him with as much force as she could despite still feeling wobbly and weak. She rose to her feet and began walking.

She felt a hand on her elbow and jerked her arm free. “I’m fine! Probably just weak since you guys only feed me once a day,” she snapped. “I hope you’re feeding Henry more or you can tell Gold that he’ll have me to answer to,” she threatened, trying to keep her heart from beating out of her chest at both her barely contained rage and the renewed grief that seemed to find her every time she was near him. Gold really outdid himself this time. This kind of cruelty took dedication.

There was a brief pause before she felt the hand fall on her shoulder again and she whirled on him, rage seeping out of every inch of her being.

“Don’t touch me!” she shouted. “Don’t touch me with his hand! With his hand that you stole, from him, from me! Don’t you fucking dare! You killed him! And I promise you I’ll kill Gold and the King and then when I’m done I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you for taking him from me!”

There was a long, silent pause as Emma stood, panting in the hallway, watching him, daring him to do something, say something, react. But there was nothing. He hesitated, hand hanging in the space between them for a moment, before lowering it back to his side and continuing to walk. Emma steadied her breathing before following along behind him.

A few hours later, when Emma’s meal was slid through the slot in the door, she could have sworn there was more on her plate than yesterday.

She couldn’t sleep that night. She was too annoyed. Annoyed at herself mostly because she couldn’t for the life of her stop thinking about that moment when for the first time in what felt like forever she found herself wrapped in the arms of the man she loved. It wasn’t him. She knew that. But her body didn’t and her body had been denied his touch and his comfort for far too long and like an addict it only craved more now that it had had a taste.

She could hear him, breathing on the other side of the door. Did he never sleep? He breathed too loudly. Killian never breathed too loudly - except those few nights where he would sleep so soundly he snored.

“You know,” she started. “It’s really creepy, you standing out there, listening to me not sleep.” He was silent. Of course he was, he only spoke to her in the middle of the night when she was telling stories or -

“What happened next?” It was soft but she heard it. His voice through the door. It only took her a second to piece together her confusion and realise he was asking her about the story from last night - their story. He remembered it? He cared about it? No, he didn’t care. He was probably just trying to get information. Probably. Definitely. Probably. He had to be.

The silence drew out between them as they both waited for the other to say something or do something. Emma made a decision. She didn’t know what she hoped to accomplish or why she was such a masochist but she had to try. If his asking meant something, if there was the tiniest chance that she could gain a bit of him back, even that bit of him that seemed to know to catch her, to support her… she had to try.

“Her son was taken and it broke her heart. So he gave up who he was, gave up the darkness that had been driving him for centuries and helped her. He chose her, and he never looked back.”

She told him the story: of Neverland, of Echo Cave, of the kiss, of him promising to win her heart, of the two of them bringing Henry home - and through all of it he listened. He never said a word, never interrupted but she could hear his steady breathing and see the point of his ear, angled towards the door. He listened.

“You know,” she said into the silence, the quiet weighed down with her heavy eyelids and whatever unspoken thing was going on between them. “You can open the door.” She hesitated. “It’s not like I can get out without the cuff… and this room is really claustrophobic.”

He was quiet for so long she thought she had lost him but then the door opened and she held her breath as he walked into view and sat down in the opening, with his back against the door frame. He didn’t look at her, just sat silently, stoically staring at the wall across from him, waiting.

She told him about Marty McFly.

#cs #cs fanfic #captain swan #ouat fanfic #cs smut #i can't believe i actually updated this #after a year #I'm so sorry!

22 notes · View notes

killianmesmalls · 6 years ago

Text

KJ Bang Train: Stop 2

Before the show even seemed to entertain the idea of Hooked Queen in season 7, there was another person that was introduced with having a fun, flirty relationship with our new captain. All it took was a few moments in episode 3 for my multi-shipping heart to get all a’flutter.

That’s right, I’m talking about...

Second stop: Hooking Utensil

7x03 was huge for me in terms of liking this new version of Killian. Colin put so many little changes into his performance that he absolutely seemed like a totally different person. This new Killian was still a bit of a flirt, but he was uneasy and bashful after years of struggle, solitude, and seeing himself become the haggard, mess of an old man he became thanks to his poisoned heart and misery.

I mean, just look at him.

He’s so unsure of himself here! Yet, Tiana immediately accepts him as part of their team.

You can’t convince me she’s not checking him out right there! And we know he does the same to her...

Though I would have liked to see what was going on in that deleted scene from the bloopers where he says “As well you shouldn’t, but lucky for us my pirating days are over,” it’s clear whatever hangups Tiana has are quickly tossed aside and he becomes one of her closest allies, not to mention someone she clearly trusts and respects considering even once she becomes queen he’s always right there, even living in her palace as far as we can see.

Throughout their time in the Enchanted Forest, Killian both openly flirts with Tiana and shows her respect while demanding others do the same (ie. his introduction to Naveen).

Where the ship really shines, though, is as Rogers and Sabine. I mean, I’m not going to show you all the heart eye moments between the two of them.

BUT I CAN SHOW YOU SOME OF THEM.

I don’t know about you, but there are entirely too many instances of these two giving googly eyes at each other to ignore the fact that someone was intending to lay the groundwork for a possible relationship between these two. Now, do I believe it would have lasted? Likely not, as she would have ended up with Naveen, though I believe they would have taken a season 8 to flesh out his character more and having him be deserving of someone as wonderful and badass as Tiana.

Still, I appreciate even the thought of Rogers/Sabine or Killian/Tiana dating for a bit or even just having some fun together for several reasons. In both realms, they are kind to each other, a bit flirty, and are completely respectful and supportive of each other. There’s no unnecessary drama; it’s just a solid friendship that seems to be slow burning into something more, which TV (and OUAT in particular) is terrible at portraying. It’s a realistic foundation to a healthy relationship.

There’s no introduction via a “true love punch” or kick in the balls or anything like that for either reality. It’s a polite introduction (though WHERE IS THAT BENCH SCENE?!). There’s no convoluted drama that creates unnecessary tension, just two adults acting like adults to one another. In a show that has all its romantic lead pairs having ridiculous amounts of angst for the sake of it, it’s a breath of fresh air sometimes to see two people develop from allies to friends to partners in a healthy way.

More than that, Sabine/Tiana is also shown to be compassionate and understanding to Tilly/Alice, particularly in 7x16, which matters. When the majority of Hyperion Heights has been dismissive of Tilly, Sabine reassures the nervous young woman that she’ll do great at working for her, she gives her praise and support in spite of some mess-ups, and at the end of her first day of work gives Rogers a glowing review filled with all the ways Tilly had succeeded. It’s important for Tilly to have someone speaking to her and about her in this way, building up her confidence and showing her that she’s more than “Crazy Tilly,” and at least part of Sabine is doing this because she knows how much this young woman means to Rogers.

I also lost it a bit when Sabine said “our girl...” and looked at Tilly all proudly, giving her a confidence boost and filling Rogers with so much gratitude and pride. Not to mention awake Alice’s first reaction was to get help from Tiana, who was indeed helpful and sweet to her and Robin, gathering support for them and loaning them the food truck. It would have made for a delightful potential-future-stepmom dynamic between the two of them, and would have given OUAT another new type of family.

Speaking of new, season 7 did more for diversity than previous seasons, and it’s lucky we got a mixed couple with Henry/Ella. Sabine and Rogers is another couple that some can look at and finally get the chance to see people who look like their family when mixed couples are still not represented and normalized enough. Again, she would have ended up with Naveen either way, but the representation of it, however temporary, would have mattered. Something else that would have mattered is also showing Tiana and Killian (and, eventually, a more developed Naveen) having a drama-free series of relationships where no one was an inappropriate trope, but instead they were shown the same way they had been shown throughout season 7: mature, compassionate, respectful adults who simply wanted what was best for the other.

So, yes, give me flirty early-stage Tiana and Killian getting to know each other in the EF2 as they make eyes at each other. Give me heart eyes Rogers and Sabine dating and supporting one another in a healthy, non-dramatic way. And, probably even, give me an amicable split and solid friendship between Killian, Tiana, and Naveen... or a threesome. I mean, or that. That’s also a good choice.

#kj bang train #hooking utensil #captain cook

58 notes · View notes

theonceoverthinker · 6 years ago

Text

OUAT 3X15 - Quiet Minds

What did the doctor diagnose Zelena with when she came complaining about knee pain?

Oz-teoperosis! XD

I wish I could get you to a doctor! I’m actually pretty sad to watch this episode and I’m sure you know why. So let’s get to it. Under the cut is where you want to be.

Press Release

Neal finds himself back in Storybrooke and yearns for a way to reconnect with his son Henry, whose memories of his father are gone, while also trying to find his own father, Rumplestiltskin, whom he has just learned is alive but missing, and Regina discovers a possible connection with Robin Hood. Meanwhile, in the Fairy Tale Land that was over the past year, agonizing over the death of his father, Neal - with the help of Belle and enchanted candelabra Lumiere - attempts to find a magical solution to bring back Rumplestiltskin from the dead.

Main Thoughts - Characters/Stories/Themes and Their Effectiveness

Past

I like how Belle and Neal’s past conversation is almost meta like in their discussion of the nature of Rumple’s sacrifice (Ex. Belle debates that Rumple saved everyone whereas Neal debates that he saved just his family). I like this discussion so much and wish that we had more Neal and Belle moments because these kind of discussions about Rumple’s morality are so interesting! Neal is much more critical of Rumple’s every act, be in kind in nature or not while Belle is more lenient, choosing to believe in him. I can’t help but wonder how these two would’ve worked together going forward had Neal not died. Would they have been able to get along because of those differences? Probably, but I could see the occasional fight break out between them. And it’s interesting to see how in the end, Neal is right. While undoubtedly the thing anyone would do -- save their child over the dagger -- it was selfish for everyone who now had to deal with the consequences of that decision. Rumple saved his family -- not the grander scheme of things. BUT that’s not framed as a terribly bad thing either, and rightfully so, as evidenced by neal calling it a “true sacrifice” during his death scene. It’s still legit.

I like how Neal’s lack of magical understanding -- one of his biggest character flaws -- is what gets him into this mess, as well as his impatience to get back to his family. I some ways, it reminds me of a reverse version of “The Crocodile.” There, Rumple’s need for vengeance, over-reliance on magic, and impatience costs his best chance at getting back to his family and the same happens here.

The dialogue between Zelena and Rumple has much more meat to it in hindsight than during the first go-around. There’s this whole other layer to the conversation that’s completely missed without the context that Rumple was Zelena’s tutor and taught her basically how to be evil and powerful!

Present

The story in the present section is definitely one of those “all come together moments” where the plot is more of the driving force than a story and it works fine enough here.

Because of that...well, let’s talk about Neal’s death, why don’t we?

I feel like when talking about Neal’s death, we have to do it in two parts: The first is how the death worked on its own (I.E. the staging, how it fits into the story of the episode, etc.). The second is how it worked as the death of a character (I.E. what this character’s death left people desiring, was it an appropriate death, why this death happened, last impressions of the character). I’m going to focus on the first part here and the second part over where I talk about the cultural elements of the show.

So within a vacuum, how was Neal’s death handled in the confines of this episode? Eh. Neal is so adamant about getting back to his family and making things right and just leaps at his death without looking for another option. I just can’t help but feel like Neal would be a bit more stubborn with that. He’s giving up his chance to be alive with him family. If this was the only way and alternatives were explored a bit more, that would’ve been one thing, but they’re not. Belle reads exactly one book and they don’t even try to consult Blue or Regina before going to this final resort. It’s not impossible to believe, but it is hard.

But that’s not all there is to a death. Some of it can come down to his goodbyes to other characters and Neal had the benefit of dying beside the two people he was closest to: Rumple and Emma. And while Henry is absent during the scene, and understandably so given the story, his absence of presence and memories creates an extra layer of underlying tragedy to this death that thankfully is brought up in the next episode. But let’s keep our focus on Emma and Rumple. Now, I like talking about shippy stuff at the bottom of my review and I will further elaborate on my points there, but to sum it up, it was honestly so beautiful and touched upon every point it needed to. I genuinely loved it. As for Rumple, it’s perfect. I love the sharp denial Rumple has for Neal’s passing, jumping between every stage of grief and being left so emotional as he finally passes. Every touch is so important and emphasized and I think the staging of Emma holding Neal so those touches would stick out more was a masterful choice.

Insights - Stream of Consciousness

-Zelena, I don’t recommend wearing that Wicked Witch cosplay while trying to blend in!

-”Beautiful one.” Not really selling me on adoring your monkeys when you sound like you’re about to butcher a puppy, Zelena!

-FUCK! Rumple can run! Does Storybrooke have a track team because if so, put him on that track team!

-Oh jeez. While funny (And I do believe that’s what they were going for, and it works), I am so glad Killian gave Belle a better apology later on in the series.

-”What the hell?” What the hell’s right! Lumiere is more than a touch creepy!

-Yay! We’re finally starting to really touch upon the Captain Beauty friendship!

-”I got you breakfast because I am supermom.” I love the way Emma says that line and sinks into that big armchair as she says it like, “Yeah, I’m a boss.”

-”That’s a bagel?” Emma, I am so proud of you for instilling such a good taste in bagels into your son. *Tear falls*

-In case there was ever a doubt to Henry being noble as all hell, he’d rather go back to SCHOOL than be lied to!

-Not gonna lie: Neal looks REALLY hot in that t-shirt!

-Watching Neal hear about how Henry not only doesn’t remember the bond they’ve formed, but how he does remember him as a jerk is so harsh and heartbreaking!

-I love how Zelena just concots this whole fucking story for Lumiere that is so typically Rumple! XD

-So I’m looking at the cover to the book that Belle’s reading about The Dark One and it says “IN A AKY ACAZ CA KAWO.” Does anyone know what this means?

-”Born out of -- well -- darkness.” More like vengeance, but sure, whatevs.

-Neal! Why did you blow Lumiere out?! And without a warning?! That was just rude!

-”Says more about them than it does about you.” I don’t know about that, Zelena. Your story was pretty convincing, tbh.

-For all of Zelena’s strengths as a villain, the woman is as subtle as a brick to the face! XD

-REGINA CAUGHT A FUCKING ARROW! WHAT A BADASS!

-Not to get into shippy stuff, but that’s 2 couples so far that have explored this farmhouse!

-JELLO! I still mourn for the jello scene that never canonically was, but fuck, I love this one!

-I love the shot of the clearing by The Dark One’s Vault! The snow and wintery atmosphere makes it so gorgeous!

-Once again, Robert Carlyle is creepy and awesome as hell for it!

-Seriously! Someone get Rumple on a track team!

-I can’t help but feel like it may have been a better idea for the candle to not be revealed as a villain until Belle discovers it. Like I get that he’s supposed to be redeemed, making this a double twist of sorts, but I wasn’t feeling it.

-”The Wicked Witch?” Belle’s tone to me implies that Belle has either seen or read “The Wizard of Oz.” Thoughts and HC’s?

-Like father, like son with that impatience!

-Neal, when things start to glow, we take our hands off of them!

-He loves pizza! I like how just like with the underlying softness between Robin and Regina, there’s that underlying memory of Henry and having pizza with his dad.

-The special effects team must’ve had a fucking FIELD DAY with that transformation in the woods! The actual hell?!

-I love how Lumiere calls his bit of goodness a flash of conscience because damnit -- that’s what it is!

-”I’ll be watching over you guys from somewhere.” Good HEAVENS! I have one HELL of a theory about the nature of the Underworld for Neal and Rumple. Remind me to tell you about it some time!

-”Let go.” NO! Rumple, save him!

-I feel bad laughing given that we just lost Neal, but WHY do the Charmings have two doors to their bathroom! Even the architects in Storybrooke are so fucking extra! XD

-”That was rather ill-timed.” Zelena, you fucking bitch!

-Okay, when Zelena stepped over Neal’s head, I was terrified she was gonna crush him.

-We get a nice bit of Golden Swan in this episode! Not only are they mutually grieving Neal’s loss as he dies and for a few moments afterwards, BUT we see how Rumple has faith that Emma will rally everyone to defeat Zelena!

-I’m not gonna lie: I’m kind of loving this Rumple whump. Having the dagger shoved quite literally in his face -- I don’t know how to describe it, but it does stuff to me, okay!

-I don’t know if Zelena makes him walk back to his cafe instead of poofing to torture him or if he voluntarily does that so he gets some time to himself to mourn, but either way is so sad!

-GOING FROM A FATHER MOURNING HIS SON TO A FATHER PLAYING WITH HIS SON IS NOT OKAY FOR MY PSYCHE, WRITERS! *Cries*

-That having been said, seeing Robin and Roland play together is fucking precious!

-Take that, people who say no one cares about Belle! Snow goes over there and checks on her! :D

-Oh sweet! The lake is back, which will henceforth be known as The Mirror Lake! Like seriously, the entire crew was having a fucking field day with this half season. These shots! These effects!

-THE TEARS ARE BACK AGAIN FOR THIS EMMA/HENRY TALK!

Arcs - How Are These Storylines Progressing?

The Wicked Witch - Once again, Zelena gets to show off how intimidating she truly is! In the present, she continues to manipulate everyone into thinking she’s a good person and even when she’s exposed, she still manages to kill Neal in the process. And in the past, her plan is straight up devious and so cleverly put together. Even as she’s now exposed, getting there only took four episode and didn’t lag too much at all. Also, there’s still so much to get into that there’s enough fresh ideas to keep the arc chugging along. Also also, I REALLY get how so many people wouldn’t want a redeemed Zelena after this moment. Hell, I don’t think I want it anymore either! Like, Zelena is fucking wicked and just as much as wicked always wins, seeing her laud Neal’s death -- a death that she cause -- over Rumple fucking hurts to watch!

Emma Accepting Home - I think that Neal’s death was an important thing to depict to show Emma the dangers of being in Storybrooke and to reinforce her desires to leave with Henry for a life in New York.

Favorite Dynamic

Neal and Killian. Look, we had a bunch of good dynamics here, but this was a sad episode and I need something lighthearted to fangirl over. This is about as good of closure as we were ever going to get between Neal and Killian and I utterly LOVED it. The jello Killian offers Neal is funny as all hell, I love their conversation concerning the nature of the good and evil deeds they’re doing and...THAT HUG! It’s sweet and and awkward and a little uncomfortable, but is also so earnest. And fuck me gently with a spoon, Neal calls Killian...well, Killian! There aren’t a lot of characters who do that and the implication of them doing so is that on some level, they get who he is, so to see Neal join those ranks is just beautiful.

Writer

Kalinda Vazquez is our writer today, and boy was she stuck with a difficult episode. Killing a major character is NEVER easy, especially such a big one. Until the the end of Season 5, this was a burden left solely on her shoulders alone (Unless you thought Rumple did die during “Coming Home,” I didn’t). And with that difficult situation, I think she made something very solid. Neal’s death, while not ideally set up in some ways, IS a tragic scene that allows for Neal to get a degree of closure with the three most important people in his life. I can talk about the rest of the episode, but that was where the writing needed to work, and thankfully, it did.

Culture

I feel like I should preface the discussion about Neal’s death as an overall factor on the series as a whole by talking about my original experiences with the character. I binged Seasons 2 and 3 a few months apart, so a lot of Neal’s time on the show passed for me in a blur. I didn’t hate him by any means, but he didn’t leave a big impression on me.

This rewatch changed things. I started to pay more attention to him as a character. That happened mostly I think because there’s always been such a controversy surrounding him and because I didn’t pay much attention to him last time in favor of some of the flashier characters, I wanted more than anything to form my own opinion on him. Much to my pleasure, that opinion was positive, and as I closed in on his death, I began to get sad at the thought of it -- so much so that I put off the start of this review basically all day.

Anyways, let’s talk about the larger factors of the death (I.E. what this character’s death left people desiring, was it an appropriate death, why this death happened, last impressions of the character). I talked about my last impressions of him, so we’ll get into everything else.

Now, I can’t speak for anyone else here, but I can speak for me when I say that I was left desiring a lot more development with Neal’s relationships with both Rumple and Henry. While I like the resolution Neal and Rumple got, i can’t help but feel like it had to zip dash to the finish line when Neal’s introduction back into the series implied that this was going to be a harder road. We only got a few episodes of them being at odds and while those moments were mostly great, they’re so little compared to all of the baggage they had. There’s no point where Neal sees the scale of what Rumple did cursing this land and reacting to it and he barely gets to spend time with Belle.

As for his time with Henry, yeah. I would’ve liked to see more of them. After Neal’s death, Henry carries so much grief over him throughout the other seasons, mentioning him at least once a season until we hit 7, but in terms of the time they spend together and how that time is spent, we come up really short. They play games and have pizza and that’s all well and good, but I feel like it would’ve been great had Neal occasionally given Henry some advice or left him with a phrase or something that would’ve equaled out to all the love that Henry has for him. Like, where Neal’s “with great power comes great responsibility” Uncle Ben moment? What we got was fine enough, but I would’ve liked to honestly have seen a bit more meat to it.

Was the death appropriate, or rather, was it warranted? Certainly more so than Robin’s (I’ll get to that one), but to tell you the truth, I’m not sure. I think that it opened up story possibilities that were taken good advantage of and Neal’s death was given the dignity he deserved, making the death more than just something done for shock, but as a story point that would follow Henry, Rumple, and Emma for a while. I think the broad strokes with Neal’s character were taken care of prior to the death and while I have my issues with it in regards to the finer details of some of his dynamics, Neal was pretty complete. That having been said, the issue of if a death needed to happen is a valid one and it opens a lot of points that, to be honest, I just don’t know if can delve as deeply into it as the topic deserves. There are so many factors that go into this conversation, up to and including the magical world of OUAT and the resurrections that take place afterwards. So my answer is a light yes, but there is so much room for nuance in this conversation that it’s nothing I’d give a ride-or-die answer to.

Now here comes the “fun” question: Why did Neal die? A lot of people attribute it to Captain Swan and bringing an end to the love triangle, and that is not a line of thinking I agree with. And I know, it makes sense that I’d say that as a CS shipper, but I beg you to follow my line of thinking here.

Neal was killed because of the choice to make Rumple a baddie again. When you look at Season 4, Rumple plays a gambit on everyone. If Neal were alive and in character, he would not have been able to do that without getting caught by someone other than Killian. I’ve mentioned before, but what makes Neal a great character and a great contrast to Belle is that while Belle is willing to often give him the benefit of the doubt, Neal isn’t. Neal would’ve been on Rumple’s ass the second he heard something shady and Rumple’s so shady, he makes the space underneath a pine tree look like the Sahara on a cloudless day. And look, that’s not Rumple’s fault, or even the writers necessarily, but I’m gonna say that they had some idea of what they wanted from Season 4 by this point and they understood that there had to be a trade off for Rumple’s development of an evil plan and his returned love for his power. And Neal, just as he was in this episode, was the price. I’m not happy about it -- I hope that’s something I’ve made clear -- but that’s my thought process.

Rating

9/10. Everything about this episode was going to come down to how well Neal’s death was handled. Fortunately, it was done well -- not flawlessly, but well. The story was solid and it delivers on giving the audience a level of closure for the character, closure that will continue for the rest of the season. Even the past segment offered something unique in that regard, making for a weird kind of love letter to Neal. It’s an episode that really does encompass his character and a send off that is divisive, but for me, more satisfying than not.

Flip My Ship - The Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness”

Swan Fire - You really see just how determined Neal and Emma are to get back together here and it works so much! Even Belle ships it, explicitly reasoning the safety of Emma’s necklace was a result of it originating from their “True Love.” No matter what you get from that line, I think the role that that necklace took on for both of them as well as its presence throughout the series shows how special Neal and Emma were to each other. Also, I love seeing Emma and Neal bonding over their evil significant others. Watching them laugh together in the forest just shows how in-tune they are with each other. Seeing Neal remorseful for how things with Walsh turned out is so sweet. Finally, let’s talk about Neal’s death. Neal’s attention to making sure Emma knows that she can find love and happiness is so important here. Neal cares so much about Emma and you see it as he shakily holds that necklace up to her, begging her to continue on her story. And seeing Emma barely able to hold herself together while watching Neal die guts me. The acting from both of these guys is amazing! And that hug as she cradles him to her chest choked me up and got some tears welling!

Rumbelle - “I love him -- all of him -- even the parts that belong to the darkness.” I really like this line and it leaves a lot to be discussed when it comes to the nature of Rumple and Belle’s love. It’s important not only to see as a point about the depths of Belle’s love for Rumple, but also as a point about that love’s limitations. As I said in my “Skin Deep�� review last summer, Belle is one of the only characters who gets to show amusement at some of Rumple’s antics. But I like this line because it gels well with the breakup we see in Season 4, Belle likes the darkness, but has clear limits on what how much Rumple can let that darkness effect him. It makes Belle a good character with human-like limits, but showing that there is something attractive to even a good person about the darkness. ANYWAY, let’s just look at Rumple and Belle’s reactions to Rumple coming out of the vault. Belle’s got freakin’ tears welled up and Rumple’s first word is her name! It’s -- to quote a sexy narrator -- straight out of a telenovela!

Outlaw Queen - Once again, I like their banter a lot! I also like the gentleness that’s formed between them because of their adventures in the Enchanted Forest. While they don’t remember it, there’s an underlying feeling of trust that you can just tell is there and watching it is really fun. Like, they’re really cute and despite later seasons really taking me out of OQ, I do sincerely love their origins here. Also, I want to talk about this line: ”From where I’m standing the ‘Evil’ moniker seems to be something of an overstatement.” I know this line gets a bit of criticism, but I actually think it works. For me, part of what works about Outlaw Queen is that Robin, from his perspective, is a redeemed villain and he’s hanging with and will come to court a redeemed villain. From his current perspective, he sees her in her current more redeemed form and thinks that she’s on his level, but currently has no idea what he’s getting into. That’s what makes the Marian twist at the end of Season 3 so big and why I’m so annoyed that that nuance isn’t brought up later! ...Sorry I got a bit off topic back there. Finally, I love their chemistry! Sean and Lana have some sexy chemistry in 3B! I love the way Robin and Regina are basically flirting over drinks! It’s cute as all hell!

-----

Wow. That was… a lot. This episode left me with a lot to think about in terms of fictional deaths. Please don’t take anything I say here as ultra definitive because I promise you, I could see my mind being swayed by a good enough argument.

Anyways, thank you all for reading that and to the fine folks at @watchingfairytales! Love you all and see you all soon!

Season 3 Total (145/220)

Writer’s Scores: Adam and Eddy (39/60) Kalinda Vazquez (26/40) Andrew Chambliss (27/50) Jane Espenson (20/30) David Goodman (20/40) Robert Hull (30/40) Christine Boylan (20/20)* Daniel Thomsen (20/30)

* Indicates that their work for the season is complete

Links to the rest of my rewatch will no longer be provided. Tumblr now take posts with links outside of searches and I spend way too much time on these reviews to not give them that kind of exposure. Sorry for the inconvenience, but they still can be found on my page under Operation Rewatch.

#ouat #once upon a time #watching fairytales #ouat 3x15 #ouat rewatch #jenna watches ouat #whoo boy #that was a long ass review #you better enjoy it!

13 notes · View notes

enixamyram · 6 years ago

Text

OUAT ReWrite: 7x22 - Part 8

I don’t know about you guys, but this is the chapter I was most looking forward to fixing. This is the scene, out of all others, that pissed me off the most and I am happy to do it right. Most things are open for interpretation but this is the one and only thing that I cannot meet halfway on. It was complete lazily written trash and needs to be treated as such.

... So, after taking a breathing and calming myself down, I bring you the latest chapter. We’re very near the end and, so far, I’m pretty happy with the way it’s turned out but who knows. You guys tell me.

Chapter Eight: Everyone Vs WishRumple & WishHenry

Even though he tried to hide it from them, Alice could tell Rumple had been crying. It wasn’t obvious but Alice probably knew him best out of everyone in the room, including his own grandson, and she could spot the signs almost as soon as he turned to face them when they entered the room. Alice bit the inside of her lip, wandering with Robin to the other side of the table as her father stormed ahead. She wanted to say something to him, but she also knew well enough to know it wouldn’t help.

Nothing would help now that the power of the Guardian was gone.

“Please tell me you have something,” Killian all but begged.

“We may be in luck.” Rumple explained, walking across the room. “As I did, this Dark One-” He reached for his spinning wheel, lifting off the end and revealing a small vial of a dust like substance tucked away inside. “-hid some magic for a rainy day.”

The others watched in silence as he poured the strange dust over his hand, rolling his wrist in order to cover the back of his fingers as well as the front of his palm. Immediately his skin began to glow a stunning golden colour, brightly enough to make Robin squint and temporarily look away while Alice found herself strangely transfixed with the sight of it. She could sense what kind of magic that was. After all, she had used it herself, but only once before when Rumplestiltskin was testing her to find out if she was really the Guardian…

Another pang of guilt hit her at the knowledge that the power was truly forever gone. She forced herself to look up, to pay attention to Rumple and her papa instead of her own worries. After all, if Rumplestiltskin could put those thoughts behind him while they dealt with his alter ego, then so could she.

“All I have to do now is get close enough to that…” He paused, looking at Killian and giving a small smile. “Crocodile, to rip his heart out. And this whole thing will be over.”

“Too late, dearie,” Came an all too familiar voice. Everyone turned sharply to find WishRumple standing patiently in front of the fireplace, grinning as he took a step forward, looking at Henry. “Already have it. An author. With a darkened heart.”

O*U*A*T

At the same time elsewhere, deep in the forest, WishHenry stormed furiously down the open path with two remaining loyal guards by his side. He had no idea how Regina had done it, but she had escaped his castle dungeons and taken over with her little team, including the alternative version of himself. They had even taken most of his guards with them somehow, though none of those who had returned to WishHenry’s side had explained how. All they knew was that they had been overpowered by a sudden new set of arrivals who charged in to save the Evil Queen from them.

“Split up.” He told his guards, pointing them off in separate directions with the two swords he held in either hand. “She couldn’t have gotten far.”

He came to a pause as they disappeared from his sight; turning into a slow circle and watching them go. He was positively fuming, knowing he might have been cheated out of his revenge after all this time. The more he thought about it, the angrier he came. No doubt it was powering WishRumple’s new little spell but WishHenry didn’t care. He didn’t care about any of those people. All he cared about was hunting down the woman who ruined his life and making her pay.

“No need for the cavalry.”

WishHenry turned sharply to find Regina walking towards him. She was still dressed in those silly clothes he found her in, hiding the true evil he knew was beneath that meek and mild little expression she wore. It was pathetic. And it just succeeded in making him all the more angry with her for daring to pretend she was anything other than what she really was. A monster.

“I’m here.” Regina said, waving at herself.

“Turning yourself in?” WishHenry asked, then sneered. “Or are you here to mother me some more?”

“I know you might find this hard to believe, but there are people out there… A good, kind version of your family that can help you heal.” Regina explained, unable to help trying one last attempt to get through to him before it was too late. “Just as they helped me.”

“The only way I’m going to heal,” Henry said, advancing on her sharply and raising the sword to point at her throat. “Is by killing you!” He snarled, staring into her face. It annoyed him how unafraid she was. She just looked sad for him, and that was infuriating. She had no right to feel sad for him, not when she was the cause for all his pain. He paused, taking a step back and digging the second sword into the ground by her feet. “But I’ll give you a chance to defend yourself. ‘Cause I’m better than you.”

“Henry, I won’t fight you.” Regina said, feeling a crushing weight push down on her at the very idea of it.

“As long as you die, I don’t really care.” WishHenry said coldly.

Regina had been prepared to stand there in defiance, but then she hadn’t expected WishHenry to actually attack her. When she saw him moving in, she had no choice but to grab the sword in order to defend herself. Lifting it up just in time, she blocked the blow he threw down on her, stepping forward and pushing him back.

O*U*A*T

The others didn’t have much chance to consider what WishRumple meant, when suddenly the armour in the room began to shake and the wind around them picked up, knocking some of the more lighter objects from the shelves and onto the floor at their feet. They could all feel the magic building up and pulling at them, wiping at their bodies just as WishRumple waved his hand through the air gently in front of him. Suddenly all the books they had brought with them sitting on the table began to flip open in front of them, spinning through the pages without ever coming to a stop, and at the same time a series of dark portals appeared around the room behind each of them.

“What’s happening?!” Robin cried, looking around before she caught sight of the black abyss twisting behind her. She shrieked in surprised and moved forward at the same time as Henry ran back for her, grabbing her arms and pulling her to the table secured in the middle of the room.

The four of them reached out, grabbing onto the tables edge and clinging on as the force of the wind picked up around them and began pulling at their bodies. They all felt the magic trying to drag them back to their separate portals, so fierce and intense that it felt like nothing any of them had experienced before. They could almost feel the lonely threats that were hovering behind them. The promise of never having a happy moment ever again. And all the while knowing what lay in store which somehow made it worse as they fought against the future WishRumple was attempting to force onto them.

O*U*A*T

Regina wasn’t as skilled a swordsman as this version of WishHenry was, but desperation could take you a surprisingly far amount of way when you needed it to and she was able to duck down and spin around some of his worst blows that would have surely ended her. She lifted the sword to protect herself against his swings, trying to hold him back and struggling to keep up with the younger boy at the same time. All the while her heart felt like it was shattering with every attack he launched. She once again had to remind herself that this was not the son she had raised, nor the son who loved her. This was a new boy. A boy whom she had destroyed when she killed his grandparents and ran away with his mother. This was all her fault…

Regina forced those thoughts away. Robin from her dream had been right. She couldn’t change the past and she couldn’t wallow in self pity at her mistakes. All she could do now was try and make up for them here and now. To fix the bad she had done by bringing the good back into the world, starting with her son. The feather he had given her was safely tucked into her bra, right over where her heart beat rapidly in her chest. Regina took strength from the soft tickle against her skin and pushed on.

“Henry.” She said desperately. “This isn’t the way.”

“You don’t get to decide that!” WishHenry snarled, pulling his sword back and swinging at her again.

O*U*A*T

Rumplestiltskin wished he had magic back. Now more than ever before. He was so weak and helpless and couldn’t even do anything to help the others to get away. At this point he no longer cared what happened to him – he had already lost out for his chance of happiness – but the others – Alice, Robin, Henry, even Hook – didn’t deserve any of this. Unfortunately, without his powers, there was nothing he could. In fact he was left to do what he always did best; focus on his own survival. Like a true coward.

Henry reached across the table desperately as the wind picked his feet up right from the ground. He shut his eyes, thinking of Lucy and Ella out in the world, hoping they weren’t suffering a similar experience. Hoping they were somewhere safe with his grandparents and the others. As he focused on his family, pushing out the thoughts that this was all happening because of him, he found the strength tighten his hold on the table, but already his arms were beginning to ache and he knew he couldn’t last long.

At the sound of her love’s screaming, Robin glanced up. She was strong, but the magic behind her was stronger and she could barely hold on even with all her concentration and strength, but she couldn’t resist checking on Alice when she heard her cry. With the wind slapping her hair into the face and almost blinding her, Robin caught sight of Alice being lifted far higher than everyone else. Was it just Robin’s imagination, or was the magic pulling onto Alice harder than it was anyone else?

“Alice, hold on!” Robin shrieked, watching the magic pull at Alice so her fingers slid along the wood of the table.

It wasn’t her imagination. She could tell now, WishRumple was putting more magic into Alice’s portal. Maybe because she was The Guardian, or maybe because he knew she meant a lot to the RealRumple, or maybe just because he was going to pick them out one by one and happen to start with her. Whatever the reason, Robin couldn’t bare to let Alice slip into that portal and be alone. But she couldn’t let go of the table to help her either. All she could do was continue to yell encouragement and hope they found a way out of this nightmare before it was too late.

“Alice! No! Hold on!” Robin screamed over the roaring of the wind, trying not to look to where WishRumple was clapping his hands like a giddy child in front of them.

Alice was doing everything she could. She squeezed her fingers down hard but the magic wind was ripping at her body with such intensity, she could barely breath. She tried to will her own magic to work but she couldn’t concentrate enough. Not on holding on and using magic at the same time. She should have trained more. Should have worked harder at becoming a better Guardian. Instead she ran to live a happy normal life and now everyone was going to suffer for it.

By her side, Killian had his hook locked around the other side of the table, making it easier for him to hold on but even that began to strain against the pressure. He glanced towards where his daughter was screaming by his side, her legs lifted high into the air and her fingers visibly slipping. She wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer and there was no saying when this torment would end.

Knowing what was at stake and the only way to keep her safe, Killian ignored the steadily growing ache in his chest and began to shuffle down the table towards her. This was what he had been preparing for. Somehow he knew it would come down to this. His life had been an endless stream of revenge and misery, either for him or for others. If he was going to end it, he was going to end it protecting the one perfect thing he had ever created in his life. His daughter.

O*U*A*T

Their battle continued.

Regina was gradually losing the strength in her arms and her defence became weaker and weaker. It wasn’t just a physical toll, but an emotional one as well that weighed her down and made her sluggish. Even if he wasn’t her son, he looked the part and that alone was enough to feel like a real stab to her heart.

And then WishHenry was rushing at her, and Regina was barely getting her sword up in time. Their blades clanged together loudly and Henry suddenly caught her off guard as he twisted the pair of sword around against one another. With a firm flick of his wrist like a true pro marksman, suddenly Regina’s grip on the sword broke and it flew from her fingers, landing on the dirt away from them, out of her reach. It skidded across the ground and Regina immediately made to dive after it, only to stop when WishHenry’s sword lifted up and stretched out between them, forcing her to back up.

Then WishHenry was grabbing the front of her coat in his fist. He pushed her back against the tree so she was pinned and lifted the sword, pointing it at her face. Regina could have used magic, either to beat him or simply escape his hold but she wouldn’t do that. That was what she did when she murdered WishSnow and WishDavid. She ran away and left him with his misery and it was that misery that consumed and twisted him and led him to the man he was now.

Regina would not run away. Not this time.

“Henry… I’m so sorry.” Because what else was there left to say?

“You knew I wouldn’t listen to you! So why did you come here?!” WishHenry demanded angrily.

“I had to!” Regina insisted.

“No you didn’t! What do you want from me?!” WishHenry shouted, his voice breaking slightly in his desperation for answers. It was just a slim sign that there was still some good in him but it gave Regina a great bound of hope.

“I just want you to know that you aren’t alone.” Regina said. “Because I know what that’s like too.”

“You deserve to be alone. And that’s how you’re going to die!” WishHenry snarled.

“I know-” Regina began, ready to give her last plea to the boy who looked like son. Her last plea for WishHenry’s soul.

“SHUT UP!” WishHenry shouted, pulling her from the tree and slamming her back again, winding and silencing her all at once. “I am done listening to you. You stole everyone I cared about, ruined countless of lives, and now you are going to finally pay for all of them. I don’t just do this for me. I do this for all the people you’ve hurt in your own selfish desires!”

Regina wanted to try again, but her back was bruised as she was struggling to catch her breath. And in that moment, she saw the look in his eye and knew it was over. This wasn’t her Henry. This was someone new. A young boy that was lost to her forever.

As WishHenry pulled back his sword for one last final swing – to give her the finishing blow… Regina tearfully shut her eyes.

At least she’d finally be reunited with Robin.

Maybe this was her happy ending after all.

Peace.

O*U*AT

Alice let out one last scream as her hand finally slipped and he grip on the table broke. She cried out loudly as she felt her body lift completely up and fly backwards, a cold fear holding so tightly onto her as she realised what was going to happen, and she didn’t know how she would survive it a second time round. But then, at the last moment, she felt something suddenly grab onto her hand, pulling her to a stop. Her shrieking died down in relief and surprise, only to rise back up again as she saw what it was that had caught her. A familiar bright green glow shone in her face as she looked towards where her father had moved up just enough to reach out and grab her hand in time. His hook was still locked around the table, holding them both on, but now his face was twisted in agony as he gripped her hand so tightly, it felt like her fingers might snap.

“Papa, let go!” Alice shouted, not having to think twice about it. She couldn’t bare the thought of him dying, even if it meant giving up her happiness and returning to the loneliness of the tower.

In return, her papa didn’t need to think twice about his answer either. “Never!” He shouted, with such conviction Alice knew there was no point arguing. Even as the pain began to spread from his heart through to the rest of his body, he gripped her hand like there was nothing else in the wood, even while his hook pulling fiercely on the end of the table. It scratched and swung against the magic, but thankfully did not break and remained firmly locked down.

But even that wasn’t enough. He could feel Alice’s fingers slipping out of his grasp, no matter how tightly he clung on. Both of them were sweating hard and that mixed with the magic winds made it near impossible for them to keep their grip. Alice was going to slip free and then he would lose her forever to a fate worse than death.

O*U*A*T

“Henry, stop!”

WishHenry froze just before he could strike and Regina’s eyes snapped open. She looked up and nearly burst into relieved tears and two familiar figures broke through the clear and stepped into the wide space around them. As they did, WishHenry released her, taking a stunned step back and staring at the two of them like he had seen a ghost.

“Grandma… Grandpa…” WishHenry croaked.

“Henry,” Snow smiled sadly at him, sounding very out of breath. “You don’t want to do this.”

WishHenry blinked at her before shaking his head. “No. You’re not my grandparents.” He rounded on Regina, snarling and pointing the sword back at her throat. “You’re from her world! That other place!”

“That’s right!” David said quickly, holding out a hand and slowly walking around him, they had both put their weapons away on their quick approach and had no intention of drawing them again. “We’re not your actual grandparents… But we are a version of them.”

“And we’re here to stop you from doing something very foolish.” Snow said, walking around the other side, stepping closer than David dared and smiling softly at the young boy.

“Foolish?” WishHenry frowned, not taking his eyes off of Regina.

“Yes. Because it would truly be foolish, to darken your heart for the sake of revenge.” Snow said, reaching for him but stopping short when he moved slightly closer to Regina, the blade now pressing against the side of her neck.

“Why should I listen to you? You’re not my family!” WishHenry snapped. “She took my family! And now she has to pay! She killed everyone I cared about and ruined my life! And she’s ruined countless other lives as well!”

“Yes. Yes, she has.” Snow said quickly. “Regina has made more mistakes than anyone else. And she has suffered for all of them. She had taken people from their children, and then she had to live without her own son. And she has murdered loved ones and broken hearts. And in return she lost her own love.” Snow moved closer towards him. “Henry, Regina has paid more times over for her sins than anyone else.”

WishHenry wavered, glancing at her weakly. He couldn’t help it. When he looked at her, he saw his own loving grandmother. Though she was much younger, she had the same kind eyes and soft smile in the way that she looked at him.

“Put the sword down, Henry.” David said. He too, looked exactly like his real family. So much like the man who had taught him everything he knew about being a noble knight.

A noble knight who would never make them proud. Because these people weren’t his family. They were fakes. His real family was gone.

“Not until I kill her!” WishHenry snapped, rounding back on Regina who was frozen to the spot. She knew her life, and Henry’s, was relying completely on the Charming's.

“And then what?” Snow pressed, moving even closer until she could have touched him if she wanted. But she held herself back. She waited for the right time to close the gap between them. “And then what, Henry? What comes next?” She stressed the words slowly. When WishHenry didn’t answer, she went on. “Henry. If you kill Regina, then you get your revenge. But revenge wouldn’t make you happy. It won’t bring back your grandparents and it won’t fix the pain that is filling you up inside. It will only make it grow because without Regina, you won’t know what to do. Revenge is foolish but powerful and it can keep someone going until the end of time but once it’s gone, there’s nothing.”

WishHenry swallowed. He was shaking so hard, Regina was afraid he was going to cut her by mistake. “Then what do I do?!” He demanded.

“You heal, Henry.” Snow reached up, finally placing a hand on his shoulder. “The greatest revenge is to get your own happiness and you can only do that by letting go of the pain and allowing yourself to heal. I know things seem dark right now, and it feels like the pain will never go away and the world will never stop just throwing more misery down on top of you. But I promise you, that feeling is temporary. The world keeps turning, even while you suffer, and if you let yourself turn with it, then that pain will get easier to manage.” Snow squeezed his shoulder. “And once you heal, you can be happy, Henry. You can start your life a fresh. Do things right. Show Regina, and all other villains in the world, that their evil ways won’t affect you and they won’t stop you from living your life as a true and noble knight.”

Noble knight. That was what he was always meant to be. Noble.

Yet here he was, threatening to cut Regina down… But she deserved it! She took away his family!

“I lost my mother,” Snow said suddenly, drawing his attention back to her. “When I was just a child. Even younger than you. And then later my father and David lost both his parents too. We know the pain you’re in Henry. We understand how it feels and, trust me; I know what it is like to seek revenge. But it does not make you happy. It will never make you happy. The only thing that can is by being who you were always meant to be.” She stepped until she was right beside him. “A hero. One who does the right thing. Even if it doesn’t always feel like it.”

Tears had filled WishHenry’s eyes and he glanced at the woman by his side. She didn’t just look like his grandmother, but sounded and acted like her to, making it impossible for him to ignore her. “What if I can’t be a hero?” He asked, shakily.

“I know you can. Being a hero doesn’t always mean slaying the dragon.” Snow said quietly. “Sometimes it’s a simple… As setting an example.” She looked to Regina and smiled. “Sometimes it can simply be showing mercy. And forgiving those who wronged us most.” She looked back at WishHenry. “Be a hero, Henry.”

David moved up the other side of him, taking his free hand in his own. “We’re not worried about you, Henry. We both know you will do the right thing. We’re just here to let you know that you don’t have to do it alone. We may not be your real grandparents, but we are here for you.”

Tears were now flooding free, streaming down he cheeks as he looked between his grandparents, openly sobbing. There was a tense moment between the four of them as they all held still and waited before WishHenry finally slackened, dropping the sword down by his side without a second glance. Then he turned to the two grandparents he had lost and threw himself at them, bursting into tears against their comforting and familiar shoulders.

Regina felt herself relax and smiled at Snow over WishHenry’s shoulder. She watched grandparents embrace and comfort their alternative grandson. And even though Regina had been unable to get through to him… She was just glad someone had.

O*U*A*T

With one final scream building in Alice throat as she prepared for the inevitable, she knew what was coming next. Looking to her papa once more, Alice felt the tears fill her eyes, wishing she could say everything she was feeling… Instead, she could say nothing as she finally lost her grip, their hands breaking free…

Only for the portals to die down at the exact same time.

To Be Continued...

So the usual adding detail and thought but let's get to main change! The one I have wanted to do since I started this story. Fixing that complete and utter trash of a scene between Wish Henry and Regina.

Now, if they had Regina get through to Henry by talking him down, I might not have minded so much. However I refuse to accept the way they did it, which included WishHenry hugging her the woman who destroyed his life. But more than that, it seemed almost logical to have Snow and David be the ones to get through to him. Even Regina's line "but there are people out there… A good, kind version of your family that can help you heal" made it sound like it was foreshadowing Snowing showing up and saving the day. That just made the most damn sense to me! Have the grandparents Henry lost convince him to do the right thing... I am generally annoyed they decided to go with the fanservicy option of having Regina save the day even though it made no logical sense.

So I fixed it. I had Snowing come in and talk Henry down by reminding him of the man he could be and the grandparents they were to him. And I replaced that god awful WishRegalBeliever hug with a proper WishSnowingBeliever hug instead.

#once upon a time #OUAT Fanfiction #OUAT 7x22 Rewrite

4 notes · View notes

welllpthisishappening · 7 years ago

Text

Dropping Gloves...in the Name of Festive Fashion

It’s probably one of the more ridiculous things any of them have ever done. It’s also one of the better ideas any of them has ever had – it’s festive and in the spirit and the fans will love it. And maybe it’s kind of fun because it ends with another win and some positive press before the break and Phillip’s jacket is really just...a work of fashion art.

The way Emma laughs at his jacket and sweater combination a few hours before puck drop is just a bonus.

AN: Once again, I have no excuse for this. I am...vaguely stressed out in the real world side of my life and the Rangers keep winning games, which makes me want to write Blue Line things and steal ideas from the Boston Bruins. I definitely stole this from the Boston Bruins. Anyway, here’s 3K’ish worth of vaguely festive words and everyone sassing each other and Emma and Killian making out in other hockey arenas that aren’t the Garden. Also. More Insta art under the cut.

It was Scarlet’s idea.

Of course it was. It was insane. The only person who would think it was a good idea was Scarlet. That was, however, until Ruby heard about it. And promptly let out a screech so loud that Killian was momentarily concerned she was going to, somehow, do damage to the paint on the locker room wall. “God, Lucas,” he mumbled, dropping back into the bench behind him and Emma shot him a look. Killian grinned in response, a flash of teeth and his tongue pressed into the corner of his mouth and she rolled her eyes.

“You’re an idiot,” Emma mumbled, but there was a note of something just on the edge of her voice and she didn’t say anything before she walked towards him, fingers finding the bottom of his hair.

Ruby glared at both of them. “I don’t want to hear it, Cap,” she said, crossing her arms like that would, somehow, make it all sound more official. “This is a good idea. We could get picked up by a shit ton of sites.”

“Is that the goal?”

Will laughed from some unseen corner of the locker room, the sound bouncing off the walls and, somehow, mixing with Ruby’s glare and the effect left Killian without much of an argument or a metaphorical leg to stand out.

“Would we classify that as a cliché?” Robin asked, walking back into the main room with ice taped to his shoulder and a pair of questionably adorable kids wearing jerseys behind him. “Or just like...a really bad joke?” “The second one,” Emma mumbled and Will cackled from wherever he was. Probably getting his leg checked after he blocked that shot in the second period and he was going to talk about that for, at least, a week.

Killian glanced up, eyeing Emma with something that felt a bit like stunned and impressed and maybe just like she was the center of the universe or something. The specifics weren’t important. “You wound me, Swan,” he said, but Will was still laughing and even Ruby was trying to turn whatever sound she was making into something that was almost a cough.

“Yeah, definitely the second one,” Robin agreed. “It’s because he thinks we’re all going to look better than him.” “That’s because we are,” Will shouted and Killian rolled his eyes, letting his head fall back against Emma’s side. She smiled.

“You know you don’t have to wear anything too ridiculous, Cap. We’re not even going to be here so the odds of The Post picking it up first is like...slim to none. Just you know, wear a hat or something.” “I mean, that’s not totally true,” Ruby muttered. “It’s not like the journalism industry is so hard up that they don’t send beat reporters on the road. It’s Boston, it’s not the western swing. And Cap, if we do this, you absolutely cannot only wear a hat. That’ll just be embarrassing for everyone and ruin the theme completely.” “You’re really selling it, Lucas,” Will said. His bag of ice was taped to his knee, a slight limp to his walk that he’d probably milk until the Christmas break.

“I am fine-tuning your idea, Scarlet. Or at least your idea theft.” “Theft?” Killian repeated and it couldn’t have been good for his neck to keep twisting up towards Emma. Or whatever happened to his entire body when Roland jumped up onto him, knee landing on, what felt like, half a dozen different internal organs.

He was already shouting about Christmas plans and snow and Henry had, finally, retired the original Jones jersey, but had recently started sporting a Stanley Cup champions version that was looking a little worse for wear as well.

“Are you going to get dressed up, Hook?” Roland asked, shouting the question in Killian's ear. “Henry and I are going to!” Killian glanced at the teenager in question, eyebrows lifted and Henry shrugged like it was the end of the goddamn world. “Scarlet thinks it’d be funny. Even if it is kind of unoriginal, but usually you guys don’t do stuff like this.” “I’m still not entirely sure what it is we’re doing,” Emma admitted, gaping at Will when he made some kind of noise in the back of his throat.

“Em, seriously?” he asked. “I told Cap about this, like, two days ago at least. He really didn’t say anything?” Emma shook her head and Will might have actually growled. “C’mon, Cap, what the hell? Sorry Rol. I’m not sorry, Henry though because you insulted my idea.”

“Ok, well, you’re not really making any of us want to do this, Scarlet,” Robin muttered, grabbing a stick out of his locket to hit at the back of Will’s legs.

“I am injured, Locksley!” “You blocked one shot. You’re a defenseman. That is literally your job.”

“I’m going to make you wear the ugliest sweater of all.” Robin brandished the stick again and Killian was never sure who moved first – him or Emma or Ruby, but they were a mess of voices and raised hands and pleas to relax, guys, seriously and both Robin and Will made hand gestures that were decidedly out of place several days before Christmas.

“It is some kind of miracle Gina isn’t here to see that,” Killian muttered, falling back on the bench and, that time, he tugged Emma down with him, a vaguely uncomfortable pretzel that also included Roland Locksley.

“If you tell Gina about that, I will find actual coal and give it to you, Cap,” Robin said. It sounded like a promise.

Or, possibly, a warning.

“Scarlet you want to tell me what your idea is now?” Emma asked, a blatantly obvious attempt to redirect the conversation.

Killian tried to bite back his smile.

It didn’t work.

Ruby rolled her eyes.

“We’re going to dress up,” Scarlet said simply. He nodded once – as if that explained anything – and Emma shrugged again when there weren’t more words. “You know...festive like.” “What?”

Killian made a noise, somewhere between amusement and disbelief that any of them were even considering this ridiculous thought, hooking his chin over Emma’s shoulder. And he didn’t expect Roland to explain it. “The Canadiens did it last year, Emma,” he yelled, leaping off the bench to start bouncing on the balls of his feet instead. “They all got dressed up and they wore funny suits and Santa hats and it was on SportsCenter and all over the internet and now Uncle Will wants to do the same thing here and Henry and I are going to wear hats.” “Bring up that SportsCenter fact again,” Ruby grinned. She leaned forward, wrapping an arm around Roland’s shoulders to tug him against her side and they both looked like they wanted to start bouncing up and down. “This is...it’s a great idea. Don’t say a word, Scarlet.” “I didn’t say anything, Lucas,” Will promised, but the grin on his face looked triumphant and Killian knew he was outnumbered.

“So we’re just going to steal festive-type ideas from the Canadiens now?” he asked. “I feel like we’re better than that.” Will nodded enthusiastically, eyes wide and it was like someone had just turned on an extravagant light display in the middle of the New York Rangers locker room. Everything felt a bit brighter. That was a cliché. “Exactly,” Will shouted. “That’s exactly what I’m saying, Cap. We’ve been officially screwed over by this schedule. Sorry, Rol. So we’re taking back some of the fun of the game. We’re going to look like idiots and the fans are going to love it.”

“I never agreed to look like an idiot,” Robin muttered. “I’ll dress up. I’ll wear a hat to match my kids, but I won’t look like an idiot when Lucas is already plotting some kind of social media strategy for the whole thing.” “How do you know I’m doing that?” Ruby asked and the entire locker room exploded in a general state of hysterics.

“Lucas, please. Don’t insult my intelligence like that.” “You can almost hear the gears moving, Rubes,” Emma added, a smile on her face and her fingers still tracing across Killian’s neck and it felt decidedly festive even if they were all going to look like idiots in Boston.

They were absolutely all going to look like idiots in Boston.

“Whatever,” Ruby grumbled. “This is good pub. I bet The Post runs a sidebar about it and we all get some positive ink before the break.” “All of those phrases were incredibly old sounding,” Will laughed.

“Locksley, hit Scarlet with that stick again.” Robin hummed, flashing a conspiratorial grin Killian’s direction and Will nearly tripped over his own feet trying to jump back. Ariel looked scandalized when she turned the corner, the heel of her hand pressed into her lower back.

“Are you guys serious?” she yelled and her hair seemed to get redder. Like it was gaining power. Or frustration. Merry Christmas. “Scarlet, sit down. Locksley, put the stick away. We won already. Cap, control your team better.”

“That was good, Red,” Killian grinned. “I feel like I’m about to get grounded.” She stuck her tongue out at him. And he couldn’t turn his laugh into a convincing cough quickly enough. “I will...tell Arthur on you. And pick out a garbage outfit for you to wear in Boston.” “What are you going to say to Arthur? Also have we considered Arthur in this whole dress like a Christmas tree kick we are on, because I can’t imagine a situation where he’s even remotely into any of that.”

“Cap,” Will sighed. “That is not the name. Festive forecheck. You’ve got to go for alliteration. Obviously. Someone back me up on this.” “I mean that’s not bad,” Emma said. “It just doesn’t really make sense. Give me, like, twelve hours to come up with something better.” “Deal. And Arthur thinks it’s a great idea because, surprisingly enough, some kind of win streak makes Arthur an almost bearable human being and front office thought it was genius.”

“No one said that,” Robin mumbled. “The word genius was never used.”

“Anyway,” Will continued sharply, talking louder like that would drown out any festive detractors. “Front office really does think it’s a good idea and in the spirit, that was an actual phrase, right Lucas?” Ruby nodded – even though it looked like it physically pained her to do so. “Right, right, in the spirit and fun and the fans will love it. So, you know... get all the Grinch’ing out now because we’re doing this.” “Can we make Grinch references when there are still a couple of days before Christmas?” Emma asked. “Also is there a dress code? How do you guys pick outfits?” Will’s eyes widened at the barrage of questions, but Killian felt something spark in the center of his being that was oddly similar to several lit fireplaces and hot chocolate and, probably, a bread pudding that was somewhere in the realm of edible.

They were going to the brownstone together again.

And Emma was still asking questions.

They stayed in the locker room for another forty-five minutes and, at some point, Emma actually found a notebook and started writing down rules and festive regulations and Will promised that they could all get outfits within the next forty-eight hours and, two days later, by the time they walked into TD Garden, the New York Rangers entire roster looked as if Christmas had exploded.

But, like, in a good way.

“You know,” Emma said, just inside the doors of the Garden with her own hat on her head because Gina took everything way too seriously. “I think you might just win the best dressed competition, Jones.”

He grinned, any sense of exhaustion from an absurd just-before-Christmas schedule that wasn’t quite over yet disappearing as soon as Emma pressed up on her toes and they should probably stop kissing in arenas.

Killian couldn’t really bring himself to care. There was some Christmas excuse, probably. And he loved his girlfriend a lot.

“Can you vote, love?” he asked, mumbling the words against the curve of her jaw and his heart grew three sizes when she laughed in response. The Grinch looked pretty damn good in his festive suit – even while wearing the single most absurd Christmas sweater he could find.

“That seems like cheating, doesn’t it?” Emma asked. “Do you not trust the fans’ judgement?” “I’m not entirely concerned with that.” “That was almost romantic.” “Almost.” “Win another game and I’ll reconsider.” “No goal?” “Didn’t want to be greedy.” Killian smiled again – what felt like the entire goddamn Yule Log burning in the pit of his stomach and that probably wouldn’t be good once he got on the ice. “A goal and an assist and you walk out of the arena wearing this absurd jacket.” “I think you just want me to wear your jacket,” Emma muttered, tugging on lapels and Killian was surprised the entire thing didn’t rip apart in her hand. The Christmas-patterned jacket, it seemed, was not very well made.

Killian shook his head, hands landing on her hips and they should have found a more private corner. Scarlet was shouting for him. “Putting words in my mouth, Swan,” he muttered. “A goal and an assist, love.”

“And what happens if you don’t actually win the best dressed voting contest?”

“I’ll wear the hat. We’ll just...swap.” “Those are lame stakes.” “Best I can do on short notice.” She laughed and the sound seemed to echo in between his ears and his rib cage and this season was different in all the ways he’d always hoped for. That was almost another cliché. He’d have to tell Mrs. Vankald later that week. “Yeah, ok,” Emma said. “Also. Arthur dressed up.”

Killian gaped at her, eyes wide and jaw hanging open and Will couldn’t seem to stop laughing, even as they walked towards the visitor’s locker room to the sound of shutter snaps and flashes.

“You look good, Cap,” Will grinned. “I mean...not Phillip good. But, you know, festive.” He tried to glare at him. He did, but there was something about the season, Christmas or otherwise, and kissing Emma, even without mistletoe, and he couldn't quite summon up the frustration. He probably wouldn’t even check anyone later. “Yeah and you look ridiculous. I don’t remember that jacket being so….bright.”

“‘Tis the season, Cap.” “I don’t think that’s the phrase you’re looking for. Was it really that bright when we ordered it? Why did you agree to this?”

There wasn’t really time between games to actually shop, but the internet existed – or so Regina was quick to point out when they explained the idea in the restaurant and Eric was only too happy to offer up several plates of food they probably shouldn’t be eating in the middle of the season while she pulled out a tablet and started hitting buttons and it all got fairly ridiculous fairly quickly.

Killian tugged on the side of Will’s sleeve, certain he could hear something rip and he groaned when the move earned him a punch to the arm. “Leave my jacket alone,” Will growled. “And I picked this suit because Rol liked it.” “You’re a pushover.”

Will shrugged, making a dismissive noise in the back of his throat and Killian couldn’t argue with that either. His own fashion choices were equally dictated by how much Emma laughed at the pattern of the jacket when Regina found it in some dark, holiday-themed corner of Amazon and if it managed to work a smile out of Henry.

“Whatever, Cap,” Will grumbled, kicking open the door to the locker room. “Lucas told me I’m already winning this best dressed thing we’re staging.”

“We’re a weirdly competitive group, aren’t we?”

“It’s an outlet.”

Killian hummed, shrugging out of his jacket and there were more cameras and Mulan was there and this whole thing was going to end up as a photo gallery on the site and sent to season tickets. “What’d you come up with for your title of you well executed event, Scarlet?”

“Was that a compliment? Also didn’t Emma tell you? It was her idea.” “We’ve got some other things going on,” Killian said evasively, waving his hand through the air when Will narrowed his eyes. “What’s the name?”

“Dropping gloves...in the name of festive fashion.” Robin guffawed from his locker, Phillip a few feet away and sporting a jacket that could give several disco balls a run for their money and Jeff’s tie was the same exact pattern as his jacket and his pants.

They all looked like idiots.

“We’re going to raise a ton of money though,” Phillip said, tugging on his jacket because it was covered in sequins and far too small. He was totally going to win best dressed.

“What?” Killian asked.

“Cap, seriously,” Will groaned. “Do you not even talk to your girlfriend? You live together.” Killian made a noise in the back of his throat, something he hoped sounded appropriately dismissive and he was fairly certain it didn’t work when he met Robin’s gaze. “Emma thought it’d be a good idea to auction off our jackets and we’re all going to sign the hats and we’re going to make a ton of very festive money for Garden of Dreams. Aurora was thrilled, right Phillip?” “She was,” Phillip nodded. “I think the word overjoyed was used several times.”

Killian nodded, pride joining whatever Yule Log was still burning in the very center of him and he’d probably score two goals that night. “Ah, well, it might not have been a bad idea, Scarlet,” he said, clapping Will on the shoulder and the crowd was louder than usual when they took the ice half an hour later.

They won the game, the lead story on SportsCenter and, per text message updates from David, the top post on the subReddit with some sort of absurd number of comments, and Killian walked out of TD Garden with a Santa hat on his head and a smile on his face and Emma had to push the sleeves of the jacket up to hold his hand.

#cs ff #captain swan #captain swan ff #cs manip #blue line one shots #blue line art #there is no excuse for this #the rangers played the bruins last weekend and they showed the bruins walking in dressed up #and my husband was like...you're going to write about that aren't you?#so he knows what's up

98 notes · View notes

sammyjo16 · 7 years ago

Text

I am so far aboard this train…So, here it is, my first foray into Hooked Queen fic. Took some liberties at the end, as I gather Zelena will be in the loop soon, but alas…

i. (pre-curse) (Regina)

“You’re staring again, your Majesty.” She shakes her head, snapping herself out of it.

“Sorry. You’d think after literally splitting my own-self in two this whole…situation wouldn’t feel so bizarre to me.”

“You…what?”

Regina offers him a slight smirk. “Let’s just say I’m no stranger to staring my past mistakes in the face. It was…rather illuminating.”

He throws another piece of wood on the fire, averting her eyes. “However, in my instance…It appears I am the past mistake.”

”Killian…Hook - you’ve been given the same chance The Evil Queen was given. I was given. To start over…To be the man you truly want to be.”

Familiar words of advice she’d given to the…other him. And while their two lives had diverged paths in nature, she still saw what Emma and Killian did when they looked at him. The piece of him that just…wanted to be whole again.

Another feeling she knew all too well.

She watches as the anger flares behind his eyes. “You don’t understand, do you?! She was my second chance!”

(Along with the anger and bitterness.)

“Take a look over there,” she orders gently, before he finally follows her gaze to where Henry and Cinderella are sparring with their swords. “I understand more than you know. If I ever lost him…”

“But you haven’t.”

She nods curtly and shifts just a bit closer to him. “We’re going to find your daughter.”

Now he’s the one staring. “Well…what is it?”“

"Nothing,” he laughs. “Forgive me, it’s just the last we spoke…Well, the Evil Queen and I, she couldn’t fathom what would be worth giving up my revenge for…and yet, here we both are -“

“It seems we both finally have our answer,” she replies, laughing as she sees Cinderella best her son in their fight.

“He’s a good, lad.”

“Yes, he is.” She pauses. “And if Alice is anything like her father, she’s a survivor…Who knows - she may even find us.”

He gives her a grateful smile before taking a gulp from his flask before extending it out to her.

“No, thank you. Rum isn’t really my taste.”

The laugh she receives elicits a sharp raise of her eyebrow. “It’s good to see that some things have remained the same.”

She rolls her eyes but her lips curve into a smile nonetheless.

ii. (cursed) (Hook)

“So, what it’ll it be, Rogers?”

“Rum couldn’t hurt,” he answers though he notes she was already reaching for the bottle and glass before he answered.

“What? It’s not like I don’t see you enough.”

He laughs. “Too true.”

“Dare I ask how it’s going with Weaver?”

He simply takes a swig from the glass.

“That good, huh?”

He huffs. He’s not sure why he feels compelled to talk to her above anyone else. It may be her status behind the bar, as cliche as that might be, or to be frank, his lack of other option…But opening up to Roni’s always been particularly easy to do.

“Aye. That good.”

“You know,” she starts, “I’d hate to offer an ‘I told you so’…”

“Somehow, I highly doubt that.”

She smirks. “But listen, whatever he has you doing…” She cuts him off before he can protest - “And I don’t need or care to know the details…I know you’ll make the right decision.”

He looks up from the glass. “Oh? And how would you possibly know that.”

She shrugs and walks along the bar to retrieve the cloth to wipe it down. “Did I mention you come here enough?”

Smiling he lifts the glass to her in cheers. “Aye, that you did.”

(He just hopes she’s right about him too.)

iii. (awake) (Regina)

He’s sitting alone by the hideous troll…thing…when she sees him. She knows this is probably a bad idea, given everything she knows now…

But for whatever reason, she can’t help it.

(Or, maybe she knows the reason…Has known for awhile now, but hasn’t allowed herself to go there.)

When he finally looks up she makes out his tired eyes “Roni. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

She doesn’t answer at first. Simply takes the seat next to him. “Oh, you know me,” she breathes. “Always out for a stroll.”

He shoots her a look before turning his eyes back to the road.

“Okay, I was a bit concerned about you. Sue me.”

She’s met with silence and from years of being on the other end of these conversations…she knows she’ll have to do the pushing. “And I take it you’re concerned about her? Tilly.”

That gets his attention.

“I thought she was making progress. We had a good talk and I’d truly hoped -“

“That you’d gotten through to her.” She sighs. “I know the feeling.”

Now she’s only met with confusion.

“Aye?”

She stutters. “I just - I mean that I get it. I know that you feel some sort of…” She stops and considers her words carefully. “Kinship? To her…That you want to look out for her…Even if you’re not even sure why.”

“I do know why.”

Surely he can’t mean -

“We’re both alone. Drifting,” he clears his throat. “I believe that’s how she put it.”

Oh. “I wouldn’t say that’s exactly true.” On instinct she rests his hand over his and he finally meets her eyes. “…You have me. And Henry…We’ve been a hell of a team lately - no?”

He smiles at that and it puts her at ease. She may not be able to tell them the truth, or risk the curse being broken…But she hasn’t lost them.

“Aye.”

“Well, good,” she says.

They settle into silence before he looks back to her. “You know, you still owe me a cake.”

She burst out into a laugh and shakes her head. “Yeah, you’re going to have to get over that.”

But she’s making a note to find out when his birthday is all the same.

iv. (awake pt. 2) (Hook)

“Wait!” He hears her footsteps rushing behind him as he hastens his own pace down the darkened street.

“Will you - “

“No!” He turns around to her, finally snapping “I don’t want to hear it. Or anything you have to say. Just leave me be.”

Though her eyes are watery and she looks so…defeated and it’s taking all his resolve not to break.

“Please,” she implores. “Will you just listen, Hook!”

“Oh, now you want to talk. Bloody hell. Months. Months of secrecy from me - from your son,” he spits, bitterly, “and now you want it all out there? Well then - let’s have it.”

“You know why I couldn’t tell you. Why the curse can’t be broken! I had to - I had to watch my own son’s heart break. But I had to make sure to protect everyone. I -”

“You could have come to me!” he roars back. She flinches.

“Like hell I could have!” She pauses, composes herself. Ever the Queen. “Do you honestly believe for a second that you would have believed anything I could have told you about all…this.”

“Regina -”

“Hell, Lucy…God, that poor girl has been trying to get us to believe for the better half of this whole year! If that bitch hadn’t woken me up -”

He sighs. “And why did she? And now to do the same to me? What does she stand to gain?”

She laughs bitterly. “Nothing but the pleasure of reveling in our suffering. The knowledge of our real lives and the fact that we can’t do a damn thing…at least, for now, to stop her.”

“What about the Crocodile?” he offers. “Surely he must be awake-”

“-Sufficed to say, we’re on our own. I’m sorry.”

Hook rubs his hands over his eyes, tiredly. “You’re sure? That if the curse were to be broken -”

“Yes, you and Alice - This is why…I thought that at least this way…” The words hang in the air between them as his anger slowly dissolves at her crestfallen face. He can’t blame her for this.

“I figured ignorance was bliss.” She takes deliberate step into his space. “Every time I look at my son my heart shatters. He may know me…and want to talk to me, but it’s not the same. Not like this. Not as Roni - some bartender he’s become friends with. I thought…if I could save you from some of that pain with your daughter, then it was the right thing to do.”

He sighs. Bloody hell…This woman. (He’s still not entirely sure he’s truly used to this version of her even after all the time they’ve spent together…In any incarnation.)

“You don’t have to carry this alone anymore,” he whispers. “We will find a way.”

She gives him a watery smile. “So, what, you’re the one giving the hope speeches now?”

He grins. “Aye. And…you once reminded me - we both found our answer to what’s most important in our lives. To what’s worth fighting for.”

"Yeah,” she meets his eyes as he wipes a tear from her cheek. “Indeed we have.”

(Somehow, he senses…and hopes…they’re not just talking about their children.)

#Once Upon A Time #Hooked Queen #Wish!Hook #Regina Millis #HookedQueen

41 notes · View notes

tomeandflickcorner · 7 years ago

Text

OUAT Episode Analysis- The Eighth Witch

Well, this episode was quite the ride. Buckle up, folks, because we’ve got a wild one here.

We begin with the Parallel Enchanted Forest flashback, where we see Henry introducing the newborn Lucy to Regina, Wish Killian, Tiana and Jack, who is later revealed to be the Parallel E.F.’s version of Jack of Beanstalk fame. Which was interesting, considering the Jack of Enchanted Forest Prime was a woman. Let’s hope the gender wasn’t the only difference between this version of Jack and Jacqueline, and that the giants that this version of Jack dealt with really were the bad guys, and not the real victims. (Rest in peace, Anton’s Brothers.)

On a side note, it was rather jarring that they started off this episode with Lucy’s birth. The last time we saw Henry and Parallel Ella in Pre-Curse Parallel E.F., they had only just kissed for the first time. But now we’re suddenly fast forwarding to them becoming parents. I just found that rather funny. Like, is Henry that good of a kisser that his kisses result in instant pregnancy? I hope not, because otherwise I’d feel really bad for Violet.

Joking aside, I do find it slightly upsetting that the rest of Henry’s family wasn’t invited to the party. What about Snow, Charming, Emma and Killian Prime? Did they not get notified that Henry’s first child was being born? I realize the real life reason why they’re not there, but I still want to know the in-show reason for their absence.

However, Henry notices that Regina also isn’t present, but before they can really figure out what happened to her, Drizella suddenly appears, announcing her intention to cast the Dark Curse on Lucy’s eight birthday. I do find it a bit strange that Drizella was going to wait that long before casting the curse, but I do have a theory that I’ll touch upon later. Though I also found it surprising that this most likely means Lucy is actually eight in the Hyperion Heights scenes. While I realize they’ve never specifically stated her age, I’d always figured she was ten. I suppose it’s possible that the curse has simply lasted for two years, but even so.

Returning to the episode, Drizella’s threat is interrupted when it’s revealed she’s unknowingly triggered a bit of Blood Magic. Apparently, Parallel Stepmother is actually helping Henry and company now, as she’s teamed up with them to stop Drizella from casting the Dark Curse. I guess the fact that neither party wants to see Drizella cast the curse led to Parallel Stepmother burying the hatchet with the New Nevengers. In any event, Parallel Stepmother’s surprise assistance results in Drizella getting turned into a stone statue, which obviously would prevent her from following through with her plans. Because she can’t cast the Dark Curse if she’s encased in stone.

But then, we fast forward AGAIN to Lucy’s eight birthday party. Where we see Tiana is now a queen. Obviously, a lot has happened during the eight years they didn’t bother to show us. Tiana has apparently succeeded in her mission to overthrow the corrupted monarchy and has become the new ruler of the kingdom. And even though the members of her team of Freedom Fighters no longer need to band together, they’ve all remained friends, and have come together to celebrate Lucy’s birthday.

Anyway, Lucy’s birthday party is suddenly interrupted when Gothel appears out of nowhere, effectively gate crashing the festivities. She’s accompanied by a bunch of mysterious guys, all dressed in dark robes. Upon arriving, Gothel reverses the spell that had turned Drizella into a stone statue. The moment Drizella is returned to her flesh and blood state, she, Gothel and the robed figures all teleport off again.

Now, you’re probably wondering who these robed allies of Gothel are. Throughout the episode, we learn that Gothel and the robed figures are part of some secret sect called the Coven of Eight, which I gather is a feared group of powerful Dark Witches. Where did they come from? I have no clue, considering this is, to my knowledge, the first time we’ve heard of them. But it appears that Drizella joined the Coven of Eight in order to cast the Dark Curse. Which kinda makes sense. If memory serves, we saw Regina’s first attempt at casting the Dark Curse back in episode 2 was assisted by a group of nameless background characters, including a blind hag and a gnome. Apparently, Drizella also needs assistance of other people to cast her version of the Dark Curse.

This brings me to my theory about why they apparently had to wait for Lucy to turn eight before casting the Dark Curse. Maybe the number eight is a magical number in this realm. Kinda like how people in this world associate the number seven with good luck. I admittedly know very little about arithmancy, but my quick research on the subject states the number eight is the number of success. Maybe that has something to do with why they decided to wait eight years before making their move. And maybe it’s no coincidence that the number of years they had to wait is identical to the number of witches that are supposed to be in this coven.

Regardless, the fact that Drizella is now at large again, and fully capable of following through with her threat to cast the Dark Curse, puts the New Nevengers on high alert. They begin to take steps to prepare for a way to combat the revived threat to their peaceful lives.

Wish Killian heads off to meet up with Rumpelstiltskin. Who has, for some reason, gotten that weird skin condition of his back. But they’re not telling us why he’s back to being a walking disco ball. Maybe they’ll tell that story in 7B. Anyway, Wish Killian asks Rumpelstiltskin if there’s a way to stop the curse, but Rumpy Rumps insists there’s no way to stop it. However, he does present Wish Killian with a carved elephant. Possibly a reference to the whole saying about how an elephant never forgets. According to Rumpelstiltskin, while this elephant totem won’t keep him from losing his memories, it will enable him and Alice to recognize each other as father and daughter. Wish Killian is both skeptical and a bit taken aback that Rumpelstiltskin seems interested in helping him, which makes sense. Even though this is Wish Killian and Rumpelstiltskin Prime, it seems they can’t completely forget the feud that existed between them in both realities. (Guess this means Rumpelstiltskin knows fully well that Detective Rogers isn’t Killian Prime, after all.) But it turns out that Rumpelstiltskin is actually doing this as a favor for Alice, who has been in Rumpelstiltskin’s company for quite some time now. According to Alice, she feels she owes it to Rumpelstiltskin, because, as she puts it, he gave up a lot for her. Is this related to how Rumpelstiltskin went all ‘crockey’ again? Once again, that’s something they’ve yet to fully explain.

The conversation between Wish Killain and Alice is really lovely, though. Especially since it’s clear that the Curse of the Poisoned Heart is still in effect, and preventing them from getting too close to each other. Plus, Alice might still feel guilty for unintentionally inflicting harm onto her father after Drizella gave her the bogus cure. After all, Killian Prime was notorious for feeling intense guilt over things that weren’t even necessarily his fault. It’s possible Wish Killian possessed a similar trait and passed it down to his daughter. I do wonder, though, if this is the first time they’ve seen each other since that day. I get the impression that they saw each other again at least once between then and now, but it probably wasn’t that often. Before Wish Killian leaves to rejoin the others, their conversation shifts to someone else. Alice begins to refer to someone else she dearly cares about, and she gives Wish Killian what appears to be a love letter, instructing him to deliver it to ‘her.’ Wish Killian promises that he will do so. Before parting, Alice tells Wish Killian that she would have written a letter for him, but she knows he already knows how she feels about him.

Meanwhile, Regina heads off to some small farmhouse in the middle of the woods. As she approaches the house, a few arrows fly by, narrowly missing her by inches. Upon turning, she sees the archer is a young woman who is quickly identified as Baby Robyn, Robin Hood’s daughter, now fully grown. Somehow, Zelena and Robyn have also wound up living in Parallel Enchanted Forest. Once again, there’s no explanation as to why they left Storybooke. Or why Robyn is a young adult now.

To properly explain why this is so weird, I have to discuss a plot point that’s revealed near the end of the episode. The love letter Alice wanted Wish Killian to deliver turns out to be meant for Robyn. Because Alice and Robyn are in love. Again, we currently have no explanation to how they met. But I don’t have any issues with this particular pairing. And it’s rather cool that the daughter of Robin Hood and an alternate version of Killian Jones fell in love. I’d always wanted to see more interaction between Robin and Killian, and I can’t help but wonder how they’d react to knowing Robin’s daughter ended up with Wish Killian’s daughter. The thing that makes me scratch my head is that Alice was conceived around the time when the timelines for Enchanted Forest Prime and Wish World diverged. Which means Alice should be around Emma’s age. And Emma was probably thirty when Robyn was born. Which means Alice should be roughly thirty years older than Robyn, too. But in this episode, Alice and Robyn appear to be around the same age. To the episode’s credit, it does kinda acknowledge the whole aging issue, with Regina commenting on how Robyn grew up so quickly. But Zelena just gives a hand wave explanation, stating that time didn’t pass by so quickly in their realm. Which I guess is the show trying to say that time simply passes differently from one realm to the next. (Though that doesn’t exactly explain why Henry and the others don’t appear to have aged a day, even though eight years have apparently gone by in Parallel Enchanted Forest.) But random aging processes are just a common thing in this show.

Anyway, Regina and Zelena discuss the problem about Drizella, and the involvement of the Coven of Eight. Turns out they’ve been trying to recruit Zelena, as their calling card coin had been left out on her porch. This is something that might be confusing, as Zelena was supposed to have lost her magic at the end of S6. But according to @fandom-oracle, it’s possible she managed to regain her magic after the Black Fairy was defeated, and that there was even a scene from the S6 finale that showed her using her magic to play with Baby Robyn, which ultimately ended up on the cutting room floor. So I guess that’s as good an explanation as we can get. So Regina suggests she and Zelena once again team up to try and combat the Coven of Eight together, in the hopes that doing so can prevent them from succeeding in casting the Dark Curse.

While all this is going on, Henry and Parallel Ella have been working on the question of how they’re going to protect their daughter from Drizella and her allies if Regina and Zelena can’t find a way to stop them. Eventually, Henry comes to a decision that Parallel Ella has misgivings about, but she knows that it’s their best shot at keeping Lucy safe. This plan brings us full circle with the scenes we got in the S6 finale. Henry takes Lucy deep into the woods, where they find the Parallel E.F.’s equivalent of the magical tree that was used to create the magical wardrobe that sent Pinocchio and Baby Emma away before the original Dark Curse was cast. Henry’s plan is to use the magic tree to get him and Lucy to safety, so they’d be able to work together to break the curse once it’s cast. While Henry works on fashioning the new magic wardrobe, he entrusts Lucy to the care of Tiger Lily, who has finally made her appearance. I like to think her appearance is the show’s way of showing that Henry maintained contact with everyone back in Storybrooke, and maybe even visited them on occasion. (To be honest, it would make him look like a huge jerk if it was any other way. Imagine never returning home to visit your family, even after eight years have passed.)

Unfortunately, Henry’s task of building the wardrobe is interrupted when the Coven of Eight attacks. As we saw in the S6 finale, Henry quickly makes his way back to Lucy, instructing her to get the Storybook to her mother and then stays behind to try and buy Lucy time to escape. After Henry is captured, Tiger Lily escorts Lucy back to Tiana’s castle, where they inform everyone of Henry’s abduction. While everyone’s first instinct is to organize a rescue mission, Parallel Ella ultimately decides that that’s what the Coven of Eight want, and that doing so will distract them from their main objective in stopping the Dark Curse from being cast. They also know that Henry would not want them to risk everyone’s safety for his sake. So the New Nevengers set out to the place where Drizella, Gothel and the rest of the Coven of Eights are to cast the Dark Curse. And once they arrive, it looks like they’ve succeeded in stopping the ritual, with Parallel Ella, Regina, Wish Killain and Parallel Stepmother subduing the witches. That is, until Drizella reveals the ace up her sleeve. It turns out one of the cloaked figures standing among the Coven of Eight is actually Henry, who has been bound and gagged. And once his identity is unveiled, it’s also revealed the Coven of Eight had poisoned him in such a way that Regina’s magic cannot cure him. Drizella proceeds to tell Regina that this was the full extent of her plan. In this version of the Dark Curse, you don’t need to actively crush someone’s heart. All you need is the magic of someone who already crushed the heart of the thing they loved most. Which means that Regina, who had crushed her father’s heart to cast the original Dark Curse, can cast the curse anytime she wants. As such, Drizella tells Regina that she has a choice to make. She can either cast the Dark Curse now so Henry and everyone else will be transported into the Land Without Magic, where the effects of the poison inside Henry will be nullified, or she can do nothing and let Henry die.

So now we know what the Big Horrible Thing that’ll happen if the curse breaks will be. Because the moment the curse breaks and everyone wakes up, the poison inside Henry will also reactivate. No wonder Regina is feeling conflicted over breaking the curse in Hyperion Heights. She knows that doing so would mean sacrificing Henry. On the one hand, I do wonder if Regina contacted Emma in Storybrooke after Drizella woke her up a few episodes back. After all, Henry is Emma’s son, too. So she has a right to know that her son’s life is on the line. On the other, I suppose it’s possible Regina knows that Emma would come in with guns blazing if she knew the current situation, and that might end up complicating matters a bit more. So it’s probably a whole dammed if you do, dammed if you don’t sort of deal. (Still, Emma has a right to know. And maybe she would be able to come up with a possible solution to the problem.)

In the end, Regina decides to give into Drizella’s demands and casts the Dark Curse in order to save Henry’s life. And, because of Drizella’s grudge against her mother, she makes it so Parallel Stepmother/Victoria will go about thinking she was the one to cast the curse as part of her plan to resurrect Anastasia, not knowing that it was actually Drizella that was pulling the strings. And, as the Dark Curse cloud consumes everyone in sight, we witness Alice and Robyn meeting up one final time before the curse takes hold, vowing that they’ll remember each other, even if they don’t. As for Wish Killian, he ends up giving the elephant totem he’d gotten from Rumpelstiltskin to Parallel Ella. Even though he desperately wants to have a chance to be with his daughter while under the curse, he knows that the curse would leave Lucy completely alone, unless he gave the elephant totem to Parallel Ella, thereby allowing them to maintain their relationship of mother and daughter. Just like how he was unable to go through with his plan to take Killian Prime’s place in order to reunite with Alice upon finding out Killian Prime had a child of his own on the way, Wish Killian once again proved how unselfish he truly was, sacrificing his chance to be with Alice so Parallel Ella could be with her daughter.

That brings me to a current theory I’m seeing circulating around. At present, the show is really making an effort to make it look as if Anastasia is The Guardian. But what was the test that Gothel gave Blonde Rapunzel to see if she was The Guardian? It was to see if Blonde Rapunzel was pure enough to sacrifice her own happiness for the happiness of someone else. Well, Wish Killian has now passed that test twice. His happiness is directly tied to the opportunity to be with Alice again. And he has twice given up that chance so someone else wouldn’t be separated from their child. Not only that, he had clearly earned the nickname of Eagle Scout while working for the police department in Hyperion Heights. What if Wish Killian ends up being The Guardian? If that’s what they’re going to ultimately end up doing, that would be quite an impressive twist. Not to mention it would be fitting, considering it would be a version of Killian Jones who ultimately puts an end to the Dark One’s existence. (Plus, who was it who wielded Excalibur and came very close to forever destroying The Darkness? That’s right, Killian Prime.)

Back in the Hyperion Heights storyline, Lucy is admitted to the hospital after passing out in Jacinda’s arms. And the woman is visibly distraught. Sabine, ever the best friend, is quick to provide support, suggesting that Jacinda call Nick and Henry to tell them what happened while she gets Rogers to start asking around to find out where Lucy might have been before she passed out. Because maybe something happened to Lucy while she was out to explain her current state. So Jacinda begins making phone calls, but Henry ends up unintentionally missing her call, and it takes him a while to reach her when he tries calling her back.

Speaking of Henry, we see that the reason why Regina dragged him off to San Francisco is because that’s where the curse sent Zelena. Under her cursed memories, Zelena believes she’s a spin instructor called Kelly. The cursed memories have also led her to believe that she and her sister, Roni, had a falling out over Kelly’s daughter, who apparently ran off to Phuket, the place where Pinocchio/August was living when Emma first arrived in Storybrooke, because the daughter in question thought her Aunt Roni was cooler then her mother. Or something like that. Either way, because of her cursed memories, Zelena/Kelly is less than pleased to see her sister.

That’s when Henry finally gets in touch with Jacinda. The instant he finds out that Lucy is lying unconscious in the hospital, Henry is adamant about going back, his subconscious paternal instincts kicking in. Regina is visibly torn, deeply concerned about the well-being of her adopted granddaughter, but she knows that she can’t go back to Hyperion Heights without Zelena. So after Henry heads off to the airport to get back to Seattle, Regina once again returns to the gym where Zelena/Kelly works. She eventually convinces Zelena/Kelly to drink some whisky that was laced with some of Drizella’s memory potion. At first, it looks as if the potion failed, but the effects of the memory potion kick in after a few seconds. Not sure what was up with the delayed reaction. Maybe the writers were trying to throw in some false tension.

Anyway, once Zelena wakes up, she is nothing but happy to see Regina again. However, she is still somewhat conflicted. Much like Emma during the Lost Year, Zelena met someone while living in San Fransisco. And it turns out that they’re getting married. Zelena even has a wedding dress hanging up in her closet. Obviously, this does put Zelena in a bit of a bind. Because she still loves this man, but she remembers she’s not Kelly but Zelena. And she doesn’t want to deliberately lie to him, so she’s going to have to explain everything about the curse and all. Personally, my first thought was if this guy Zelena was going to marry was legit or if he was going to be another Walsh character. Because that would be quite the case of karma if it was the latter. Imagine Zelena going through the same thing Emma did because Zelena sent Walsh to keep her occupied during the Lost Year. I suppose we’re just going to have to wait and see what this guy is like before passing judgement. In any event, Zelena ultimately decides to go back to Hyperion Heights with Regina and resume the battle against Drizella and Gothel. Because that’s what heroes do and all. She can explain everything to her husband-to-be when she gets back from her mission.

As for Henry, he reunites with Jacinda by Lucy’s hospital bedside. As they talk, Jacinda hands Henry a copy of the new Storybook, stating that Lucy always loved the book he wrote, and that maybe if he read it to her, it would help her regain consciousness. If Henry had doubts about that, he didn’t let them show, and he proceeds to read to Lucy, skipping right to the part that chronicled the time when he ate the poisoned turnover, and Emma revived him with True Love’s Kiss. As he finishes reading that passage, Henry admits to the unconscious Lucy that, if it’s possible that he was her father in some other version of reality, then he’s willing to believe it. As he makes that statement, he kisses her forehead, much like Emma did at the end of S1. But this time, there’s no rainbow arc. Because Parallel Stepmother had succeeded in breaking Lucy’s spirit, and she stopped believing. So that’s going to be a problem. With Lucy unconscious, there’s no rational way to restore her sense of belief. When Regina and Zelena hear that Henry’s TLK didn’t work, they find themselves faced with a fresh conundrum. They know that they can simply break the curse with someone else’s TLK. But they know that Henry will die if the curse breaks. At the same time, if the curse doesn’t break, then Lucy will be the one to die. I admit, that’s quite the dilemma. But if Henry were awake, I’m sure he’d be perfectly willing to sacrifice his life to save Lucy. Though I don’t want to think about what that would put Regina and Emma through.

Meanwhile, there’s a small scene with Rogers and Tilly. While Rogers is out and about, trying to shed some light on what might have caused Lucy to pass out, he’s approached by Tilly. Who can apparently touch him without triggering the effects of the Curse of the Poisoned Heart. I guess being in the Land Without Magic also nullified that, too. Anyway, Tilly has discovered something that she thinks would interest Rogers, and she quickly leads him by the hand to the back of that weird stone troll statue. Behind the statue, they see some maintenance man in the process of cleaning up a bit of graffiti. Only it’s not just a random bit of graffiti. It’s the same mark that was on Tattoo Guy’s arm. Except we can now recognize it as the emblem of the Coven of Eight. Meaning the evil witch troop is in Hyperion Heights somewhere.

And that brings us to the subplot with Rumpelstiltskin, Parallel Stepmother and Anastasia. Rumpelstiltskin isn’t happy at the moment, as he wouldn’t have helped Parallel Stepmother get out of jail if he’d known she would go after Lucy. Though I was a bit confused why he suddenly seemed to care about Lucy’s well-being all of a sudden. Yes, she’s technically his great-granddaughter and all, but when was the last time he gave a bat’s behind about his grandson, Henry? While there might have been a teeny tiny blip on the radar during the Frozen arc, when he tried to get the heart controlled Killian to help him abduct Henry and bring him out of Storybrooke while leaving everyone else behind to destroy themselves, Rumpelstiltskin has barely acknowledged his relationship to Henry since the return from Neverland. But Parallel Stepmother reminds him that the signs point to Anastasia being The Guardian, which I suppose suggests that she can heal Lucy. I’m not really sure what happens next, to be honest. Rumpelstiltskin arranges a test for Anastasia by placing a few knives in front of her, including the Dark One’s Dagger, instructing her to pick which one is the magical artifact. And Anastasia is instinctively able to determine that it’s a trick question. Because the real Dagger is hidden in a nearby cabinet. But then it gets weird, because she can suddenly move the knives in front of her telepathically. And when she gets upset, the lights go completely haywire. Did Anastasia show any indication that she possessed the magical gene prior to this moment? Granted, Emma was completely unaware of her magical potential before Cora tried to steal her heart at the end of 2A, and there were only subtle hints before that part. But Anastasia’s sudden magical powers seem to be displaying themselves more sporadically than they did with Emma. I’d have thought someone who has that much difficultly in controlling her magic would have had it spilling out in random bursts more often.

But there’s no time to really dwell on that, as this is when Gothel appears. Anastasia instantly recoils, as something about Gothel doesn’t bode well for her. But when she tries to run while Gothel incapacitates Rumpelstiltskin and Parallel Stepmother, Anastasia runs into Drizella. Because Anastasia doesn’t know her sister is in league with Gothel and a coven of evil witches, Anastasia instantly trusts her younger sister and goes with her, finding out too late that Drizella was tricking her. But then Gothel reveals that she was the one playing Drizella the whole time when she double-crosses the younger of the two sisters, shoving her into a well. Turns out Gothel’s true plan was to recruit Anastasia into the Coven of Eight, because her supposed Guardian Magic will make the group unstoppable.

And that’s the note we’re left on before the Winter Hiatus begins. Meaning we’re going to have to wait three months before finding out what happens next. Obviously, I’m annoyed that they left off with Lucy still in a magical coma, with Henry, Parallel Ella, Wish Killian, Alice and Tiana still stuck with their cursed memories. But now I know why they can’t just break the curse. Henry’s life is on the line. So there’s that, at least.

Also, we’re left with so many questions. What exactly happened during that eight year jump between Lucy’s birth and the final days before the Dark Curse was cast? And is there a specific in-show reason why Regina can’t call in the Original Nevengers for help? I’m sure Emma and the others are all wondering why Henry hasn’t checked in with them lately. And is Anastasia really The Guardian, or is that a red herring? I’m just really hoping A&E can wrap everything up reasonably enough in 7B. Because as much as I am liking the storyline they gave Henry, and the plotline with Wish Killain and his relationship with Alice, even I can admit the show’s floundering now. So I’ll be very surprised if they get renewed for an eighth season.

(Click here to read more Episode Analyses)

9 notes · View notes

lizacstuff · 7 years ago

Text

7x02 Anons

I have a bunch of anon asks, many of which are a bit negative in tone, so I’m going to answer a smattering of them under the cut to protect those who don’t want to see it.

Anonymous said:So wasn’t enough captain swan but i’ll take it!

There is never enough Captain Swan for me, but this is about what I was expecting. This episode wasn’t about Emma. This episode was about Henry and the new characters and stories. It was to give us closure and let us know how things happened while at the same time trying to entice us to the new stories.

They are trying to move forward. I’m not really onboard, but I think it’s the right path if they want this to work.

Anonymous said:I loved what we got. But??? Adam and Eddie were able to get Jennifer for just one more episode and they only gave her THREE SCENES? Why? We should and could have gotten much more. I can’t believe they didn’t give us a scene of CS in their house with their little one. Or at least setting up a nusery with Emma showing a tad more. Something!

See what I wrote above, this wasn’t about them it’s about Henry. Killian and Emma appeared in order to serve Henry’s story. I get that you (and I) would have preferred if it was the Captain Swan hour, but except for the CS Movie we’ve never gotten that. We’ve always been given big (awesome) pieces and then had to fill in the details ourselves. This show is always plot, plot, plot. It’s never character, character, character. So this was no different than what has always happened.

And, hey, maybe they didn’t want to flash forward 7 months and show us Hook and Emma with the baby in case they want to use it in a series finale or something. You never know. in the meantime we have our imaginations and a very creative fandom.

Anonymous said:Yes, what we got was wonderful. But how stupid of Adam and Eddy not to use the full potential of having Jen back for an episode? It’s a waste! She got like 5 minutes total! And I will be forever gutted, and bitter, that we didn’t get to see CS find out they were pregnant. And I’m especially upset they didn’t show they in SB or at home with their baby. They could have given that to the audience if they’d bothered to utilise Jen fully for the one time they have her back.

You’re a real glass half empty kind of girl, aren’t you?

Honestly, for something that you’ve invested this much time in, isn’t it easier and more fulfilling to be happy with the “wonderful” that we did get, instead of bitter about what we didn’t? It’s your choice, but to me it seems like an easy one.

Anonymous said:Looks like A&E lied yet again ….. they said that Emma was in “ ALOT “ Of this episode …… I guess they count mentioning her name 50 times and giving her 2 scenes 🙄

While what we got was just about exactly what I expected, yes, Adam stretched the truth once again. Oh Adam, you and Eddy and your semantics do make it easier to quit you.

Anonymous said:I’m glad that cs got their HE, but really? Wish hook? And with a daughter? I wanted to see Emma and Killian’s baby not a random girl

Then this reboot is probably not for you. That’s okay. Lots of TV shows are not for me. I’m pretty sure many of us would have preferred to see a show about Emma and Kilian’s baby, but JMo isn’t on the show anymore. Emma is no longer the protagonist and would you really want to see a CS baby without Emma? Would you really risk Captain Swan in order to have some random storyline on this mess of a S7?

I’m flabbergasted that anyone would care enough about S7 to want them to jeopardize Captain Swan.

I’m good with them riding back into the Storybrooke sunset together and off of this show altogether.

Anonymous said:It’s me or even the quality of the editing is getting worse? The script it was is it, but even now with how fast the scenes goes from one to another and how bad are some of the new actors it’s like everything get worse

Hmmm… I didn’t notice the editing. I think you may be reacting to the overall pacing, they are still all plot, plot, plot and try to cram too much into every episode.

As far as the actors, I thought Gabrielle Anwar was the least of the issues in the first ep, but in this one… oh my. As @counttotwenty said to me, she should be twirling a mustache with every word she utters and @doddplaza compared her to Snidely Whiplash. It’s so broad and cartoonish that it’s bad. Both the writing for her and the acting.

Anonymous said:I think the audience will be really grossed out at this other Hook having another love interest. Sure it’s not THE Hook, but it’s the same actor and he looks exactly like the other one, it’s going to be extremely hard to dissociate him from the real one. There’s no way I’ll be watching any of that. And Colin is going to be excited about it and yeah, I have no time for that. I hope it gets canceled before we reach that part or Colin has the chance to hyperventilate about it on twitter.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. First off when has Colin ever hyperventilated on twitter? Other than using a few too many exclamation points he’s incredibly low-key and usually just retweets stuff. He was on the promotion train for S7 during the cons this summer because its his job. It’s a requirement. Cut him some slack.

As for the love interesting, I agree. I think putting Colin on screen with any other woman this season would be a huge mistake. Even though he’s a totally different character (a fake person really) I don’t think the audience is ready. However… do A&E know that? I don’t know.

What I do know is I won’t watch a second of it, so if it happens it doesn’t matter to me.

Anonymous said:I am 100 percent thankful they didn’t muck up captain swan but I feel like the undercut Killian becoming a dad for the first time by making wish world Hook a dad already. Also I thought Adam and Eddy said wish world was not real? How does WWH know Tremaine etc ? This show is a hot mess

Hmmm… WishHook must have found a way to leave the WishRealm and ran into Tremaine? No idea. I’m certain they are going to be fifty-eleven-thousand plot holes in this thing.

Here’s the thing.. do I think it’s stupid? Hell yes. But I don’t think they should have done any of this AT ALL. It was too soon for a reboot and they shouldn’t have drug characters from the original into it. However, that train has left the station so I’m just left feeling gratified that they found a way to not ruin Captain Swan or Killian Jones. So… while I think the WishHook thing is stupid and does not remotely match up with what we were lead to believe that WishReal was (a twisted up EQ/Genie version that was all fake) I’m not gonna put up a fight like I care. Because when it comes to this show I only care about Captain Swan.

Anonymous said:I’m so happy emma and hook are happy but it makes me sick that Rogers is going to go off with some other woman and we are probably going to see their kid. I won’t even be watching but… I thought I’d be over the moon about Emma and hook and I am, honestly I am, but I feel like my emotions are all over the place and I can’t seem to get past my feelings about seeing Rogers with another woman. I don’t know. Sorry to both you I just dot have anyone to talk to and I’m crying a lot so.

Honey, I don’t think there is any reason to be this upset. WishHook and Killian are different people. They are not the same and no one is forcing you to watch WishHook do anything. Let the show go, don’t let it ruin Captain Swan for you. They’ve done this to preserve Captain Swan, so take it at face value. Nothing they do in S7 matters. Seriously.

Anonymous said:I still think it’s ridiculous this show even had another season without so many main characters, but hats off to the writers for what they came up to keep CS intact. I feel like a very lucky CSer right now because this could have been a total disaster and they managed to keep CS, Emma and Killian untouched. I’m not here to see any version of Hook/Colin acting romantically with other women (yuck) so I’m out from now on, but I’m at peace with where they left CS. THANK GOD

Agreed on all of it.

Anonymous said:this was an emotional curtain call? god they really become terrible writers

I have to say that might be one of the lesser Jane episodes. I mean there were some things that were deftly done, like having Hook and Emma able to go home, but not have it appear they were abandoning Henry. They threaded the needle on that pretty well, but some stuff was so heavy handed.

I can NOT believe for Shoe Believer that they had two people observe “Are you in love with her?” after observing Henry doing nothing for two seconds.

Really?

That’s how unsubtle things are going to be from here on out? That line twice in the second episode before the audience has even gotten to know these characters? For really no reason? Wowza. Talk about trying to force a ship. That was bad.

Victoria Belfrey’s and Lady Tremaine’s writing was ridiculous. It is so broad and over the top, but as @counttotwenty said to me this morning, the show is taking itself so seriously.

(And again, Colin, the best OUAT scripts you ever read? Oh honey. That observation is not holding up)

Anonymous said:I’m seeing Hooked Queen gifs now. Really hoping A & E don’t go down that route! Or that the child is theirs. The horror!!!! Don’t think I could bare it. But in terms of CS I think that’s the best we’re going to get and I’m happy Emma gets a second chance (an addition not a replacement) like Snow did. Just imagine the cute adventures this little pirate will have with those two as parents :)

Okay the idea of Hooked Queen makes me want to vomit, so please don’t send me asks about it. I’ll ignore them or possibly block you. Seriously. It doesn’t mean I think it will happen, it just means I don’t even want to think about it. However, I do want to address your speculation that the child could be theirs. Come on. You don’t think there would have been a flicker of recognition when they just teamed up this episode with WishHook talking about finding his daughter. I can’t remember how the WishAU disposed of Regina, but I think we can rest easy on that she’s not the mother. Good grief.

Anonymous said:that know it all anon of yours from earlier certainly has egg on their face now.

She never came back to apologize for telling people who believed that was not our Hook in the sneak peek to use logic!

I never come after anyone just because their spec is wrong, but don’t come into my ibox and insult others who have different and (ultimately correct) speculation. It’s rude.

Anonymous said:The way they’ve set this up though - they’re kinda asking Emma and Hook fans to leave, when they need to desperately keep as many viewers as they can. Because if Rogers was the real Hook and he’s obviously not with Emma and his real child, people would still be invested in him as the character they’ve always known. But now, all those fans can literally leave and not miss anything! Colin is great and all but they’re selling people a whole new character and now that’s another strike against S7.

Thank GOD they didn’t do this. I know it would have been better for investment of fans, but the idea of Killian and Emma separated when we know JMo will never appear again to wrap it up? That sound fucking awful.

So, yes, they are risking fans of CS leaving after getting the happily ever after confirmation, but if the show doesn’t stand on it’s own, it doesn’t stand. Every new show has to debut and find it’s audience, so does this one. Honestly, I’m thrilled they’re not risking destroying CS just for a few more eyeballs. They have a bit of integrity left.

Anonymous said:I wonder how pissed the shippers are that Emma and Queen Queen didn’t speak or touch? Or that Jen and Lana didn’t even film together?

I’m guessing they are not happy. But they are so upset about the CS child and *gasp* adult Henry trying to woo a lady without both his Mommies there to change his diapers I’m not sure how much they have focused on the lackluster goodbye.

Like Lana and JMo, Emma and Regina aren’t really friends. They are frenemies who are related and know they have to get along for the sake of Henry and Snow and sometimes team up to prevent evil. Period.

Anonymous said:Im with you Liza. I cared only that CS got their happy ending and ended in a safe place. Henry is part of that but I can assume he’ll make it back home someday just fine. Hes an adult who makes his own decisions. Im actually grateful to A&E. They gave me an exit strategy from OUAT. I get to take it knowing my beloved characters are in a beautiful safe place. I cant ask for more w/ JMo’s exit. I hope we might get a peek into their lives in a series finale but if this was it, Im ok. Im happy too.

Me too! I hope in the series finale we get a peak into their lives. Time will tell!

Anonymous said:I couldn’t agree with you more. CS is happy and alive and together and pregnant. As far as I’m concerned nothing else happened on the show. I can walk away happy and live in fanfic and Colin/Jen cons.

Long live the fandom!

There are all sorts of Storybrooke important questions to explore, for instance do Killian and David go out sailing? Have Snowing had more children? Who’s the big spoon… Killian or Emma?

Anonymous said:A strange episode but a good one for me! I was looking for peace after JMo said she was leaving. The reason I cont w/ OUAT was b/c of CS alone. They got their happy ending. Shes w/ her parents, husband & kid, and her adult son is living his life away from the nest as all children do. I can watch the first six seasons in good faith, finish w/ 7.02 and let the rest go. It a blessing of a goodbye to OUAT for me as I was always done after tonight. The true Killian and Emma are happy and so I am too.

It was a strange episode, I don’t see me really ever rewatching it, but Killian and Emma going through that portal is all that matters. I’ll enjoy the gifs of their scenes for a long time to come.

#captain swan #ouat negativity #not all the asks are negative #ouat s7 #asklizac #anonymous #ouat 7.02

26 notes · View notes

nellie-elizabeth · 7 years ago

Text

Once Upon a Time: A Pirate's Life (7x02)

Cute! Very cute! And satisfactory! Also I still don't know why there's a Season Seven of this show, but whatever. Let's take a look.

Cons:

The evil stepmother is silly in how evil she is. Clearly she and Mr. Gold have some sort of deal worked out, and I'm sure we'll learn more about that later... but come on. She wants Henry framed for theft to remove him from her life, she wants to prevent Jacinda from seeing Lucy for no good reason... it's just so campy. I know that we'll get more on her motivations at a later date, but at this point I'm kind of rolling my eyes.

The flashback story explains a lot about why we have some characters trapped in Hyperion Heights, but not others. But one problem it does have is its pacing... I feel like a ton of things happened very quickly, because we had to establish the origin story of Wish!Hook, the reason why Regina, Wish!Hook, and Henry are all together in the same place, why Emma isn't around, etc. etc. all in a very short period of time. We have the older, potbellied Hook being magicked into a young hot version conveniently, we have Wish!Hook doing a 180 on his apparent motivations, we have Emma showing up basically just to hug Henry, and then turning around and leaving again... all of this felt a bit unbalanced and almost like I wanted to see a two-parter. Is this because I want more Hook and Emma? Maybe. But I also think the story genuinely could have been balanced out a bit more.

Pros:

Let's start in flashback news, then move to the Hyperion story. I really like adult Henry. He's the same simple and charming guy he's always been, but he's got a bit more of a kick to him, if that makes sense. He calls for help from his moms and Hook when he gets into trouble with Lady Tremaine, and when Regina and Hook show up, we get a great scene of badass fighting from Hook and Regina, and then great reunions. I like the dynamic that's established between these characters. I know that the Hook we're with now is actually the Wish!Hook, but he's still the same in many key ways. This is kind of a 10th Doctor situation, now that I think about it.

Specifically, Hook and Henry are so cute. I love their bond. We see Hook and Henry embrace, happy to be reunited, and we later see Regina ask Hook to go give Henry a pep talk, because she knows that Hook does well with that kind of thing. So. Cute. As the episode ends, we get Wish!Hook, Regina, and Henry all deciding to stay in this realm in pursuit of their various goals. Henry is still looking for Cinderella and trying to find his own story, Wish!Hook is looking for his missing daughter, and Regina is looking for a place to belong as well. This setup perfectly feeds in to the three characters teaming up in Hyperion Heights.

Also, we've got Emma and the original Hook getting their happy ending. Emma shows up and breaks the news to Henry that she's pregnant, and as the episode ends, Hook and Emma go back through a portal to Storybrooke. We now know that they, along with Snow and David and the rest of our beloved friends, are safe and sound in Storybrooke living out their happy endings at last. It was the perfect way to send off Emma's character. I wasn't necessarily expecting it to go this route, but I'm really happy with it. This is the only way that this show can truly feel like a spinoff and go its own direction. It would be disingenuous to the characters and their goals to have a story with Hook in it where he's doing anything other than trying to get back to Emma. Now, we can truly explore new avenues.

Also EMMA IS PREGNANT THIS IS NOT A DRILL. I'm soooo happy that Emma gets to pop in this one final time and we get to know for sure that she's happy and safe. The scene between Emma and Henry was really touching. Emma wishes Henry would come home, and we still know that he someday intends to (notwithstanding pesky curses getting in the way). But for now, Emma is making a family with Killian, and Henry is off doing his own thing. That's great!

Switching over to the Hyperion story line - there's one key piece that's missing from my understanding, and that's Rumple/Mr. Gold. We know he's in Hyperion Heights, but does that mean that he was in the same realm as Regina, Henry, and Wish!Hook when the curse took place? Or, as is the case with Hook, is this a different version of the same character? What does he want? What are his motivations? This is the first time in years and years that I've cared about Rumple as a potential villain. I love being in the dark again as to his motivations and level of knowledge. I mean, you've got to imagine that he knows exactly who he is and what's going on, right? But what does he want? Is he trapped in Hyperion Heights as much as the rest of them are? For that mater, what the heck is Victoria Belfrey even after? It's a good sign that I'm asking all of these questions. I care enough to want to pursue this story.

Apparently, Mr. Gold requested Rogers (Hook) as his new partner. He did so because he thought Rogers wanted this job more than anything, and would cross any line to get it. But in the end, he says that what he's actually after is somebody with a moral compass. Hmmm... what could this dude be up to?

The sweetest scene of the episode is when Henry helps Jacinda land a catering gig at Lucy's ballet recital, making sure she's able to see her daughter perform. The look of glee on Jacinda's face is worth so much! I loved this whole sequence of scenes.

We end the episode with Rogers, Henry, and Roni all hanging out at the bar. They identify the fact that all of their problems (Henry's guilt about Jacinda and Lucy, Rogers trying to find a missing girl - ostensibly his daughter - and Roni's failing bar) are all tied up in one person: Victoria Belfrey. This scene at the end puts these three characters in an alliance, just like how we left them in the other realm during the flashbacks. This moment, more than anything else about these first two episodes, gives me hope that we could be doing something really cool here.

That's where I'll leave it. I'm not sure everybody will be a convert to this new Once Upon a Time, but I like enough of what's going on here to want to see it through. See you next week!

8.5/10

#review #once upon a time #once upon a time review #ouat #ouat review

0 notes

mayquita · 8 years ago

Text

A Normal Life - Part 2

I wrote the first part of this story a year ago as a GF SS gift to the lovely @gillie. It was initially thought as a one-shot, but I’d have liked to write the second part from Emma's point of view.

Since I wanted to write some appreciation story to @saraswans this idea came back to my mind. So here it is. I’ve included not only Emma's point of view, but I’ve added something more to the original version: A Christmas morning at Jones-Swan family home. @the-lady-of-misthaven , you asked for something fluffy, so maybe you like it.

Thank you so much to @chrissascorner for editing it in record time. You’re the best :)

Summary: Six years after their return from the Underworld, Killian and Emma have created a family and they are happy together. But some nights Killian can’t sleep. In those sleepless nights, he makes a tour of the house, that helps him to remember who he was before and who he has become. Three nights later it's Emma's turn to take a night stroll along with a little companion.

AO3 here

FFNet here

Part 1 Part 2 (Spanish Version)

Emma

Emma moves uneasily in her bed, her mind still sailing between consciousness and sleep. Reluctant to wake up at all, she curls up in the warmth offered by the blankets covering her as she instinctively extends her arm in search of her other source of natural heat on winter nights. However, the only thing her hand finds is an empty space in the place where her husband should be. That is when her sleep fades completely.

In the midst of turmoil, Emma sits on the bed and gropes for the lamp switch on the nightstand. Her heart beats frantically as her gaze wanders around the room in search of some sign of Killian.

"Everything is fine," she murmurs. The sheets still retain some of his warmth, in clear indicative that he left the shelter of their bedroom just a moment before. She then glances at the baby monitoring device and at that moment a sigh of relief escapes through her lips. "Everything is fine," she repeats, this time with more certainty.

The monitor screen shows the peaceful —somewhat unusual— sleep of her little girl, but this time Hope is not alone. A protective shadow with a profile that she knows perfectly watches over her.

Emma lies back on the bed and turns off the light, her head resting on the pillow as her lips draw a small smile. It seems clear that Killian is having one of his sleepless nights and she knows she must wait for him to do his usual tour of the house. She must wait for his heart to calm down enough and his mind to realize that what he is living is real. His last refuge, as always, will be her arms, which will welcome him when he finishes his journey.

These nights of insomnia were more common at the beginning, after his return from the underworld. His mind and body still kept fresh the psychological wounds generated by his death and subsequent torture. He slowly calmed down, but his nights of insomnia never really disappeared.

What Killian doesn't know is that those sleepless nights are sleepless for her as well. Emma is not sure if it is because of her instinct to protect, or if it’s an effect of their True Love. Whatever the reason, whenever Killian wakes up in the middle of the night with a restless heart, so does she after a few minutes.

And her reaction is always the same. Panic in the beginning. An irrational fear that what she —they— have lived in the last few years has been nothing but a sweet dream. Fear that when she wakes up, a reality full of sadness and solitude will welcome her.

Emma sighs again. No, fortunately, her life is not a dream. It's real, very real, she just has to look at the baby monitoring device to reaffirm herself. However, Killian, having gone through the experience of his own death, needs more evidence to make sure he still exists. That is why she waits for him patiently.

The distant creak of the stairs is a sign that he is reaching the final stretch of his journey, after watching the sleep of their two youngest children. One more visit and he will soon reach his destination. Emma can not help but smile broadly as her heart melts a little. Whatever happens, even though Henry is spending the night with Regina, Killian never forgets to visit his eldest son's room.

And it is because Henry is Killian's son in every sense of the word except in the blood. After the first awkward moments of adaptation to what it meant to start a life together, everything had flowed well between them. They form together an inseparable team and support each other, even if that means going against her sometimes. Not even the arrival of his new siblings succeeded in breaking or diminishing the bond that had formed between them.

The second creak of the wood is the unmistakable indication that Killian is returning. It’s time to enter the scene. Emma picks up the baby monitor and sneaks to the door of her bedroom. She doesn’t want to rush because she is aware that Killian has yet to make one last stop. After a moment, she opens the door in silence and heads downstairs.

Killian is in his usual place, leaning slightly as he watches the moon over the ocean through the lens of the telescope. She allows herself a few more seconds of secret observation before announcing her presence.

The years have not diminished the attractiveness of her husband, rather on the contrary. He retains his bold and penetrating gaze, his dark hair without any gray hair, and that cheeky smile at times, and able to melt the most frozen heart in other occasions. But this everyday life, this normal life, has also changed him in a sense. She finds it difficult to associate the image in front of her, a very attractive father of a family in flannel pajamas and simple slippers, with the image of the bloodthirsty and vengeful pirate she met the first time.

His inner fire is still present, however, although he now channels it into more enjoyable activities, for Emma's pleasure. His tenacity and bravado are intact, his courage and sometimes his impulsiveness when it comes to defending his loved ones are not lost either. His eyes keep that special shine, his blue eyes can go from showing the greatest devotion in the world, to show all his rage if anyone dares to harm any member of his family.

He is the love of her life, the father of her children, who gave her not only a home but also security, confidence and a future full of opportunities to keep their happiness.

Emma could spend countless hours in this same position, leaning against the door frame watching his small gestures without being seen. However, she has not gone in his quest to be a mere spectator but to help him in the final part of his journey. For that reason, she carefully leaves the baby monitor on the coffee table and approaches with silent steps, eager to reach him.

Her arms wrap around Killian's waist from behind and at that moment she can feel her husband's muscles relax at her touch. They remain in the same position for a few more seconds, there are no words between them, just feelings. She lets herself get lost in his natural scent, the warmth of his body against hers, the strength of his muscles. Finally, her whispered words break the silence.

"Can’t sleep?"

He nods and then turns to look at her. Their eyes connect for a second as he encircles her with his arms, clasping her against his body, his face hidden in the hollow of her neck, his warm breath caressing her skin.

After that first moment of contact, Emma frees herself from his embrace slightly, enough to place her hands on either side of her husband's face as she gives him an inquiring look, seeking some confirmation that he has managed to calm himself sufficiently.

"I'm fine, love. I'm fine now."

Her lips curl into a tender smile matching his. She lets out a sigh of relief. His expression, his words and his calm voice, a proof that, indeed, he has overcome the most traumatic part of the night. Still, she needs to reaffirm herself in something. "You can wake me up, you know. You can count on me in your sleepless nights."

"I know, Emma," Killian whispers, their foreheads touching as his arms hold her even more tightly. It's Killian who initiates the kiss, his lips seeking hers in a tentative first contact full of tenderness. When she feels his lips against hers, she loses the capacity to think, she just wants to feel. That is why she deepens the kiss, searching his lips insistently, her hands clinging to him to keep him as close as possible. Killian's soft moan does nothing to mitigate her desire. She is addicted to his kisses, but it is a drug she is not willing to give up.

Emma is grateful because the flame of passion has not lost a hint of its intensity despite the passage of time. That is why an innocent kiss during an ordinary night can become something much more intense, with the power enough to make both lose the notion of time and space. Somehow they end up on the couch, their bodies still joined, their lips still in contact.

After a few seconds, or minutes, who knows? The initial passion seems to be appeased, their kisses are less intense, but she is still reluctant to abandon his lips completely. "So, do you feel alive now?" She whispers between smiles.

Mmmm, I'm not sure, maybe I need more proof."

A loud laugh escapes through her lips, silenced a few moments later by a new kiss. Once calm enough, Emma rests her head on his chest and curls next to her husband.

"Well, did your night stroll help you?"

"It always does, love.”

Despite his response, Emma insists, "I'm always willing to show you that you are very much alive. Why didn't you wake me up?" Her mischievous smile and playful look make clear the intent of her words.

"Well, we never know when our little girl is going to wake." Killian gestures at the monitoring device. "So I preferred to do my usual tour. Besides, you know I love watching you while you are sleeping."

Emma smiles. Yes, she does know. She knows what it means to wake up and be fully aware of being watched without having to open her eyes. Although it may seem strange, she has always found that habit quite comforting. It’s something that gives her security, knowing that, no matter what happens, he will always be present, watching over her sleep.

"And how are our children?"

Killian explains in more detail his nocturnal walk. After that, both fall into a quiet silence. Killian's leisurely breathing, and the rhythmic beat of his heart next to her ear act like a reassuring balm. She feels her eyelids growing heavier, her mind starting to cloud over her sleep... Maybe they can rest for a few minutes here, on that same couch, curled up inside their bubble. Just as she is about to close her eyes and surrender to sleep, Killian speaks again.

"Emma, love, are you happy with the life we have now?"

Her heart flutters a bit at the unexpectedness of his question. She sits up a little to look at him, the confusion marked on her face. "What do you mean?"

Killian seems uncomfortable before answering, which does nothing to quell her own nervousness. "I mean, you married a pirate. That's usually synonymous with endless adventures. Instead, you are a princess and the only thing I can offer you is this." He gestures with his hand, pointing around. "A normal and boring life, lacking excitement."

Emma frowns, her concern growing. "Why are you asking me this now? Is that how you feel?” She can not avoid the alarm tone in her voice.

"What? No! All this is like a dream for me. These small domestic moments we have are what give me life. Having a family was unthinkable to me a few years ago. That's why sometimes I find it hard to get used to the idea that all of this is real. But I want this life with all my heart. I want to keep this normal life.”

All her worries evaporate the moment she hears her husband's speech. He manages to imprint such determination on his tone of voice that he would be able to convince anyone he proposed. "Oh, Killian, I want this normal life too, more than anything in this world. With you."

A mixture of pride, relief, and love, begins to run through her veins increasing the urge to kiss him again. And that she does. Their lips meet in a tender kiss filled with emotion. After a few seconds, she returns to her favorite position, her head resting against his chest. But that position doesn’t last long, because an image suddenly comes to mind, causing her to sit up again to look at Killian.

"How can you think that our life is dull and adventureless? Getting Hope dressed is an adventure. Not to mention bath time. That's an epic odyssey."

Killian not only can't help laughing at her suggestion but also decides to play the game. "And yet she just started walking. I dread to think what will become of us when she grows a little more."

"But we love her."

"Yes, we do, like Charlie and Henry."

"Like I love you."

"And I you."

He hugs her and she is lost again in his protective arms and his intoxicating scent. "Maybe we should go back to bed," she whispers.

"Maybe…"

But neither of them moves from their position. Maybe they can stay a little longer here, in the quiet of the ground floor. Just a few more minutes and they'll go back to bed... But instead, she curls up more against Killian and closes her eyes. Her last thought before the sleep invades her, is the image of a happy family, a normal family living a normal life. An image like the one hanging in the living room exposed for all those who visit them. The image of happiness.

Three nights later, Emma wakes up again in the middle of the night, although this time the reason is quite different. She feels, without needing to open her eyes, that Killian today has a peaceful sleep. His rhythmic breathing against her back and protective arm around her waist are proof of that. What wakes her up on this occasion is a slight but insistent tap on her shoulder. When Emma opens her eyes, she finds someone else in the room.

"Mommy?" Her son Charlie is the one who pulls her out of her sleep tonight.

Emma tries to adjust her eyesight, her eyes still swollen with sleep. Her gaze goes to the alarm clock on the nightstand. Three in the morning. They went to sleep just a couple of hours before preparing everything for... It’s then when she notices the date and understands why her son has decided to pay them a visit in the middle of the night.

"Hi Charlie," she whispers as she reaches out and caresses her son's hair.

"Is it aready Christmas?" Although his voice comes in a whisper, she can detect the expectation of her son.

A wave of affection for her little boy invades her. He hasn’t yet turned four, but it seems that last Christmas marked him enough that he has eagerly awaited these special dates to come again. Her son is the sweetest and most affectionate person and her desire to hold him tightly in her arms seizes her. "Yes, it has already arrived. Merry Christmas." She moves lightly on the bed, making room for him. "Come here."

Charlie climbs to the bed without further ado. Emma realizes he is holding in his arms his favorite teddy bear. His eternal companion. She doesn’t know what would become of the whole family if that little teddy bear disappeared someday. Her son curls up beside her and caresses her cheek with his hand in such a tender gesture that she feels her heart swell.

They stay that way for a few seconds. Silence and darkness surround them, but Charlie is too excited to go back to sleep. He moves uneasily in bed until he finally whispers again. "Has Santa aready arrived?"

Yes, of course, Santa has arrived, but it's three in the morning and although she's happy about her son's excitement, it's too early, everyone should be sleeping... "It's a little early, maybe we should go back to sleep..."

"Can we go and have a look? Just look, I pomise." Her son insists in that voice so charged with eagerness that she finds it difficult to refuse. Still, she struggles to think about whether they should do it. Christmas morning has become a tradition since they began their life together. On that special day, all the members of the family go to the tree to discover their gifts. She doesn't want to miss that moment with the rest, but it's such an emotion that Charlie feels and he's been waiting for that moment for so long... Emma bites her lower lip, still hesitant... Maybe if they come down for just a few seconds…

"Okay." She listens to herself saying it without even having time to process it. But suddenly, Emma finds that this is something she wants to do, sharing this special moment between mother and son, something unique between them. Charlie is so attached to his father that she is surprised by his choice tonight, so she won't miss this opportunity her son is giving her. "But you have to be silent, we don't want the others to wake up yet, okay?"

Her eyes have already adapted enough to the darkness to allow her to see her son's wide smile through the shadows. That is why both Killian and Emma live every day, to keep the happiness and eagerness in their children so that they experience everything that their parents were not allowed to during their respective childhoods. And if such a simple gesture brings happiness to her child she is more than willing to offer it to him.

Both get out of bed trying to be as stealthy as possible. Emma is surprised that Killian has not woken up, since her husband is usually a light sleeper, always on alert after so many years on the high seas stalked by an endless number of dangers. But this time he sleeps placidly and doesn't even move when she withdraws his arm carefully.

Emma offers her hand to her son, who takes it quickly and pulls her towards the door insistently. They go together to the ground floor where the Christmas tree full of gifts is waiting for them. Although the living room lights are off, Killian left the tree lighting on, so the room is dimly lit with various colors, increasing the magic of the moment.

When her son discovers the gifts placed under the tree, his smile becomes even wider and his eyes open with surprise and joy. His face lit by the tree lights is something she will hold in her memory forever.

"Look, mommy! How many packages! "Although he keeps whispering, the emotion is evident in his voice.

They come closer to observe in more detail and it’s when Emma discovers an unexpected package, something she wasn’t conscious of. It’s a box larger than a shoes‘ box, wrapped carefully in gift wrapping paper and with a note with the name of the recipient of the gift. To the Jones-Swan family. She recognizes the elegant handwriting of her husband instantly, but the confusion and also the surprise, seize her, wondering what will be inside. Despite her longing to know, she smiles with affection, because with that simple gesture, Killian has managed to bring the Christmas spirit to her heart.

They remain for a few seconds contemplating the gifts, but the signs of fatigue of her son are evident. Although he hasn’t lost his emotion, a small yawn escapes his mouth. It's time to go back to bed.

Emma bends down to keep up with her son and whispers. "This will be our little secret, okay? Now we must go back to sleep, and in a little while, we will all go down together to open the presents."

Her son nods. "Yes, our secret. Thank you, mommy, I love you."

Emma feels as if her heart wanted to leave her chest, overwhelmed by the words of her son. "I love you too, Charlie." She holds him in her arms, and for a few seconds, she loses herself in the warmth of his little body and his sweet scent. This normal life, these little gestures are what make happiness. She would not change this life for the world. And every day she feels a growing gratitude to her husband for giving her all this.

Emma offers her hand to her son and both return to the top floor. Once in the hallway, she hesitates for a moment whether to go to her son's bedroom or to her own. Finally, it's decided. It's only this time, she tells herself. "Do you want to sleep with us?"

Charlie's happy expression is enough response so they head to her bedroom. He lies down in bed next to his father with Emma on his other side. "Good night," she whispers as she gives him a tender kiss on his cheek.

"Goodnight mom."

Her little boy accommodates himself between his parents, his teddy bear still curled up in his arms. After a couple of minutes, his closed eyes and his quiet breathing are evidence that Charlie has gone back to sleep. It's her turn now. The last thing she thinks before she closes her eyes is that, just a few hours later, they will again experience a similar moment full of surprises and emotions. In just a few hours, Christmas spirit will fill their house with laughter and joy.

Emma wakes up later, but this time, she doesn't do it thanks to the soft touch of her son, but to a somewhat louder reason. Hope's cries are the cause. Fortunately, they are not cries of anger, but an overflowing joy.

Although she is awake, Emma remains with closed eyes, assimilating everything that happens around her without needing to see. She feels that Charlie is still sleeping next to her and also hears how Killian tries to calm their excitable daughter by trying to keep his tone still.

"Shhh, be quiet Hope, we're going to let mummy sleep some more, aye?"

But it seems that Killian's attempts are unsuccessful because, far from being calm, Hope begins to laugh out loud, clearly amused by the words of her father. "Mama! Mama!” She shouts.

It’s time to start the day. She finally opens her eyes, only to close them again immediately, momentarily blinded by the brightness of the morning.

"My apologies, love, it's been impossible to calm our little fierce one."

Emma tries to open her eyes again, this time with some more success. Killian is in front of her, with Hope in his arms and a warm smile on his lips. "Merry Christmas." He leans over and gives her a chaste kiss on her lips, which she instantly returns.

"Merry Christmas."

When Hope discovers that her mother is awake, she twirls in her father's arms as she tries to reach for her. "Mama!"

Killian finally leaves her free and Emma welcomes her into her arms. "Good morning, little princess." This is definitely the best way to wake up on Christmas morning.

A few minutes later, the whole family is around the tree, ready to start opening the gifts. Hope has not stopped shouting since she saw all the packages wrapped in bright colors. It’s so attractive to her that Killian has to hold her in his arms to keep her from ruining all the packages ahead of time.

Henry is also with them, although he does not seem so happy with the overflowing energy of his two siblings. His frown and drowsy face are a sign of it. Despite the lack of sleep, however, Emma knows that he enjoys these family moments very much. And she can’t help feeling grateful because this year he has decided to spend this special day with them.

Emma looks back at the mysterious package and gives an inquiring look to her husband. He shrugs his shoulders while raising his eyebrows with a mischievous gesture in response.

When they are about to start opening the gifts, someone knocks on the door. Emma frowns, clearly confused. They aren’t waiting for anyone, at least not so soon. Since Killian is still trying to calm their excited daughter, it’s she who goes to receive the mysterious visitor.

When Emma opens the door, she finds her father waiting on the other side. "Dad! What are you doing here?"

"Merry Christmas, Emma." David enters without further ado as he kisses her forehead. She notices then he is carrying something, a box. A box with the same decoration as the mysterious package. She tilts her head, looking at her father and Killian without understanding.

His father seems amused by her confusion. "Home delivery." He offers her the package. "Be careful, that can... move a bit."

"What?" But the moment the package is deposited in her hands, she knows what her father is referring to. No... Her husband wouldn’t have dared...

David nods. "It's good to have contacts at the animal shelter."

Emma opens her eyes in surprise. Damn pirate!

David raises his hands in a sign of peace. "Talk to him, I'm just the messenger." By his tone, he seems to be having a good time, but then he gives her another kiss on her forehead and goes back to the door with the intention of leaving.

Emma is still confused by everything that has happened, but she finally reacts. "Wait a moment, won't you stay?"

Her father shakes his head. "An excited child and a tree loaded with gifts await me too. See you later."

Without further ado, David leaves, leaving Emma with a box full of life in her hands. She's going to kill her husband as soon as she gets the chance...

"Mommy? A new gift?"

Charlie walks over to her, staring at the package. Emma throws Killian a murderous look, but her husband looks back at her with that adorable gesture of his, while his lips draw a pout. Emma shakes her head, resigned, she will talk to him later.

"Yes, something Grampa just dropped off. Let's open it first!"

If Emma thought the surprises were over, when her son picks up the lid of the box, she realizes that one more awaits her. For some reason, she had come to the idea that a puppy dog would be waiting for them inside the box. But no, her husband has the ability to surprise her even with pets. Because what is inside is not one, but two tiny balls of hair. Killian has brought home two kittens. Two.

"Really?"

"Aren't they adorable?"

Oh yes, of course, they are. They are two tiny kittens, their hair in shades white and cinnamon both, although in one of them the cinnamon color predominates more. Emma drops the box on the floor and kneels, taking one of them to show to Charlie. The moment she takes the warm little body between her hands, she knows she is lost.

Charlie caresses it tentatively, his reticent expression at first changing when he realizes that it’s a living creature. For the first time, he releases the teddy bear and caresses the new member of the family with his two little hands.

By the time Hope sees the two animals, she stirs and begins to scream, clearly interested in exploring the new visitors. Killian leaves her on the floor but watches her closely. Henry now holds the first kitten, while Charlie continues to caress him and Emma picks up the other one to show it to her little one. Hope opens her eyes wide when she realizes that the ball of hair is moving and she walks away a little, with some fear in her expression. Within a few seconds, tough, she brings a tiny finger closer and touches the animal very gently.

A few seconds later, however, she loses interest in the new members of the family and, taking advantage of the fact that she is already released from her father's arms, Hope decides to start unwrapping the remaining gifts on her own. This is how they discover that the mystery box is filled with all the utensils necessary for the two kittens. There is feed, cat litter, toys... Killian has thought of all the details.

Emma stands up with one of the kittens still in her arms. "At least you haven’t followed the cliche." She tells her husband.

Killian looks at her confused, not knowing what she is talking about.

Emma rolls her eyes before answering. "A happy family living in a house surrounded by a white picket fence and with a dog as a pet."

He smiles then, approaching her, his arms around her waist. "So do you like them? They are already weaned and know how to use the litter box. David has been looking after them all this time. "

Emma sighs. "Yes, I like them. But they're two cats, Killian. Two."

"Jolly and Roger are not going to give any trouble, I'll take care of them personally, I promise."

Emma opens her eyes in surprise, wondering if she's heard right. "Wait a moment, you've already named them?"

"I've been visiting them for three weeks, darling. They needed a name."

"Jolly and Roger... Really?" She holds the kitten in her hands as she looks into its face. "Who are you, little one?"

"He's Roger and she's Jolly."

Henry holds Jolly as he looks at them with an amused expression. Any vestige of sleep gone. "I like the names."

Emma sighs again. Killian held her even closer in his arms. His expression of happiness makes everything worthwhile. And if these two kittens are the ones who make her husband's eyes shine that way, she's willing to keep the two new pets. Christmas day has taken an unexpected turn, but that is the magic of these dates. And she can’t be happier about it. Maybe tomorrow they have to go out and fight a new villain, but today the whole family is going to allow themselves to enjoy a normal life.

Thanks for reading :)

Jolly and Roger are similar to this kitten:

#cs ff #captain swan #cs canon future #captain swan ff #cs fluff #Daddy!Killian #mommy emma #mayquita writes #my cs writings #a normal life

15 notes · View notes

megairishrose · 8 years ago

Text

The new normal chapter 4

Another day of sightseeing, this time a bit slower pace. It was the art museums, even though Henry was bored out of his mind. But they did a quick walk through before they went out into the busy street. They all like to be a part of the action, surrounded by the buzz of the city. New York was certainly the city that never slept. From their hotel room, they watched people late into the night. The lights and noise never stopped. Amelia noticed quickly she couldn't see the stars, that was only thing that disappointed her about the city.

They walked the streets, Amelia had a tight hand inside of Neal's while Neal had a hand on Henry's shoulder. They were not going to lose each other, not after everything they had gone through.

"Cassidy? Neal Cassidy, is that you?" A stranger came up to Neal, Amelia and Henry on the busy New York street.

Neal stared for a second before a huge grin broke out on his face. "Jacob! It's been forever!" His hand was out for a handshake which turned into a hug and heavy pats on the back.

"Well, whose fault is that? You disappeared, just fell off the face of the Earth. Lisa! Look who the cat dragged in!" Jacob called to a woman down the street.

She saw Neal and smiled brightly. "Neal! How have you been?"

Henry slightly turned to Amelia. "Who are these people?" He asked under his breath.

"I don't know, just smile." She said in the same tone.

Neal returned her hug. "I moved…" He would have added more but Jacob stopped him when he saw Amelia and Henry.

"Neal, you didn't introduce us to your…?"

"Wife and son. I'm Amelia." Amelia smiled and held out her hand. So Neal had a life before coming to Storybrooke.

Jacob shook her hand but Lisa pulled her in for a hug.

"Congratulations! Neal, you really stuck gold with her." Amelia had to force herself not to laugh after that comment, she glanced over at Henry, who thought the same thing.

"How do you know Neal?" Amelia asked, she really wanted to know this.

"Jacob and I used to be on a bowling team with Neal once upon a time." Lisa answered. And again, Amelia and Henry had to keep a straight face. Then Lisa turned to Henry.

"I'm Henry." And he accepted the hug.

"How old are you?" Jacob asked.

"Fourteen." Henry answered.

Jacob turned to Neal, confused. "Wait what? Did I miss something?"

"It's a long story…" Neal started to say.

"You know what, how long are you in town? We should meet up for dinner. We can do all the catching up that we need then." Jacob suggested.

"We are free tomorrow night and would love that." Amelia answered for them.

"Great, sounds like it's going to be interesting. Neal, you know exactly where go." Jacob actually shook his hand this time and Lisa gave them all hugs.

"See you tomorrow night." She said before they both walked down the street.

At soon as they were out of ear shot, Amelia turned to Neal. "You used to bowl? What else don't I know?"

"At this point not much." Neal answered.

"Dad, so where are we going tomorrow night?" Henry asked.

"The small place we used to go after our bowling nights, you guys are going to like it."

It ended up being a small pizza place. They got a high top table and the five of them sat down.

"So Neal, where have you been hiding all this time?" Lisa asked, starting off the conversation.

"I moved to Storybrooke a few years back, that's where I met Amelia." Neal began the story.

"Oh tell us how you met." Lisa was so engrossed in the story, knowing it was going to be good.

"I'm the head librarian, but at the time I was doing odd jobs for Neal's father…"

"Neal, I thought your father was dead?" Jacob cut in, confused.

"He was dead to me. It took a while but we are on good terms now. He's happily remarried and has a daughter now." It was harder than he thought to tell Rosie that he wasn't coming to dinner during the week. That little girl had him wrapped around her finger.

"Aww, you are a big brother. Amelia, when does Neal come into the picture?" Lisa asked.

Amelia decided to give the lie version. "I needed Neal to help with a library event and he came into town. Things just kind of snowballed from there."

"Was it love at a first sight?"

"No, I don't believe in that. There was interest though. And now we are very close to our one year wedding anniversary." She reached and held Neal's hand.

Jacob turned to Henry. "And your mother is…?"

"Emma Swan. She and Dad had a brief relationship and gave me up so I could have a better life. I have an adopted mom back in Storybrooke." Henry never really had to explain his large crazy family to people. But there was a first time for everything.

"Do you get along with his other mothers?" Lisa asked Amelia.

"Emma, she's nice, we have similar experiences and histories. Regina on the other hand, I have wanted to murder her. Got one good punch on her once…"

"When was that?" Henry asked, shocked.

Amelia turned to him. "You were hanging out with your great grandfather at the time."

"Ohh." Henry still wanted to block that whole misadventure from his mind.

"But Regina is really nice now, she turned over a new leaf and now is married to my best friend." Amelia said.

"And Emma, is she happy?" Jacob wanted to know.

"Yeah, she's with my ex…" Amelia actually knew a little bit more but she didn't want Henry to know, yet.

"Basically holidays are crazy?" Lisa guessed.

"It could be a million times worse, like when we all first met…." Neal shook his head. Those were messy times and he was still shocked no one killed each other.

"We had to trust each other a lot, through all the craziness. We are one big happy family now. Actually I have pictures." Amelia pulled out her phone and began to scroll through. "Here's our wedding day…" She started to name people. "That's my adopted parents Michael and Helen… Jordan is my adopted sister, Aiden is her husband, those are their children Richard and Charlotte. The man walking me down the aisle is my other adopted brother, Derek. That's Neal's father and step mother…"

"Wow, Neal you look like your father…" Lisa commented.

"Yeah, I get that a lot…"

"That's Regina and Robin…"

Jacob turned to Henry. "So your adopted mom and step dad?"

"Yep. Robin has a son from his previous marriage. Roland is like my shadow. He's my first sibling, so far…" Henry said, glancing over at Amelia and Neal.

"And this is Emma and Killian…" Amelia continued her story, trying to ignore Henry. He really wanted siblings, but things took time.

"Emma's so pretty. Henry, you are a perfect combination of both of your parents." Jacob stated.

"That's your ex? He's… wow… why on earth would you end it with him? He's gorgeous…" Lisa was almost speechless. Yes, Killian had that effect on women.

"He like to word as 'devilishly handsome'. Killian and I wouldn't have worked out. We are much better as friends."

"Still think you are crazy. No offense Neal…"

"So this is Central Park? It's beautiful and peaceful. Almost reminds me of home." Amelia snuggled closer to Neal on a park bench.

"Home Storybrooke, or home Enchanted Forest, or home Prydain?" Neal had to ask, there were so many choices.

"Home Storybrooke." That was going to be her home forever.

He placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'm glad."

"I'm not going anyway Neal. You are stuck with me forever." She said then looked around and for a moment couldn't see Henry. Panic rose in her stomach. Then she saw him, talking to a girl. "Who's that girl talking to Henry?"

Neal looked over, confusion on his face. "I don't know. Maybe he just met her."

"They seem awfully friendly." Amelia took out her phone and snapped a picture.

"What are you doing?" Neal asked.

"Sending the picture to Emma. She and Henry lived here. Maybe she knows." Amelia didn't have to wait long for a text back.

"That's Violet, she and Henry were classmates. Come to think about it, he has been texting her a bit for the past few months."

Something clicked in Amelia's mind. "Neal, Henry really wanted us to come here. Kept saying it would be fun…"

"He wanted to meet up with her…" Neal finished her thought.

"He duped us. Smart kid." Amelia had to give him credit. Now, should they embarrass him? Maybe a little, they were the parents after all.

Amelia got up and walked over to Henry and his friend. "Henry, aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?"

Henry looked up, they had figured out his plan. Well, neither Amelia or Neal were dense. "Mom, this is Violet, my classmate when I lived here. Violet, this is my mom."

"I thought Miss Swan was your mom?" Violet was a pretty girl about Henry's age.

"Sorry, Amelia is my step mom; my dad is over there on the bench… no now he's coming over here."

Neal had come over with an outstretched hand. "Hi Violet, nice to meet you."

"Hi Mr…"

"Cassidy. Neal Cassidy. Buddy, you should have told us you wanted to meet up with someone." Neal actually found the whole thing funny.

"So, where are you living now, Henry?" Violet asked.

"Storybrooke Maine, quiet little town right on the water. Mom, Emma's happy there. That's where her family is. Actually my whole family is there."

"Maybe I could come visit you sometime?" Violet asked, hoping for a positive answer. She seemed a little shy. It could have been because Amelia and Neal were standing right there. But in all honestly, they were tame compared to Emma and Regina.

"Yeah, that would be great." Henry would love for Violet to visit him in his crazy home town.

"Well, I have to go. It was great to see you." Violet began to walk off.

Henry had a silly look on his face as he watched her walk away. "What?"

"Oh nothing. So you want her to come to Storybrooke?" Neal asked.

"I think we can keep our craziness to a normal level." Amelia wasn't complete sure but they could try.

"Hey Henry, you all packed? We are going to be leaving soon." Amelia walked into Henry's room. She didn't see him at first, he was standing on the balcony looking over the City. Even with his back to her, Amelia knew what was going through his mind. She went to stand next to him. "Do you miss the city? This place has an energy that Storybrooke doesn't."

"No… kind of. It doesn't matter, Storybrooke is home." Henry didn't turn to look at her.

"But, you lived here for a year, you had a life here, your home was here even if it was fake.

"Home isn't a place, it's a person. Or in our case, a lot of people." He finally turned to her.

Amelia was taken back. He really surprised her sometimes. "You know, you are wise beyond your years?"

"I keep hearing that." A grin crossed his Henry. Amelia pulled him into a tight hug. She didn't know how she could get any luckier.

#bountyhunterchronicles

0 notes