#probably the only way he would feel safe is as far from Regina he could get (Jefferson’s mansion in the middle of the woods)

[fantasticgothicpeachsludge]

Help! I’ve fallen for a rarepair from a show that ended 6 years 1 month and 7 days ago!

And by rarepair I mean there is one singular fic about them where they’re not a side ship or in a collection of smut drabbles

[treatian]

The Chronicles of the Dark One: Domestic Battles

Chapter 70: His Plan

There was a quiet moment when everyone in the diner let Belle's simple but effective plan sink in. The only way to keep people in town safe would be to lock them all away in separate places. But that was impossible. The rage people would feel when the curse hit meant that even if everyone stayed locked in their own rooms, they'd claw their way out eventually. And they could chain themselves down or anchor themselves to trees but for how long? How long until the rage they felt inside became self-destructive and they killed themselves trying to get free? How long until people locked in rooms they truly couldn't be free of starved to death? How long until those who didn't attempt to restrict themselves searched out others and let them go?

It was going to be a bloodbath, absolute chaos. And the one good thing about that was that it felt like this plan of his, the story he intended to tell Belle and Henry one day soon about their escape, it might be more true than false.

"I have to get Neal from Granny," Mary Margaret commented, finally breaking the silence and making her way to the inn.

Neal. He hadn't even thought about the boy that bore his son's name, that Belle was no doubt becoming fond of because she became fond of everyone she cared for.

"Look for him on the way out if you want," Nimue sighed in frustration. "Just get to work!"

"I'll make phone calls," David planned. "I'll reach as many as I can."

It would never be enough.

"I need to go get back to Henry. Lock him away somewhere safe, somewhere even I can't reach him!" Regina explained, demanding his attention unexpectedly.

"I can take care of that for you," he offered.

Damn near every face in the room turned back to look at him, and that was when he realized that though his mind had been working and he'd been speaking to Nimue, this was the first time he'd said anything to the collective.

"Really?!" Regina balked at him. "Have you really been here this entire time?!"

"Unfortunately," the Blue Bug breathed with disdain.

He ignored her and focused on the situation at hand. He had an opportunity he hadn't expected, and he planned not to waste it.

"I can hide Henry if you like," he offered again. "My magic is stronger than yours."

"Over my dead body!" she exclaimed. He'd hoped that reminding her that he was far more capable of keeping Henry safe from her than she was would be helpful. But clearly, it wasn't. "I will take care of my son just like I'm sure you'll take care of your wife! Unless, of course, you are willing to make a trade?"

He sneered at the suggestion that he would ever hand Belle over to Regina for any reason, let alone something like this. He knew how this curse worked, probably every bit as well as Regina did. She knew what she was likely to become and, therefore, who she was likely to target. It would start with the most obvious of enemies, and then as more and more died, people would work their way down to people they loved. Mary Margaret would be Regina's first stop, and Henry would be her last, which meant Belle would be somewhere in the middle, and that was too great a risk.

He'd offer to hide Regina himself, his magic was likely the only magic in town that could effectively seal her away and keep the people safe, but-

"We want chaos, Rumpelstiltskin!" Nimue reminded him. "If they do break the curse before we leave, then we'll need something to cover our tracks with the magical bugs. The more villains you have roaming the streets, the better. Besides, if she does hide the boy, you'll need to find him, won't you."

"Didn't think so," Regina commented, properly interpreting his silence. She left the diner with an unnecessary slam of the door and the others followed soon after. They followed because they knew what he already did, it was time to make preparations.

Before, he'd wanted to get Belle out of the diner simply so Hook could go in and capture the fairies. He still wanted that, but now he needed to get Belle to a designated safe place. The curse was going to hit, and she needed to be away and off the streets, safe from Regina and her father and any other lowlife in the city who might want to harm her.

But he felt his heart leap into his chest when one of the fairies grabbed a coat and mentioned they should leave, get back to the convent before the storm hit. That would be an unexpected wrench in his plans.

But Superior yelled "Stop!" before they could leave the building. "The potion, destroy what we have," she ordered. "We can't risk anyone else using what we have here after the curse hits."

"No! Wait!" Belle shrieked.

"I'm sorry, Belle, but things will be bad enough. We can't risk anyone getting their hands on it and making things worse."

"No, but…but the Light Magic to make the potion; I understand it takes skill, but there is a chance, isn't there? A chance that Emma could make it work?"

"I'm afraid it's never that simple," Superior argued, shaking her head.

"But she could do it?!" Belle fought back, unrelenting, in a way that made him smile. She was born to be a Gold. "The hair and her Light Magic, she could make the vaccine or at least enough for those of us who know how to assemble it if she found Anna."

"In theory, yes, but-"

"Then we leave it here! Just like this. Make sure it's completely prepared, and I'll leave Emma a note with instructions on it."

As if summoned by her own fury a roll of thunder shook the room. It was close. Too close. Some of the fairies gasped, others put their hands to their mouths, very aware of the warning the storm was delivering. They were nearly out of time.

"Belle," he urged, moving closer. "We really need to get you-"

"Safe, I know, but Rumple…" she sidestepped the Blue Fairy so that she could take his hand and squeeze it as if that alone was supposed to bring him reassurance. "I have to see this through. We have time enough for that. A chance is better than nothing."

She didn't give him an opportunity to argue. Instead, she found a piece of paper and a pen and immediately began jotting down what he could only assume were instructions that Emma would need. He let her. But only because there was no use in playing the bad guy. He wanted Belle to remember that he was supportive of her in this mission later, and there was no better way to prove that than to let her finish, especially as so many other fairies immediately swarmed the Blue Fairy, urging her to do something about Belle to stop her so they could go. One of them went so far as to suggest that Belle needed to go with them to the convent so she could be protected.

"Once she starts something, there's no stopping her until it's finished!" he yelled at them on her behalf and, if he was honest, out of sheer anger. How dare any of them assume she wasn't going with her husband! "The moment she's done I'm taking her with me."

His comments seemed to shut them up fairly quickly. And he began making plans. He could no longer be certain that the fairies would remain here when he got Belle out of the diner, but the good news was that it seemed like they intended to shelter in the convent, probably in their separate rooms. It was going to mean more work for Hook, obviously. But the change was something he could work with.

"They found her!"

Belle's voice suddenly broke through the din of noise humming in the diner. Silence fell.

"They found her!" she exclaimed again, hurrying over to Mother Superior and showing her something on her phone. "They found her, they found Anna! She's bringing her back right now! With the necklace!"

His jaw nearly dropped. "That's almost too good to be true," he stated. Anna was in Arendelle, frozen; she should be dead by now. All this time, and just in the nick of time, they'd found her?! Hadn't Emma just walked out the door five minutes ago?!

"No…" the Blue Bug corrected as a smile stretched over her mouth. "that's the power of Light Magic. And faith! Ladies…it appears our hope has been restored. Prepare everything!" she shouted at the others before looking back at him. "Well…appears I was right all along, Dark One. You've learned nothing in your time here!"

He sneered at the bitch. Oh, he may have several regrets in the future that would all stem from what he was about to do in the next few hours. But there was one he was absolutely sure he'd never regret in all his life.

The world would be a better place without the scum known as fairies.

"I've learned not to trust that plans go as they should," he commented before letting his gaze drift to Belle.

Now. It had to be now. If he had any hope of making sure this curse happened, then he needed to get Belle out of here now! Hook was only going to have a small window between their departure and the arrival of the others, but if it didn't happen, then this entire plan was for not. And after spending the last few hours in the presence of the fairies, he was suddenly very determined to make sure that his plan went off without a hitch.

"Belle, we really need to get you someplace safe. Belle!"

She had nodded and was about to take a step in his direction with that bitch of a fairy pulled her away again. He damn near growled in frustration. Playing the good guy and being on his best behavior while doing it was the most irritating thing in the world. Why anyone wanted to be a hero was beyond him!

The Bug pulled Belle into the back room, hardly secure or private, and magically he overheard Belle hiss "can we make this work?" with renewed excitement. "I know we're nearly out of time, but can you make the counter spell, inoculate yourselves, then send Emma and Elsa to help the others after the spell hits?"

"We can," the fairy confirmed. "There's just enough time, but…I don't like him here. I don't want the Dark One to know how to do magic like this. These secrets have been kept sacred for years, and I won't be the one that allows them to fall into hands like his."

Fucking fairies…

Did she really think he didn't know how to create a simple fucking counter curse already?! Hell, this was Belle's idea. It was probably in one of his books that she'd found it!

"I can get him to leave," Belle promised, nearly making him hit the ceiling with joy. Whatever it took to get her out of here, he didn't care what it was. "Can you do the rest without me?"

"If she truly has found this Anna then we already have. All that needs done is to add her hair to the spell since we don't need to extract the previous curse from the necklace. But if you're leaving, you should be somewhere safe until Emma can get the counter curse to you."

"Rumple will keep me safe."

Her confidence…it make him smile.

"Can you be sure about that?" the fairy hissed. "This isn't a time for compliance or statements or even blind faith. You have to be sure."

"I'm sure," she declared without hesitation. A moment later, Belle came striding out of the back room in his direction. This time, no one stopped her. "Rumple! So, Anna's on her way!" she explained breathlessly. She gathered her things up from him and he made it as far as the door with her before she turned back around and gave the room another look. A final look, he hoped.

"Do you really think they can do it?" she asked with concern in her voice. He meant what he said, once his wife started something she always saw it through to the end. Not being able to was going to kill her. But staying would be no better for her either. Here or in Storybrooke. There was a wider world beyond the town line with plenty of new opportunities unfulfilled. She'd find rest in completing those. One day…

"Well, perhaps, but uh…if there's one thing I've learned, it's never trust a fairy," he spat out before turning his attention to her. "Come. Let's get you someplace safe. Just in case…"

[hellfireloserclub]

My bang fic's first two chapters are up

The Rainbow Connection

Eddie looked good, and he knew he wasn’t the only one that thought so. Wherever they went these days Eddie turned heads, it was hard not to notice when it was happening right in front of you.

Charm and charisma were always going to draw people into him, and now without the stigma he had back in Hawkins Eddie was thriving.

Steve tried not to think about The Thing. The Thing with a capital T, that grabbed his heart and squeezed whenever Eddie was approached by someone in a bar or the service staff smiled a little too enthusiastically in Eddie's direction.

Steve was just a good friend who ensured his people were safe. He had always been protective, forever the babysitter. Yet he didn’t feel the need to storm out of the bar and throw up when he caught Robin kissing the bartender. But when he caught Eddie a week later doing the same? It hurt, and it hurt in a way that hadn’t happened since Nancy had ripped his heart out and stomped on it.

“Is Ed picking you up?” Wayne asked as they loaded the last of the tools onto the flatbed, having finally escaped Mrs Fitzgerald.

Steve was about to say he wasn’t when Eddie’s van came around the corner, music blaring and windows rolled down. It came to a skidding halt not far behind Wayne's work truck, and Eddie was soon leaning out the window. Wayfarer's almost falling off his nose in his enthusiasm.

“Get in Stevie, we’re going shopping.”

“Who are you, Regina George?”

Steve waved to Wayne as he climbed into the passenger seat, trying his hardest to not let his eyes rake over Eddies exposed arms, or the way the black tank top he wore stretched across his chest as he reached out to grab his lighter and ignite the end of the two cigarettes hanging from his lip, passing one over to Steve.

It was becoming too easy to be around Eddie, he had slid into Steve’s life and now he was lighting his cigarette and walking around his apartment in the nude like he had been sent by a higher power to push all of Steve’s buttons.

“Do I look like I would look good in pink?”

Eddie waved to his uncle as he backed the van out of the street, ignoring the amused knowing look on Wayne’s face as they rounded the corner. Steve ignored the question, turning the station to something they could both agree on. Eddie nervously tapped his fingers against the beat during their favorite song.

Something was bothering the other man and Steve knew it was only going to be moments before he found out if it was going to be good or bad, Eddie only got this fidgety when something was playing on his mind.

They drove to the coast, the others would probably join them later, gather on the cliffs and talk till the sun dipped below the horizon. There would be no bars and no bartenders tonight, no need for the thing in his chest to show its ugly head, it could stay safe in the Eddie shaped hole.

Parking up they clambered onto the roof of the van, both with overalls tied around their waists and their arms out catching the last of the sun.

In this light, it was easy to make out Eddie’s freckles where they had started to form in clusters.

Steve was grateful for his sunglasses, they hid the way his eyes trailed the scars on Eddie's arms. His tattoos were multiplying at an alarming rate now Eddie had a stable income and hush money to fall back on.

They were sitting close, they always were, it was like they fused at the hip most days. Eddie was almost in his lap where their knees overlapped leaning in as he threw his arms about as he talked. Always moving. A constant hypnotic presence that drew Steve closer each time.

“So… hypothetically, if we were going to form a band…” Eddie seemed to chew the words over. “Argyle said he would be able to get us some gigs. His dad owns, like, a whole bunch of venues and bars, turns out the dude is like, mega rich. His dad owns a whole chain of hotels or something, and we were talking – over pizza, obviously –”

Steve let Eddie ramble, for all people that said Steve and Robin were the same, not many people got to witness one of Eddie’s full-scale verbal dumps, they often went on as long as Robin’s.

Steve was happy to ride both of them out, nodding in what he hoped were the right places, enjoying the happy look on their faces when they were giving him new information.

Helping himself to a bottle of water from the bag between them, Steve listened to the twelve-point presentation Eddie seemed to have been working on since Argyle had put the idea in his head.

Steve already knew he was going to say yes, there was absolutely nothing he wouldn’t do if it made Eddie this happy.

“So what do you think?” Eddie was practically nose to nose with him now, he could feel his breath on his skin.

“Oh, I get to speak now? The mighty dungeon master deems the fallen King an audience?” Joking when Eddie was this close always felt a little too much like flirting. Steve shouldn’t have enjoyed the way Eddie’s cheeks coloured quite as much as he did.

“We all know I’m nothing if not your humble servant, sire. But yes, you may speak.”

“As long as we don’t call ourselves something stupid like zombie monkey spider brain, I don’t see why not?”

"Are you for real?"

"Yeah I'm for real"

Eddie threw his arms around him pulling him into a bone-breaking hug. Steve found he didn't want to let go.

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@nerd-and-nervous

[alies22]

Once upon a time, many years ago...

A queen, powerful but sad. She lost the one she loved most, and there were few things left of him to keep his memory alive.

A necklace, a ring, a horse, and a baby.

Her mother forced her to marry a widowed king with a daughter. The girl who told her secret.

In order not to ruin the wedding, the queen's mother isolated her from the world so that she could keep her baby a secret. It's not known whether it was her sadness, the way she was treated, or the universe against her again, but the queen fell ill.

The chances were high that the queen would die, and she would probably take her son with her. Her mother felt a pang, the thickness of a needle, the little bit of emotion and love she could feel without her heart in her chest.

She told the king that her daughter was getting worse. She went in search of magical sources to keep them both alive. After much searching, she turned to her last resort.

Rumplestiltiskin.

The queen watched from her bed, using all her strength to turn her head in the right direction. She couldn't hear the conversation, but she saw the man and his mother talking, shaking hands, making a deal.

The man disappeared in the blink of an eye, and in another, darkness took over, driving her unconscious.

When she woke up again, she felt pain in her belly and soon realized that it was time to have her child.

Somehow, her strength had been renewed, but she was soon tired from childbirth.

The queen knew she couldn't keep her daughter, just as she couldn't keep Daniel. She then asked - begged - her mother to at least say goodbye and give her a name. She promised that she wouldn't go after the child as long as she stayed alive and could be in her arms one last time.

That was the last time Regina saw Dahlia. She would never know the child's fate, if she was alive, who was with her if she wasn't alone.

Cora took her granddaughter to Rumplestiltiskin. The plan had always been to give her to someone far away from Regina, but her daughter's illness changed her priorities. She traded the magic that would guarantee her daughter's life for the baby she would have.

Rumplestiltiskin took Dahlia. He had bigger plans for Regina, and that baby would get in the way of her and her plans to find her son.

He promised that the child would live, and so he delivered.

The dark one cared for the child for years. She lived as his protégé, learning from him whatever he allowed her to learn.

Dahlia became important to him, even if he wouldn't admit it to himself.

His plans began to work, things were getting dangerous, and he had to keep Dahlia away from her mother. If Regina found out, the plans would go down the drain, if she didn't give up, Dahlia would be the price of the curse and Rumplestiltiskin couldn't let that happen (even if he couldn't understand why).

He came up with a plan to get rid of Dahlia. Although he didn't keep her locked up in a tower, Dahlia didn't go out much. The castle was her home, and it was safe. She had everything she needed. She only went out into the garden, sometimes to pick up ingredients for her godfather, but Dahlia suspected that it was his way of distracting her when he had more important matters and didn't want her around, for whatever reason.

Rumplestiltiskin, who was like a godfather to Dahlia, took her to acquire a magical artifact. She was young and innocent, she trusted him, so she followed him, excited by his adventure.

He left her behind, said he would keep in touch, would look for her when necessary, and she could only call him if it was extremely urgent. She had to learn to survive. That was his excuse.

The girl accepted, despite her fear, that she was confident that she would succeed and that from there, perhaps he would teach her more about magic.

Dahlia met Robin Hood and his band of thieves. She joined them, and after a while, they became her family.

Until none of it mattered anymore...

alredy has 3 chapters

[smiletimeisrunningout]

"No, I can be a girl-general, we'll share," Emma joked, waving her hand to dismiss that fake worry. She snickered, though, over the accurate observation that she could've asked far worse from him.

It seemed he had let her words reach him, and that touched her in ways she couldn't explain, more used to finding the wrong ones to express herself with him, or at least to have him respond with less certainty. Now he had just accepted her attempt to comfort him, and it meant the world. "I wish I could tease you about calling me the perfect leader, but... it means a lot to me that you'd say that. That you'd accept my words and that you'd think that. It's... almost a life-mission for me to make sure my people feel safe..." Which was why she would kill Regina some day, because George only threatened her life, Regina got other people killed to get to her, and it was time to end it. "Don't forget, thanks to grandma, my people had a violent tyrant before. And because of that I never want people to feel like I'm above them and can't be asked for help. I want to be respected, sure, but that should be a given regardless of my title."

but any time you try and deflect, I can smell it from over a mile away. Her curious smile turned into an alarmed look for a moment - what had she deflected? Was it a safe topic for her to discuss? What did he know? "Is that-really? What did you... what did I..." she paused in her awkward half questions, then picked her glass again, "I'm going to need more liquor for this one. When do I deflect?" She had wanted a honest, real night, after all, and there were downsides to that.

For Caleb, she'd have happily sung. For everyone else? "Hey, I have never said I'm good enough to perform, just that I can carry a tune," she pointed out amusedly; people did love her singing, but she couldn't be sure it would be the same on this side of the ocean. "I'm worried it may not translate as... nicely here."

He took his hand away with his typical blush, and it made Emma want to hug him and tell him it was alright; could a person really live well if so untouched? But then he brought her attention back to his words when mentioning poetry, and it was the sweetest thing Emma could imagine hearing. He had actually found a poem that made him think of her.

"It's... probably too beautiful for me," she murmured softly, "I'm not sure I deserve being compared to the moon, but yes, you can always speak your mind to me... and you can't imagine how happy it makes me to know that I'm a constant to you." She tried to contain how pleased she was, but she knew she was failing, unable to stop smiling. "You are just... I think you may be the only person I've ever met capable of making me stay so long in one place. I get antsy every couple of months, but with you..." There was always something to discover, a reward here and there, even just in the form of his surprising approval or the adorable looks on his face when he was being messed with, and as much as she missed her other loved ones fiercely, she just wasn't ready to go. "I'm not used to that. I have no idea of how to deal with it. So I'm glad I'm not overstepping," she decided to say, just to avoid ending the sentence at such a vulnerable place.

"General?" Benjamin echoed, suppressing a laugh. "Careful now: if Washington finds out you're gunning for his job, he may be far less amenable to you in future endeavors. Even so..." He waved a hand. "I suppose calling you by your God-given name is the least provocative thing you could've commanded, so I accept. For now."

You'll find him again... It was a nice sentiment. Even if Benjamin didn't entirely believe it, he was grateful for the reassurance, and with a soft little smile, he lowered his gaze toward his lap. That was when Emma reached across the table. Her fingers entwined with his own, gentle and squeezing, and despite his initial instinct to pull away, to withdraw, to hide, he found himself squeezing back.

"You wouldn't be able to have the same best friend if war had truly changed you that deeply."

A lump filled his throat and Benjamin exhaled, looking back up at her with glassy eyes. "Thank you," he murmured. "For as much as you deride yourself, you really are wise where it counts...the perfect leader. Your people should consider themselves lucky -- they will never have to fear tyranny."

Emma spoke of the stage, and Benjamin found himself grateful for the dip into levity. He chuckled, lifting his shoulders. "Would you resent me if I said I wasn't surprised you can't act? Because no offense, Swan -- er...Emma -- but any time you try and deflect, I can smell it from over a mile away. You're the rare type who wears her heart on her sleeve."

He, too, was guilty of this, but the hardening of his emotions had lessened such instincts. Expression softening, he added, "Why have you never sang for the officers? I imagine they would enjoy it...in fact, I feel certain Caleb would demand it, seeing how he's fond of song and making merry."

Suddenly realizing that he was still holding her hand, Benjamin retracted his touch and drew back, a hint of embarrassment stinging his cheeks as he avoided her eyes. "I, uh...I suppose this is a good opportunity to shift into poetry. I'm quite fond of this art form, because it expresses sentiment far more beautifully than I could ever hope...and in this moment, your wisdom reminds me of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's work, ‘Hymn to the Moon.'" Shifting in his seat, he softly recited, "'By thy pale beams I solitary rove, To thee my tender grief confide; Serenely sweet you gild the silent grove, My friend, my goddess, and my guide.'"

A moment of silence followed, and Benjamin cautiously lifted his gaze again. "I'm not sure just yet if it's the poem for you, like I promised, but it's assuredly a start...and although it's quite literally referring to the moon, the sentiment expressed is exactly how I feel about you." Wincing, he quickly amended, "I-I mean, I feel safe enough to speak candidly in your presence...just like the moon, you've become a constant in my life."

[carlisles-girl]

OMG UR CAIUS FIC WAS SO GOOD COULD YOU DO SOMETHING AB ARO PLEASE

a/n: Thank you so much! I’m very excited to write for Aro, he’s one of my favourite characters, more so because of Michael Sheen’s performance. I put a slight reference to something in this, you might catch it if you know other projects Michael Sheen has been in, but you might not, and that’s alright. Hope you enjoy <3

another a/n: I did put one or two feminine terms in this work, such as ‘mia regina’ which is ‘my queen’ in Italian, so do skip over it or replace it with something else if you’d like. I love writing this type of material in the middle of my classes, it adds so much adrenaline to not get caught.

-

Aro Volturi With A Human Mate

-

Instead of being angry and frustrated like Caius, Aro was more excited.

Like as if he was getting ready for a big party.

A human for a mate was inevitable for some vampires, of course, but Aro didn’t expect to be included in the some.

He was excited since it was rare for such high profile vampires to socialize with humans.

Aro often gushed to his brothers, excited to meet you, but also for them to meet you.

He wanted to host a ball for your welcome.

But Marcus noted that it would probably be slightly frightening for you to be in a room full of vampires.

Most of the vampires would look at you as if you were some sort of a snack.

Because it Marcus’ comment, Aro assumed it would be a greater choice to send an invitation to a tour of the castle.

Free of cost, of course.

When you had received the invitation, you were beyond excited.

An invitation to a tour of an ancient castle with endless legends, for free?

Absolutely.

The tour was the next day, so of course you were slightly nervous.

When the tour commenced, a very pretty woman named Heidi lead the tour group.

She began to speak of secrets of the castle, as well as secret corridors and legends.

Some things a normal tour guide would most likely have no idea about.

Heidi then looked in your direction, and smiled brightly at you.

“It’s very lovely here. I’m sure you’ll love it.”

Just when she had finished her sentence, she opened the doors where there were three men sitting in thrones, and what seemed to be 4 guards.

The man who sat in the middle, greeted everyone and began speaking greatly of the castle.

He had only stopped when he motioned for your tour guide, Heidi, to come forward.

She did as told, and held her hand out towards him.

You would have thought it was to greet him, but it seemed like he was concentrated, or zoned out.

“Magnifico! I will get Demetri to escort them.” (Translation: “Magnificent! I will get Demetri to escort them.”

A man who you assumed was Demetri, walked in your direction.

“Come with me, all will be alright, rest assured. However, do not look behind you.”

You went with him, doing as he said, but immediately turned around when the rest of the tour began screaming.

“What the hell was that?!”

Demetri just grabbed your wrist and brought you upstairs.

“Just stay in here, I’ve been instructed to keep you under my eye. Aro will explain everything to you.”

“Aro?”

“The man who sat in the middle throne.”

You nodded, and decided to sit on one of the window seats.

You wanted to ask Demetri as many questions as you wanted to, but you didn’t want to bother him, or disrupt him from his job.

When the door had opened and Demetri bid his farewells, you had turned around and saw Aro.

“You must be Y/n, correct?”

“Yeah, and you’re Aro?”

“I am, I assume you have a good amount of questions?”

You nodded, and Aro moved swiftly but smoothly towards the opposite side of the window seat.

“May I?”

“Of course.”

He sat opposite to you, and smiled slightly at you.

“There’s no need to be afraid of me, or the others. You’re the most safe you could ever be in the castle. I promise you, I will keep you safe.”

“May I ask why the rest of the tourists were screaming when I left?”

“I sense that that question should be answered later, appropriately.”

You were slightly frightened as to what the final answer would be, it could be anything.

Perhaps there was a reenactment of the past after you had been escorted, one of the tourists got pushed and the rest screamed since one of them fell, or the worst:

They were murdered.

“I feel like I already know what happened.”

“I sense that you do know, too. I will tell you everything in a moment. But for now, would you care to lend me your hand?”

You trusted Aro, though you were positive your ancestors were screaming from above or below not to trust him.

You held your hand out in front of him, and before he held your hand in his own, he asked for permission or something else.

“I want you to think of the happiest memory you have stored in your mind, I will describe it to you. I will not see anything else besides the things you want to show me, unless I have your permission.”

You thought of a memory, and then placed your hand in Aro’s palm.

He covered the back of your hand with the palm of his other hand, then he began telling you small details of your chosen memories you had even forgotten about.

When he was finished, he brought his head up from looking down, and smiled at your face of bewilderment.

“That is so cool! Is that like your superhero power?”

Aro smiled widely at your interest in his gift, and began explaining what his was.

“I have a gift, it’s called tactile telepathy. I can read everyone’s thoughts and memories with a single touch. The others in this coven have multiple different gifts, they help keep us safe.”

“So you’re all like superheroes?”

“Vampires, darling.”

After that, Aro enjoyed seeing your memories whenever you two were apart for some sort of time.

Especially say you were having a difficult time attempting to explain something to him, he would hold your hand and immediately understand what you were trying to say.

“I understand you, cara mia. I always will.”

And he was right, he understands you in every way possible.

Aro memorized your body language on how you react to different things, as well as your facial expressions.

When you’re uncomfortable with something, he will do absolutely everything in his power to make you comfortable.

Aro will burn down the entire world for you.

When it’s time for you to go to sleep, you best believe that Aro set up the most lavish and comfortable room for you.

The best and most comfortable bed, of course.

You lay down on his chest, and he brushes the hair out of your face, admiring your tired eyes looking back at him.

“Would you like for me to read to you, dearest?”

You nodded your head, and Aro would get up from wherever he was seated, swiftly retrieve a book, lay back down next to you, and begin reading.

He loved having you hold his hand while he read, it lets him see what you’re imagining the scene that he’s reading to you.

And when you fell asleep while he was reading, he would be so very content.

You curled up next to him, sound asleep on his chest.

Aro adored seeing what you were dreaming.

He loved how humans brains worked while they were sleeping, keeping your mind entertained with multiple little scenarios.

When you woke up, however, Aro would prefer to have you describe your dreams, if you remembered them.

He loved to learn more about humans, especially in the modern age.

And you loved to learn more about vampires, especially in the ancient times.

Aro would often tell you stories of each coven he encountered, his old family and friends, and his past human life.

As much as he wants you to be changed into a vampire like the rest, he can’t help but smile whenever you got slightly nervous around him, stuttering over your words, and hiding your face with your hands out of embarrassment.

He pays attention to little details about you.

Especially your eyes.

Even the shade of your eyes stops him from changing you. Your eyes wouldn’t be as unique anymore, they’d be the same red as everyone else’s.

“You have the most magnificent shade of colour in your eyes, mia regina. I simply cannot get enough of them.”

Being absolute best friends with Demetri.

But wherever Demetri was, Felix wasn’t too far behind.

You three are like a troublemaker trio, always causing trouble and pulling pranks on different members of the guard.

Never Jane or Alec, though. Unless it was a scheduled board game night or something along the lines.

Which Alec loved to take away different players senses, allowing him to cheat in the games you’d play.

He doesn’t do it all the time, though.

Marcus was a lot more welcoming towards you, perhaps more than anyone else.

Whenever Aro couldn’t, he’d show you different areas of the castle you hadn’t seen yet, and would give you wonderful pieces of advice along the way.

“Remember to stay true to yourself, never let anyone think for you.”

Aro will spoil you insanely.

If you mention a specific piece of clothing even once, you better expect that when you wake up the next morning, Aro has an elegantly wrapped package placed at the foot of your bed with a note written in fine handwriting.

“Mia amato, I have seen you speak of this article of fabric, and I have gone out of my way to make sure you have every little thing you admire. I need you to be the happiest you can possibly be. Please accept my gift, and meet me by the gardens by noon. I’ll see you then. Cordialmente, Aro.”

You two have annual walks throughout the garden, usually during golden hour. The sun still above, but setting at the same time, making it seem like Aro was made of a trillion Tiffany Yellow Diamonds.

He loved finding a flower that suited your mood for the day, and putting it behind your ear.

“My beautiful.”

You two often walked either arm in arm, or hand in hand, but sometimes you would hold him closer with your arm wrapped around his waist, your head leaning on his side or shoulder.

Often times, when the moon is visible, you would slow dance together, looking at each other with smiles on your faces, just appreciating each other’s presence.

Usually, Aro would come back into the castle around 2 in the morning, carrying your sleeping self up to your shared room, after you had fallen asleep on his shoulder while sitting in the garden.

The rest of the kings and guards would be predominantly more happy than from before you had arrived.

You had given Aro something to look forward to after trials and mountains of work, something he didn’t have for hundreds of years.

Though, Caius was still slightly jealous of you.

You had practically stolen one, if the not the most, needed member of the vampire world. Aro was nearly as focused on you than he was on trials and legislature.

He’d warm up to you eventually.

At least, you hoped.

Speaking of trials, you wanted to sit in and watch the trials, to see what it was about, and how it worked.

You knew the most of it, of course, Aro had already told you. But you wanted to see it live.

Aro was quick to say no, he didn’t want you to get hurt, or worse, killed.

He understood what would happen to him if his mate was killed, Marcus was the example. He couldn’t even bear the thought of you not being by his side.

Though, you owning the key to his heart, convinced him to let you watch, letting both Jane and Alec stay on either side of you, protecting you if anything were to go wrong.

You would usually sit on Aro’s lap, and then the throne when he had to see what was truly going on by using his gift.

Jane usually stood on the left of the throne, and Alec on the right.

Mainly since Caius sat on the throne in the left, and Jane loved to torture the criminals.

He loved the front seat view.

Constant look backs of reassurance to make sure that you’re alright.

Nearly always having your hand in his.

Forehead kisses.

Constantly bringing the back of your hand up to his lips.

Getting the absolute best care in the world, health wise especially.

When Aro proposed, it was in the bedroom the both of you share, and he was reading some poetry to you.

All was going swell, and then he got to one page.

“I can write no stately poem

As a prelude to my lay;

From a poet to a poem

I would dare to say.

For if of these fallen petals

One to you seem fair

Love will waft it till it settles

On your hair.

And when wind and winter harden

All the loveless land.

It will whisper of the garden,

You will understand.”

At the end, you were leaned up closer to him, looking at him in awe.

He closed the book, and placed it aside gracefully, before leaning slightly closer to you. Placing his hands overs yours.

“Do you remember who wrote that, cara mia?”

“I do. That’s Oscar Wilde, right?”

“That’s right. There’s so much I want to say to you, especially in this particular moment, but I don’t think there’s enough words to express my love and affection towards you. I’ve known you for a little while, and I can feel the bond between us, and I know you can feel it, too. The universe has guided us together, and I am so very thankful for every second we have spent together, and I’m even more thankful for the rest of eternity we have. However, I am the most thankful of the fact that I have the most gorgeous human as a mate. I love you so much, anima mia. Will you do me the best thing that could ever happen to me in my thousands of years, and marry me?”

You said yes, obviously, who wouldn’t?

You leaned over to press your lips against his, as he held one side of your face with one hand, and the other hand slid a ring on your ring finger.

While Aro wanted an extremely lavish wedding, with all the diamonds in the world, you wanted something more of a homely essence.

So you compromised, and had a bit of both.

Aro invited nearly every vampire to the wedding, wanting to show you off in every way he could.

The Denali’s, Cullens, Irish coven, everyone was invited.

Except for the Romanian coven, Vladimir and Stefan. Not trusting them to be in your presence.

The wedding was held in the garden, the arch where Aro stood had your favourite flowers intertwining around it, with diamonds pressed in the centre of each individual flower.

Demetri walked you down the isle, smiling proudly when he handed you over to Aro.

Proud that his leader had finally found true love, and that one of his best friends is finally where they need to be.

After the official wedding ceremony, the rest of the night and day were spent smiling and showing off each other to the guests.

When the night ended, it was finally time for you to be changed to a vampire.

Aro sat by the bed were sitting on, making sure that you were absolutely ready to be converted to a vampire for the rest of eternity.

“Are you ready, my darling?”

You nodded your head, and Aro took one final look into your coloured eyes, attempting to remember every small detail of them.

Aro then moved your hair away from your neck, before placing his lips over where he would finally bite down and turn you immortal.

“Just say when, and I’ll see you after.”

[supercorpkid]

Once Upon a Time in…

Storybrooke.

Supercorp, Kara Danvers x Daughter!Reader, Lena Luthor x Daughter!Reader, Emma Swan x Reader, Regina Mills x Reader, Snow White x Reader, Prince Charming x Reader.

Word Count: 2900.

Previously on the series - Neverland, Camelot

“So we’re back at square one.” You sigh, looking at Henry, while he is reading his enormous book.

“Not entirely true. We know that we have to lift the curse so you can leave, and that we have to do it fast before you become a character of the book.” He says, without raising his head at you. You’re almost arguing when a plate with at least 20 pancakes is placed before you. That stops your mind mid-rant.

“Thanks, Granny.” You smile at her, who smiles back before leaving. “Except that we don’t know who cursed the town, so I might as well embrace my fate of being a fairytale character right now and forever.”

“You know, there is another way.” He finally looks at you and you encourage him with an eyebrow raise. “Too risky and honestly? I don’t even know if they would agree to it…”

“Would you go on with it already? No need to build up the climax, we’re already past that.”

“Another curse.” Henry says and you furrow your brows. Having two curses surely doesn’t sound like the solution. “A liftable curse, of course.”

You just blink at him when he doesn’t say anything for a while.

“Ok, what if my mom cursed you into believing you’re a part of the story? You would be written into the book-” You open your mouth to argue. “But it comes from someone who knows and can undo it. So, when the time comes, she lifts the curse and you’re not in the book anymore.”

“Uh.” You think about it for a second. “Sounds like it could work. It would be like if we had a countdown watch and after your mom’s curse it would just pause it.” You say and he nods in agreement.

“The protection spell around town gets lifted and she undoes your curse right after. The countdown restarts but you would be ready to leave.” He finishes your train of thought. “Only thing is whether she will agree to this.”

“Well, we’ve got to try, right? Might be our only hope.” You’re almost out of the booth when you look at the pancakes in front of you. “Give me a minute.”

“Can’t believe you’re thinking about food right now.” Henry rolls his eyes at you.

“Can’t believe you’re not.” You say inhaling the food in front of you in exactly one minute. “Ok, I’m done.”

“This was traumatic to watch.”

You ignore him and you both run out of Granny’s to Regina’s house at the end of the main street. You try to go slower so he doesn’t fall too far behind, but you’re still in front of her house way before he gets there.

“Next time, give me a ride.” He is breathing hard next to you but recovers faster than normal. “Mom? Are you here?”

“In the kitchen, kid!” You hear Emma’s voice, and you follow Henry to it. You find both Regina and Emma making breakfast together. The scene doesn’t fail to bring tears to your eyes. It’s too familiar. “Oh, you guys are together, great!”

“We think we have a, well, it’s not a solution. It’s more like a-” Henry looks at you.

“Band-aid.” You give them a forced smile.

“Let’s hear it.” Regina asks and you and Henry do your best explaining the whole thing. “So I would undo the curse and she’ll leave, huh?”

“I know it’s not ideal but-”

“But it’s pretty good.” Emma says. She comes closer to you, putting a hand on your shoulder. “Are you sure about that, though?”

“No. I know nothing about magic.” You shrug. “If this was science or anything related, I would probably be sure, but this is outside my area of expertise. If you two think it could work, then I trust you to bring me back when it’s time.”

“You should know all magic comes with a price.” Regina adds.

“What’s the price?”

“We’ll learn about it later.” She raises an eyebrow at you. You think of Lena and how you need to go back home to see her eyebrow raise.

“I’ll pay.”

“Well, then hold on to it, kid.” Regina says with a smile. “You’re about to become a fairytale character.”

You and Henry look at each other. As good of an idea this was, you didn’t consider all the outcomes. You’ll become a fairytale character; you won’t remember anything about your actual life. You won’t remember your moms, aunts, cousins, girlfriend, grandmas… You know it’s what you have to do, if you ever want to make it out of this reality and back into yours, but still. Not remembering Jamie’s laugh, Maya’s kisses, Kelly’s comfort, Alex’s shoulder squeezes, Lillian’s head tilt, Eliza’s soft voice, Lena’s green eyes, Kara’s smiles, it almost makes you want to forget about this and find another way.

“Ok, the curse is ready.” Regina says and you look up, coming back from your thoughts.

“Smells funny.”

“I know, sweetheart. It's a curse. It's not meant to be pleasant.” She says, making your heart beat faster on your chest. You hold your necklace strongly in your hands; remember your family one last time. Then close your eyes.

“Yay, food!” You open your eyes and look at your moms on the other side with a stack of pancakes in front of them.

“Hey, leave some for your brother.” Regina says, stopping you before you grab all of the apple pancakes she has made.

“Fine, you can have one, Henry.” You joke, putting just one on his plate from the stack in front of you.

“Be nicer, honey.” Emma kisses the crown of your head, before sitting next to you. You smile, putting two more on his plate.

“There, you’re eating just as much as me now.”

“Listen kids, today Emma and I will be working with Mr. Gold to see if we can lift the protection spell around the city. You two will spend the day with the Charmings.”

“Oh, come on, moms. We’re old enough to help!” Henry says and you agree.

“Of course you are. And we will need your help when the time comes. Just, well, you know how is like to work with Mr. Gold-”

“Always an adventure.” You and Henry say in unison.

“Something like that.” Emma agrees looking like she wanted to disagree, instead. “Besides, I thought you had archery lessons with your grandma today?”

“Yes!” You agree, excitedly.

“And Henry, you will be hanging out with your grandpa at the station, right?” She gets his answer in the form of a nod. “Well, great, we’re all very busy today. But we’re still meeting at Granny’s tonight for dinner, ok?”

“Sure thing, mom.” You get up and kiss her head. “See you guys later, I’m late to meet grandma.” You kiss Regina’s head right after. “Bye, mom. Squirt, wanna a ride?”

“Stop calling me squirt.” Henry complains, getting up from the table. “See you later, moms.” He follows you to the front of the house. “Don’t run so fast, I just ate.”

“You know I only have two speed levels. Fast or breaking the sound barrier.” He jumps on your back and out you go, fast enough to be at the station in a blink of an eye. “See you later!”

It doesn’t take long before you and Snow White are walking in the woods close to the city. You love spending time in the woods with her. You love just sitting in silence and letting your senses become even more refined. Sure, you have super hearing, but she teaches you how to focus even on the simpler things. Leaves in the wind, steps in the woods, birds chirping. There’s no other place you feel as in peace as in the woods with Snow.

“So? How are the woods today?” She asks, hand on your shoulder.

“Was there ever a time where there wasn’t anyone in the woods doing weird stuff?” You ask, making Snow laugh loudly next to you.

“Not in Storybrooke.” Snow agrees with a smile and points a direction for you both to walk.

“How do you want to do this?” You ask, putting your bow into position and closing one eye, looking around.

“Like we shall do everything.” You look at her and she winks at you. “Together.”

You miss the shot. You try again. Your arrow breaks. You try again. You lose your temper. You try yet again.

Day after day. Week after week. Month after month.

‘Together’ is the word to live by.

“Mom, can you help me take control of the panic attacks?” It’s late at night when you ask her that. Regina is happy that you’re asking for her help, and you two sneak into her office while Emma and Henry watch Space Paranoids.

“Remember,” She holds you, before she starts. “These are nightmares I’m putting in your mind. None of them are real. You’re safe and sound at home with us. Say the word and I’ll stop.”

“Ok.”

“But sweetheart, you’ve got to fight it. With all the strength and courage I know you have. Concentrate and fight it.” Regina says, and you nod, closing your eyes.

Your mind is filled with visions. Terrible ones, by the way. You see people dying, by shot guns and swords. It’s a war inside your mind. You know it’s not real, but the feeling is the same. You try to run but your legs feel wobbly and weak, and you fall on your knees. There’s a pool of blood under you and when you look to the side you see Henry with glassy eyes, completely lifeless.

“NOOOO!” Your heart starts beating into your ribcage, as you shake before reaching for him. “Please, please don’t be dead.”

“Concentrate. Focus.”

“HE IS DEAD! IT’S MY FAULT!” You yell, with tears wetting your face.

“It’s not your fault.” Regina says in your ear. “Breathe, sweetheart. Breathe.”

“HENRY! PLEASE COME BACK!”

“What’s going on?” You hear his voice. Regina has already stopped filling your mind with visions, but still you see his glassy eyes staring at you. “Hey, open your eyes. I’m here.”

You see him. But your body is still reacting harshly to the vision. You cry and shake. You’ve failed, but you’re not the one to back down.

Day after day. Week after week. Month after month.

You’ll overcome your fears.

“Hey honey!” Emma wakes you up, with an excited greeting, and you roll to the side not opening your eyes just yet. “I could really use your help with something.”

“What is it?” You mumble, still too sleepy to talk.

“We’ve gotta help Ella. And I thought we could have some mother-daughter bonding time.”

“You’re my mother. Isn’t that enough of a bond?” You ask, as a joke, and you get a chuckle in response.

“Come on. It would be much faster if you could fly around and find her for me. Otherwise I would have to use magic to find a shoe and then more magic to track her, and then-”

“Oh my God, ok. I’ll help.” You get up and get ready in seconds. “I know you just want my help because I’m faster than the Flash.”

“Faster than a flash, honey.” Emma corrects you. “Let’s go!”

So you find Ella, just before her evil stepmother shoots her, and you stand tall in front of her because you’re indestructible, and your mom uses magic to contain her evil stepmother, and it’s just another day in Storybrooke. You know, for a really small town, there’s always something going on in here.

“Saving the town with my kid.��� Emma throws her arms around your shoulders with a smile. “What mother could ask for more?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes I think being saved probably doesn’t sound so bad.” You complain, getting a tight squeeze from her.

“Sitting around waiting to be saved, with no idea whether someone’s actually going to come for you-” She sighs, loudly. “Trust me, I know doing all the saving all the time sounds exhausting. But waiting around is-is as bad as it can get, honey.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

Day after day. Week after week. Month after month.

Heroism comes first.

“Are you ready?” Snow asks and you agree excitedly. Bow and arrow ready to shoot. You look at her getting in position. “Together.”

You nod, and you two aim at the same spot. Both of the arrows travel together and land side by side in the middle of the target. You smile, excited. “I feel like the Green Arrow!”

“Who’s that?” Snow asks and you look at her furrowing your brows.

“I-I don’t know.” You think and think about how that name just easily left your mouth. Huh. Weird.

Days. Weeks. Months.

“Here comes the town’ superhero!” Emma says when you walk in the kitchen.

“Here is the town’ savior!” You answer with a smile.

“I could use your help out there today, kid!” She widens her smile.

“Doesn’t this town have enough heroes?” You sit next to her, and she kisses the crown of your head, before placing a plate of hot waffles in front of you.

“But only one is super.” She winks, making you giggle in excitement. You’re convinced right away.

Days. Weeks. Months.

“Focus. Concentrate.” Regina says, close to your ear. And you breathe deep trying to do so.

“It's kind of hard when you're talking in my ear.”

“And when the wind blows, or it's raining, or someone's shooting arrows at you. Yes, concentration's hard. That's the point.” She bumps her shoulder on yours. “Sweetheart, you told me you needed help.”

“And I do.”

“Then let me help.” She runs her fingers through your hair slowly. “The world will always throw disappointments, sorrows and pain on our backs. It’s our job to learn how to handle them. I worked very hard for my first reaction to be as Regina and not as the Evil Queen.”

“I know, mom. You said that a million times.” Your answer makes Regina lose her cool a little. And you smile, apologetic. “I’m sorry, you’re right. I asked for help. I need to know how to handle the pain. Please, I’m ready to go on.”

“Close your eyes.” She asks again and you comply. “Are you ready?” You shake your head in agreement.

You see images. Like a lucid dream in your mind. Regina is using magic to alter what you see. And you see destruction, death everywhere. You see Snow’s head detached from her body, Emma bleeding with a sword on her heart, the only thing left from Charming is his hand, still clinging to his sword.

You should be ready by now. In fact, you should be used to it somehow. It’s not the first time you and Regina do this kind of exercise. But it doesn’t matter how many times you see your family bleeding out, totally lifeless in front of you, every single time, without fail, makes your heart beat faster, your lungs stop working, you shake, you start crying and hyperventilating, ready to destroy everything.

“Focus! No fire from the eyes.” You hear Regina’s voice and you come back to yourself a little bit, just to hold back your first reaction. It’s always the eyes.

“But mom is dead.” You cry out, clenching your fist.

“Concentrate. You can do it.”

You can do it.

You kneel before Snow’s head. Breath in while counting to 3. Hold your breath for 3 seconds. Breath out in the same amount of time. You know this isn’t real. Snow is home, and safe. You’re not in the enchanted forest. Nothing here is real.

You unclench your fist. Steadying your breath. You fight the images. Snow’s head goes back to her body. Charming’s hand disappears. Emma opens her eyes.

“You can do it.” You hear again. And you feel the thump in your heart settling back in your ribcage. Beating normal again. Soon enough the entire thing vanishes in front of your eyes. You open your eyes again. Your hands are still shaking a little, but you’re home with your mom, and you’re safe. She smiles fondly at you. “See? I knew you could do it.”

“I did it. I stopped my panic attack.” You say with excitement planted on your face and she hugs you tightly. It doesn’t matter how many months it took you to do so, you still did it.

“How about we celebrate? Guess who lifted the town’s protection spell this morning?”

“Wait, really?” Your eyes widen in excitement.

“Yes! You know what that means?” Regina asks, and you can barely contain yourself, jumping up and down.

“Pizza from the neighborhood city!” You squeak. “Can I go get it? Please mom, let me go get it!”

“Here.” Regina gives you the money. “Bring enough for your grandparents. And Belle. Maybe Hook too. Just anyone who happens to be at Granny’s.”

“So basically the entire city?”

“Basically.” She smiles and you’re almost out the door, when you look back at her and add.

“Did I have any plans for when we could leave town?” You think and think, but nothing comes to mind. “It’s weird, I swear I feel like I’m forgetting something important.”

“Maybe to give mom a kiss?” Regina asks and you smile. Rushing to her and hugging her, before kissing her forehead.

“Yeah, it was probably just a kiss.” You chuckle.

Days. Weeks. Months.

[topperscumslut]

ohohoboy. where. do. i. start.

u know how in mean girls cady starts to trust and confide in regina and admits to her like she likes aaron and regina hypes her up about it and then tells aaron how cady likes him and starts dating him? ya. that’s pretty much what happened to me.

i guess i should start from the beginning. last summer was rough af for me. i lost my house, my grandpa, and then my job at tj maxx since i missed a lot of work due to trying to move and visiting my dying grandpa, so i was unemployed for a few months bcuz tj maxx was basically corporate edging me with saying they might let me back and me not applying for other jobs yet cuz i want my old job back only for them to two months later be like “yea nvm”

so in august when i finally accepted the fact i wasn’t going back to tj maxx, i applied to the highest paying place i could reasonably get as a broke college student with only one retail job under my belt - Taco Bell. got hired on the spot, bada bing, bada boom, orientation a week later, have to wait a couple weeks for my uniform to come in, then bam. i start working at taco bell in september.

around the same time i started so did another guy, for the sake of privacy let’s call him ben. i thought he was cute but didn’t really notice him much since he seemed very shy and quiet (before he came out of his shell that is, then he became the life of the party at closing shifts), and since i was new, i was the same way. so we didn’t really talk to anybody, let alone each other. and honestly, i thought he was too young for me lmao since he looks really young for his age. i deadass thought he was 17 and he turned out to be 22 (im turning 20 next month, for reference).

a couple months go by and we’ve both opened up a lot more and are now cracking jokes with the rest of the crew and shit, and we’re being put on drive thru together pretty regularly. i start talking to him, i learn his name instead of just knowing him as “cute boy that bags the doordashs,” we kinda get to know each other better and genuinely have fun together. around november i caught feelings. i was the only member on the night shift that dressed up for 80s day and i was soooo embarrassed in my neon cut up t shirt but he was complimenting my outfit alllllll night and liked the photo in the work groupchat.

i started to just get more into him by the day, like, it’s hard to believe this all happened in a months time from when i started liking him to when i made a move. we would pretty much talk and joke together all night every night, and he would go out of his way to do things to help me out while we were working drive thru together, even as far as leaving the window to go get me a work jacket from the back cuz i said i was cold. i couldn’t tell if he was actually super into me, or if i was being delulu (i was) cuz he was just a gentleman that was very sweet and friendly with every girl and the only reason he was doing it for me and not them was cuz we were working with each other all night (also probably at least partially true).

he started to seem really into me and i could not tell if it was him flirting or just being nice and it was just my delusions getting to me. so, i decided i wanted to ask him out. one night i was flirting reallllllyyyy hard (and thought he was too) and managed to get his snap.

so i would message him every once in a while and we’d have like the tiniest conversation ever, but it was always me initiating. this prolly sounds stalkerish lmao but it’s not like i was hitting him up with just “hey” every night. i would ask him something for work, or let him know i made it home safe after i would drop him off on the nights he needed a ride cuz he didn’t have a car at the time, and one time i invited him out with a group of friends from work. like seriously, it’s not like i was spamming this man’s phone 24/7, i messaged him 3, maybe 4, times in the span of like three weeks, with a relevant topic each time.

so one night when im taking ben home, early december, he talks about how he’s gonna pregame the work christmas party with some of the guys from work, all like 17/18 (meanwhile im 19), and he basically ends up inviting me and im like ayo bet. so the night i messaged him, i asked him if he wanted to hang out with some friends from work, and he said he would but he was out of town so i was like “ok bet just don’t forget to send me the deets about pregaming the christmas party” and he’s like “you can’t drink with us your underage” to which im like what the fuck??? these boys are literally high schoolers but im too young? so i ask him im like “wait im confused lol i thought u were drinking with XYZ they’re all underage” and he says sum “that’s different” so i asked him “how so?” and then he unadded me. *insert roblox oof sound effect*

if u can’t already tell im stoned af writing this.

anyways. i lowk thought he hated me and was switching between “omg im an awful person he’s mad at me” and “fuck him he has nothing to be upset about i asked him a reasonable question he’s such an asshole.” and that my friends is what we call splitting. so at this point im vomiting blood day and night from my mood stabilizers (maybe if i just tolerated the bloody vomit a little longer the drugs woulda made me less delulu to the point that i didn’t ask him out the way i did). so when im finally well enough to go back to work, he’s acting like nothing happened and im just like wtf bro i just spent the last three days literally crying vomiting and shitting blood over you. but that’s not what i said i just kinda politely confronted him like “yo we chill? i saw u unadded me, just wanted to make sure i didn’t do anything to upset you” and he was like “nah we good, im sorry about that.” wanna know what he said next?

“my girlfriend made me unadd you”

yeah.

so i was like woah, woah, woah, back the fuck up - GIRLFRIEND? change of plans, im not going after a taken man, out of respect for him and his partner. BUT, if she’s making him unadd random girls he works with, how long is this really going to last? the answer was a week. im pretty sure they dated for multiple years.

maybe im just delulu but part of me feels like i had something to do with it idk. cuz maybe she knew i liked him and decided to punish him for it cuz he would talk to me at work? idfk. i just think it seems like a real coincidence that a multiple year long relationship would break up exactly when i start hitting on him. bro i really feel like that quote like “i just ended a five year relationship” “omg are you ok” “yeah it wasn’t mine” rn bro.

so normally i wouldn’t make a move so quickly when he just got out of a relationship like less than a week ago just out of respect, but he was already talking about girls and getting back into dating. wow i should have ran. holy fuck. it’s so much more clear now that im actually writing it out.

anyway. i had this sorta “i gotta get to him before other girls do” attitude and decided i was going to ask him out at the team christmas party what the fuck. ya that didn’t work out cuz i wasn’t able to be alone with him all night and he was WASTED. all of our managers were here, my 17 year old coworkers smelled like weed, ben was drunk, my guy best friend that’s like an older brother to me left like 5 minutes in cuz he got too drunk and threw up, leaving me to fend for myself, there was a pasta bar, i got a pickling kit from the white elephant that happened to be from ben. it was a weird ass night (but fun as hell).

the next night im off and im scheming again since the christmas party plan fell thru. i get a text. it’s my manager. she says “can you come in tonight one of our closers had to leave” i say “sure.” i realize ben is working tonight. it’s time for the best worst idea ive ever had.

so we’re closing together and one of the other managers who’s a fellow swiftie is there and we’re playing taylor swift during close. the entire time ive liked this man, ive been listening to enchanted on REPEAT. he walks me to the door every night when i leave. i plot it all out in my head. I’ll have our manager play enchanted, and ask him if he’d like to go out sometime while we’re at the door.

he said “probably not”

so i cried to conan gray but then put on my big girl pants and decided i had to get over him.

i did not.

around this exact same time, a new person joined our team. let’s call them sam. sam is 17. a lot of our team, especially at first, would and still do accidentally (most of the time) misgender them bcuz even tho they’re fairly androgynous and use they/them pronouns, they still have a traditionally “female” name, wear makeup everyday, and have a high pitched voice not to mention the pick me girl energy. and who was the one defending them and correcting the person every time? me.

we started to get pretty close, we didn’t talk outside of work but they were one of my closest “work friends” and usually the person i was talking to at work if not ben, or my aforementioned guy best friend if he was still working, since he usually left earlier at night than i did. i end up trusting sam and confide in them about what happened with ben, portraying it not as a heartbreaking rejection but an embarrassing yet funny story that im now moved past and able to laugh about. we would joke about me having had a crush on him a lot and generally just had a lot of fun together, they made my shifts a lot more enjoyable cuz i felt like i had a friend.

one day they found my tiktok where i had posted a couple ambiguous videos that were about ben, just normal crushy sorta stuff the way most girls post tiktoks about their crushes. i was like lol ok whatever they already know, i trust them. and we would joke about how they found my tiktok at work and ben would be like “im gonna find BOTH of your tiktoks” and i was like “haha that’s funny no the fuck you aren’t imma kms if u do”

now if he finds my tumblr…. im fucked

lmfaoooo what the fuck, ive come too far to stop now

anyway, ben and i continued to be friends and everything went back to normal at work, but he never readded me on snapchat now that he was no longer with his gf. so in turn, we just didn’t talk outside of work but constantly did at work.

one night, and this should’ve been a bright fucking neon scarlet flag, sam was showing me something on their phone and in their camera roll was a screenshot from one of my tiktoks about ben. but i gave them the benefit of the doubt and was like “lmao why do u have that” and they were like “oh my sibling wanted to see what u look like” why??? what are you saying to ur sibling???

the trains are making dark ominous music sounds outside of my house rn and it’s fitting the vibe of the story a little too well

around this time i actually got into a relationship with what i thought was the girl i was going to marry. i did not. she blocked me on everything after i didn’t quit vaping when she said i didn’t have to for her and i told her i would if she wanted me to. but in this time i decided fuck this i hate Taco Bell, and was in denial that i still had feelings for ben now that i had a partner, and found a new job and decided to quit.

except taco bell basically begged me to work half a shift one night a week while working my new job, to which i said fine, cuz i needed the money, wanted to still get free employee meals, and knew i would miss (most of) the people if i just up and left. so i take a few weeks off to settle into my new job, and about a week in, my gf breaks up with me. and it settles in that, shit, i never got over ben and now i have to face him in a couple weeks with nothing to show for the four months i spent trying to get over him but the same infatuation i had before.

so after over a month off, i come back and the first person i see is sam who is like “omg hiiii i missed you!!!” i was especially anxious bcuz the weekend before, i had gotten white girl wasted and sent one of my other tbell work friends a video of me admitting i still had feelings for ben. i SAID i was “in love with him,” but that’s just cuz i was drunk af, that shit was not love. according to my sister i talked about him all night after texting my ex and before vomiting up a spicy potato soft taco and being hypnotized into falling asleep and then waking up at 5am to brush my teeth and masturbate to five hargreeves fanfic, and i woke up with a new ring in my nose. so yeah. ‘twas a night. i, once again, confided in sam. i told them i felt like everyone knew about the video, and even SHOWED IT to them (thank god i didn’t sent it), and they reassured me that it was just my anxiety and no one knew anything about it.

a week later i see they posted a tiktok being petty towards “the girl that has a crush on him and talks to me about him”

ok now what the fuck.

excuse me, who was it that corrected all of our coworkers when they misgendered you? always stood up for you when they called you “bossy” and “annoying” and were sometimes being straight up ableist about you behind your back, like when ben misgendered you and then called you a slur in the same sentence? and i quote, “she’s a little r-rded,” end quote.

I SHOULD HAVE RAN LIKE THE DEVIL WAS ON MY HEELS. LIKE THAT SHOULDA BEEN THE END OF IT RIGHT THEN AND THERE.

but instead i said sum hannah montana “everybody makes mistakesssss” 🫦

and yet i still blamed myself! i was like “omg, i didn’t know they liked him, i feel so bad for hurting their feelings, i wish they had trusted me enough to tell me! what did i do wrong to make them not trust me?” and the other half of me was like “lmaooooo who the FUCK does this bitch think they are”

now i was like obviouslyyyyyy they’re not dating duhhhhhhh hello they’re 17 and he’s almost 23 that would be weird af. also their personalities… idk it just doesn’t make sense to me. but that would be a weird ass thing to post if that’s not really your man, right?

guess what?

they’re dating.

i show up to my shift like a week later and sam starts whispering and shit to one of our other coworkers and when i ask about it theyre “jokingly” like “none of your business.” at this point im trynna play dumb and make them think i have no idea about the tiktok.

normally, i wouldn’t intrude, but i KNEW ts was about me so afterwards i went up to this coworker (who im also very close to) and asked “hey, what was that about?” to which he replied “it’s not really my place to tell you the details, but their boyfriend is mad at them” and im just like oh my GOD, they have a BOYFRIEND, i TOTALLY misread this situation, that tiktok wasn’t about me! i don’t even know their boyfriend! and as im turning to leave, the single braincell in my mind finally hits the corner and i turn on my heals and ask, “by the way, who is their boyfriend?” and this mf goes white as a ghost.

and he’s like “im not supposed to be telling you any of this” and im like “don’t worry, you didn’t, i already knew from the tiktok, and your inability to confirm or deny anything told me everything i need to know” i straight up magic eight balled this bitch lmao. so at this point im like “wtf is wrong with sam” but also wtf is up with BEN dating a MINOR. he’s also a shift lead while sam is not. no wonder they’re trying to keep it a secret, but then like, maybe don’t post about it??? especially in a way that not only explicitly tells someone but also gives them a reason to wanna get u caught???

part of me feels like if i say something, im just a jealous bitch starting more drama and everyone will say it’s cuz i want him for myself. part of me feels like it’s wrong to not tell anyone, cuz this is basically grooming and as much as sam is acting like a cunt they’re still literally a child and I’m worried they’ll get hurt if i keep this to myself. part of me feels like management already knows and doesn’t care, since he’s so close with them.

i ended up deciding to peacefully confront sam about it and essentially extend the olive branch. so i commented on the tiktok about me (maybeee not the best idea) basically saying “hey, i don’t understand where this is coming from, i don’t have anything against you and wouldn’t have said anything if i knew, im happy for you guys im not” in response to which they deleted the video and unadded me on snapchat. so ummm. there’s that.

last that happened was i went to work and ben and sam greeted me and acted completely normal and nice to me like nothing had happened, though their “secret” relationship was much more obvious after knowing about it. im still not quite sure what to make of the whole situation.

TLDR: my friend from work that i told about the guy that i liked and asked out started dating him and posting petty shit about me

wow reading this makes me feel like i got played really hard

still can’t believe i got regina georged at fucking TACO BELL

[writingsbychlo]

Oh you just put me on a Joel mood with that headcanon! If I'm not wrong I think you did a headcanon or just told us one of your ideas a while ago that involved Joel arriving at the safe place in the mountains and meeting the reader there and she's like this badass chick and he just falls head over heels for her but his a little shy and a bit self-conscious... do you have anymore 💭 about that???

oooohhhh yes yes i have that draft going on still, but it's been there for a while, so lets make it headcanons for the meantime;

no more requests, the sleepover is over! I am just filling out all the ones left in my inbox!

okay, so, joel is a little clumsy

and yeah, sometimes he freezes up

he's come a long way since his days of panicking and silently crying in the bunker, okay?

but, he still isn't epic

and then he meets you, and holy shit, how his whole life changes

because, you're like some kind of superhero. you're like the black widow of the apocalypse

he is simply sent out with a team as a cook. he hates that his only job is to forage for berries and decide which cuts of meat he can work with

and then he sees you in action, and he thinks he falls in love

because you're so fucking badass

and you don't even break a sweat

but, he's scared

because he doesn't know how you could be so badass in the face of danger, and he actively avoids you

in his mind, he's already written you off as rejecting him, and he kinda lives in that hurt that hasn't actually happened yet

the last time he tried to speak to someone as cool as he sees you was before aimee, and he can still hear laughing in his head and the clench in his chest

so he doesn't bother

it's the third time he's sent out on a scavenging and hunting session with you, well over a year after he met you, when you talk to him

"hey, you're joel, right? I'm (Y/N.)"

"I know. I mean, I don't know that. well, now I do, and I did before, but that makes me look creepy, and- shit- uh, hi. I think."

and he is absolutely certain that laugh is coming

and a laugh does come

but not the kind of laugh he was expecting. this isn't mocking. this is just amused, sweet, kinda cute, actually..

"well, I knew you were joel before I came over. you're joel who makes great food out of basically nothing. you're kinda famous, you know."

"oh, about as famous as you are, then? the badass who's scared of nothing."

and then you're blushing, and taking a seat next to him, and he's pretty sure he might hyperventilate, because did he do that?

"those are lies. I'm scared of a lot of things, I'm just good at dealing with it, I guess."

"so, you agree, you think you're a badass?"

"okay, regina george. I am pretty badass."

"I'm so glad you got that. coulda' ruined this whole thing."

and then you do that sweet little laugh again, and he's kinda proud of himself

"I hear you can draw things. can I see?"

he gets to show off some of his drawings, and you sit with him practically all night

until you get sleepy and wander away tor est before the morning, but he can't sleep, because he's practically buzzing

the next day, that really comes back to bite him in the ass

you're almost home, so damn close, and yet so fucking far

because nobody saw it coming, and he fucking freezes again

and of course, he gets himself pretty injured

some bad cuts and scrapes

and he's fucking embarrassed when you inevitably save him

he can't even look you in the eyes, actually

walking in silence all the way back

and sulking off to his cabin, not bothering to talk to anyone

he doesn't really talk to anyone for days, because he's humiliated

the only reason that breaks, though, is because you catch him off guard

"are you avoiding me?"

"yes. everyone, actually. crippling embarrassment and the low-key wish to be swallowed up whole by the ground will do that to a man."

"and, what exactly made you feel like this?"

feeling like he's being mocked, and scoffing, and almost walking away

but then you look genuinely confused and a little hurt, and he feels guilty

confessing that he hates that he can't be more useful, and that he feels weak

and pretty much just pouring out his heart

blushing, like really fucking hard when you run your hand through his hair and tell him it's okay

"y'know, you shouldn't feel embarrassed. it's not like we went through training for this. high school classes weren't biology, literature, monster-killing combat, maths. it's okay to be scared."

getting even more embarrassed when his eyes flick down to your lips, and he's pretty sure you saw it, too

"can you teach me, though? that's a good idea. lessons."

"you want me to teach you what?"

"to be brave."

"I think you're already brave, joel."

getting all flustered again, but he kinda feels like his ego is being built up, and he feels a little better about himself

"but, if you want, I can teach you how to fight."

"yeah, I'd like that."

he hates it to begin with

because that's a lot more physical exertion than he was ready for

which makes sense, because he's seen you do some stuff that would have him floored, without even breaking a sweat

and he didn't realise quite how heavy a sword was, but he struggles for a while

and, it results in a fair few scrapes and injuries

a lot of bruised shoulders as he learns to shoot and isn't prepared for the kickback

and a lot of little nicks from swords and knives

and even trying to sharpen arrows

but, he gets there

he gets a lot less clumsy, and he gets a lot stronger

and he feels a lot braver

"you have to choose something to focus on. I heard about your journey to find aimee. find something like that to focus on again, and when you get scared, think about that instead."

"what do you think about?"

"I think about my mom."

it leads to a deep story, and a lot of confessions by the fireplace that night. really baring your souls to one another.

and he loves it, because he gets to cup your cheeks and wipe your tears away, and you end up falling asleep on his shoulder, face pressed into his neck

he carries you to bed, and when he's leaving, you grab his hand for just a second, and tell him to "stay a while", and he does

so, the first time he really gets to put his skills to the test, it doesn't go so well

he doesn't freeze up, but he fumbles a little under the pressure, and fucks it up

but you weren't there, and you're what he focuses on, and he couldn't think

the next time, though, that goes really well

he's fucking proud of himself

because this was one hell of a trip, you've been away for three weeks and that was three weeks of time together

he got to do some drawing, and lately you've become his muse and you tease him for it but he teases you back and it makes you blush in that way he loves

and the next time he gets to put all his new skills to the test, he fucking smashes it

he doesn't freeze up, and he doesn't panic

he thinks about your pretty smile and his head stays clear and get feels so fucking badass

and when he finally gets back to the little campsite set up, he's still hopped up on adrenaline

it's probably the slight sting of a bite on his shoulder, or the blood and dirt he knows he's somewhat covered in, and the ache of a hard hit to his ribs, but he's practically high on it

and you're worried for him

he finds you with your legs crossed on your bed, drawing in his sketchbook with charcoal and you look so worried for him

he drops straight to his knees, your hands on his shoulders and thumbs pushing under his jaw as you inspect the damage, and he doesn't care

he just pulls you closer, until he can bump the tip of his nose with yours

close enough that he can feel the sharp intake of breath you make

"I'm gonna' kiss you so good you hit the clouds now, m'kay?"

"kept me waiting long enough." and you barely get it out, he doesn't let you, because he can't wait any longer

he's never felt more like a badass than this moment.

[joyandthephantoms]

to find someone you’re safe with

Words: 1k

Rating: teen and up

Characters: Nick, Julie Molina

Relationship: Nick & Julie

Summary:

It’s officially one of Nick’s places now—he’s at the studio after school more often than he’s at home or at Carrie’s; he knows how to breathe when he’s there; he’s got his own corner of the space, his own shape in the group it belongs to.

All of this to say: it shouldn’t be surprising to anyone that when he starts feeling uneasy, that’s where he ends up.

Or: sometimes Nick just needs to not be alone.

ao3 link

It was actually Willie who first invited Nick to the studio. Out of all of them, they’re probably the one with the least claim to the space, when Julie grew up there and Flynn practically did too, and even if Luke’s the only phantom who technically lived there in life, it’s been Alex and Reggie’s home for years.

But it’s Willie’s safe haven too, and he wanted to share it with Nick.

It took a little convincing—Nick had been sure the band wanted nothing to do with him, and he didn’t want much to do with them either when he couldn’t trust himself not to hurt them. But Willie had promised him that he’d checked in with everyone else, and they’d all feel better with Nick there than without him.

(“They like you. And you gotta talk to some people who aren’t me and Miss Regina George.”

“I talk to Luke,” Nick had protested.

“You tell Luke to fuck off when he bugs you about how you are,” Willie corrected, “and then he comes home and pretends like the rest of us don’t know why he’s pouting.”)

So Nick agreed and started spending time in the studio, and Willie was right: nobody pushed him away or yelled at him that he shouldn’t be there or made him feel anything less than completely welcomed and accepted. Mostly, they all seemed relieved.

It’s officially one of Nick’s places now—he’s at the studio after school more often than he’s at home or at Carrie’s; he knows how to breathe when he’s there; he’s got his own corner of the space, his own shape in the group it belongs to.

All of this to say: it shouldn’t be surprising to anyone that when he starts feeling uneasy—detached and fuzzy but definitely still present enough to feel the anxious shame twisting harshly in his stomach—that’s where he ends up.

It’s quieter than usual, and when he walks in, he sees why—no one’s here but him. Technically he’s allowed to be here alone, Julie and her dad gave him blanket permission, but it feels weird, and he’s about to leave when the door swings open again behind him.

Julie startles when she sees him, but recovers quickly. “Nick! Hi! I didn’t think anyone was out here.”

“Yeah, sorry, I was actually . . .” He was actually looking for Luke, but he doesn’t know how to tell her that. He doesn’t quite know what Luke and Julie are to each other, he doesn’t think they know either, and it’s not that Julie would be mad at him for spending time with her maybe-boyfriend (it’s not like she doesn’t know that they keep getting pulled into each other’s space and ending up tangled together too tightly to make sense of), but . . . he just doesn’t know how to verbalize it. He doesn’t know what Luke is to him, either.

Julie seems to know where he was going with that anyway, though, because she says, “Yeah, the guys are all over at the Wilsons’ right now; they should be back in a bit. What’s up, though? You need something?”

He shrugs. “Just a weird day. And usually when I think I want to be alone, I’m wrong, so . . . I’m here.” It’s something he’s had to consciously learn about himself, because when he starts feeling awful, his first thought is always to get out of the way, to get away from anything that could overwhelm him more or require anything of him. But the isolation always makes him feel worse, frozen in place with dread heavy in his stomach, so he tries his best to actually seek out comfort when he can.

He feels bad for coming to Julie, though. Even though she’s great and she really does seem to want him in her life, he feels wrong ever asking anything of her.

“I get that,” Julie sits down on the couch and sets her books next to her. “You can stick around if you want. I was just trying to get some homework done out here because I couldn’t focus in the house. Brains, you know?”

“Right.” He definitely shouldn’t be here, then, if she’s trying to focus. “I can go, it’s not really a big deal—”

“No, stay,” she says. “You’ll keep me on track.”

So he stays. If nothing else, he makes for a pretty good body double.

He sits down beside her on the couch, leaving a few inches between them, and Julie closes the space immediately, scooting over so her whole side is pressed against his. She meets his gaze with a soft smile, then turns her attention over to her schoolwork.

The way she works is so Julie—color coded to-do lists, humming under her breath, flowers doodled in the margins of everything, blinking back to attention after realizing she’s zoned out. Nick is happy to be included in it, even if all he’s doing is sitting next to her drumming his fingers against his thigh.

He’d wanted to be study partners. Thinking about it makes his whole chest ache with . . . something. Longing for the past, or grief for it, or almost reverent gratitude for being allowed to be here, now, with Julie. Maybe all of those things.

Mostly, he’s in awe of her. For so many reasons, but right now especially for how she’s treated him.

Julie forgiving him knocked Nick flat like nothing else ever has. Even Willie sticking with him through everything, as much as that also pulls at Nick’s heart and means more than he’ll ever be able to express, didn’t have the same effect. Because Nick is pretty sure Willie has never felt anything towards Nick besides solidarity and protectiveness and warmth.

Julie, though, was hurt and mad and confused, and she had every right to be, and she forgave him anyway. She let him into her space and shared her home and her family and her heart with him, and he’ll never stop being amazed by the way she cares for him, cautiously but wholeheartedly, like she made her decision and refuses to regret it for a second.

She’s just so deeply good that it makes Nick want to cry or write a dozen songs or wrap her in his arms and never let go. (He doesn’t know for sure if he likes her Like That anymore. It’s been bumped pretty far down on the priority list of feelings he needs to sort out.)

He does know for sure, though, that he made the right choice coming here for comfort.

[snowbellewells]

Self Promo Sunday: “Kingdom Come”

This is another one of my early Captain Swan one shots, this one written during the hiatus between 3a and 3b.  The idea entered my head when I first heard "Demons" by Imagine Dragons, which is where the title and the lyrics included come from. There was also some added inspiration from episode 3x06 "Ariel" and episode 3x07 "Dark Hollow". I don't think there is anything in here that goes against show canon; it's mostly imagined thoughts and missing scenes that go along with what has happened, and some guesses at what we may see when "Once" returns again in March.

As always, I have no claim to the show, the characters, or the song used. They belong to their creators and I'm merely celebrating their genius!

Also available on both AO3 and ff.net

“Kingdom Come”

by: @snowbellewells​

He knew that he should have kept his distance. She was shining light in contrast to his dark shadow, and a villainous wretch was the last sort she needed to have dogging her steps. Yet from their first meeting – knife at his throat, fingers fisted in his hair, hard, dangerous eyes hiding tense, nervous fear – he hadn't been able to pull away. He had no choice but to follow her. Call it a compulsion, an addiction, but he was as drunk on her as he had ever been on his chosen rum, and he despaired from the moment she left him chained atop that bloody beanstalk to any time she had left his side since.

The words Cora had hissed at him in warning echoed back to him, "You chose her…and the consequences of that decision…" Whether it was good or bad for either of them didn't seem to matter to his black, barely-beating heart. It was true: he had chosen the Swan girl…

When the days are cold

and the cards all fold

and the saints we see

are all made of gold

When your dreams all fail

and the ones we hail

are the worst of all

and the blood's run stale

It had become even clearer to him after the Echo Caves. When he had bared his soul and the feelings he harbored for her to be met with only silence and Emma's panicked uncertainty, fearless pirate he might be, but Killian Jones knew he should take a step back. The incredible, unparalleled kiss they had shared in the Neverland jungle told him the Savior was as attracted as he, but she was not ready for him. Her sole focus was on her boy – as it should be – but beyond that, she was running scared from anyone else who might try to breach her emotional defenses.

He knew it had been too much, too soon, to unload the truth about feeling that he could love again upon meeting her, and if he had been free to proceed as himself – as Killian Jones wooing a lady properly – he would have never been so clumsily blunt, but instead he was a pirate captain desperate to prove his loyalty and worth, while stuck on Peter Pan's nightmare island. They had needed to get Neal back without further delay and return to seeking Henry, and so he'd had to make clear that he was correct in the way the infernal cave worked. It had not been easy to look into her beautiful, tormented eyes when he had offered his confession, hoping he hadn't driven a wedge which would push her even farther away. It had been even worse to see her run across the bridge formed for her of their painful admissions, right up to Baelfire without giving him a word of comfort, encouragement, or thanks. He felt his shoulders slump in defeat, hurting more than he had imagined, when the cage holding the Crocodile's son vanished at words from Emma which he could not hear, and she fell into the embrace of her first love.

Killian felt her slipping away – if she had ever been within his grasp at all. Bowing his head, he hid the pain in his eyes from Snow White and Prince Charming's curious, searching gazes. Burning fire within him seared away the tentative hope he had foolishly let kindle within. He was nothing but a pirate, as the Prince had reminded him not so long ago. Though he couldn't help wanting to hold her, it was probably for the best…

I wanna hide the truth

I wanna shelter you

But with the beast inside

there's nowhere we can hide

No matter what we breed,

we still are made of greed

This is my kingdom come,

This is my kingdom come

There was no longer any doubt. He was a fool – a sodding, pathetic fool. For him to let a glimmer of belief take root in his chest again was begging for misery, but Killian Jones had felt it growing all the same.

Venturing into the Dark Hollow had been a risky, desperate move at best, but after his face-off with Baelfire and discovering that Emma had not even deemed what had been brewing between them worth mention, self-preservation had not been so high atop his list. He had barely cared what happened to him in their suicide quest to capture Pan's shadow.

Of course, the fiend trying to rip his shadow from his body had jolted things into focus with frightening clarity; especially when he realized that Baelfire was facing the exact same fate, but it was his moniker of 'Hook!' that Emma cried out in horror. That she found the power to magically light their star map shadowcatcher just after her concern for him surfaced was not lost on Killian. No matter how much he cautioned himself not to dwell on it, he couldn't ignore the implications. Emma might not want to admit it, might not be free to show it, but when push came to shove, she cared more for him than she wished to admit.

He had not lied to her when he had promised no deviousness or trickery. If Emma Swan – the Enchanted Forest's lost princess – ever gave him the chance to truly win her heart, he would use no dishonorable means. He understood good form and had once dreamed of being a hero. He might be an orphan and a pirate, not some prince or man of noble blood, and his thirst for revenge had kept him lost in villainy for countless years, but he still had honor, could strive to show it valiantly once again. He knew deep down that she wanted him; what he did not know was if Swan would ever allow herself to acknowledge her desires. He could only vow that he would endeavor to deserve her if she came to him with such a golden opportunity.

Swan needed some joy and lightheartedness in her life. Though she looked fragile, she was hard as steel; she'd had to be for far too long. To him, her beauty was unrivalled, but it was clear that Emma did not see that in herself. He wanted to worship her as she deserved, unfit as he might be to do so. Killian Jones wanted to restore her lad to her, heal the wounds of her past, love her unconditionally, and never leave her side. He trembled to risk pulling her that close; his history proving over and over that anyone he dared to love had suffered a horrible fate. It was better his own heart be crushed than for her to suffer harm by nearness to him. Still, if he fought back the darkness he had sunk into, shouldn't he be allowed to step into the light?

When you feel my heat,

look into my eyes

It's where my demons hide

It's where my demons hide

Don't get too close

It's dark inside

It's where my demons hide

It's where my demons hide

She came to him at the helm of his ship once Henry was truly safe and resting peacefully with Regina watching over him. There had been a scare when Pan had tried to take Henry from them once again, but it appeared Rumplestiltskin's strength had indeed been greater than the ageless boy's, and their antagonist was now trapped safely in Pandora's Box. Sighing as she came to a stop just beyond arm's reach from him and leaned against the Jolly's hull, Emma didn't know if weariness or relief was winning within her at present. She was not sure that seeking out Hook when her emotions were such a mess was a good idea, but it was a need all the same. She was drawn to him like a magnet – impelled to speak to him, to thank him for helping them to get this far…to make sure that he was alright.

Emma knew he had been left hanging, knew he wanted more. What she didn't know was what she had to give. It had nothing to do with still doubting his motives or that he was a pirate; Hook had long since proven himself in her eyes. She simply wasn't sure her heart could let any man in the way he would want and deserve. She found it didn't matter though: she still ached to be near the Captain. He calmed her, despite the turmoil she had been in ever since this voyage started, and his constant support at her back, whatever the situation or whatever her decisions, had given her strength. She wanted to tell him so; if nothing else, he ought to know what it meant to have had him in her corner and that she would not soon forget it.

"Hook…" she began, then shook her head to cut herself off, knowing that wasn't right. Her corrected word came out breathy and more ragged than she had intended, "….Killian…"

He turned to face her when she spoke his name, though he had already known she was there. Just then, she could see everything he was feeling in those ocean blue eyes. Though their decadent depths often smirked, prodded, threatened, or demanded as the situation called for, at that moment they were raw, reflecting mirrors letting her see right into his exposed inner soul.

All the words she had intended to give him flew from her head, and Emma was left standing frozen, swallowing hard and wondering why she wanted to talk at all. With that in mind, she moved to stand before him, just within his reach, when one corner of his mouth tilted up in a tempting smirk as he beckoned her closer. Obviously pleased with himself, he took things a step farther, resting both hand and hook at either side of her waist, his thumb rubbing soothing circles that she could feel the warmth of through the waistband of her jeans, as if he were stilling a skittish animal so it didn't flee. "Was there something you wished to discuss with me, Love?"

"I…" her mouth went dry staring into his eyes and she struggled to focus on anything other than the desire for a second kiss from him, but she finally pieced together coherent words. "I just wanted to thank you…for everything. We couldn't have even followed Henry without your ship and your help. David would be dead by now. And I, well, I just…"

"Come, Lass, it's just me. There's no need to be so formal. I offered you my ship and my services, and I meant it." As he said these words, he was slowly, deliberately, pinning her in his gaze so she understood just how much it did mean to him. He placed the cool, smooth curve of his hook under her chin, tilting her face up to meet his.

"But – it's just – it's so much more than that," she floundered, and if she weren't so grateful and attracted and muddled all at once she would have been irritated that he could sound so composed and romantic while she struggled to get a sentence out. Emotional tears almost welled over her eyelids, but she blinked them back and stepped closer yet, almost begging him to hold her, causing their noses to nearly brush. Looking up at him, she hoped that just maybe her eyes could convey her affection, gratitude, and want without the words that seemed lost to her. Biting her lower lip in nervous anticipation, Emma raised her eyes, blinking, to his cerulean gaze and prayed he would simply read her scrambled mind.

Chuckling low in his throat, Killian seemed to do just that, and wrapped his muscled arms around to reel her in. "All you had to do was ask, Love," he teased, lightly ghosting his lips over her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, forestalling the inevitable and making her heart thud erratically even as she grew impatient for his lips to reach hers. Just as she had grabbed him and driven their first kiss – fast, desperate, bruising – he was taking over this second one, creating a slow, languorous, building simmer that Emma wasn't sure she would survive.

Killian's hand came up to cradle her head, hook resting along her neck on the other side, the one bit of cool relief to the fire in which he had engulfed her. His calloused fingers stroked along her jaw as if hoping to coax her nearer still. This kiss carried their feelings in it; there was still heat and passion, but below it thrummed something more, something deeper: it required a decision. Emma's breath caught at the realization that this kiss was something which might last.

Killian was thinking, hoping, the same thing, hardly daring to believe, but unable to stop it either. Greedy thief and pirate that he was, he wanted more of Emma; it would never be enough. Fool he might be, but he did not aim to stop until he had stolen her very heart. Not so long ago, he had been rudderless, with nothing in this world to keep him but his vengeance. Now, he prayed that he could change his course. At last, he had something to fight for, someone to hold dear. Killian Jones – Captain Hook – had despaired of being anything else but hell bound…until she crossed his path. Perhaps he might still find redemption in Emma. Heaven had to know his every effort and act for good has been due to her. It's all for her.

Don't wanna let you down

but I am hell bound

Though this is all for you,

don't wanna hide the truth…

This is my kingdom come

This is my kingdom come

The door slams in his face – her door – and Killian lets himself slump against the wall, dejected. It all happened so quickly and now Emma is gone. She is beyond his grasp, as he had always known she was. He has waited so long to see her lovely face again, traveled so far, and though he tried to prepare himself for the very reaction he received, it didn't hurt any less when she gave him the blank look which told him his Swan no longer knew him.

Upon their forced return to the Enchanted Forest, he had tried to steer clear of everyone. Angry, wounded, and bitter, he had wanted nothing more than to hide himself below deck on the Roger and drink until he couldn't think of how being ripped from her just when she had given him a chance had hurt. He had not wanted to be near anyone and had made horrible, snarling company when someone forced the issue, but that had not stopped Snow and Charming. Emma's parents were a painful reminder of her, but no matter how he strove to avoid them and steer clear, they would not leave him alone.

It was exasperating how they kept trying to draw him into rebuilding the castle and their kingdom, tried to cheer him up, provided work for he and his crew as supplies were needed from other ports, and generally would not allow him to wallow in his misery as he had desired. They kept repeating that they had faith this separation would not last forever. For some unfathomable reason, he seemed to have found his way into their affection, and they would not let him despair either.

When Regina had finally put together a memory restorative potion, he had been willing to concede that these royal types and their unending hope were not so completely off base. The former evil queen had been almost pleasant and much more willing to help ever since meeting Robin Hood – apparently the man she had been destined to meet long ago. Some of the dangerous emptiness and hurt left her eyes when she was around the archer, and especially near his young son. Killian knew that she hoped Emma would find a way back and bring Henry if she could be made to remember. Regina also knew the rules of the second curse well though; she was to give up the thing she loved most. She couldn't be the one to go after them, couldn't force her hand. She would have to trust those whom she had spent so long fighting against.

Killian had been stunned however when David and Snow both championed his undertaking the quest. Something knowing flickered between the Prince and Princess' eyes, but he didn't waste time trying to figure it out. He was too grateful, touched, and ridiculously anxious to get going, whatever the mode of travel, to ask questions.

Now, faced with the harsh truth, he almost forgets the potion tucked into a pocket of his vest. He had to try True Love's Kiss, had to see for himself if it were possible. He shouldn't have even entertained the dream, and yet he couldn't help himself. He truly thought she loved him…but maybe she still does and has simply forgotten. He has come too far to turn back now without seeing his mission through. Any realm he tries to make his life in now will be empty without her regardless. He will wait for his moment, and he will try again…

They say it's what you make

I say it's up to Fate

It's woven in my soul

I need to let you go

Your eyes they shine so bright

I wanna save that light

I can't escape this now,

Unless you show me how…

Killian stands outside the large, several story building where Emma and Henry now reside, oblivious to the crush of people rushing around him on all sides, looking up to the window he knows is theirs, comforted by the fact that, though she may not remember him right now, they are once again in the same place and time. He can get to her, and he will succeed in bringing her back to her family…and to him.

That she wants him to keep his distance right now means little. He is sorry that she is at last safe with her son and free of the heavy weight of her destiny and he seeks to interrupt that. However, he thinks he knows Emma well enough to believe she would not wish for an illusion over truth; even if it pained her, she would rather face reality. He knows that much of his Swan.

Villain that he has been, that the world has always seen, the selfless action would be to let her go, but he cannot allow himself to admit defeat. Emma has never truly been loved – treasured – as she ought to have been, as he had planned to do. He fervently wishes to be the one to show her what it is to be wholly adored. He wants her to know that she is his whole world, and he needs the chance to see if she can love him in return, keep him striving to live again. The demons that still haunt him, that say her kingdom and his black soul are already lost, try to whisper that he will fail. Their voices hiss that he will never bring her back, that her knowledge and memories are lost forever. Killian pushes those insidious echoes from his mind. Soon, he will meet her haunting, storm-tossed eyes again, and he will make her see.

This is my kingdom come…

Tagging a few others who may enjoy: @searchingwardrobes @kmomof4 @jennjenn615 @laschatzi @whimsicallyenchantedrose  @thislassishooked @resident-of-storybrooke @ilovemesomekillianjones @teamhook @revanmeetra87 @scientificapricot @tomeandflickcorner @lfh1226-linda @xsajx @stahlop @donteattheappleshook @hollyethecurious @winterbaby89 @darkcolinodonorgasm @elizabeethan @wefoundloveunderthelight @jonesfandomfanatic @spartanguard @tiganasummertree​ @optomisticgirl​

[homeformyheart]

heartbeat - adam du mortain x f!detective (twc)

day 11 – accident

author’s note: thanks for the request @withbeautyandrage! i hope you enjoy!

copyright: all characters, except my oc detective, are owned by mishka jenkins @seraphinitegames. series/pairing: the wayhaven chronicles – adam du mortain x f!detective (regina bishop) rating/warnings: 14+; minor mention of disappearing word count: 1k based on/prompt: day 11 – accident from #28dateswithunitbravo challenge by @wayhavenmonthly summary: regina botches a mission and braces herself for a lecture from adam, who instead expresses more of his feelings instead.

heartbeat

regina stumbled toward the ground, hand splayed against a nearby tree trunk for balance. the sound of a car door closing in the distance sent a wave of relief coursing through her tired veins. only one group would know to find her here and have the means to do so.

she sighed and tried to mentally brace herself for the lecture she was about to get from adam, despite every bone in her body telling her to just lay down on the floor and pass out. she leaned against the tree to keep her body propped up, laying her head back and letting her shoulders drop against the support.

just as she predicted, unit bravo quickly appeared beside her, concern lacing their features. she smiled weakly and gave them a half wave, wincing at the jolt of pain in her wrist as she did so.

adam nodded to the team before they quickly dispersed, likely to scout the area and see if they could recover the creature she had lost.

“can you stand?” he asked softly, crouching down to her level and offering his arm to her for balance.

she nodded and pressed her weight on to him as she slowly got to her feet, pushing her body the rest of the way until she was upright. she leaned heavily on adam’s arm, his body as solid and strong as anyone would expect, but it still surprised her how firm and unmovable he was, even with her weight against him.

as soon as she seemed steady on her feet, he grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him, the movement simultaneously propping her up and holding her in place.

“what were you thinking?” adam said, his words punctuating clearly even through his clenched teeth.

it was a stupid and impulsive decision on her part, and adam had every right to be upset. regina just wished he would save the lecture for after she had recovered from her injuries. she knows now she shouldn’t have tried to carry out this mission by herself after an argument with the team just to prove that she wasn’t as weak and incapable as she felt sometimes.

regina knows it’s just because they care and want her safe, but she could only hear so many times about how dangerous it is and how human she is before she snapped. as though it were her fault that she was human with blood that everyone wanted.

“it was an accident, adam,” she sighed, rubbing her temples in an attempt to relieve her pounding headache.

the creature had woken up from sedation while she was still driving to the drop-off location and in its panicked state, rocked itself against the inside of her car and tried to launch itself at her. all while in an agency-designed cage. she swerved off the road and hit a tree, allowing the creature to spring free from the car, rolling in the cage down the hill until it hit a tree and broke open.

“an accident that could have cost you your life!” his lips were pressed into a thin line, eyebrows creased in concern and annoyance, but his eyes flashed with something. it was there for only a fraction of a second, but she could’ve sworn it looked like fear.

“it wouldn’t have gotten that far. i can take care of myself,” she argued back defensively, mustering what little energy she had to cross her arms over her chest defiantly. her shoulders deflated a little, knowing that he was at least partially right.

she had tried to chase after the creature but stopped short when she noticed the cage had broken, knowing that she would definitely lose in a head-to-head fight.

regina could see his shoulders tighten further even as his grip on her remained the same. the man’s self-control was astounding.

“it wouldn’t have been the worst thing anyway,” she whispered, mostly to herself.

if she was being honest, every mission they had the last few months seemed to escalate on the danger scale. ever since the bounty on her head kept rising, the agency was on high alert and the team was constantly on edge to the point where it didn’t even feel like she could walk down the hallway outside her apartment to throw out the trash without their permission.

the constant worry she’d see on their faces stayed with her at all hours, and she felt guilty that she was the reason they couldn’t relax and spend more downtime with each other, away from danger. she was barely allowed to stay in her own apartment alone, the memory of what happened when murphy attacked still fresh in everyone’s minds.

it wasn’t the first time she had the thought that everything might be better if she disappeared, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. “all of this would be over and you all can go back to your normal lives,” she said softly, sighing in exhaustion.

adam flinched so violently at her comment that he yanked her forward. she stumbled right into his chest, releasing her arms so she could catch her balance against his chest.

“losing you… i cannot bear the thought of it,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around her to hold her against his chest.

the feel of his arms around her made her knees give out and she almost didn’t hear him. he held her steady against him, the words echoing in her head in time to his heartbeat. she held her breath, not wanting to hear him take those words back, which he would, if she said anything. the feel of how his heartbeat matched the pace of her fluttering one gave her some comfort.

he tucked one arm under her knees and gently lifted her up, adjusting his other arm under her back. regina winced as she lifted her arms, clasping her hands loosely around his neck.

“i’m sorry,” she murmured, tucking her head against his shoulder as he carried her to the car. “i won’t do it again.”

adam’s grip on her tightened, even as his shoulder seemed to relax a little at her admission. if expressing how important she was to the team – to him – would keep her safe, he would take that into consideration. based on the quiet of her breathing and soft heartbeat, he needed to get her to the agency doctors as fast as possible.

* * * * * permatag: @kelseaaa​; @kat-tia801​; @anotherbeingsworld​; @crackerdumortain​; @pearlsandsteel​; @gloynporslen​; @sosolenoo​; @alyssalauren​; @wayhavenots​; @gingerbreton​; @takemyopenheart​​; @writer-ish​; @fhauvilles​;

[a-singleboat]

Serious

Word Count: 3.3k

Request: can you do emily prentiss x fem!reader with some angst? Thanks! - anon

Warning(s): Reader gets kidnapped, blood, stabbing, general gore

When you first started dating Emily Prentiss, you knew the risks. It wasn’t easy dating a high-profile government employee, especially when you were roughly six years younger than her. If anything, it made it even harder especially when your lives didn’t seem to line up at all. While she was Unit Chief of the Behavioral Analysis Unit in the FBI, you were working toward your first pHd out of, hopefully, two. 

So while she was out catching serial killers and the rest of the mortal evil in the world, you were attending classes and conducting research on “The effectiveness of rehabilitation in prisons and the criminal justice system.” It was riveting stuff, really. A pHd in forensic psychology would put you on the path to becoming a criminal researcher like you’d always dream of. 

Well, technically you wanted to be a criminal profiler but you weren’t all too athletic and based on knowing what your girlfriend did, decided on a career change shortly after gaining your bachelors. What Emily did seemed exhausting, quite frankly, and you could make just as much of a change as she did out in the field by sitting in a lab. 

But what made things really hard between the two of you was the fact that due to who you were as a person and what Emily did for a living, you have attracted a very adamant stalker who was twice as likely to turn violent than the rest of them simply because he’d known you earlier on in life.

Unfortunately, your oh-so-loving stalker was a man by the name of James Carlton, who’d felt slighted in the way you’d rejected him several times over the course of your high school career. Yeah, you didn’t really pick up the sentiment of “Treat People with Kindness,” until about midway through your sophomore year of college. Some could say you’d brought this on yourself. 

“I’m okay,” you assured your girlfriend through the phone, crossing your arm over your torso and leaning against the wall. It reeked of cigarette smoke despite the huge sign on the wall stating that smoking was prohibited within fifty feet of the establishment. You peered through the gauze-like curtains, searching the motel parking lot for the tell-tale sign of the FBI’s arrival. “I’m just a bit shaken up. Though, I think he might have my psychology paper. I can just reprint that though.”

“Of course out of everything you’re worried about, it's your goddamn paper. You shouldn’t be worried about your grades when your life is in danger,” Emily advised, the sirens blaring in the background. 

“But my grades are all I have right now, well, except for you.” You risked another glance out the window. “How long until you guys get here?” 

“Five minutes, tops,” Emily assured her. “We’ve already passed the library.” 

A shadow passed in front of the window as you took a step back in shock, the frightening electric blue eyes of the very man you were running from staring straight at you. He pressed a sheet of paper against the window, a sadistic grin spread over his features as he leaned into the musty glass. 

In crude sharpie, the words YOU CAN’T HIDE FOREVER had been scrawled over the careful ink of your psychology paper. You really couldn’t pass that in for a grade now. 

Smoke started to creep into your room through the vents, forcing you into the center of the room as you covered your mouth and did everything you could not to breathe in. You just had to last four more minutes. 

You whimpered as you saw the door handle jiggle, James having disappeared from the window to attempt breaking down the shoddy motel room door. You could barely hear Emily asking what was going on over the thumping of your own heart as your vision blurred. It was either you stopped breathing and passed out or took a breath in and passed out anyways. 

You managed to whisper, “He’s here,” into the receiver before you collapsed, gasping for air. Not even a moment later, you felt a hand at your waist as someone heaved you over their shoulder. Unfortunately for you, it probably wasn’t Emily. 

By the time you came to, you were already thoroughly scared. Your dreams had been anything but pleasant, flashes of torture blinding you even before you were awake. But still, you kept your eyes closed and your breathing even as you tried to figure out where you were.

It felt dark. With nothing covering your eyes, you could tell that it was as well. The air smelled damp, like an old towel that had been left sitting for too long. It was cold as well and as far as you could tell, you were underground. You were willing to bet you were in a cellar of some sort. 

Slowly, you moved your left foot only to realize your ankles had been shackled to the extremely uncomfortable bed. It felt like you were laying on hay, which was completely possible. The prickly sensation at your back was either that or hair, which would have been extremely unfortunate. 

A door opened on the other side of the room, causing you to stiffen. You choked back a sob as you struggled to keep your breathing under control. 

“Oh, Y/n,” James cooed, running a finger down the side of your face. You heard more footsteps before the door slammed shut, causing you to tense up once more. “You’re awake, aren’t you, baby?”

You figured there was no reason to hide anymore, flinching away from him and his use of the pet name. Emily called you baby all the time, something you’d grown to like in your relationship. You never liked the name before her. 

“What?” he asked, pulling down your blindfold. “You don’t like it when I call you baby?”

Instead of focusing on him, you turned your head so you could analyze where you were. You were right, it was dark. There was a dim floor lamp in the far corner, weakly emitting an eerie glow over the room. By the lamp, barely within reach of the light, was another man. He had a gun on his hip and stood protectively in front of the door, as if he were waiting for something.87

James was a lot more prepared for your abduction than you originally thought. This would make it difficult for your rescue but to be honest, you were doubtful that you would make it to the next day. 

He grabbed your face, forcing you to look up at him. You tried to sink further into the scratchy mattress but he followed you, a sadistic smile on his face as he just got closer the more you tried to shrink away. “You thought you were safe?” He got closer, chuckling. His rancid breath washed over your face and you held your breath until it subsided. “You’ll never be safe. Not as long as I’m alive. You know why?”

You really didn’t want to know why. 

“Because I’d follow you to the ends of the earth, darling.” He traced a finger down the side of your face. “You’re never getting away from me again. You’re mine.”

“You’re delusional,” you managed through gritted teeth. “I’ll never be yours. I wasn’t in high school and I sure as hell am not now.”

James scoffed. “You popular girls were always the same. Always thinking you’re better than everyone just because you were well liked.” He slapped you, causing your head to whip to the side. The sting from his palm meeting your cheek hurt more than it normally would. You could already tell that it was already reddening even without the help of a mirror. “Though, I have to give you props. Ashlynn didn’t last this long before she was sobbing for her life. You really surprised me.”

“Ashlynn?” This was news to you. In high school, you’d surrounded yourself with like-minded individuals all more self-conscious than the last. Ashlynn was the “head bitch” as others put it. She was like the Regina George of your friend group. “So after me you’ll go for Georgia and Penny, is that it?” 

“You always were the smart one, weren’t you?” James said, backing off. He walked over to a table just out of sight, picking up a knife and running it over a whetstone a few times. You winced at every stroke, watching as he sharpened his weapon with glee. 

“You really should have saved me for last,” you said, choking down any fear. James raised the blade into the air, admiring the sharp edge before strolling back over to you. He pressed the knife against your collarbone, barely applying any pressure. 

“And why’s that?” 

“Because my girlfriend’s going to come for me,” you said, gasping as he forced the blade into your skin. You felt the trickle of blood slide down the side of your neck until it dripped off onto the mattress. “She’s an FBI agent, you know.”

James rolled his eyes. “And Ashlynn’s husband was a cop. She still died.” He pulled the knife back, resting the tip on your arm. “They still haven’t found her body, you know. It really shouldn’t have been too hard to find though. It’s where you and the rest of them used to hang out everyday after school.”

“Why are you telling me this?” You stiffened your arm, pushing into the mattress to escape the knife. There were two outcomes that you could see. Either Emily dramatically bursted into the cellar and managed to save you just in time or you got marked up and eventually bled out. You crossed your fingers and sent out a mental prayer that Emily would get to you in time. 

The tip of the knife dragged over your arm, splitting your skin like the Red Sea. Strangely, it didn’t hurt. The knife was so sharp that you couldn’t feel anything. You didn’t know if that was a good thing or not but at least it saved you from the pain. 

“Why am I telling you this…?” James brought the knife up and cut down the middle of your shirt, leaving you exposed. He traced a few letters over your stomach with his finger before turning the knife over in his hand, pressing the weapon blade-side down. It cut into your skin, the beginnings of an “M” blossoming on the right side of your stomach. “Because you’ll be dead by morning. If you refuse to be mine then there’s no point in keeping you alive. You think your idiot of an FBI agent can save you in time?” He finished carving his word into your stomach, pain blossoming across your entire midsection causing your sight to go blurry. He’d pressed harder that time which meant you actually felt each excruciating cut he made. 

James took a step back, taking the moment to admire his handy work before thrusting the knife hilt-deep into your stomach. 

You felt the pain, a searing white-hot pain right underneath where your belly button was. If you breathed wrong, you could feel the knife move, which was horrifying in many ways. You tried to make your breaths more shallow on purpose, not wanting to disturb the weapon jutting out from your stomach. 

And, just like a movie, the door burst open a moment later. Shouts of “FBI!” and “Hands up!” could be heard. You watched through blurred vision as James put his hands up, laughing maniacally as the blood left your body. Not only could you feel the blood drip down your collarbone and arm, but you could tell that your stomach was doing a good job of acting as a waterfall, watering the mattress below you. 

Unfortunately for you, your stomach’s waterfall performance was not beneficial to the cause of keeping you alive. The last thing you saw before succumbing to the darkness was your girlfriend’s extremely worried face and the muffled sounds of her beautiful voice. Too bad you didn’t stay awake long enough to hear any more. 

Emily was struggling between acting as the Unit Chief her team needed her to be and playing the understandably worried girlfriend to the woman that was bleeding out in front of her not even four hours ago. Thankfully they’d gotten to you in time. You hadn’t been bleeding for too long and the knife hadn’t been taken out which improved your chances of survival by a good amount. Emily wasn’t really paying attention when Reid was prattling off your survivability rate. She was more focused on making sure you actually survived. 

You’d lost a lot of blood. That wasn’t arguable. By the time they reached you, your neck was drenched as well as your arm. The pool of blood in your stomach wasn’t comforting either and the second she saw what had been carved into your skin, Emily had to excuse herself for a moment to go throw up in the bushes. 

And the worst part… the worst part was that you looked dead. You looked exactly like a victim in one of the many photos she’d see in a day. Your hair was wet--from what, she didn’t know, and you looked awful. After years of looking at the photos and consoling grieving families, she never even imagined that she’d be the one to be consoled. 

“The doctors are hopeful, but she lost a lot of blood,” JJ said, resting a hand on her shoulder. Emily didn’t react. She had your scarf clenched in her hands. It was the same scarf you’d given her after it started snowing on your fifth date together and you had to escape into your apartment that was nearby. You’d said that it looked better on her and smiled. God, she’d give anything to see you smile again. 

It was crazy how five years of love could be erased in just a day. Five years of morning phone calls when Emily was away, five years of at-home dinners after a long case, five years of just existence with you… it hurt to think about how quickly it could all just be gone. 

“This is all my fault,” Emily muttered, twisting your scarf through her hands. She let the fabric slip through her fingers, watching as it fell into a heap on her lap. “I should’ve never left her alone.”

“You can’t blame yourself for that,” Reid was standing in front of her on her left side, his arms crossed across his chest. As much as he tried to make it seem like he hadn’t been crying, he didn’t really do a good job with hiding it. His eyes were red and his cheeks blotchy. The fact that he was sniffling didn’t help either. 

Reid and Y/n were best friends for years before Emily came along. The two of you actually met through Reid. You’d brought him lunch one day and it took about five weeks of seeing you around before Emily got the guts to ask if you were single--to which Reid had smiled wide at and answered that yes, you were single. 

“I was the last person to see her,” he said. “If anything, it was my fault.”

Rossi scoffed. He didn’t know you as well as Reid or Emily but after years of having you as Emily’s plus one for dinners at his mansion, he’s gotten to know you better than most. You saw him as a father figure and he saw you as one of his own. “Neither of you should be blaming yourself. Y/n is here and she’s safe, that’s all the matters now. We can’t change the past.”

Says the man who obsessed over an unsolved case from his prime, Emily wanted to say. But she held back. Arguing wouldn’t get them anywhere and as much as she hated it, Rossi was right. You were safe with six government agents plus one technical analyst and one retired government agent sitting outside the room where you were receiving surgery. 

“Y/n’s tough,” Morgan said, resting his own hand on Reid’s shoulder. He’d been there a lot toward the beginning of your relationship, quickly becoming the older brother type that you never get to experience as an only child. “You both know that. She’ll pull through.”

The night passed into its eighth hour when the doctors finally emerged. Emily was the first to stand, slapping Reid’s shoulder until he woke up and stood with her. The rest of the team had either passed out or left. Alvez had gone home, as had Lewis. The only other people that remained were JJ, Morgan, Garcia and Rossi. 

“Most of the injuries she’d sustained were superficial. They should heal within a week or so,” the doctor, Dr. Smith, informed them. “She’ll be in pain for a few good weeks as she heals. The stab wound to her stomach will take longer to heal, the knife having gone deep enough to penetrate her uterus. We expect she’ll make a full recovery.”

Emily frowned. “And the carving?”

“Wasn’t deep enough to scar,” Dr. Smith assured her. “In fact, most of the knife injuries should heal without scarring. Just the stab to her abdomen should scar.” 

Reid nodded, thanking the doctor before turning to Emily. He looked more relieved than worried, which was a good thing. Y/n would be okay. 

“I thought I was going to lose her,” Emily said. Your scarf had become a bracelet of sorts, securly tied around her wrist. It still smelled like you, though it had faded since you’d given it to her. 

“Do you want to go in and see her first?” Reid offered, looking over at the Intensive Care Unit you’d been moved into. They could see you through the glass now. You were asleep, most likely exhausted, and rightfully so. You looked peaceful asleep, a familiar and welcome sight, though she usually saw you like this when she came home late from cases. 

“Shouldn’t we let her sleep?” Emily asked, eyes not moving from your still frame.

Reid looked over his shoulder. “Well, I don’t think anyone’s going to go home until she’s awake. You could go sit with her until she does.” 

Emily nodded but she didn’t move. She was torn between wanting to be by your side and wanting to just leave you be. Reid pushed her toward you, motioning for her to get along with it. 

She crossed the threshold, closing the door behind her. Immediately, the silence was apparent. Compared to the occasional sound of chatter in the hallways, your room was completely silent. It was a welcome change, though Emily would have much rather preferred the space be filled with your laughter. 

Emily pulled a chair from the wall over to where you laid, sinking into the uncomfortable faux leather. She reached for your hand, taking it in hers. Your skin was still as soft as ever thanks to the hand cream you use nearly every chance you get. The dumb little habit had things slipping from your fingers more often than not but Emily was always there to catch the occasional glass. 

You had a few paper cuts from the speed at which you read, and though you were nowhere near Reid’s 20,000 WPM, Emily swore that you consumed material faster than he did. For a brief moment, Emily thought about leaving you. The world was dangerous enough as is without a constant target on your back because of her occupation. Maybe you’d fare better with someone who wasn’t as high profile. 

But then she thought about what you would say--you’d reprimand her for being an absolute dumbass before telling her that dinner was ready with a smile. Emily leaned forward, pressing a kiss to your palm before settling back into the seat. She refused to let go of your hand, bringing the chair as close as possible.

Emily would wait a thousand years if it meant you’d wake up and be in her arms once again. She drifted off to sleep with your hand still firmly intertwined with her own, a reminder that you were safe and that she would never let go of you again. 

TAGLIST

PERMANENT

@beautiful-holland​ @toms-order​ @starlightfound​ @grandmascottlang​ @positiveparker​ @bippity-boppity-boopa​ @caswinchester2000​ @andreasworlsboring101​ @imladylunaticbitch​

[seriouslyhooked]

Nothing Can Hurt Me

CS one-shot that rewrites the ending of 4x23. This has the angst of a would-be goodbye and none of the follow through. if you do not like overly fluffy happy endings, this fic is not for you. If, however, you want a solid dose of hope and a much needed true love’s kiss, please enjoy! Available on FF Here and AO3 Here.

A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you are all well and surviving as best you can in this strange and stressful time. I know I personally have needed some hope and light and love, and writing has been one way for me to try and find it. That’s what motivated this little drabble, which is a rewrite of the end of season 4. I once shared a rewrite for the reunion in that episode (4x23), but this is the final scene where Emma sacrifices herself to the darkness. I know it has been AGES since I rewrote a scene of Once, but this song (’Nothing Can Hurt Me by Frida Sundemo) gave me the idea and… well, you can all be the judge of how I did. Anyway, thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy!

Running from Gold’s shop to the center of town, Emma felt the weight of all this chaos gripping her tighter and tighter. 

So much had happened – so much was always freaking happening – and the crazy train in this town never showed any signs of stopping. Apparently, they needed Merlin (you know, like the magical wizard from the legends of Camelot) to be rid of this dark force, but there was no indication of how to go about finding him. They had nothing but yet another vague clue, and if Emma gave her thoughts any space to dwell on that, she’d probably go mad. Instead she channeled all the frustration and fear into running. They had no choice. They had to fight. It was the only way.

“Where is it?” she asked, sprinting towards the center of town with Killian hot on her heels.

“We don’t know,” her father answered, scanning her over, and seeing she was no worse for wear despite this latest upset.

“It just disappeared into the night,” her mother affirmed, gazing to the skyline for any trace of the magic that was hunting them all. Her archer’s instinct was on full display, and if anyone was going to see movement in the dark of the night it would be Snow White. Emma for her part looked out there and saw nothing but the inky black sky and the eerily quiet streets of Storybrooke.

“What’s going on?” Regina asked, appearing from down the way with Robin at her side. Killian explained to the best of his ability, allowing Emma to keep watch.

“The Dark One, it’s no longer tethered to the Crocodile.”

“What? Where the hell is it?”

The edge in Regina’s voice was reminiscent of tones Emma had heard from the Evil Queen, but Emma knew it was not just anger that made for the change in Regina. It was fear too. Still, they had to keep searching. Emma’s eyes traced over everything, hoping for a sign even while praying this was all just some kind of bad dream. Then it dawned on her, they couldn’t see it because it was everywhere. This force of nature was as smart as it was evil, a malicious magic intent on harming anything that wandered into its path or stood in its way. Right now it had no need to show itself, and instead it was spreading as far and wide as it could. The presence of it stopped the air from circulating. The darkness hung just out of sight, but it stifled everything. The only thing Emma could hear for a moment was the crackling of the electricity flowing through the powerlines and her own heart, thumping at a faster rate than normal, pumping adrenaline to every part of her.

Distracted by the silence, Emma missed the tentacled approach of the magic until she heard the breath leave Regina’s lungs. The Queen’s gasp was swift, but the magic was swifter, circling her, and strangling the very life out of her in seconds.

“Regina!” Robin yelled, but Emma barely heard him. Her instincts were crying out to her to help. Use magic! Do something! But she couldn’t. Her panic was winning over and she felt untethered to anything like hope. Moments passed where they all looked on helplessly, and only when Robin realized his efforts were futile did he look to Emma. “What’s it doing?”

“What darkness does,” Emma said, watching Regina grow dimmer and colder. “It’s snuffing out the light.”

“Well I’m not going to let it,” Robin said, running towards the woman he loved only to be thrust back full force to the ground. It was no use. They couldn’t break through. The Dark One’s magic was too powerful.

“That’s not going to work on this thing!” Emma said, wanting to keep Robin from hurting himself anymore. “The apprentice told me we have to do what the sorcerer did. We have to tether it to a person to contain it.”

And then it hit her, That person is me. It has to be. It’s the only way.

Finally, her body caught up with her mind. She walked towards the darkness, repellent as it was, as her parents cried out for her not to go. The only thing that stopped her, however, was Regina’s desperate plea.

“Emma, no!” she forced out, barely holding the darkness at bay but trying with all her might. “There has to be another way.”

“There isn’t,” Emma said, the sick feeling of acceptance washing over her.

The truth was Regina simply wasn’t strong enough to resist the magic’s pull, and despite her attempts to change of late, she wasn’t good enough in her heart to stave something like this off. She had already shown how easy it was for evil to corrupt her, changed intentions or not. With the power of the Dark One… Emma shuddered to even imagine Regina. She’d be even more murderous and deranged than she had been years ago when she was trying to kill her parents and everyone who questioned her power. No, they couldn’t risk Regina being given this curse. They wouldn’t survive.

So this was the moment, then. The one where, after finally feeling like she had a real freaking chance at being happy, Emma was going to give it all up. She was going to trade in this life of promise and positive what-ifs and take instead a sickeningly scary magic that would likely eat her up from the inside out. But it was the only thing that would save them all. Her parents, Henry, Killian… when she looked at it that way, it was a simple choice.

Maybe I live, maybe I don’t, but my life for theirs… I’d make that deal with nothing like regret.

“Emma, no!” her father yelled as she moved towards the darkness. She looked to him and her mother, seeing Killian beside them. Her heart ached, but she shook her head at him. There was no debate in this. It had to be this way.

“You figured out how to take the darkness out of me once. You need to do it again. As heroes.”

“Emma! Emma, please!” Killian begged, running towards her and holding her hand, a final tether to the light. God, she loved this man. And here she was, breaking him apart in a million tiny pieces. “Don’t do this, love. Please.”

Looking in his ocean colored eyes, she saw a flash of everything they could have had if things were different. She knew, in her gut, that this was the only man for her, the only one who could tear down her walls and bolster her up in one fell swoop. He loved her unconditionally and without fail. He’d surrendered so much sooner to the feelings between them, showing her vulnerability that she needed to feel safe and sure, but they were both caught in the same blissful and scary as hell current. He was her soulmate, and this may be the last time she ever saw him.

“I love you,” she confessed, seeing the moment of recognition in his eyes. He’d already known her feelings even if the words never left her lips. They were impossible to hide even though she’d tried so desperately, but the words were coming at the most excruciating time, and even to her ears, they sounded an awful lot like a final goodbye.

Just one more kiss, she thought to herself, pulling him into her and letting the touch of his lips and his warm embrace breathe life into her. For a moment the darkness was nowhere in sight. It was just them. Just their love. Just the hope they shared together, and the dedication of two wills that would give anything to be together. Breaking away was the hardest thing she’d ever done, made all the worse by the fact that she had to take advantage of his distraction to push him back. When she did, she flung herself into the darkness and felt the magic swarm from Regina into her.

The feeling of it coiling around her made her blood run cold, as if she were submerged in ice water. She wanted to shiver from the chill, but could barely move. It was like being stuck in a vat of cement as the darkness descended. An anguished cry sounded out around her, and Emma realized that was her own pain emanating from her chest. The sharp sides of this magic were slicing into her, and unbiddenly she closed her eyes. A montage of the worst memories of her life flashed before her, ripping at old wounds that had never really healed.

It started with the slow crescendo of her childhood, a silent kind of torture where the defining part of every memory was the way she was always left behind. Families she was placed with, other kids in the system, teachers, case workers, all of them abandoned her in one way or another. None of them stayed, and in the end, it was always Emma left standing on her own, lost and forgotten and never ever chosen.

The memories flashed forward to Neal and the heartbreak of giving her love only to have it destroyed and tossed aside like it was nothing. The betrayal of his choices and the sting of losing yet another person, this time in a more malicious way made her as angry as it did sad. Still that was nothing at all to the realization that she was pregnant and the choice she knew she had to make to give Henry up for adoption when she was in jail. That sadness and that heartache was a bone deep one she was sure would never heal.

Only it did, in part, when she came back to Storybrooke. She was finally getting the chance to build a life, reconnecting with her son, but that was mired down by recent memories of Regina being a certifiable nightmare and the jarring moments she’d faced, like Graham’s sudden death. Emma had the comfort of Henry always, but even that had put so much pressure on her. She felt like a failure as a mother, always doubting she could be enough for her brilliant boy and torn between wanting him to have Regina in his life and knowing that Regina had also been deeply flawed in trying to raise her son. Oftentimes it felt like the only thing that got her through that initial time in Storybrooke was finding a true friend in Mary Margaret. She was the first real friend Emma had in her life.

Then she felt the moment that the truth was revealed. Of course, she was shocked with the news that Mary Margaret and David were really her parents, but along with the revelation that she had a family who loved and wanted her, there came a lot of pain, pain that they’d ever given her up in the first place, and pain that she had now lost that special friendship forever. It would never be the same for her and Mary Margaret when she was really Snow, and while she may love her parents dearly now, and had made more peace with their decision to make her a savior instead of a stable and securely loved little girl, it still inflicted so much pain on her and let a little more darkness creep into her heart.

When she’d made the choice to be back in Henry’s life again, she promised herself and her son that she would never do the same. She wouldn’t leave him, not when he deserved her love front and center in his life. But here she was going back on that promise. She didn’t want to leave, but she was barely even here anymore. The darkness had overtaken her. In one last show of strength, she opened her eyes and saw something that broke through the mind-numbing pain of this evil torture – Henry was out there, holding onto Killian and looking on in horror at her being consumed by this.

The tears rained down Henry’s face and she could see him yelling for her, but she couldn’t hear it. The whip of the magic’s winds was too strong. She realized he was actually trying to break through to get to her, but it was Killian holding him back. Looking to her pirate, Emma saw the pain in his gaze, as well as the determination. Determination to keep her son safe even though his own instincts must be screaming at him to try and help her too. God how she loved him. She only wished she’d been brave enough to tell him sooner.

Hold onto the love, Emma, a voice said to her, one that was vaguely familiar but certainly not hers. She did as it said, thinking of the possibilities for her and for Killian. In admitting her feelings, she had opened the door to wanting so much more. She could see things that she never imagined would ever come to pass – a real relationship with dating and affection, a marriage, a family. It was all so picturesque, and yes, it was what she would call a happily ever after, but at the heart of it all there would be one basic ingredient – true and everlasting love.

As if the thought alone sparked something, Emma felt the dark magic flinch. Curious, she continued her test. Finding strength from within, she spoke aloud, finding a command in her tone she never expected. “I love Killian and that love is true. Nothing this darkness does is ever going to change that.”

As if she’d whispered out a spell, magic burst forth, this time in her own familiar shade of bright golden white. It was small at first, but it created a barrier around her, letting her breathe in deeply and recenter herself. She was in awe at the display of power here, amazed that she was able to put up any kind of fight, so she kept going, knowing she’d never forgive herself if she didn’t try.

“I love my parents and my son so much more than I ever thought I could. I used to be afraid to care so much, but I’m not afraid anymore. Not with Henry. Not with my family.”

Again, the magic grew brighter and this time it began to merge with the darkness, touching the blackness that was trying to destroy her and neutralizing it. The color shifted from midnight to onyx, from cobalt to lighter gray, then the darkness was nothing more than a silvery shimmer. Slowly her lighter magic worked through the attacking succubus, and though there was a sound in the air crying out like a wounded animal, Emma knew it was the dying of darkness that was making that cry. The threat, miraculously, was fading, and it was love, and her, that made it possible.

“And most importantly, I can love and accept love because I learned to love myself. I didn’t know that was possible, but now I know that real love, true loves, require that. Because I love myself, I let love guide me. Because I love myself, nothing can hurt me.”

That was it, the last of the darkness was extinguished and the dark one’s dagger fell to the ground, no name etched in its blade any longer. Then they all watched as Emma’s light magic burst forward in a glorious gust, washing out over all of them and beyond. Emma felt it extending to the outer limits of Storybrooke. Her magic had created a layer of protection, a spell made to safeguard all the people she loved. She only had a few seconds to appreciate that, and then she felt Henry lurching towards her in a back breaking hug filled with relief.

“Mom, you did it! You destroyed the darkness, and you saved us all.”

“You think it’s really gone?” Snow asked and Regina and Emma replied at the same time with a resounding “Yes.”

“There’s nothing left of it,” Regina said, flicking her fingers towards the air and pushing her own magic out to test the waters. It’s just…gone.”

“But how?” Killian asked, still standing at somewhat of a distance, his shock so palpable it had frozen him in place.

Emma could see his resistance to believe that this had all concluded this way. He knew the moment she stepped forward the choice she was making in sacrificing herself. She was supposed to leave, supposed to be lost. They were going to be separated through time and space and whatever other fresh hell the Dark One had in store, but here she was, still alive and still very much in one piece. Instinctively she moved towards him, wrapping him up in a hug and loving the feeling when he held her close. They became each other’s anchors to this miraculous moment, and despite the exertion of what had just happened, she felt energized and ready.

“I don’t understand,” Killian murmured, looking into her eyes once more and shaking his head. His hook came to push a strand of her wayward hair back as he gazed at her in wonder. “Merlin was supposed to be the answer. The Apprentice was clear. How did you do it?”

“Love,” Emma said with a smile before rolling her eyes at herself and letting out a groan. God that sounded so freaking cheesy and even if she was eternally grateful for the magic in their love, it was still too much for her to really stomach. “Wow, that sounds corny, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t think it sounds ‘corny’ at all,” her mother said with a bit of huffiness, defensive of the true love status she and David had.

“So in the end all it took was true love’s kiss?” Regina asked, shaking her head as Robin pulled her in his arms and whispered in her ear to be nice. She laughed and then softened her commentary. “I mean don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to be done with this, but we had plenty of that to spare. You think someone might have mentioned it.”

“I don’t think it was that simple,” Emma said, explaining what had happened to her inside that force field. She explained that Killian and Henry and the others were her tethers, but the magic was only complete when she believed in herself.

“You were right then, Swan,” Killian said, holding her hand tightly. “It had to be you. No one else could have handled that as you did.”

“Well except Merlin,” Henry said with a shrug. “But you know what, I bet it was never even about Merlin in the first place.”

“You think?” Emma asked, intrigued and Henry nodded.

“Yeah. I mean every time heroes get sent on a quest it’s about learning a lesson, right?” They all nodded. “And every time anything happens in Storybrooke it’s all of us who have to fix the problem starting with ourselves. The answers are in us the whole time. Especially you, Mom.”

“You know what, kid, I think you may be right.”

“Well you know what that means,” Henry said though no one hazarded a guess. “Since we saved the day we get to celebrate. Cocoa at Granny’s. I’m paying.” Emma looked at Henry quizzically, silently asking where he would have gotten that kind of money. Henry only laughed. “Okay, actually Grandpa’s paying.”

“Works for me,” her Dad agreed, clapping Henry on the shoulder affectionately. From there everyone headed towards the diner, but Emma and Killian lingered a moment more.

“So, it’s really behind us then?” Killian asked.

“Yes, it’s behind us. Can’t promise how long it’ll stay calm and collected here – we haven’t got a great track record in that department – but the Dark One is done. That much I know.”

“And what you said earlier…” Killian couldn’t bring himself to ask the words aloud so Emma moved in closer, running her hand against his jaw and offering him a smile.

“I meant it, Killian, and I am not taking it back. I love you. I really, truly do.”

“Thank the Gods for that, love.”

And with that the two of them kissed, sharing a moment of sheer pleasure and joy. They had averted a crisis and they still had the chance to make this thing between them work. This was a new day for the two of them, and the start of something Emma was eager and a little anxious to explore further.

At the corner of her mind she heard something. Like the sizzle of pancakes on a griddle, or the popping of air in a bubbly drink. She and Killian broke apart, and there it was – that rainbow tinted magic she’d only seen a few times before.

“True love’s kiss,” she whispered, and then the two of them watched as the dagger that once was deteriorated before their eyes. Soon it was nothing more than ash, and as it blew away in the breeze the magic of their embrace rid it from the world entirely.

“Finally,” Killian said, as if he’d been waiting for them to share such a moment forever.

“Been waiting on that have you?” she joked and he looked properly chastised before letting his boyish grin go free.

“Perhaps. Though can you really blame me, Swan? In this town it’s practically a right of passage. Your father and mother certainly talk of little else, and since there is no way anyone loves their partners more than I love you, I just thought –,”

Before he could ramble on about his competitive pirate nature, Emma pulled him by the collar down for another kiss. That successfully silenced him and distracted them both, grounding them in how lucky they were to have this and to have each other.  And though they couldn’t steal more than a few more moments together before rejoining the others, Emma knew that they had so much more to live together. For in choosing love, she’d cemented their future, and that future was looking bright, and hopeful, and so much happier than she ever could have dreamed.

……………

Noises from the window Flashes from the street Tired in the backseat And nothing could hurt me Surrounded by the talking Swallowed by the rain Sleeping in the backseat I know that nothing could hurt me It was a long time ago I'm far away but feel like home We're all awake in stereo Keeping the moving ground aglow And nothing can hurt me Yeah, nothing can hurt me I know that nothing can hurt me Yeah, nothing can hurt me I can see you with my eyes shut It flickers past me now Listen to distant chatter I know that everything's alright It was a long time ago I'm far away but feel like home We're all awake in stereo Keeping the moving ground aglow And nothing can hurt me Yeah, nothing can hurt me I know that nothing can hurt me Yeah, nothing can hurt me Nothing that they'd ever do Could never dim any light from the view And any gravel that gets in my way Could never break me apart anyway

Post-Note: So there we have it. I know some of you may be wondering why I felt the need to rewrite this scene, when it brought us to all of the season 5 storylines, but to be honest, I had a very difficult time with this episode when it first aired for two reasons. The first was that yet again Emma was sacrificing herself for everyone, and she just couldn’t have a happy moment. I literally watched the show for Emma. Yes, also for CS, but mostly for Emma herself and as an Emma stan it was just brutal to watch her get the short end of the stick every damn time. But more than that, the written dialogue in the original scene has Emma sacrifice herself in Regina’s place because Regina, ‘worked too hard for her happy ending.’ I always thought that was kind of ridiculous, and I liked Regina as a character. It just wasn’t really true in my estimation. I felt like Emma had worked much harder and had been so much kinder to people, overcoming trauma that was really bad and which made her so guarded and always made her second guess her own worth. But she was still forced to just continuously sacrifice herself and to undermine her own growth for the sake of Regina’s getting some other-character endorsement. I don’t know, like I said, complicated, and many of you may not agree. But I hope you’ll all read this as what it is – an attempt to give EVERYONE a fluffier, nicer outcome. Anyway, thanks so much for reading and see you all next time!

The Captain Swan Mixtape oneshot series:

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9,Part 10,Part 11, Part 12,Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24,Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31,Part 32, Part 33, Part 34, Part 35, Part 36, Part 37, Part 38,Part 39,Part 40, Part 41, Part 42, Part 43, Part 44, Part 45,Part 46,Part 47, Part 48, Part 49, Part 50, Part 51, Part 52, Part 53,Part 54,Part 55, Part 56, Part 57, Part 58, Part 59, Part 60,Part 61,Part 62, Part 63, Part 64, Part 65, Part 66, Part 67, Part 68,Part 69,Part 70, Part 71, Part 72, Part 73, Part 74, Part 75,Part 76,Part 77, Part 78, Part 79, Part 80, Part 81, Part 82, Part 83,Part 84,Part 85, Part 86, Part 87, Part 88, Part 89, Part 90,Part 91,Part 92, Part 93, Part 94, Part 95, Part 96, Part 97, Part 98,Part 99,Part 100, Part 101, Part 102, Part 103,Part 104, Part 105,Part 106, Part 107,Part 108, Part 109, Part 110,Part 111, Part 112,Part 113, Part 114, Part 115,Part 116, Part 117, Part 118,Part 119,Part 120, Part 121, Part 122, Part 123,Part 124, Part 125,Part 126, Part 127, Part 128,Part 129,Part 130, Part 131,Part 132,Part 133, Part 134, Part 135, Part 136, Part 137, Part 138,Part 139,Part 140, Part 141, Part 142, Part 143, Part 144, Part 145,Part 146, Part 147, Part 148,Part 149, Part 150, Part 151,Part 152, Part 153, Part 154, Part 155, Part 156, Part 157, Part 158,Part 159, Part 160, Part 161, Part 162, Part 163, Part 164,Part 165, Part 166, Part 167, Part 168, Part 169, Part 170,Part 171,Part 172, Part 173, Part 174, Part 175, Part 176,Part 177, Part 178, Part 179 , Part 180, Part 181, Part 182, Part 183, Part 184, Part 185, Part 186, Part 187, Part 188, Part 189, Part 190, Part 191, Part 192, Part 193, Part 194

[welllpthisishappening]

Like My Mirror Years Ago

Hey, hi there, that gif doesn’t really have anything to do with the story! So, a couple days ago @shireness-says​ sent me this post and was like, “You know what you should do? Write some domestic Enchanted Forest with Killian unlacing Emma’s dress.” And I was like, “Yes, this seems like a good idea.” Only then, I didn’t write it. As I am apt to do. Instead here is some season 5A Camelot divergence set at some point between 5x02 and 5x04 with a conversation I have wanted to write forever, but didn’t originally plan on writing until I started typing it yesterday. And we do get to the unlacing, but first: angst in the form of nearly 5.3K. 

Also, it should be known that the Google doc title of this was [Insert Hozier Lyrics Here] so if you’re looking for a soundtrack. 

————

She knows the exact moment. 

As soon as his breathing shifts ever so slightly, a hint quicker than it is when he’s actually asleep and, if nothing else, Emma supposes his inherent inability to lie is something of a victory. To her. Specifically. Or them. Collectively. Or that pesky future that feels as if it’s begun to drape itself across her shoulders. 

That might explain the near-constant ache between her shoulder blades. 

She resolutely refuses to accept any other reasons. 

“You suck at that, you know,” she murmurs, not taking her eyes away from the piece of curved wood in her hands. Killian scoffs, and she doesn’t have to turn to know when he props himself up on his elbows either. 

The creaking mattress helps. 

Everything creaks a little in Camelot, another metaphor Emma isn’t particularly inclined to spend too long thinking about, but she’s got the growing suspicion that most of this kingdom is prone to making noise. As if it’s shattering right in front of her, tiny cracks that she’s not able to prevent, but that also might just be a commentary on her sanity at this point and—

She’s holding her breath. 

Letting it out in a huff she tries very hard to make quiet, Emma knows she fails. Spectacularly. Another sweeping commentary. 

“Unparalleled observational skills,” Killian says. With a smile. Smirk, probably. Emma still doesn’t bother looking, can hear the inflection in his voice and already knows how forced the even tone is. Seeing the inevitable arch of his eyebrow will only make it worse. 

“Get me in a crow’s nest or something.” “What do you know about crow’s nests?” She shrugs, fingers still moving and the buzzing under her skin hasn’t ebbed much since she started, but there was something almost oddly peaceful about the pattern of Killian’s breathing when he was asleep. 

In and out. Over and over. Simple and easy and consistent. Steady, even. Something about the tides or another nautical joke Emma isn’t willing to make. 

The mattress creaks again.

As do the floorboards. 

And she doesn’t shudder when his hand lands on her shoulder. She doesn’t stop this twisted arts and crafts project, either. She leans back, though — another passing victory and momentary return to normal, relishing the solid feel of his chest behind her. 

Killian takes a deep breath. 

“How long have I been asleep?” “Not long,” Emma replies, and one of the muscles in her neck isn’t all that appreciative of the current twist it’s in. She doesn’t move, feels as if it’d be admitting to something far bigger and she can’t imagine how he’s still so warm. 

Like magic. 

Not at all like magic. At least not the kind she’s used to now.

“Awfully vague,” he mutters. Accusation doesn’t particularly hang from the letters, but Emma hears it all the same. Can see it in the way Killian’s fingers tighten ever so slightly, like he’s trying to hold onto more than just her and her tension-filled shoulder blades, and he’d never unbuckled his sword. 

Or taken his hook off. 

He always took his hook off. Before. When they were—

Safe, Emma supposes. Emma supposes they aren’t that anymore. 

“There was no point in you staying up just so you could stare at me with those sad puppy dog eyes and all of that palpable concern.” His fingers loosen. For the best, probably. Since it appears the laces of Emma’s latest Camelot-provided gown, which she hasn’t bothered taking off, are tightening. Enough to threaten several of her internal organs. 

Laughter echoes softly around them. 

Her. 

Only her. 

Reaching for another string that she’s only a little worried she’ll snap before she can use, Emma barely moves her arm before there’s metal around her wrist, and anger runs red-hot down her spine. She snaps her head around quickly enough to do damage to several other neck muscles, but Killian hardly flinches at her expression. 

He lifts both eyebrows, instead. 

So, there’s something to be said for a change of pace. 

“We’ve a variety of things we can talk about,” Killian says, more forced lightness that grates on every one of Emma’s nerves, “Although I’ll admit I’m always partial to discussing the fascinating colloquialisms you’re in possession of.” “Can I possess the language?” “The knowledge of it’s—what’s the word? Slang?” Emma rolls her eyes. “That, at least.” “Oh, yeah, I'm the smartest person around.” “In this realm, certainly.”

Emma snorts, not any real humor in the sound, but her lungs work a hint better once Killian pulls his hook away from her. Licking her lips, she spins and neither one of them mention how close she comes to kicking him in a variety of potentially painful locations when she tugs her legs towards her chest. 

His lips twitch as soon as she rests her chin on her knees. 

There’s an absurd amount of fabric involved in this dress. 

“What do a dog’s eyes have to do with the overall force of my worry?” Killian asks, and it’s not exactly funny. Just like whatever noise Emma makes isn’t exactly a laugh. Not when it scratches at the sides of her throat, and the tip of her tongue and honestly screw Camelot. 

No ChapStick in other realms. 

She keeps twisting her lower lip between her teeth. 

“You shouldn't have let me fall asleep.” Her current eye roll rate is going to give Emma a migraine. Maybe Dark Ones can’t get migraines. That’d be something at least. “There really wasn’t any reason for you to be awake,” Emma says. “And I—” Killian tilts his head when she cuts herself off, something stupid like open book and knowing her and they might both be horrible liars. “I know you’re worried.” “Seems a given in this situation, don’t you think?” Another shrug. No eye roll, though. Small victories and whatnot. 

And Killian has to readjust his sword to crouch in front of her. Emma very nearly laughs again. Or cries. She’s having trouble distinguishing emotions at this point. 

God, but she’s exhausted. 

Metal finds her wrist again, cool on her skin, but Emma’s mind barely has a chance to recognize temperature before she’s wholly preoccupied with Killian’s ability to cover both her hands with one of his. It opens up some fairly romantic ideas, all of them fluttering around her skull and under that same magic-prone skin, a slightly different energy that makes her feel light and heavy and—

Her neck gives up. 

Leaves her head falling forward and crashing against Killian’s and he still doesn’t flinch. Even as he exhales again, air brushing Emma’s cheeks and the edges of her lips and she could come up with several better ways to use those lips. Something stops her. 

Quite possibly the laughter. 

That only she can hear. 

“You’ll give yourself a coronary.” “Sounds unpleasant.” Emma doesn’t smile. Quite honestly, she’s not sure the muscles in her face are capable of doing that anymore. Still, something in the center of her flutters traitorously at what might be the most twisted instance of flirting they’ve had in their relationship. 

Although there was that sword fight. And handcuffing him to the hospital bed. And him unlocking himself from the hospital bed. The Jello thing, too. 

Emma figures that all counts as pre-relationship. 

“I can’t imagine it would be,” she agrees. “But, uh—” “—Oh, if you say what I think you’re about to say, I will be very frustrated.”

It’s her turn to lift her eyebrows. “Will you just?” “I understand why Regina asked you to do what she did,” Killian starts, and it’s not the last thing Emma expects to hear, but it’s at least somewhere at the bottom of a list she hasn’t made yet. “And I understand even better why you did it. I also—” “—God, how much is there?” He nips at her nose, more out of place flirting that soothes some of...her, really. “This is it, I promise. I understand what it would be to feel that sort of desperation for someone you love. To be terrified of what will happen if you don’t act. Don’t do whatever you can. To fix all of it.”

Her throat collapses. 

Her lungs disappear. 

And there’s no more disembodied laughter, but the silence that stretches in the minimal space between them is almost worse, thick with unspoken meaning and heavy-handed allusions and Emma’s fingers are moving again. Before she’s entirely rationalized it. Brushing away strands of hair that’s almost getting too long, Killian’s eyes flutter closed at her touch. 

“That’s not your job,” Emma whispers. 

“Isn’t it, though?” “Falling asleep is not a failure, babe.” He scoffs, a quick click of his teeth and Emma hasn’t moved her fingers. He leans into her hand. “And yet here we are. At an impasse, of sorts.” “I thought we were having a conversation.”

“Not a very focused one.” “Ah, well you’re tired.” “And you’re a very good distraction,” Killian argues, not the insult Emma briefly hears it as. Even so, something almost like fear ripples across her skin. Latches onto the base of her skull and whatever neurons are clearly unstable and irrational and it only takes him a few moments to realize his mistake. 

“I know that’s not what you meant.” He hums, nosing at the inside of her wrist. “What are these things you’re making, exactly?” “Dreamcatchers.” “Sounds nefarious.” “No, no, the opposite, actually. Legend said—well, God, it’s kind of shitty that I’m making them, actually. But, um...they’re supposed to keep nightmares away.” “Is it working?” “I’m not the one asleep,” Emma points out. “And repeating my question seems redundant.” Sticking her tongue out is quite possibly the least mature thing Emma could possibly do — particularly when she’s at least seventy-two percent positive the churning in her stomach is actually magic, but she does it all the same. If only to ensure that Killian’s lips move again. 

She might be staring at his lips. 

Might be is another very bad lie. 

“Now you’re just trying to make me swoon with your own knowledge of the language,” she mumbles. “How’s it working?” “Better than it should.”

His lips move. Directly towards hers. Only to deviate at the last possible second, and Emma isn’t totally disappointed by that. Killian kisses the edge of her mouth. The curve of her chin. The bridge of her nose. Directly between her very pinched eyebrows. 

“You know, I thought you were dead.” Strictly speaking, Emma has no idea where that particular string of words came from. The depths of her soul, probably. Some dark — or darker — corner where that very specific terror lingers. The way she swore her heart stopped, and breathing was secondary and part of her might resent him. 

For making a joke of it. 

“That wasn’t a real reality, love,” Killian breathes, and Emma can’t imagine how his knees are dealing with any of this. He’s ancient, he can’t have the best joints. In this realm or any other. 

“Still happened, though.” “Aye, it did. And I’d—” “—Nope,” Emma interrupts, lips popping on the word like that will turn it into some kind of decree. Technically, she’s a princess. It should work like that. “I absolutely do not care. At all. Like, at all. I stood there and watched you die and—” Crying is apparently something she’s not capable of doing anymore either, and that’s not the worst thing that’s ever happened to her, but it does leave her blinking faster than she’d like and she’ll have to come up with another colloquialism for the look on Killian’s face. 

Abject devotion seems a little over the top. 

“This is my fault.” Killian blinks. More than once. “How the hell did you get to that conclusion?” “You died, babe. I—I stood there and watched, and it was...it was you, but it wasn’t you and it didn’t even matter because it’s always been you and—” She’s rambling. Words spill out of Emma without her explicit permission, which seems kind of unfair all things considered. Nearly absolute power should allow her to be a better conversationalist than this. 

The more things change, or whatever the saying is. 

“The point is, we found Regina after that. Henry and I and...she wasn’t going to do anything. Was going to let Robin marry Zelena. But I—well, I told her that I’d just—” He doesn’t look away from her. Emma isn’t sure if that’s good or bad, far too much blue in his gaze even as the candles around them burn to the base of their wicks. She licks her lips again. Still chapped. “I told her that love was a part of all happiness. That...that she had to fight for it because I’d just—” “—Watched me die?” “Not as much fun when you interrupt me.” He makes a noise, a low rumble that tickles Emma’s cheek. “Apologies, my lady.” “You think you’re very clever.” “I think you’re the most incredible lass—” “—Oh, call me lass one more time and see how that works out for you.” “It’s a compliment,” Killian mutters, almost entirely into her skin and the few strands of hair that have come loose. “And you’re being rather distracting again.”

“Still waiting on the compliment parts of this, honestly.” He finally stands up, both of his knees cracking in the process. And Emma hardly opens her mouth to make some sort of misplaced joke about that before Killian is shaking his head and tugging her out of her chair and they don’t lay down on Camelot’s noisiest mattress. 

They sit on the edge. Thighs pressed together and Emma’s fingers gripping his hook like some kind of lifeline, which it very well may be because they should have talked about this before, but there wasn’t time before and— “I love you.” Full-body shock, Emma finds rather quickly, is not nearly as uncomfortable as she assumed it would be. She’s imagined this going a lot of ways, loathe as she may be to ever admit such a thing. Most of the time they’re tangled in very soft sheets, or tucked into the questionably comfortable cot in the captain’s quarters of the Jolly, his fingers in her hair and that one specific smile that she’s only ever seen directed at her. 

Not once has she imagined it like this. 

Stuck in a different realm with a king that does not live up to the legend and something about the air in Camelot reminds Emma of Boston Harbor in the summer. 

Salty and a little stale. 

Her mouth goes dry and her pulse noticeably slows, turning her head to gape at him. That’s not romantic. That’s insane. This whole thing is absolutely and entirely insane and she can’t quite come to terms with the precise way he glances up at her. 

From underneath those stupid eyelashes, that are both kind of dreamy and even more offensive and Emma doesn’t object when he pulls both her hands up. So he can kiss the bend of her knuckles. Like some goddamn pirate prince. 

That helps a little bit, actually. 

“What?” “I love you,” Killian repeats. “In a variety of different realities, it seems.” “No.” “No?” “No,” Emma echoes, resisting the very real urge to jump up and start pacing. Possibly cast a few spells. That’s the crux of her problem, though. So she does the only reasonable thing. Stays frustrating still and yells at her boyfriend. 

Who doesn’t seem all that put out by this turn of events. 

“Where do you think I should start?” “I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about,” Emma admits with a snarl. “I...there is no way that deckhand version—” “—Oh, that’s also a little insulting.” “You’re telling me that you were in love with me in a fake reality?” Killian shrugs. It’s absurd as when Emma did it. “I’d hardly die for anyone, darling.” “Really way too confident in your ability to—” “—Ensure swooning?” “I will kick you,” Emma warns, but the sentiment lacks any real threat and she’d like to hear him say it several times over again. The I love you part, not necessarily guarantees of swooning. 

“Please don’t do that.” “I’d have to stand up.” “Aye,” Killian laughs, “that is true. Although we are deviating just a tad now.” “From?” “How much I understand.” “Overblown confidence.” Tangling their fingers together doesn’t do much to help the state of Emma’s shoulders, but Killian’s hand is so warm and he’s so warm and, shoulder notwithstanding, every inch of Emma wants to curl against him and close her eyes and let him proclaim every ridiculous thought that has ever crossed his mind. 

Regarding her. Specifically. And them. Collectively. 

“An appropriate amount of confidence,” he corrects. “In regards to you, at least. Because it wasn’t the right reality, but...finding you, believing Henry, knowing that you could save all of us, that made sense to me. In a world where not much else did. That’s been the case from the very start, in fact.” She doesn’t reply. Knows she should, should say something else that proclaims a whole variety of things Emma isn’t sure she can follow through on, but her mind has already started to drift, eyes moving back towards the window and the dreamcatchers there and—

“Don’t you know, Emma? It’s you.”

“Happily ever after,” she sighs. 

Killian squeezes her fingers. “A work in progress. But the fact remains that I am wholly,” he kisses the back of her palm, “irrevocably,” the side of her wrist, “completely,” her tattoo, “in love with you. And if you are going to believe anything, then I need you to believe that.” “Need?” “With my entire heart, Swan.” “Oh, that was good, actually.” He doesn’t pull away from her hand. Just looks back up at her, and Emma isn’t sure if she’s blushing or simply burning from the inside out, but both options seem feasible at this point. “She was desperate here because I told her she should be,” Emma says, “Regina, I mean.” “That wasn’t your fault. Love has a tendency to—” “—Make you desperate.” “And that wasn’t a question.” Emma makes a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat, more scratches and marks that she knows are far more metaphorical than literal and she should probably say something back. To Killian. About loving him. 

Saying it under duress likely doesn’t count. 

She meant it, though. And in the alternate reality. And every time she thought it before that. 

She’s thought about it quite a bit. 

“Suppose it didn’t have to be,” Killian muses, dropping his head to press a kiss against Emma’s neck. No goosebumps, that time. “I’m sorry that you didn’t know before.” “Ah, I kind of did.” “Still. It’s—” Pulling back is also at the bottom of that list Emma hasn’t made, but it isn’t often that she hears him quite so tongue-tied and there’s something oddly endearing about the red at the tips of his ears. “It’s something you should hear, as often as possible.”

“You’re on a roll.” “I’m serious.” “I know,” Emma nods, “and I—you know, for like a solid half second I was totally pissed at you when you showed up in the loft.” “What? Why?” “Making jokes.” To his credit, Killian does look more than a little scandalized. Wide eyes meet Emma’s, and his skin is paler than it was a few seconds before, but that might also have to do with the candles and their inability to burn for an entire night. 

“I’m sorry,” he repeats. “I can only tell you I know so many times before it starts getting annoying, I just—I’m not entirely sure what I would have done if it was true. Torn the world apart, probably.” She’s not surprised by the sincerity in her voice. Conviction and another promise that seems to rattle the windows and Emma’s bones in equal measure. Killian’s eyes don’t return to their proper size. 

“If you’re not careful, Your Highness,” he says, “I'll be the one swooning soon.” He catches her before she can swat at his chest. 

“Idiot.” “Less so now, maybe. But I understand the sentiment. When you were—Gods, it’s entirely unfair to do it like this, isn’t it?”

“This?” He rolls his eyes that time. Emma appreciates the symmetry. “Despite assurances otherwise, I’m not a fool, Swan. I knew you wanted to say something in your parent’s loft and I remembered some of that alternate reality. But then, as always, another disaster. Another problem. Another reason for you to sacrifice yourself. And then words I’d waited to hear for far longer than I’d care to admit, but you were gone and it was—” Killian grits his teeth, a muscle jumping in his jaw, and Emma is an idiot. The biggest idiot. Supreme idiot. She should have realized. “Like a nightmare come true,” he breathes. “Staring at the spot where you were, like I could will you back. Like I could tell you how I loved you more than anything else. No matter what else would happen.”

Lunge is not the best word, but at some point Emma lost any previous control she had over the English language and she’s far too busy relishing Killian’s gasp of surprise when her mouth all but slams against his to be worried about anything else. 

She tilts her head. Closes her eyes. Forgets to breathe. Emma forces herself into this moment and this feeling, lets it wrap around her and sink under her skin until it times up with the beat of her pulse and—

The magic in her veins shifts. Rushing from the top of her head to the back of her heels, the kind of power that leaves her dizzy and overwhelmed and greedy for more. 

Killian’s tongue traces the seam of her lips. 

“They don’t want my help.” “With?” Killian asks, not bothering to pull away from her. Emma’s grip on the back of his hair probably doesn’t help much. “Getting Merlin out of the fucking tree.” “Ah.” “Sound more surprised next time. Have they been talking to you about this?” “Not as such, no. It does not appear that I am part of the inner-Camelot circle.” “Is there one?” “Eh,” he grunts. Disentangling their limbs isn’t all that easy, but it does end with Emma flush against Killian’s side and she supposes beggars can’t be magical choosers. “It seems as if your father is rather taken with having another royal in his midst. Can’t have a notorious pirate captain join them on their perilous quest.” “And how exactly does this notorious pirate captain know about such a quest?”

Suggesting that his eyes actually sparkle at her is entirely absurd and inherently fairy tale, and Emma could not begin to care less. 

She can’t hear anything but Killian’s answering laugh. “I’m afraid that’s a rather closely guarded secret, my love.” “Oh, that’s absolutely—” Emma nearly bites her tongue in half. Because it’s not a huge change. Might not even be a change at all, but she latches onto it all the same and the ends of Killian’s lips quirk up. She’s got to find something else to stare at. “Is it super selfish to be glad you’re not going on some perilous quest?”

He shakes his head. It makes the ends of his hair shift, threatening to brush over eyebrows that are far too expressive. “Possibly, but I also can’t help to be anything except glad that you aren’t using more of your magic. I suppose we’re on even ground.” “Not the worst ground to be on.” “No,” Killian agrees, and that’s a strange way to do that. “It’s not. Let Her Majesty work out Merlin’s riddle, she’s got Belle doing research. That’s more help than she deserves.” “High praise. Just,” Emma huffs, “I hate sitting here. There’s too much—” “—Magic?” “Sounds shitty like that.” “Sounds understandable like that. And while I understand what Regina asked of you at the ball, using that power is dangerous.” “I know that,” Emma sneers.

Killian still doesn’t flinch. “I’m not suggesting otherwise, all I’m saying is that we are all here to help, Swan. Some more than others.” “You?” It’s another memory. Another moment her mind has conjured up, a string that connects her to the past and the present and his goddamn eyebrows, Killian staring at her with something that feels like longing and even more like—

Dedication, maybe. Love, definitely. 

Emma’s not sure she’s ever been looked at like that. 

It’s the worst lie she’s told herself yet. 

“Me,” Killian says, and there’s no room for doubt between either one of the letters. “How’d you learn to make the dreamcatchers?” “There was no magic involved if that’s what you’re getting at.” “I wasn’t, in fact.” “No?” He shakes his head. Kisses her forehead. “No.”

And Emma doesn’t deflate, so much as she sags against him. Some of the fight leaves her, pleasantly surprised to find that it also doesn’t leave her feeling hollow. Rather like there’s space for something new there, possibility and potential and her fingers curl themselves into the charms hanging over his shirt. 

Another metaphorical anchor and cool metal, helping to temper the myriad of emotions twisting between her ribs. 

“I didn’t really learn,” she admits, “just kind of remade them from memory and the supplies Guinevere agreed to give me. Should have seen the first one, it looked like garbage.” Chuckling into her hair, Killian’s hand dances across Emma’s back, grazing the laces she’d almost forgotten about. “You think we’ll ever get to go to a ball on our own terms?” “You mean without time travel or Arthur the worthless king involved?” “It’s a good name.”

“You flatter me,” Killian grins, and Emma doesn’t double check that time either. It’s easy to hear. “And I certainly hope so. I have quite a number of thoughts about you and gowns.” “That so? How many thoughts are we talking?” “Vast.” “That’s not very specific. And I don’t know, babe. As nice as the dancing is, getting dressed for balls is kind of overrated. Half a dozen lady’s maids showed up to tie the laces for me and my mom and then they came back to stuff a gazillion pins into my hair.” “Gazillion also sounds rather vast.” Emma’s eye roll gets her yet another smirk, so she figures that’s a fair trade even if there does end up being a migraine involved eventually. “Did you not think about magic’ing the laces loose?” He says it soft enough that Emma can barely hear him — half concern and even more trepidation, crossing a line that hadn’t been there before and shouldn’t remain there now and she shakes her head. “Didn’t even consider it, honestly. Just kinda resigned myself to a crushed spleen, I guess.”

“Sounds painful.”

The metaphors are stupid now. They should go back to declarations and unfounded promises that Emma wants desperately and she’s not entirely prepared for the first tap of Killian’s finger. 

Or for him to mutter, “Turn around for me, love.”

She does. Despite the confusion and the flutter of butterfly wings that have suddenly appeared in her stomach, Emma does as instructed. Something — someone — chafes at that, hackles rising and defenses lifting, and her nails dig deep enough into her palm that they leave tiny crescent shaped marks in their wake. 

“No need to get anyone else to help,” Killian says, “when I’m perfectly capable.” Emma must nod. Her neck moves, so that must mean she nods. Speaking however, seems impossible at the moment. When her tongue is taking up too much space in her mouth and the butterflies are threatening to surge out of her and it really is easier to breathe when the laces aren’t quite that tight. 

Killian makes quick work of it all. At least Emma assumes, still twisted away from him and staring at the mess she’d left on the desk. She’s not sure why there’s a desk in this room. 

“Should I be jealous of your talents in this particular area?” He laughs, kissing the side of her neck again. “Part of me finds that very appealing, actually.” “Which part is that?” “The bastard who wouldn’t mind you claiming me entirely as your own.” “Not into that possessive kind of stuff.” “Ah, it wouldn’t be much of a fight,” Killian argues, and Emma’s breath shudders out of her. In a distinctly swoon-like manner. “I think I’d rather willingly surrender.”

“You’re avoiding the question.” “Aye, I suppose I am.” He kisses her again. Emma hopes it helps. “Milah used to—she had these outfits. Full of laces and buckles and there weren’t any lady’s maids on board the Jolly. It became something of a routine. Dressing in the morning, getting on deck, picking a heading. Anywhere and everywhere, right at the tips of our fingers. But it was a bit easier, then.” Emma’s muscles are never going to recover from this conversation. She turns anyway, straining her neck to meet his gaze and barely-there smile and it doesn’t take her long to figure that out either. “You’re resourceful,” she says, “I bet you’d even be able to figure out how to lace me back up.” “Suggests you’ll be here in the morning.” “Quite a royal scandal, sharing a boudoir with a notorious pirate captain.”

Killian’s smile stretches. Not by much, but enough and, for now, that’s enough. “I love you.”

He’s waiting, Emma can tell. For the response. The answer. The words that she swears are going to snap her tongue in half, weighing it down as they are. 

She doesn’t say anything. 

Pulling in a deep breath, she moves her hands instead and shimmies until the gown she only sort of likes pools around her waist, leaving her in nothing but a slip. And magic, the kind that hangs in the shadows and festers in the corners of her soul. 

Emma wraps her fingers around the brace at Killian’s arms. Buckles and leather, some of it a slightly different color than the rest from years of use and magic of a different kind and she’s only a little worried she’s inadvertently frozen him there. 

Until his eyes shift, tracing over her face with that same reverence that she’s come to covet in the exact possessive way she’d always wanted to avoid. 

Bastard, indeed. 

“Your turn,” Emma says, and her voice doesn’t crack. Another victory. 

Killian doesn’t object either. Lets her flick and flip and tug, as lightly as she possibly can, twisting the hook off eventually. That last part seems like overkill, but Emma’s always enjoyed the way it clicks off — almost as if she’s flipping a switch on some other part of her, giving into the vulnerability she can see in Killian’s eyes and she’s going to fix all of this. If only to avoid her melodramatic commentary. 

“Come on,” she mumbles, tugging him down next to her as she shoves off the rest of her gown. These sheets aren’t as soft, unfamiliar when Emma pulls them over both of them, but Killian’s arm curls around her waist all the same and her cheek always fits very well against the crook of his neck. 

He flinches. “What? That’s—are you—” “Fine,” Killian cuts in. “Just tickles, is all. When you exhale so dramatically.” “God.” “Close your eyes, love.” “I’m not going to—” “—I know, but you can still stay here. With me.” There’s more to those words too. Fraught with hope and even more want, and Emma can’t ever remember wanting this as badly as she does now. So she doesn’t move. She doesn’t close her eyes, either. But she stays still, listens to the steady in and out of Killian’s breathing and—

Laughter. 

Creeping across the floor and inching up the stone walls, circling either one of Emma’s ankles until it slams into her chest and takes root. She shifts — not quickly, but determined, careful not to wake Killian as she avoids the other face she knows is hidden just out of sight. 

Magic makes her fingers itch. Makes her skin crawl. Anticipation clings to each of her vertebrae. 

With her gown still on the floor, and a pirate she knows would tear the world apart for her still asleep, she sits back down at the table and starts again, anxious to catch the nightmares before they can linger for too long. 

[decadentenemyturtle]

The Great Unknown

Part 24

Pairing: Thorin x Reader, mentioned Robin Hood x Regina Mills

Words: 4022

Warnings: Mention of murder, dead people, bad language.

Crossover of The Hobit and Once Upon a Time!

All the parts of The Great Unknown!

You ran silently towards burning Laketown, your heart in your stomach. There was no sight of Smaug anywhere, and the two elves had confirmed that they didn't see or hear any big animal, or creature for the matter, in the sky that could have lit the town on fire. So, either the dragon was already dead, or the town had been set on fire by someone else. But who had done it exactly was still unsure for the trio.

The last twenty minutes or so felt like eternity. And when you finally got to the road that led to the town on water, you could see dead orcs and men lying on the wooden road on water. You quickly counted five dead men and one woman, and six orcs. All dead, their lifeless bodies laying face down on the water or staring to the sky above on the wooden road, not seeing anything. And after seeing the lifeless bodies, something sifted in you, clenching your heart.

This was, no doubt, an orc raid. But why? Because of your friends? Had the dwarves been here, and by accident, led the orcs here? Or had the orcs lost the sight and track of your friends and thought that they had escaped in the Lakedown, killing everyone on their way and set the town on fire?

You were still a leopard as you walked the burning streets of Laketown. There were no soul in this town. No screaming, crying, pleading of help to be heard. Nothing but the cracking of fire or the burning woord craking and finally giving up, collapsing down. You didn't know these people living in this town, yet you felt your heart beating harder, clenching like someone was holding it in his hand and squeezing it with all their might. They might be all dead, for all you knew. Some of them might have managed to escape, but where? There were few dead bodies of men, women and even children, and orcs here and there, but not as many as you might have expected. And then Tauriel stopped and motioned you and Legolas to stop. And you did.

And then you saw him. A male, standing alone on street, staring at something ahead of him, yet hidden from your sight. And then the wind carried his fainth smell to your nose. And you took a shaky breath.

"Impossible" you said with a shaky voice, taking a step towards this person. Legolas and Tauriel lowered their eyes to you, seemingly understanding what you had just said. And before neither of them could ask you anything, you bolted towards this man. And when he noted that something was running towards him, you let the magic sircle you, change your form. And little by little your running slowed as your steps from leopard turned into a human's.

"Grandpa!" you finally shouted and then the males face fell as he recognized you, his face showing multiple emotions in few seconds. And yet he opened his arms, keeping his walking stick on his other arm. And you ran to his arms, sirckling your hands around his middle, sob leaving from your lips as tears started to fall down from your eyes. And he closed his arms around you, his wooden walking stick touching your back like it always would when he hugged you. For the first time in ages you felt like you were home. This, this simple hug, was the closest thing you knew for safest place and what was nearest you could ever call home.

"Oh my little singing bird, I thought we had lost you for good" the older man cried, pressing his nose to your dirty hair. The two elves got closer to you, knowing that this man was good - with bad history, but still good. They could see his fea, which was now brighter with a memory of its darker days, what were now gone forever. And the fact how you acted after seeing him, they knew he was important to you. And Legolas knew, that with this man's help, he could help his cousin regain her memory. And just as they got closer to them, this man lifted his eyes to them and the young girl turned her buffy, teary eyes to them.

"It's OK" you reassured the older man, to calm the situation. "Grandpa, meet my friend Tauriel" the red headed nodded to the human "and my ... err... might-be-cousin Legolas" the blond nodded his head and was ready to have earfull or defend himself from this human. But, instead, he got an nod from this man. "Tauriel, Legolas, meet a man and powerfull sorcerer from Stoorybrook, my grandfather, Rumpelstiltskin, or Rumble for a short" And just then did Legolas and Tauriel truly understand. He was her kind, an human from another world. Her kin, a person she trusted, probably even more than she trusted to the two of them.

Legolas took a step towards them, put his hand to his heart and bowed a little. And when he rose to meet this man's eyes, he could see understanding, the same passion to want to protect someone he cared about.

"I know now isn't the best of the times, but we have a lot to discuss about her" Legolas said, nodding towards you. Rumble looked a little down you, a faint of an smile on his lips. Then he turned back to Legolas.

"Indeed there is. But, I believe we have more important things at hands. A group of orcs attacked this town, and while myself and my companion's were able to take them all down with the townsfolk, alongside with their leader - if the biggest one of them was suppose to be their leader - we have no idea why they attacked" Rumble answered. Legolas nodded and then he turned to look around them, looking for the dead orc. When he turned back to Rumble, he turned to one of the roads. "The biggest one is dead just behind that building. Two of our best warriors took it down. And few of our women took the townsfolk safe to our town, Stoorybroke"

A relief ran in the three travellers. Most of the townsfolk were safe. "Altought these people fought hard, I... Well, I believe their leader died while he tried to save his gold and other richess. I believe he even got rid of few of his workers in order to save the gold" You grimaced and Legolas' and Tauriel's faces turned grimm. The leader of this town would really put richess above his workers and the people who lived in here. That was just disgusting and disrespecful. It wasn't right to think, that it was a good thing that he was dead, but still, you couldn't help but think that he had deserved it.

"The orcs were chasing down a group of dwarves, who are friends of (Y/n)'s. She and the dwarves were trespassing in on our lands, and the dwarves were taken as prisoners. Back then we did not know of her existence. As the dwarves told us, they had lost sight of (Y/n) at somepoint in the forest and they had been ended up apart from each other. Myself and Legolas found her just today, when the dwarves escaped from our dungeon and were chazed down by these orcs" Tauriel tells to Rumble, who in turn frowns and nods.

"Our home, the forest you can see afar, is surrounded by magic that can confuse one's mind. I am not exactly sure why that is, but if I have understood it correctly, it is because of our oldest enemy's dark magic" Legolas answers to Rumble's unasked question. Rumble swallows and nods.

"I believe this strong enemy of yours is currently somewhere in the forest. I can feel dark, one of the most malice-like bearing somewhere in there. Not close to us, but still, it is in there. And I can feel powerfull light in there, not like sun in the sky, but a light of ones heart. Her power shines brighter than any light has shone directly to my eye. I wonder how powerfull her light would be, if she stood right next to me?" Rumble says, while staring at the far of the forest, where he had been staring before meeting the three of you. While Legolas and Tauriel exhange worried looks, you look up to your grandpa, horrified. Then you turned to look at the forest. You knew what was in that direction, and just what kind of an enemy had been keeping an fortress in the old ruins in the forest.

And then you swallowed. That was where Gandalf had went before you stepped into the darkness of Mirkwood, that was where Thorin's father had been held captive all these years, and that was where the old dwarf had died. That was where your possible father-in-law had died. Your face fell even more as you thought of Thorin, who had been looking for his father all those years, keeping some kind of hope in his heart that his father was still alive. And you knew, that Gandalf was enough of an covard to not to tell the truth to Thorin, and how it fell to you to dig the truth from the old wizard and pass the news to Thorin. You knew Thorin would never really forgive you, even when he already knew that his father was in the old ruins and would not make it out alive. And there was the fact that that was where Sauron had showed himself after all these years, where Galadriel, Elrond and Saruman had fought against him and his nine ghostly ring bearers.

You knew that this world was in danger, but you also knew that your knowledge couldn't save this world from the darkness. Or, well, it could, but this world had to find it's own way to help itself.

And there would be people, who would lose their lives during these years, or even decades. Numerous lives, from every race. You knew how to stop Sauron, but it was not in your hands to show the way. Deep in your heart you knew, that all of the races had to face these losses, find a way to work with their kind and with other races, and work together against this strong enemy and trust each other, no matter how hard it was. Because, in the end, there would be people, who would go against this strong enemy. There was a possibility that you wouldn't be alive anymore when this would happen. And the fact was... you were not a saviour of this world. You could only help to fight the current situtation, help to fight against the last dragon, somewhat help to see the bigger problem and enemy of this world without giving the name out loud or spilling the whole truth.

You were not Gandalf.

You were not a hero or a saviour of this world.

And in order to the races to trust more eachother, they had to face Sauron. And to trust eachother, they had to see the problem themselves, to feel it themselves. A child does not learn, if you do not let him learn himself first. Knowing this was a reason you knew you couldn't be the one, who would spill the beans of the enemy, to be the one who would be marked as a hero and saviour.

You were...You were you, (Y/n), daughter of Regina and Robin, daughter of Glorfindel and Sarael. You had to protect the people and animals from the enemy, not to destroy him. It was not your destiny, what had been planned out for you.

"... But there was a small group of dwarves running through the streets at some point, but I had no time to take a good look at them. The town was already in chaos, and we had to get the people safe and take down the orcs, all the while out watching for the fire and trying to save the people from the burning houses" you heard your grandpa say. You had zoned out while lost in your thoughts and missed their talking. You looked up to Rumble, and just then did he look down at you. "We could not save everyone, unfortunately. There was only handfull of us, and too many things to do at the same time" You nodded and lowered your eyes back to the dirty, wooden road. It wasn't their fault that some of the people had died. They had done their best, and Tauriel even pointed that out, thanking Rumble for their efforts for saving as many people as possible.

And just as Tauriel had finished, you started to hear loud talking. Your head jerked up to the direction of the sound. You recognised the voices, who they belonged to. And tears were growing to your eyes, again, as soon as your brain registered just who these voice's belonged to. After so many months, you had finally met your granfather, and now you could meet your friends, uncles, and your father. When the group appeared to your sight, you saw your father leading the Merry Men, the Seven dwarves right next to them, Emma and Captain Hook, their daughter Ruth and son Leo, Roland and Henry, David, Big sis Red and Tinkerbell walking towards you. Seeing them left you breathless. You took a step towards them, then second one, and when one of the Merry uncles saw you, you let out a scream and ran towards them. And just then did your father turn towards you.

"DAD!" you screamed from the depth of your lungs. His face fell even more, and he let out some sort of an sob and laugh before hoisting his bow to his shoulder and started running towards you. When the two of you met, you jumped to his neck, and his hands went around your back. And you both cried. Seeing your grandpa had been an relief and bringing some happiness and feeling of safety to you, but now when you where hugging your father, you knew you were safe. Now everything was almost fine. You just needed to see your mother to finish the sircle.

And then there were more hands surrounding you two as your uncle Merries and your brothers Henry and Roland circled you to hug you, all of them crying of relief too see you alive and fine. After all these months, they had finally found their lost little sister and princess.

You didn't know how long you stayed in their arms, being welcomed back home, to safety, until they let go of you. Your father took a good look at you, his eyes being as teary as they could. And after a few seconds, he cupped your cheek and let out a sob, before a small smile grew on his face.

"Months you were lost from us, and look at you now. You are a woman, an hero with hidden power" he praised you, tears still falling from his eyes. And you smiled. This man, your father, saw your little changes and was still proud of you. He saw the hero in you, before you even knew that you were one. And he knew you had an hidden talent, without even seeing it or without you telling anything about it. However he did it, you did not know.

"Well, I have gained a new.. or, well... I found my old life and the magical talent that comes with it after arriving here. And, I found out something interesting about my... past life before Stoorybrook. Buuuut, I still need to confirm it, and I'm not quite sure how to do it" you said and your father raised his brow, as did Roland and the Merry uncle's, and pretty much every new person here. Expect Henry, who as a writer already knew about it.

"So, she finally knows how to burn people alive?" Leo half-whispered, earning an loud slap to his head from someone, probably from his sister, or from his father. You just rolled your eyes and then answered the question that everyone had. Only your grandpa had seen it, but he had not been in a state where he could actually link it to a magic. Or, then he already had done so, but had not said anything. Or, then he had, when you hadn't been listening to him and the two elves earlier. Well, anyway, now you were going to spill the beans in front on everyone - and oh Goodie, you had to do this like billions times over when you'd get back home Stoorybrooke.

"I still don't know how to do that, or use magic in any other ways than-" you began, as you let the magic circle you, and then, in middle of your sentence you turned into a husky. Everyones eyes were glued to you. And it was silent for a few seconds, before Grumby pointed a finger at you and turned to look at others next to him "She just turned into a dog! Who did that?!" Some people, your grandpa being one of them, rolled their eyes.

"I believe she did it herself" David told matter of factly, looking at you smiling, like a proud father. Well, he was your half grandfather, so... Grumby looked at him and then down at you, his frown deepening. You walked to them, taking again your human form.

"I... well, better explain this now, but I have to keep this short and I hope you'll leave the questions for later" you said and waited for everyone to nod for understanding "As you all know, my parents, Robin and Regina, and my Merry uncles found me from the forest when I was a baby, and how Robin and Regina decided to adopt me when my real parent's didn't show up to reclaim me or how they could not be found. While I have been in this world, which is also called as Middle-Earth or Arda, I have found out why they didn't come and get me"

You took a few deep breath, and closed your eyes for a second. This felt horrible thing to tell, especially because your father was here, even when you knew that you had nothing to worry about. Seconds passed on before you could feel your fathers and grandfathers presen's behind you, and you lifted your eyes back to everyone infront of you. You could do this, and you knew that no matter what, everyone, including your father, would understand. And no one would hate you after hearing about your origins.

"After a few days I had come to this world, I turned into a husky, a dog you just saw. At first myself and my companion, 13 dwarves, a wizard named Gandalf and Bilbo from race of hobbits, thought it was because of Gandalf's magic, that... kind of happened because of an accident... and kind of because I had a fight with my... um... nevermind... But then we learned about a secret race of shape turning mayas - sort of spirits of this world - who guarded this world few thousand years ago. And their leader, or gueen or whatever, Sarael is believed to be my mother. And my father is an elf called Glorfindel. There are, for now, two facts confirming me to be their daughter. The first thing is the fact that I can use magic to turn myself into a animal, even when it took me for a quite long to figure it out how to use it. And the second fact is that the blond elf over there, also called Legolas, said that my fea, or soul is the same as Glorfindel's and Sarael's daughter's. And, as he put it, he is a cousin of mine" you continued telling your complicated history.

People from Stoorybrooke shared an look, before they turned to look at you and then Legolas. Then you felt your father wrap his arm around your shoulder, squeezing your shoulder, just as smiles started to break on the others faces. You turned to look up to your father, who smiled.

"I'm happy to hear, that you have found your family. Where are you other parent's?" Robin asked. He must have guessed that you had found someone special to you, but choose to ignore it. Your smiled dropped a little. You might know, who your parents were, but...

"Aut Sarael died at war against orcs about a thousand years ago, and before she died, she got (Y/n)'s fea safe. Glorfindel should be at Lothórien, annoying lady Galadriend and lord Celeborn. Or, that is where I last heard he should be, but if he has heard of (Y/n), he should be on his way to her" Legolas says. And then Tauriel frowns and turns to Legolas.

"But if lady Galadriel is in Dol Guldur, then Glorfindel must be there too. You know very well that blond haired drama queen loves dangerous situation's" Tauriel said with far too serious tone. You, with rest of the citizen of Stoorybrooke, stared at her with different mixture of disbilief.

"And here I thought he was a noble elf...." you mumbled. Legolas and Tauriel had heard this, and all they could do was to roll their eyes. Well, never make an first impression of an persion you have never met. You put on an note to your brains to lower all the possible images you had on your father, because, clearly he was not what you thought he would be. And after hearing Tauriel's little description, you weren't even sure what to expect from him.

One burning house collapsed behind you, and you all turned to look at it, a little starled. And you stared at it, being silent for some time.

"We should go back to Stoorybrooke. This town is evacuated, and the orcs have been killed. There's nothign left for us in here" David says, and the rest nod. Even Tauriel and Legolas seemed to be eager to go to this new town. Or go on their own way. You really didn't know, what those two were going to do now, since there were no living orcs to chase or hurt or poisoned dwarves to heal.

And then you thought about Thorin, and the rest of the company. Rumple had said that he had seen dwarves, but you weren't sure how many he had seen. Were they all alive, healthy, together? And more imprtantly, where were they?

You turned to look at the Lonely mountain and held your breath. You had lost your sence of time in the Woods, so you weren't sure when Durin's day was suppose to be. And then Henry was next to you, smiling like a mad man. You glared up at him. This man, your older brother, was the only one who could write your story, and who would know where your friends were.

"You go back to Stoorybrooke! Me and my sister are going to look for her One true love" Henry says and his grin was far to big. At the same time you wanted to kick him, and hug him. And your glare told as much to him, as his grin grew bigger.

"Well, I suppose you aren't the only one going to look for them" you heard captain Hook say. He, and few other of your friends and relatives gathered behind you, smiling like they had just learned a juicy secret. And you sighed. These were your friends. No matter where they were from.

"Well, alright then. One group with me to hunt these idiots down, the other one goes back to Stoorybrooke to make sure that everyone from this town is safe. And, someone looke for Bard. I need something black and pointy from his herbs. And someone, please, please tell my mother that I love her" you say. And then everyone puts on their best poker face.

"Well, about your mother....." your grandfather says, with the most serious look.

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