#good LORD i thought i was immune but i wasn't god why did you do this to me

[bifairywife]

someone with daddy issues & never stood up to their bully is beginning to ship their comfort character with a bully, i cannot interfere it is a canon event

[heronchildlove]

So I cam up with a great prompt...possibly because I’ve been listening to Hadestown on repeat...all three albums...but anyway, Heronchild with a Hades/Persephone AU/type thing to them. James as Hades and Math as Persephone. What do tho think?

I think you are a genius, nonnie! This is an amazing prompt, I hope you like it!

~~//~~

There was nothing he missed about the surface world.

A flash of green eyes. A blinding smile. A tug on his heart. Three pairs of red eyes stared at him, calling out his lie and he grunted, throwing the piece of meat for Cerberus to fetch and leave him alone. Animals were way too smart for their own good, even hellhounds.

It wasn't like he had had any other choice. As always, he had been painted as the villain.

"The Lord of Shadows has taken our spring from us! He means to make us all starve!"

But he hadn't. The other had come willingly, with a wicked spark in his eyes, a soft smile on his face.

"I have always wanted to have an adventure. Will you please take me with you?"

He had tried to warn him, that the Underworld was a place of darkness and grief, not a place for beautiful and good things such as him. Not a place for games and adventures, But he hadn't listened.

"I do not understand why everyone thinks I am all that good. Spring makes grow carnivorous plants as well as roses. And it's not true the Underworld isn't a place for beautiful things, for you live there and you are quite handsome yourself, with those golden eyes."

In the end, he was no more immune to that smile and those eyes than they were, and the God of Spring had wandered into the underworld and danced among spirits and lost souls, and played with hellhounds and demons as if they were puppies, and brought warmth and light the likes of which that land hadn't seen since the beginning of times.

When the God of Spring had extended his hand to him and invited him to a dance, he had been powerless to say no.

For the first time in eons, these halls had been filled with laughter - from two sources, a matching pair -, and his days had been filled with joy, and his heart had been filled with warmth. For the first time in eons, he - they - were happy.

And then the messages from Olympus had arrived.

He didn't think much of mortals, but this one thing he envied them for: they had free will, they could choose what fate they wanted to live and be selfish in their choices when doing so. No matter what anyone else thought of him, he wouldn't doom the world to chase his own personal happiness, even if the problem they were imagining didn't even exist in the first place.

He did the most difficult thing he had ever had to do in his whole life:

He let him go.

And darkness and ice consumed him once more.

And the days passed, and it was fine. There was nothing he missed about the surface world.

…Until one day he heard music.

And him, the king of the Underworld, the Lord of Shadows, forever frozen into calm and detachment, ran. He ran like his life depended on it.

There was someone dancing with the spirits.

A flash of green eyes. A blinding smile. A tug on his heart.

A warmth under his arms.

And he could finally breathe again.

[honeybunnybeez]

How they react to the Dog Hand meme

♡Genre: Pure nonsensical fluff

♡Reader is Gender Neutral!

♡Member(s) involved: c!Dream, c!George, c!Sapnap, c!Karl, c!Quackity, c!Bad

♡Format: Headcanon(?)

It never gets old watching your wolf practically sprint towards you the moment you open your hand in front of it. It never hesitates to rest its chin in your palm, wagging it’s tail happily and looking at you with adoring loyal eyes while it does so.

"Aren't you just the cutest thing in the whole wide world?" You coo as you nuzzle your cheek against its soft fluffy head. It barks happily as if to agree with your statement, earning it a few kisses and head pats before it goes on with its merry way to do god knows what before you call for its name again.

"You ever going to stop babying them?" Your boyfriend asks as he sits on the edge of your bed, a little jealous that your wolf gets so much more attention when he's literally sitting in the same room.

"Never in a million years, they're essentially my child now," you laugh as he huffs and rolls his eyes, still a little pouty from your previous actions. You swear to whatever higher power exists in the world that your boyfriend acts exactly like a spoiled puppy whenever he sees you playing with your wolf.

Wait, that actually gives you an idea.

"Hey," he watches as you outstretch your hand in front of him like you did with your wolf with the biggest grin forming on your face, "do the thing!"

c!Dream:

He can't help but laugh a little at how excited you look. Seriously, he thought you were pretty darn cute when you were playing with your wolf before, but now this? You're going to make his heart explode one day with how adorable you are.

"I'm not as cute as your little wolf though," he teases.

"Maybe not but hey, you can at least try, can't you?"

Even though he rolls his eyes at your words, he still walks up to you and lean down to rest his chin in your palm, giving you a lazy smirk as he does so. He laughs a bit when he sees you tensing up, genuinely not expecting him to go along with your little joke.

"So, am I cute enough for you?"

A kiss placed on the tip of his nose has you turning the tables on him and now he's the one growing flustered, pale face dusting with a little bit of red at the innocent affection.

"There, NOW you're cute."

c!George:

"No."

"Oh, c'mon George!"

"No, (y/n)," he looks at you with an amused look when you whine out his name once more, staring at him with the best puppy eyes you can muster. Thankfully, after being friends with a few other people who can pull off impressive puppy eyes, he's gotten fairly immune to them by now.

"I'm not budging and that's final," you sigh and drop you hand to your side, pouting a little at being denied your fun.

Before you can react and exit the room defeated, a pair of hands cup your cheek out of the blue, shocking and flustering you.

"H-Hey, that wasn't the plan-!”

"No, but you didn't say I couldn't do it to you, now did you?" He presses a chaste kiss to your forehead, chuckling as you scrunch your face up a bit in mock disgust.

"Argh, I hate you."

“Aw, I love you too, sweetheart."

c!Sapnap:

Sapnap has to catch you from falling because of how quickly he surprised you by practically hopping off the bed. He giggles as he holds you in his arm in what seems to be a dip, he was always a sucker for cheesy things like these.

"Holy shit, Sapnap," you can't help but gasp out, clinging onto him as your heart beats rapidly from your close fall. "Lord, I thought I was going to die-"

"You okay there, babe?" You nod in response to his question and stand up properly with his help. After a few seconds of calming yourself down, you outstretch your hand again and Sapnap wastes absolutely no time in resting his chin in your palm just like your wolf. You think that if you believed hard enough, you may just see a pair of ears and tail appear on him as well.

"You really live up to your pet name, don't you, puppy?" You can't help but tease.

"Mhmm, and this puppy really wants you to kiss and pet him now."

"What're the magic words Sapnap?"

"Uh... I love you?"

Well, that definitely pulled a snort of out you.

"Alright, fine. You get your kisses you dork."

c!Karl:

He's definitely another one who doesn't hesitate to rush up to you to rest his chin in your palm, giggling and looking at you with the most lovestruck expression as he does so.

"Oh my god, Karl, stop being so cute all the time," your words make his heart feel all fuzzy inside and he can't stop himself from nuzzling into your hand, reveling in your attention

"Not until you give me more kisses than your wolf."

"Hmm, but my lips are feeling a little sore at the moment though," you joke, making him mock a pout back. "Maybe I'll have to take a raincheck on those kisses."

"Fine, then I'll do it myself!" You barely have time to react before you're quickly scooped up into his arms and dragged to bed where he covers your face in kisses, causing the both of you to laugh until your stomachs hurt from the lack of air.

Honestly, if someone asked you to pick between Karl or your wolf over whose cuter, you may actually struggle to answer that question when both of them smother you with love in almost the exact same way.

c!Quackity:

"You gotta say please if you want me to do that, sweet thing," lord, why did you expect Quackity to just go along with it?

"C'mon Quackity, please?"

"You can do better than that!" Lord, you just want to smooch that smirk off his stupidly good looking face.

"Pleaseee...?"

"A little better, (y/n)." Okay, y'know what-

"Quackity, I can hear my wolf tippy tapping in the room next to us, I will literally just walk over to them and give them all your kisses."

Well, that threat definitely got to him- He stumbles and almost falls before resting his chin in your palm. He even grabs you wrist just for safe measures to ensure you aren't going to leave him for your wolf.

"I thought I get kisses with this thing as well?" Quackity whines, nudging your hand with his cheek as if to get you to kiss him quicker.

"You gotta be cuter if you want kisses, lover boy."

"Aren't I already cute anough?"

You open your mouth to argue but nothing really comes out, making Quackity giggle at your silence. You sigh and reward him with the kisses he wanted, much to his delight.

"Admit it, I'm definitely cuter than your wolf.”

"Doesn't automatically make you my favourite between the two of you though."

"(Y/n)!"

c!Badboyhalo:

He tilts his head like an actual puppy as he stares at your hand, a little confused as to what you want him to do. He's totally lost please help this demon out.

"Do you want to rest your chin in my hand?"

Ah, there's that happy little gasp. He's quick to change to his more appropriate height before resting his chin on your palm, giving you something almost similar to an ‘UwU’ look on his content face.

"Okay, I can see why your puppy really likes doing this."

"Is it comfy?" He nods at your question, sighing in bless when he feels your other hand petting through his jet black hair. As you do so, you can see Bad's tail lift slightly behind him, wagging a little much to your amusement.

"Your tail is wagging Bad!" It doesn't take him long to remove himself from your hand, flustered and gripping onto his tail to stop it from moving anymore. He can't help but make a noise of complaint as he sees you giving him a smug little grin.

"(Y/n), you ruined the moment!"

"I'm sorry, Bad!" But your string of uncontained giggles really showed that you weren't all that sorry, much to Bad's displeasure. He’s so going to get back at you for that by cuddling with your wolf tonight instead of you.

A/N: Hello! I am so sorry for this mess! I had major writer’s block and legit had to look at my old blog for some inspiration- I may be running a little dry nowadays and I’m incredibly sorry for that. Anyways, this was just a quick cute bit, I hope you all enjoyed reading!

(Requests are open and anon is on!)

[jarienn972]

La Sirena - Chapter Nine

Captain Swan Supernatural Summer

We're nearly to the completion of this little @cssns tale but we’re not quite there yet. This chapter started to get really long so I decided to break it up and create a bonus epilogue chapter that will wrap everything up! Writing my first complete AU has been quite the challenge, as well as quite a learning experience. Thank you, @kmomof4 for all of your encouragement and beta assistance along the way! And thank you, @courtorderedcake for the beautiful artwork that has graced every chapter.

So here we are at huge turning point. Poseidon sided with Emma and intervened to stop Regina's evil "test" but is there a future for our heroes or did rescue come too late for Killian this time? Catch up from the beginning at AO3 or FF.net or on Tumblr: One  Two  Three  Four  Five  Six  Seven  Eight

*********

The immediate threats may have gone away, but Emma knew the ordeal was still far from over. Regina's menacing presence no longer lingered over the bay as a pleasant breeze ushered away the remaining dark clouds and the dulcet melodies of the songbirds returned to the trees, yet she couldn't relax. She scarcely noticed the school of colorful fish darting to and fro around her as she swam for the shore. Her attention was singularly focused.

Gentle waves lapped at Killian's motionless form as he lay prone in the damp sand. Morphing back to human legs, Emma clambered awkwardly out of the shallows, crawling her way up to the shore to reach the injured human. Her eyes were welling up with tears as she feared her efforts may have been for naught.

Please, let him be alive, was the only thought on her mind as she reached for his arm, tenderly caressing bare skin exposed beneath the torn black silk. Angry red welts covered his upper arm where the kraken's suckers had latched onto their victim, and while Emma was apprehensive about moving him, she also feared that if he were still breathing, he'd suffocate if she didn't turn him over.

She placed her right hand behind his head and gently cradled it against her palm as she used her left hand to lift his torso slightly and roll his limp body toward her, allowing his back to rest upon her knees. His eyes were closed and barely fluttered when she brushed away the sand that marred his face, noting quickly that the sand was covering up the bloody evidence of his reopened head wound.

"Stay with me," she pleaded. "Stay with me, Killian…"

A weak moan and a dribble of sea water escaped his throat, reviving her hopes as she lowered her head over Killian's and pressed her lips against his bloodstained cheek. Her golden tresses draped across his face as if to shield him from the world as she momentarily forgot that they were being watched by the god of the seas.

"Can you save him?" she implored the deity who'd remained offshore. "Please don't allow all of this to be in vain! Please don't allow Regina's hatred to win!"

"Emma, my realm is the sea, you know this," Poseidon reluctantly reminded her. "Nothing I do can save the life of a human if it is their time. Only my brothers, Hades, ruler of the underworld, and Zeus, supreme ruler of Olympus, could intervene, but I am fairly certain that neither is likely to be interested in the fate of a single human."

A despondent Emma wasn't about to take his deference as an answer.

"But it is not fair! If not for Regina's interference, Killian would have been fine. He would have survived and…"

"And?" Poseidon interrupted her. "He would have survived to be trapped here on this cove with you. How long before he longed for his own world again? Would he have felt imprisoned here with only an immortal siren for companionship? I'm not trying to be unkind, but truthfully, what is best for this young man?"

"Certainly not death," Emma rebutted angrily, her emerald eyes staring intently at Killian's unconscious visage as she challenged the deity. She didn't understand why this one human's fate was so important to her, why he held such a tight hold on her after so short a time… "Why would he be allowed to escape the sirens only to die from Regina's awful conduct?"

The god sighed and shook his head as he lowered his trident to his flank. "Ah, Emma… You remind me so much of my Ursula…" He tread a little further into the shallows before pushing himself up atop a large boulder, curling his glistening platinum tail around the rock and scratching at his beard as he formed his next words inside his head. "Like you, she possessed a compassion towards the human race that I failed to understand for many centuries. It wasn't until that fateful day that the first human sailed beyond the isle of the sirens that I ever had reason to converse with one. I confronted that man, trying to determine what ruse he'd employed to get past my protections and what I discovered was a young man who was simply trying to return home to his ailing mother.

"That man had fought through attacking enemy ships and fierce sea creatures until he was the sole survivor on his vessel. He'd tried in vain to return to his homeland, but he wasn't yet a skilled sailor and had navigated himself in circles before crossing into our realm. He knew who I was the moment I appeared before him, and I could sense his fear and reverence. He was a humble man with a good heart, and it was that humble, pure intentioned heart that my daughter sensed and eventually fell in love with. She urged me to aid the man's return to his land but after being gone so long, there was little left for him to return to. He banded with a few survivors and formed a new village on an island near our realm, eventually marrying my daughter.

"The reason I'm telling you all of this, Emma, is that you clearly felt that same compassion because, like Ursula, you sensed this man's good heart. I never believed it would be possible for a siren to sense such emotion, but from the day you separated yourself from the council, I have known that you were different. A creature birthed to enchant and entice humans to their death wasn't intended to possess compassion - let alone the emotion you're feeling right now."

"And what might that be?" she asked with a sniffle while shifting her position ever so slightly so that she could see Poseidon's face.

"You've fallen in love, Emma, and that is a most powerful emotion."

"Love?"

"It's what is driving you to want to protect him. It may perhaps be part of the instinct that compelled you to rescue him in the first place. But I say that with the warning that I can not promise whether the emotion is reciprocated. Only he can answer that question."

"Is that the reason for these tears? Are sirens even able to cry?"

"You may be the first."

"Is love the reason I feel like a piece of myself may die with him?" she questioned as her fingers unconsciously laced through the matted, scraggly dark hair at the nape of Killian's neck. "If Regina's treachery has taken him from me, I swear, I will find her and…"

Poseidon cut her off before her anger overshadowed her present dilemma. "I promise you, Regina will be dealt with, swiftly and surely. Once I determine my brother's role in this debacle, Regina will likely be stripped of her powers and if I see fit, banished to the Forbidden Isles."

"Banishment to the Forbidden Isles seems harsh, even for what Regina did…" Emma sighed, hugging Killian even closer to her breast until she recalled the damage the kraken had presumably inflicted upon the man she loved and loosened her embrace. "If I am to be truthful, all I really want is whatever is in Killian's best interest."

"If only all sirens were blessed with your wisdom," Poseidon smiled. "Perhaps it is time to grant all of your kind the full range of emotions?"

"Or perhaps it is simply time for us to mend our ways? All humans are not evil, and some of them out there are still your descendants - maybe even Killian here."

"It has been so many generations since I've kept track of my descendants," the deity lamented. "I'm afraid that there is so little trace of my lineage left that it would be nearly impossible to determine. Being a descendant of an Olympian god doesn't necessarily grant that good heart that makes a man immune to the siren song either. Many of my grandchildren's grandchildren succumbed to greed, avarice and other sins of humanity, but as you've said, there are many good ones out there. Perhaps you are right that it is time for the gods to amend our perception of humanity, but I fear the likelihood of that happening is negligible."

"I was afraid of that," Emma responded as her gaze cast downward.

"However," Poseidon continued, "while I cannot directly heal this human, I do have an idea that could expedite his return to his own ship, where he belongs."

"May I go with him?" Emma asked impulsively, her query catching the god off-guard as she raised expectant eyes to meet the god's gaze.

"Emma, are you certain?" the flabbergasted Poseidon inquired.

"I am quite certain. If there is a way to return Killian to his ship and to his family, I wish to go with him."

"To do so, you would have to give up your immortality and all of your magic," he explained.

"Lord Poseidon, I have spent centuries alone. I never desired any companionship until I spoke to Killian. If there is a way to save him and for me to accompany him, I will gladly surrender my immortality."

"I can arrange that, but I do remind you that I cannot guarantee that your emotions will be returned by him. There is no way to make someone love you…"

"It is a chance I will happily take, Your Majesty. My instincts are telling me that he shares my feelings and I can no longer imagine spending an eternity here without him. If he is to return to the land where he belongs, then I know I belong there at his side."

Poseidon nodded as he raised the trident, pointing it skyward. "Then so it shall be," he stated as clouds gathered once again above the bay, swirling into a mighty vortex before the god vanished in a blinding flash of lightning.

*********

A warm, tropical breeze tickled his cheek as Killian shifted his aching body. He could feel the sun on his back as he felt around, grasping and then releasing a fistful of sand. His memory was sketchy as he struggled to lift his head and force his eyes open, not yet certain if he was alive or dead. Maybe somewhere in between?

His head was throbbing too much to hold up so he slid his forearm beneath it and just let it rest there. The simple act of drawing breath was agonizing. Did the dead still experience pain in the afterlife or was this his purgatory? Left broken and abandoned on a deserted beach with the sea just beyond his reach?

Bits and pieces of memories (or maybe, hallucinations) came and went when his eyes would fall closed. Pirates and sinking ships. Palm trees and some subterranean lagoon. A mermaid with long, golden hair and a tail that shimmered like pearls in the sunlight. A huge sea beast with tentacles that were as long as the Jewel from bow to stern. He even pictured a gigantic trident reaching out of the waves.

How hard had he struck his head? he wondered as the fingers on his left hand gingerly touched the open laceration at his scalp, noting the crimson stains on his skin as his hand fell away. Sucking in a deep breath that he immediately regretted, he almost wanted to laugh at his unbelievable situation. What a fine mess you've gotten yourself into, Killian Jones, he thought.

His gaze drifted back to the bay, staring out at the horizon as his vision began to blur and he found himself fighting to remain conscious. He squinted in an attempt to make out a faint blob off in the distance and assumed he was imagining the peal of a ship's bell and approaching voices when he succumbed to the pain-free peace of the darkness.

*********

The familiar bob and sway of the sea was a welcome sensation as Killian began to come around. Breathing was still a chore but even before his eyelids began to part, he knew something was different. The recognizable scents of musty books and linens filled his nostrils along with some sort of strong alcohol - although definitely not the drinking kind. The creaks and squeaks of wood battered by wind and waves was a familiar reverberation in his ear.

He threw his eyelids open and lurched upright, only to be halted and eased back onto the bunk by a large, calloused hand adorned with a single, hefty, carved silver ring.

A ring that even in his discombobulated state, he noticed and identified instantly.

"Liam?" he choked out, his throat dry and burning as though he'd swallowed much of the sand back on that beach.

"Aye, little brother," Liam smiled broadly as Killian's eyes finally focused on his elder brother's bearded and clearly anguished face. Liam's typically perfectly pressed uniform was rumpled, wrinkled and as deeply creased as his face, but Killian didn't yet know that it was the product of days searching for, and then worrying over his younger brother. "Now, will you please lie back down? Doc says you still need a lot of rest to recuperate."

"Liam, I can't believe it is really you. It has been an eternity, it seems… I thought I'd never see you again…," Killian excitedly babbled as clarity slowly returned. The comforting sight of his own first officer's cabin, paltry as it might be, helped him relax as he settled back into the pile of feather-stuffed pillows propped against the stateroom wall. Scratchy as it was, Killian didn't even protest as Liam draped the Royal Navy-issued charcoal grey, woolen blanket over top of his heavily bruised chest. "It is really you, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is really me, brother," Liam replied as he fretted with the bedding, trying to make the narrow bunk as comfortable as possible for his only sibling who had seemingly just returned from the dead. "I was warned you might be a little out of sorts for a couple of days from your injuries, but yes, I am really here and yes, I am beyond happy that we located you alive. It took us days to locate you on that tiny island. You were bloody lucky that the other survivor was one of the prisoners and not one of those pirates."

"Prisoner?" Killian repeated with his face scrunched in confusion and obvious discomfort.

"You really need your rest, Killian, and I need to go make my rounds. We can talk more later…"

"Brother, I don't understand… There was no survivor from that ship, save for myself." Killian became increasingly agitated and shook his head at the wrongness of it all. That motion, of course, only made his achy skull hurt more and loosened some of the bandages Doc had wrapped around his cranium to cover the jagged wound and the uneven stitches he'd used to hold it closed. "I was the only one who survived… I failed all of our men…" Killian squeezed his eyes closed as his wavering voice cracked with melancholy. "I'm so sorry, Liam, but I'm hardly fit to be your First Mate…"

"Brother, please just rest. You're spouting such nonsense. I'll send Doc right in to examine you. Your head injury must have been far worse than he thought to have affected your memory so severely."

"My memory is fine," Killian stated bluntly. "Far better than my performance as an officer…"

"For allowing yourself to be captured so your wounded crew could escape? That's hardly a failure, brother. I recommended you for a commendation for your bravery and I truly feared I would never have the opportunity to pin that medal on your uniform myself."

Liam's words made no sense. No one awards a commendation to a man who failed his mission and lost his entire landing team. He knew he must be dead and this purgatory was a cruel end to his fantastical journey.

"I'm sorry, I've been such a failure, Liam. You do not need to cover for my sins. I am only alive today through the mercy of the gods who sent down an angel to rescue me…"

"Bloody hell, Killian…," an exasperated Liam sighed. "Whatever are you rambling on about? I sincerely hope that either Doc or the lass can talk some sense into you…" Liam snatched up his plumed uniform hat from the writing table as he rose from his chair at his brother's bedside, doing his best to straighten his overcoat to look proper and authoritative, as a Captain should be.

"Lass?" Killian asked in bewilderment. What lass? He could only picture one lovely lass with flowing, blonde hair and emerald green eyes, but she could hardly have followed him here…

"The other former prisoner of those cowardly pirates that we rescued from the island with you, you git," Liam muttered, flopping his hat back atop his head as he shoved aside the heavy canvas curtain that provided Killian's quarters a semblance of privacy from the rest of the crew berths lining the narrow corridor that dissected this deck. It was far more crowded and noisy than his own quarters which were a deck above, spanning the width of the stern, not that he had occupied them for the past few days.

Liam's footsteps resounded heavily on the oak planks beneath his feet as he lumbered down the passageway and rapped on the wall outside of another curtained compartment. The ship's doctor, who's face looked nearly as haggard as the Captain's, drew the curtain open and immediately straightened his posture at the sight of his superior officer.

"At ease," Liam grumbled, letting the doctor know with a casual wave of his hand that military decorum wasn't necessary.

"Sorry, Cap'n. Taking a break from your vigil over the young Lieutenant Jones?"

"More like taking a break from Killian in general."

"Has he awakened?"

"A short time ago - yes. He isn't making a bloody lick of sense, babbling on about being a horrible officer who failed his crew and was saved by some mythical angel. How severe was the injury to his head?"

"How wonderful to hear that he's come around, but his head injury appeared largely superficial. I'll happily give him another once over now that he's awake. Maybe those pirates poisoned him or something that is affecting his mental state?"

"I hope it is something easily remedied or I fear his career may be in danger. I'm going to go fetch the lass we rescued along with him. Perhaps hearing her tale will help sort his head out…"

"Sounds like a very good idea, sir," the doctor responded as his troubled captain departed without another word, trudging tiredly towards the ladder to the upper deck.

*********

The visit by the ship's doctor only left Killian more irritable and baffled by their blatant dismissal of his miscarriage of his duties. They must all be daft, Killian thought. Or they think I am? Maybe he was merely imagining all of this?

Had any of this been real?

As the doctor had replaced bandages and prodded him in every tormenting and unpleasant place imaginable, Killian saw the very real evidence of his injuries. He was peppered with cuts, scrapes and contusions in various stages of healing. Some of the more painful ones were deep purplish while others had begun yellowing. There were red welts on his arms and across his torso that Doc couldn't identify, suggesting they might be burns or some manner of rash, but Killian's mind recalled a vastly different source. He'd been quickly shushed at the mere mention of encountering a kraken.

Doc offered him medicine to ease his discomfort which Killian knew meant the potion they'd sourced in the Far Eastern realm. He didn't know much about the substance, but he declined, preferring to keep what remained of his wits about him. The exasperated doctor muttered something unintelligible under his breath and shook his head at the young lieutenant's stubbornness, but Killian did overhear him mention that Liam had gone to fetch the supposed other prisoner from the pirate ship before departing Killian's quarters.

Killian knew with absolute certainty that no one else had escaped that ship with him, whatever had led to its sinking. Whomever this mysterious woman was that Liam had mentioned, she must be the key to unraveling this insanity. He was anxious to meet her, although he was also embarrassed to have a lady see him in such a disheveled state.

He also couldn't get the image of an ethereal presence to depart his head - one with flowing, pale blonde hair, porcelain skin that nearly glowed in her state of undress, and a supple, shimmery tail fin that playfully flicked water towards him.

No, he scolded himself. She didn't exist. Just a dreamy figment of his overactive imagination…

The sound of hushed voices in the corridor beyond the curtain snapped his attention back and Killian strained to hear what they were saying.

"Seems to be healing well, but his head's a bit out of sort…" Killian heard Doc telling someone that he soon realized was Liam when he heard his brother respond.

"It's unorthodox…," he heard Liam say, but he could only make out portions of the rest. "Doesn't remember… Miss Swan, we're hoping… We realize this is a highly unusual request, but given your time together…"

Miss Swan? Killian knew no one by such name, but why would Liam bring a stranger to visit him in his convalescence? Perhaps he should just pretend to be asleep and they'll go away, not that the ruse had ever worked to fool Liam. He closed his eyelids anyway as he heard the rattle and squeak of the curtain being drawn, determined to ignore his unwanted guests anyway.

"Should I return when he isn't asleep?" a feminine voice asked shyly.

"I swear, he was awake a moment ago, Capt'n," Doc said with an echo of concern in his voice, although Killian wasn't certain if it was directed toward him or if Doc feared the Captain's ire.

"I apologize, Miss Swan," Liam muttered with an audible sigh. "I thought it would do him good to see you - that it would aid his recollection, but he's a stubborn arse…"

"No apology necessary, Captain," the woman replied. Her voice was tantalizingly familiar to Killian, but he couldn't place why. He almost wanted to secret an eye open to catch a glimpse but he didn't dare. "Would it be alright if I sat with him for a spell?"

Oh, bloody hell, no! Killian screamed internally. Liam would never permit such a thing. Having a woman onboard was scandalous enough…

"I'm hesitant to allow that since this deck is less secure than my quarters, milady," Liam answered, only Killian could hear the but coming. "But since this is an unusual situation, I'll allow it. I'm sure I can find enough chores to keep my crew occupied for a bit and keep them away from this deck."

"Thank you, Captain," she responded and Killian could hear her smile in her voice. He was disappointed in his brother and was nearly betrayed by the frown he fought from forming on his own lips.

"I shall check back in a short time, lest my brother or any other sailor here attempt to take advantage of you."

"I am sure your brother will be a perfect gentleman, as he was while we were awaiting rescue. He could scarcely glance at me without blushing…"

Wait… What did she just say? Killian's brain was swirling with new questions as Liam bid the mystery woman farewell for the moment. He wanted so much to look upon her face, but he must wait until he heard Liam's heavy footsteps trailing away.

Could this really be…?