#ill reblog this one from now on i just was flabbergasted at the opening

[poisonousquinzel]

why tf did they make the Arkham guards give him a shave??? i can't tell if the blood from his mouth was supposed to be an inflicted purposeful wound, but i didn't even see it happen 😭 but accurate for Arkham ig, it sucks lmao

[paulieshore]

Part Two: Somethings Wrong With Him

Heres part two leading up to the main event still. I recapped the last sentence of part one, if you havnt read part one go and read it! then come back and read me. Anyways here we go!!!

Characters : Victor, Lucien, Gavin, Kiro, MC (mention of side characters too)

Word count : 1, 494

Warnings: None 

Loveland Charity Event

Part Two: “Something’s Wrong With Him…”

‘He? Who’s He?’ Victor looked at you void of any emotion on his face but in his mind was like fireworks of sadness, anger and… jealousy?? All revolved around one word…. HE!....

 You stood there for what felt like forever, neither of you said anything. Victor just stared at you, felt like years of silence, feeling a little awkward finally you broke, “well if there isn’t anything else ill see myself out now.” Waiting a moment, Victor just silently nodded so you turned around and made your way to door.

Just as you reached for the handle, “I want the adjustments done by tomorrow, and personally delivered to me!”

Huff… your day off was tomorrow but looks like you’re here yet again, “Yes sir!” quickly escaping without even the slightest look back.

Inside the office Victor momentarily smiled, he thought back to what you had previously said… Who is he? He wondered, perhaps a colleague?  MC always seemed too busy with her work; he admired this about her given all the setbacks she always found a way, and never lost that purity of determination (most women around him wanted fame or money but she merely just wanted to do better, be better). Any other time he’d see her shed be stuffing her face with junk food he had never really noticed her around other men that weren’t working for her. Then Victor seemed to have remembered a time she was texting during work hours smiling stupidly at her phone. Was it him she was texting? Perhaps ‘he’ is … Kiro? He’d remember seeing you with him on a couple occasions, but wasn’t it for work? That’s when those unnecessary feelings began to stir again. Why? Setting aside his thoughts he decided to burry himself into work again, the best solution to take his mind off…her.

You finally reached the Café and looked through the window to see if Lucien had arrived. Running a tad bit late, you had thought to call but the phone died whilst at LFG and typically forgetting to charge it last night before going to bed.

Just then Lucien appeared from behind “Sorry I’m late, I had something come up.”

You nearly jump out of your skin when you heard him. “It’s fine I’m late too but I couldn’t call phones dead!” You responded, waving your phone near your face like to justify that you weren’t telling a lie.  

Lucien and MC entered the café; not far from where they were stood Gavin pulled up on his motor bike, he tried ringing you but went straight to voicemail every time. Being the worry wart that he was (though he’d never admit that to you) he tracked you down through the wind. When he arrived he saw you and him… This guy again, who is this guy really, he briefly recalls that night he stood with you and those bullets were flying towards you. Gavin sat there for a brief second before dismounting the bike.

Inside; you and Lucien ordered your teas and took a seat in a little booth waiting for your snacks to come, today’s special was a ginger cake. Lucien mentioned trying something similar when he was abroad in England so you had decided to give it a try (being the foodie that you are). Just as you were discussing the charity event you heard a voice from afar that sounded awfully familiar… You slightly raise your head over Lucien’s shoulder view to catch a glimpse of Gavin at the clerk counter. Lucien who was stirring his tea at the time looks up and notices you seemed slightly distracted from your conversation. He looks over his shoulder to your line of sight and now understood. For some reason he felt, agitated maybe even slightly territorial. He’s sitting right in front of you yet your distracted by him.

Gavin pays for his order after receiving his coffee and nonchalantly makes his way towards you two. Stopping just beside Lucien “hey what’s up? Fancy meeting you here,” addressing you**not like he knew you were here ^_^.

You give him a genuine smile and just as your about to respond Lucien chimes in “Hmm it’s you again, and who might you be then officer?” His face seemed merry but his voice sounded rather annoyed.

Gavin glances down, his face which was calm and stoic as usual was now slightly shifting to a more analysing stare, “Gavin.” Reaching his hand out, Lucien acknowledged Gavin’s gesture before standing to shake his hand in return, “Lucien.” You couldn’t help but feel like you were watching two cats at a stand-off; they shook hands but never parted. Standing there staring at each other…

“Are you going to hold hands all day or sit down?” you couldn’t miss this opportunity to stick it to them. Most people in your life seem to have a way of teasing you so when the chance arises you wouldn’t let it pass you by. Both men instantly let go of one another and looked at you flabbergasted, which made you laugh out loud. Might I add it wasn’t exactly a cute giggle either, you proper belly laughed then (LOL). This seemed to have defused what-ever might have been to happen. Gavin shook his head and explained he was still on duty and popped in for a coffee before setting off again, leaving you and Lucien to finish discussion about the charity event.

That evening you were going over the report Victor wanted adjusted and handed in to him next day.

~Tweet -Tweet~ your phone appears to have a new message, glancing over and seeing *KiRo* displayed on the screen. Setting the pen down you swipe the screen and open the text, it read:

KiRo: Hey Miss Chips! How’s it going?! I’ll be back in Loveland the day after tomorrow for a gig next week. We should hit Souvenir up when we can?

Replying: Hey Kiro, Yea sounds great I’ve been wanting to go back there but wouldn’t be quite the same without you. Let me know what day works for you!

You thought for a moment if maybe you reply sounded kind of… pathetic. Lord it’s no wonder you didn’t have many friends, ~Tweet-Tweet~

KiRo: Haha awe you miss me? I’ll shoot you my schedule later, gota go next gig is about to start!! TTYL

Reading that you blushed hard, you felt the heat rise in your cheeks to the tips of your ears. You sent a quick ‘ok’ before heading to the bathroom to splash some cold water on your face.  

 Next Day (5 days till the event)

You were just leaving LFG, Victor approved of the adjustments but his behaviour seemed rather off. Well more than usual, he didn’t call you an idiot or make any remarks. Strictly business today, for some reason it had you thinking perhaps you did something wrong. Stopping and giving your-self a bit of a shake and reminding oneself everyone has off days and not to think too much about it. You left LFG excited; now it was officially your day off! You hadn’t had a day off in well over a month, and with the event coming up you decided you will do some shopping. You invited Anna and Kiki out but they were either working or had other things to do, just as you got off the bus near the mall you noticed Gavin standing near the entrance.

“Hey Gavin, fancy meeting you here” you call out to him as you approach (hmm doesn’t that sound indistinguishable). Observing Gavin; his cheeks seemed to have redden’ a bit then, he raises his hand and scratches the top of his head not making eye contact with you.

“Uh yea I just finished a job.” Gavin barely squeezes these words out...

“Well since you’re here mind helping me?”  You lean in trying to get him to look at you. Did I embarrass him? No not Gavin, he’s to cool to be embarrassed so easily you think. He gives you a quick nod and the two of you enter the mall together.

After learning what you meant by needing help Gavin’s cool mojo seemed to have swung to a more awkward state of mind. You had settled with an evening gown a store clerk recommended and decided to call it a day, Gavin didn’t look so good. You had a suspicion he may be suffering from a fever. He insisted he was fine again and again, but judging by the redness of his face whenever you came out of the dressing room or when you would leave you’d peak to see him fanning himself constantly. Maybe you should take him to the hospital to have him looked at, seeing as he won’t even let you look at him let alone look at you for more than a couple seconds…. Something’s wrong with him….

To be continued.

Feel free to share (reblog), follow my page for future story progression **let me know your thoughts! **

Thanx for reading

[shestillhasherquill]

At the Heart of Darkness (6/11)

First off, thank you SO much for all the likes and reblogs, and the lovely comments and messages. The only best use for DMs. I love you, and I’m sorry.

YOU GUYS. THIS FUCKING CHAPTER I SWEAR TO GOD. This chapter is the reason I signed up for @captainswanbigbang. This is the reason I wrote this fic. It has my most favorite scenes, it has my most favorite writing. I wrote this with so much glee.

@sambethe‘s artwork for this chapter melts my heart. It’s such a tender moment, and it’s just so - It’s SO important, and you will see why. She’s captured it so well, I legit teared up a bit. It’s perfect, and so is the banner and the artwork she did for chapter 2!

Wait till you see what @downeystarkjr has in store for you guys in her video for this chapter, and basically for the whole fic. It’s the best, it’s so cool. and it teases what’s about to come up in the second half of the fic. Make sure you check out the first one if you haven’t already! Whew, I can’t believe we’re halfway there.

And this fic wouldn’t be halfway decent with @accio-ambition and her yelling and her amazing editing and being overall the best beta ever. JSYK, she yelled at me a lot for this chapter, and so did @sambethe.

Summary: Killian Jones lives in the Land without Magic, with no memories of his family. Until Emma Swan comes into his life like a whirlwind, reminding about everything he had lost. He embarks on an adventure to destroy the Darkness, only to discover that Emma might not be telling him the whole story.

Rating: M

Content Warning: Mentions of Miscarriage, Angst, Gothel (I would heed these warnings a lot this chapter. Esp the angst, not so much Gothel)

Prologue: tumblr ao3 ff.net | Chapter 1: tumblr ao3 ff.net | Chapter 2: tumblr ao3 ff.net | Chapter 3: tumblr ao3 ff.net | Chapter 4: tumblr ao3 ff.net

Current Chapter: ao3 ff.net

Chapter 5: Summer lasted for so long

21 years ago: Enchanted Forest

Emma drifted into consciousness in stages. First, it was voices that she heard, bits and pieces of conversation. They came and went, but it was always just two, always the same two. A man and a girl, her baby voice standing out to Emma in the moments she was lucid enough to hear clearly. But beyond that, not much registered in her mind.

Second was very brief moments of actually opening her eyes and catching a glimpse of her environment. Concerned blue eyes swam in her vision each time. Sometimes it was accompanied by the man’s voice. But most of the time, it was the girl’s. She had blonde hair, Emma noted, before she would drift back into a dreamless state.

The third and final stage was, of course, full consciousness and awareness. That did not happen all at once, or for long, at first. But she remembered who the people were - Killian and Alice.

When she had finally come out of her state of unconsciousness and back to the land of the living, it had been quite dark. Her entire body felt stiff and her throat was bone dry. She spied Killian sleeping at the foot of her cot, but could not call out. She barely mustered up enough energy to reach for the jar of water, but even that, she was too weak to hold up and dropped it. At least it served in rousing Killian.

He sat up quickly, looking endearing even when he was sleep rumpled and his hair was all over the place. “Emma?”

She was taken aback when he rushed to embrace her, his arms tight around her as he squeezed her shoulders. “I’m so glad you’re awake, love. You gave Alice and I quite the scare.”

Emma wanted to reassure him, maybe return his embrace. But she could already feel how much the little activity had exhausted her. She pointed to the water, looking bashfully at the mess. But Killian waved off her wordless apology, fetching her a fresh glass of water and even helping her hold the glass when her hands shook.

When her throat finally felt like it wouldn’t just crumble to dust, she finally spoke. “Thank you,” she croaked out. “How long have I been asleep?”

Killian’s brows pulled together, looking almost bemused by her question. “Love, you’ve been in and out of sleep. You were ill for a while before that. It’s been a little over a week, Emma.”

Emma’s eyes widened; this had never happened to her all the other times she had used her magic. Well, that explained the weakness she felt. “Help me sit up?”

Killian nodded, gently pulling her into a seated position and bringing her blanket up with her. “How do you feel, Swan?”

Emma sipped her water, composing herself and trying to think of all the questions she wanted to ask. “Uh, a little weak. What happened?”

Killian sucked in a deep breath, looking down at his feet. “You overused your magic, to save  Alice’s life. You drained yourself, Emma. Madam Adeline said you might have weakened your heart.”

Emma swallowed thickly, unable to comprehend what Killian just told her. That could not be possible. All she did was use her magic. And she told him that.

“Madam Adeline told me that your magic - because it’s light magic - is not limitless. You can never do that again, Emma,” he told her fiercely. “It could be fatal.”

“What?” she scoffed, almost laughing. “You must be joking, Killian. I’ve never heard of this.”

He stared at her incredulously. “Oh, let me assure you. I am not jesting. You need to be more careful with your magic, Emma. I don’t wish to see you like that ever again. Is that understood?”

Emma was flabbergasted by the distress she could hear in Killian’s voice. Perhaps she ought to reconsider how serious the situation was before she dismissed it. She reached for the arm closest to her, which turned out to be his left one. “I’m alright now, Killian. I promise. How is Alice?”

“Oh, she’s fit as a fiddle, thanks to you and Madam Adeline,” he grinned. “She’s asleep now, but she has not left your side in days.”

Emma’s eyes welled with unbidden tears, and she let out a watery chuckle, embarrassed to be crying in front of Killian. “I’m sorry. I’m just - I’m not used to-” She struggled to formulate the gratitude and affection she felt. “So, I - I nearly - what? Died?” she asked bluntly,  indelicate about her own life. That could not honestly be the right way to think about her life, could it? For she could feel the fear lodged between her ribs like a real pain. She could feel it threatening to burst forth and consume her. But she could not allow that.

Killian, on the other hand, seemed quite alright expressing his true emotions; he looked downright devastated at how flippant she sounded. “Aye,” he replied, his words cutting. “You did nearly die. It’s not something to jest about, and yet, that is what you have been doing, Emma. You cannot be so callous about your life.”

“Well, forgive me, but no one had cared whether I lived or died for years!” Emma burst out, her anger propelling everything she had pushed down. “I don’t have my parents. I don’t have my family. I left everything behind, Killian. So what if I died? It would have saved Alice. Who cares?” She was quick to deflate, her outburst taking away most of the energy she had left.

Emma resented the words the moment she said them. She did not want Killian to see her like this: vulnerable, open, and broken. He was looking at her in the way everyone did at her parents’ execution - helpless and pitiful.

“Do you honestly think that no one would care if something were to happen to you? Because I bloody would. Alice would. We would be devastated, you daft woman.” Killian had started off very quietly, but his tone rose as he spoke until he was nearly shouting at her. “I care very much whether you live or die, Emma!” he exclaimed.

“Why would you? I’m nobody!” she snapped back, unable to help her impulses.

“Bloody hell, Swan. When I said you belong here, I meant it. You’re our family. And we are yours. There’s nothing you could say or do that would change that.”

Emma was stunned speechless by Killian’s outburst. She had been overwhelmed when he had told her that she belonged with them, when he had asked her to stay. But calling her family, giving her that position… it left her breathless. She did not even realise she has started crying until Killian reached to wipe them away. She was almost startled by his gentle touch; their gazes met and Emma could see the depth of his sincerity.

“Killian, I- I don’t know what to say,” she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from his. She felt like she had been drowning for so long and had finally come up for air.

“You don’t have to say anything, Emma,” he whispered, drawing closer. He gave her every opportunity to pull away, but she did not. Their lips met in a tender kiss, barely a graze before he pulled away. “Emma, I am so-”

“Shh, don’t apologise,” she murmured, drawing him closer by the collar of his shirt. Their second kiss was much more heated, Killian only drawing away out of concern for Emma. But he did not go far, their foreheads still touching.

“That was-” he began, only for Emma to finish his sentence.

“- a long time coming.”

He chuckled, pulling away and returning to his seat.

“I’m glad to see you doing well, Swan.”

She leaned heavily on her pillows, suddenly feeling extremely tired. “I don’t want this night to end,” she whined, her eyes drifting closed despite herself.

“Sleep, darling. I’ll be here when you wake up. And so will Alice,” he promised, lifting her hand in his own and pressing a feather light kiss to her knuckles.

-/-

Present Day: Land without Magic

Emma leant against the doorway to Killian’s room, watching him pack for their trip. Emma wasn’t sure how to tell him to leave his things behind, not when some of them clearly meant a great deal to him. “You needn’t pack clothing, Killian,” she said laughingly, as he seemed to be contemplating which of his shirts to take.

“You don’t expect me to wear the same thing every day do you?” he asked, raising a lone eyebrow at her. “Because that would be disgusting.”

“You could wear the clothes of our realm,” she offered, shrugging her shoulders.  “A shirt and some trousers. Shouldn’t be that hard to find.”

“No offense, Swan, but I would be far more comfortable in my own clothing. It’s - it’s quite silly,” he confessed, looking down at his shoes and scratching the back of his ear. “I dislike wearing someone else’s clothing. It’s a pet peeve of mine.”

“What does your pet have to do with your clothing?” Emma asked, confused by Killian’s terminology.

“Nevermind,” Killian chuckled. “I just find it uncomfortable to wear clothes that aren’t my own.”

“Fair enough.” She looked around his sparse room, when something familiar caught her eye. “You ought to take your brother’s insignia with you.”

“Hmm?” Killian looked up from his packing, before turning to where she was pointing. “Oh. Right. How did you know about that? I assumed it was some old ancestral insignia. I have all of my brother’s medals locked up in a box.”

Emma cleared her throat, “I- uh, I’m not sure about those. But that is Liam’s. You showed it to me once. Back in the Enchanted Forest.”

“Ah.” He grabbed it, running his thumb over the glass case it was nestled in. “I- I didn’t know…”

“Are you alright, Killian?” Emma asked, making her way into the room. “Was it something I said?”

“Oh, no. No, no, Swan,” he waved her off. “I guess I’m still struggling with this false memories thing,” he confessed, chucking humourlessly.

“Just remember that everything you feel is real. The memories might be false, but the past twenty years weren’t. You missing your brother is real.” She drew closer, placing her hand on his chest, feeling it race under her palm. “It might seem unsettling, but I’m here for you. No matter what.”

“Thank you, Swan,” he smiled thinly, squeezing her hand briefly. “Alright. I think I’m about done. Where to next? Your hotel room?”

“Oh, no. I don’t need anything from this land. I have everything I need in my satchel, and the rest back home.” She pulled a small pouch from her bag, requesting Killian to hold out his hand. She emptied the contents of it in his palm - one, shiny magic bean.

“A bean?” he asked, incredulously.

“A magic bean. Are you ready to go back?” she asked, visibly excited.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

-/-

21 years ago: Enchanted Forest

“Oh, Emma! You’re awake!” Alice exclaimed jubilantly, jumping in place. She would have probably tackled Emma if Killian had not held her back. “I was so worried!”

Emma chuckled, reaching for Alice’s hand, which the girl readily offered. “You never have to worry about me, Alice. I would never leave you,” she promised. “Either of you,” she added, looking up at Killian and grinning.

Alice would no longer be held back, jumping into Emma’s arms, ignoring Killian’s alarmed exclamation for her to be careful.

“Starfish, Emma is still weak,” he said uselessly. Neither of his girls seemed to be ready to listen to him.

“I’m fine, Killian,” Emma said finally, rolling her eyes at him, albeit fondly.  Not that he could blame her for her exasperation with him: he had been treating her like a delicate flower, even after he knew that she could throw quite the punch from the many sparring matches. “Could you help me up? I would very much love to walk about the room. I have been sleeping for far too long, my muscles have fallen asleep as well. They aren’t roused as easily as I am,” she joked, poking Alice and making her giggle.

“You’re quite silly, Emma,” Alice laughed, not leaving Emma’s side even when Killian helped her up. Alice held on to other hand, assisting Killian in leading her around the room. They walked slowly in relative silence, until Alice asked in an unusually quiet voice, “Did I do this to you, Emma?”

Both the adults in the room paused, staring at one another in shock before Emma knelt down to Alice’s level. “No, darling. Never. You did nothing to me. I just overused my magic. That’s all.”

“Are you sure?” Alice asked, her eyes quickly filled with tears. Killian joined them as well, gathering Alice in his arms to comfort her. “Papa and I were very worried. I thought I lost you,” she whimpered, burying her face in Killian’s shoulder and sobbing loudly.

Emma’s heart broke, watching as Alice’s entire body trembled under the weight of her sobs. “Oh, my darling. Come here,” she said, holding out her arms. Alice easily acquiesced, crying against Emma’s collarbone, her hand fisting in her hair. “You did nothing to hurt me, Alice Jones. I was just being irresponsible, I swear. I am completely fine, darling.”

“Are you sure?” Alice hiccuped.

“Yes. I am very, very certain. You had nothing to do with my falling ill.”

Alice continued to cry for a while, before she managed to calm down. Killian silently kept rubbing her back, allowing her to purge all her emotions. “You feel better now, Starfish?” he asked soothingly, pressing a kiss to her crown.

“Aye, Papa,” she murmured, still pressed against Emma. “I love you, Emma.”

Emma froze, her heart stuttering in her chest. She shot a panicked glance at Killian, hoping that he would not resent her for this. But he only grinned back at her, nodding to her wordless question.

“I love you, too, Alice,” she whispered, her emotions all over the place. She had never felt so happy before. She had always felt a little broken, like a lost girl who never mattered and who never would. It took her so many years and crossing over to an entirely new reality for her to find her family. She would do anything to keep them together.

Anything.

-/-

Present Day: Land Without Magic

“Alright, are you sure that this will work?” Killian asked, watching over his shoulder constantly.

“Yes!” Emma replied vehemently. “This is a dead-end, an empty alley, in the middle of the afternoon. No one will see us, Killian. And if they do? We don’t need to worry about them! We won’t be here!”

“Fine, fine.” He huffed. “Hold on, what is it like, over there?”

Emma stared at him incredulously. “Really? Now is when you choose to ask that question? It’s a lot of carts and rocky roads. Leather and awful corsets. And a lot of magic, just a whole lot of it. It is going to be alright though because I am there and I will not let anything happen to you.”

“Bloody hell. Alright! I’m sorry, I was just stalling.”

“Evidently.” Emma threw the magic bean on the ground without much ceremony. Killian jumped back when a swirling vortex opened up mid-air. “Ready?”

“Can’t really say no now, can I?” he replied, grabbing her hand. “Let’s just do it.”

Emma nodded, and the both ran head first into the vortex.

-/-

Gothel’s relic activated at the exact moment. She had charmed it to alert her of any travelling spells, and it worked like a - for the lack of a better term - charm. Now all she had to do was follow the duo back to the Enchanted Forest. Perhaps, she might even be willing to reunite father and daughter.

-/-

Present day: Enchanted Forest

Killian looked around him, gaping at the forest that surrounded them. When Emma had mentioned the Enchanted Forest, he assumed it was simply a quirky name. He hadn’t expected to land in an actual forest. He searched for Emma, and spotted her lying a short distance away, her satchel and its contents strewn about.

“Hey, Emma! Over here!” he called out. He started picking up all the things that had fallen out of her bag on his way over to her. Emma looked up, shaking off the dizziness of the travel. She spotted Killian, and what he was doing.

When she realised that the things in her bag were now everywhere, she started panicking. She had to get to it before Killian found it. He could not touch the dreamcatcher: it would ruin everything. Emma started frantically looking around her, rooting through her bag first and then around her. She scrambled from where she was sitting, half running and half stumbling toward Killian, hoping beyond hope that he hadn’t found the dreamcatcher. It held all his memories, and they would return to him the moment he touched it.

“Swan, you alright?” he called out mid-search.

“Yes! You don’t need to do that!” she called out, marching over to him. She let out a sigh of relief when she reached him, taking all of things from his arms and dumping them into her satchel. “Thank you.”

“Of cour- Oh, hey. You missed one,” he said, reaching for the branch above her. “It’s a dreamcatcher.” He grabbed it before Emma could react, and the moment he did, Emma knew that everything had gone to shite. He froze in place, his gaze unfocused, as if he was reliving all of his memories.

She could tell the moment he transitioned from Killian Jones, writer, to Captain Hook. His entire demeanor shifted, his expression changed from jovial into something much, much darker. “Killian?” she asked timidly.

His eyes refocused on her, his expression heartbreaking. “Swan?” he whispered brokenly, rushing forward and pressing his lips against her in a hard kiss. Emma was startled initially, but melted into him within moments, her arms slipping around his neck and pulling herself closer, even as tears slipped down her cheeks.

He pulled back, both of them panting slightly. “Gods, I love you,” he whispered.

Emma let out a sob, hearing those words from him after decades of longing. “I love you, too.”

He tenderly brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, thumb grazing down her cheek. His eyes roamed over her face, as if he was trying to memorise her features. “How could I have forgotten you, my love,” he murmured. “I was so lost without you, Swan.”

Emma nodded tearfully, her lips pressed tight together. “I felt it. Everyday. But we’re together now.” She revelled in the feeling of being in his arms; she knew the haze of their reunion would fade and he would realize what she had done.

“Aye, that we are.” And if it were possible, his grin grew wider. “Alice-” he began, his expression still jubilant. But Emma could then pinpoint the moment he remembered. His face fell and expression grew darker, more distant. He dropped his arms from around her, his jaw clenching.

Emma swallowed thickly, pulling away from him in fear. This was so new to her, and distressing. She had felt many things with Killian Jones - but fear had never been one of them. But now that he knew she had deliberately kept him from his daughter...she genuinely was afraid of what he would do. “My cursed self - when I asked you about Alice. You told me I did not have a daughter,” he accused her, his voice eerily calm. “You lied to me about Alice.”

Emma could tell that the Darkness was attempting to take over, and she had to do something. “Kill-”

Before before she could get another word out, he had her pressed against a tree, trapped both physically and with the threat of his magic. His eyes, now a dark cobalt, never strayed from her own. “Where. The. Fuck. Is my daughter?!” he bellowed, absolutely livid.

-/-

Present day: Dreamscape

Alice Jones had been wandering aimlessly around this strange, new realm. It felt like she had been here just days, but she was certain years must have passed. She had been to many realms over the years, both with and without Emma’s company. But even Wonderland was not as wretched as this place. Many people come and go, but no one seemed to be able to see or hear her. She was all alone in this realm, trapped by her mother’s curse. Alice had been many things in life, but trapped was her least favorite. Or perhaps, trapped alone was even worse.

Of course, she had volunteered to be put under the spell willingly; she had made Emma promise to find her father, and to get rid of the Darkness before Emma returned his memories. She knew her father, and she knew that he would never let anything stand in his way if he found out his daughter was in danger; he would move heaven and Earth and disrupt all life just for her. He was pig-headed that way. He would probably even hurt Emma, the woman who had helped raise her, who was practically her mother. Alice could not bear to see that happen. Gothel had made her choose: either she goes or Emma does. At least this way, Alice was certain Gothel wouldn’t kill her the first chance she got; that might not be the case with Emma.

As for her father? Well, he loved Emma very much, despite how he cursed her to an eternal life without him. It probably made a lot of sense in his Darkness-muddled head, with ghosts whispering all manner of sins in his ear, or something less morbid. He would probably regret it once it was all over; would probably drag Alice around to help him find the biggest diamond ring for Emma.

These were the thoughts that occupy Alice’s time in this place. Thoughts that took her mind far from here and to her happy place. She thought about all the places she had travelled to, wondering what she would share with her father first, which story deserved that honor. Was it when Alice had her first crush? Or perhaps when she lost her first tooth? Or had her first drink? She spent her days deliberating how she would narrate each story, and she had an arsenal of them to get through.

Besides, Gothel never bothered with her…for the most part. There were a few times she had come over, rambling over her slumbering body. Her nasally voice echoed through this realm, grating on Alice’s nerves. She usually tried her hardest to simply avoid listening to whatever that bitch had to say.

She was helpless in her current state, and listening to her evil plans would only serve to make her feel more so. And hopeless. Still, she did not really regret her decision. Emma had sacrificed herself and her happiness more times than was fair. If anyone could get her father through this, and ensure that the both of the survive, it was Emma. While Alice’s own magic was quite powerful, she had never fully embraced or harnessed the power. Perhaps, once this was all over and this bloody curse was broken, she would finally take up Emma’s offer for lessons.

Perhaps they might all finally get their chance to be a happy family.

-/-

21 years ago: Enchanted Forest

It had been more than a week since Emma had regained consciousness and she was slowly and steadily getting back her strength. Her magic had yet to completely return; it had been so frustrating for her the first day, feeling like she had to relearn everything from the basics. She spent the night crying into her pillow, never having felt so useless or powerless before. She still was not certain if Killian had heard her, because the next day he woke her up at the crack of dawn, even carrying her down the tower on his back. Her breath hitched, pressed so close to him, her limbs wrapped around him. He had brought around his horse (she hadn’t even been aware that he had had one), Maximus, the most charming of animals. Killian did everything he could to cheer her up. He made her laugh harder than she could ever remember, trotted her around but still in sight for Alice to watch and cheer.

She had relied on her magic so much all these years, had only that to depend on - it was her armour. To find out that it too had its limits, and be forced to confront the consequences of pushing them - it frightened her, to a greater extent than she was willing to reveal. But she had this- this family now. For the first time, she could finally breathe - there was no place else for her except right here. And once she regained her magic, she would begin to find a way to break the spell.

In the weeks prior to Alice’s illness, and all the drama that had accompanied it, she had reached a wall in her research. None of the spells that she had tried to combine worked, and all of the binding agents she had utilized were futile. Apart from directly seeking Gothel for assistance, there was no other way yet. But Emma was never the kind of person who gave up, and she was not about to begin now.

A couple of days later, Emma sat on the window sill with a large tome open on her lap, taking in as much of the sun as she could before it set. The days were growing shorter, and winter was almost upon them. It would soon be too cold to sit out like this; too cold to leave the window open for long, according to what Killian had told her. She wrapped herself in a warm afghan, drowning herself in the book. All these days she had been looking for spells and magic, but if anything, the past few days had taught her to look outside of that one realm of possibility.

She had started going through Killian’s books of history and mythology, hoping that one of them would lead her to the answer. Killian settled Alice down for a nap and joined Emma, grabbing a book of his own and began reading.

The months passed like this, both of them spending equal time with each other as they did with Alice, using every spare moment going through the books they had. When they had exhausted the collection Killian had with him, they wrote to Killian’s old first mate, and the current Captain of the Jolly Roger, Mr. Smee. He had dutifully delivered the books Killian had requested, along with chests full of treasure and toys for Alice. Mr. Smee was the only other person who knew of Alice’s existence and had been visiting the father and daughter whenever he could, which was not very often. But Alice adored Mr. Smee, looking up at him as one would an uncle.

Emma and Killian grew closer as well, their stolen moments together precious to both of them. Emma wished to tell Alice, but Killian wanted to wait for a while longer. Emma would be lying if she said it did not hurt her feelings, but there were certain boundaries that she would not cross when it came to Alice, and this was something Killian was very insistent about.

He had confessed to her the reason behind the secrecy one night, as the both lay beneath the starry sky at the base of the tower. Emma had laid with her ear pressed against his chest, listening to the steady staccato of his heart.

(“Why do you not want Alice to know about us?” she had whispered. Because of the angle they were in, she did not have to look at him directly.

“I’m not ready for it just yet, Swan,” he had replied just as quietly. “I care for you a great deal, but you are the first person I’ve cared for like this in centuries. And for the past five years, everything I did was for Alice. She comes first for me, always.”

“I know, and I would never expect otherwise,” Emma protested, pulling herself closer. “I just- She asked me the other day if I fancied you. She can tell, Killian. She might be a child, but she is far too perceptive.”

When Killian did not reply for a long while, she began to worry. But then he finally spoke, his words soft, barely a whisper. “I’m falling in love with you, Princess. I’m really scared, and I just want to free my daughter. I feel selfish, being with you when my girl is stuck in that tower.”

Emma held back tears, and she had been only half certain that they were from joy. As much as his confession made her heart race, she finally understand where he came from. She sniffed as inconspicuously as she could. “We are being selfish, you’re right.” She had tried to get up then, but he held her tighter.

“Let’s just be selfish for once, Swan. But Alice cannot know.”

Emma had nodded, turning over and kissing him soundly. “For what it’s worth, I feel the same for you, Captain.”)

Winter took them by a storm, forcing them to remain indoors. Emma constantly offered to use her magic to ensure that they did not freeze but Killian was vehemently against it. It was only after a particularly harrowing night where they had all slept curled up together that he relented. But winter was over as quickly as it had begun, and it had already been a little less than a year since Emma had come to stay with them by the time Alice’s 6th birthday rolled around.

Emma baked the birthday girl Snow White’s special chocolate cake, allowing her the opportunity to remember the good times before Regina had taken the reins to the kingdom.

Killian and Emma arranged six candles for Alice, standing on either side of the little girl as they sang for her birthday. “Happy Birthday, Starfish,” Killian murmured against Alice’s ear, pressing kisses all over her face, making her giggle.

“Happy Birthday, sweetheart,” Emma added, kissing her lightly on her cheek. “Now blow the candles and make a wish.”

Emma wasn’t sure what Alice had wished for, but she could imagine it quite well. Especially when Alice’s mood seemed to diminish a little afterwards.

-/-

Present day: Enchanted Forest

Killian had Emma pressed against the tree, his anger exuding off of him in waves. “Answer me, dammit,” he growled, his hand clenching tightly around Emma’s wrist, his hook embedded into the tree above her. “Where is Alice?!”

“Killian, y-you need to calm, calm down,” Emma stuttered out. Her heart was pounding violently against her chest, and she was afraid that he might actually rip it out. “Killian, please, you’re scaring me. I’ll tell you everything, but please,” she almost begged.

He had changed so drastically, so quickly. It threw Emma off; it was not supposed to happen like this. She was supposed to have control over the situation. It was exactly for this reason that she had avoided giving him his memories back.

He must have sensed the real fear in Emma’s voice, because he swiftly backed up, pressing his back against the tree that was parallel to her, as if he was holding himself back. He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. Emma had seen this behaviour before, back when he had first become the Dark One. “Ignore the voice, Killian. It is not real. I’m real. I’m here.”

“Where is Alice, Emma?!” he shouted, making her jump.

“She’s with Gothel,” Emma confessed. Killian’s head snapped up, his eyes widened in disbelief, and dare she think it - betrayal? “You have to listen. I did everything to stop Alice, but she had made up her mind. She wanted me to take you to Merlin, and get rid of the Darkness. She told me not to give you your memories back because she knew you would go back for her.”

“SHE IS MY DAUGHTER. Of course I want to go ba- Back?! She’s in the Land without Magic? She’s been there all along?” Killian fired one question after another, and Emma finally decided it was time to tell him everything.

“There- There’s a letter in my bag. From Alice, to you. She’s explained everything in it. I’m just doing what she wanted me to, Killian. I’m respecting her wishes.”

“Her wishes? Bloody hell, Emma! She’s a child. She doesn’t know anything,” Killian snapped, his jaw clenching so tight, she could practically hear his teeth grind together. “You were supposed to take care of her, keep her safe. And you let her be kidnapped by that wench-”

“Hey!” Emma cut him off, her own anger rising with every scathing remark he made. “I did not let her do anything. I almost killed myself trying to stop her - AGAIN. Alice went on her own volition. She went with Gothel, because you need my help defeating the Darkness.”

Killian scoffed loudly, shaking his head. “Alice is my daughter. Mine. All you had to do was keep her safe, and you fucked that up. You have no idea what it feels like right now. You have no idea what it feels like to lose your child.”

Emma felt her heart break at his words. All the ways she had imagined this moment going, none of them had involved Killian being so cruel. She tried to convince herself that it was the Darkness making him say these things, but he must really feel those things. She pushed back her anguish, brushing her tears away, letting her own anger take over. “Well, you left us. You were too much of a coward to face your Darkness, and you left us. I raised her. I was there for all those years. We never stopped loving you - I never stopped loving you. Not even after what you did, forcing parts of your curse on me. You did that to me, told me that you needed me to be there, to find a cure. You corrupted my magic, Killian! So, fuck you too. Fuck. You.

“I did everything you wanted - all of it. You wanted me to be there for Alice, I was. You wanted me to find a cure, I did. You wanted me to suffer the same immortality as you, and believe me, I did. I still do. I did all of that. And I would have died to keep Alice safe, too. She made a fucking choice. She’s not a child anymore; I know that because I was there to see her grow up.���

“That is such a fucked up thing to say. You told me to go, Emma!” He stalked over to her, until he was standing just a hair’s breadth away. “You said it was okay, that you would be okay.”

“Of course I said that, Killian. That was what you needed to hear. I did that too, for you. Just like enduring all these years, waiting until I found an actual answer to the Darkness before I came after you. No matter how much I wanted to jump into a portal and come after you, I didn’t.” Emma’s lip wobbled, her efforts to keep her tears at bay failing. She pushed at his chest. “You broke my heart. I’ve abused it with my magic, I’ve been poisoned. But all of that physical pain, the surgery, and everything else in the Land without Magic? None of that pain compares to what you did. No one has ever hurt me like you did, Killian Jones.”

-/-

Killian was stricken at her words, physically staggering back. “Emma,” he whispered, unable to stomach the pain she described. Had he really been so selfish that he hurt her that badly? He could still feel the rage, but it had simmered down in lieu of his heartbreak, as he watched the woman he loved break apart in front of him - because of him.

“You really should read the letter Alice left for you,” she said thrusting it at him, her voice raspy and her gaze trained away from him. More than her anger, her disappointment hurt him the most. He felt sick to his stomach, unable to bring himself to say anything that could make the situation better. She began walking away, but stopped short, their shoulders almost brushing even though she was faced away from him. “You said that I have no idea what it feels like to lose a child?” She let out a mirthless chuckle. “I lost a child, too. At least you know you will get yours back,” she whispered, walking away from him.

His heart stopped short in his chest at her admission. She could not mean that, no.... It couldn’t be. He turned, grabbing her shoulder, hoping to stop her, to comfort her. But she whirled around, her eyes flashing white with her light magic as she sent a blast his way, sending him flying and crashing against a giant tree, his back smarting. He groaned, knowing that it was only because he was the Dark One that he did not have a serious injury right then. He could still feel the lingering shock of her magic pulse through him.

“You know what the worst part is?” she asked, biting her lip sharply. “I still love you. I love you so much it hurts.”

Killian stood up, his heart swelling with her words. If she still loved him, then there was still hope. But her next words stopped him in his tracks. “I never thought you were capable of being so cruel. To me. I thought you would at least let me explain.” Emma sucked in a deep breath. “I do love you; but Killian, it hurts to love you.”