#swan jones family ff | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

snowbellewells · 1 year ago

Text

Self Promo Sunday: "Bless What is Given You"

I realize that it's time to roll out the Christmas-y fics, but I had one more Thanksgiving story, and I didn't want to leave it out. I hope you will still enjoy it, even in December. There’s a nod to a missing moment from 3x19, but then it jumps to post s6 in Storybrooke, to all of them in their happy beginning… Most of this is also written in Robin Hood's point-of-view, so there is some Outlaw Queen in amongst the larger Swan Jones Charming Mills family fluff, if that is a deal-breaker for anyone...

** Also available on AO3, if that is your preference **

by: @snowbellewells

“Do you mean to tell me you think you know better than a queen?” Regina’s haughty voice practically dripped disdain from each clipped, precise syllable she spoke. The perfect arch of her sculpted brow rose in question, disbelief and disapproval clear on her challenging, flawless face, even if her tone had not made her opinion more than apparent. “My mother was Rumplestiltskin’s most prized pupil; he sought me out himself to train me as well, chose me to cast his precious Dark Curse… Do you honestly think the fact that you can scare off a few monkeys with your arrows and you’ve been squatting in his deserted castle makes you a better judge of...of…” Even though she spoke the “you” as though her mouth was swallowing something foul and her face scrunched up accordingly, it seemed that the formerly Evil Queen was at a rare loss for words to express just how ridiculous the very idea was.

Unfazed, the scruffy archer gazed right back at her cheekily, seeming more than a bit amused by her ruffled feathers and inability to continue. “Not sure that is quite the distinction you’re making it out to be, Milady,” he offered with a smirk.

From across the way, Snow couldn’t seem to resist chiming in with the outlaw who had once befriended a princess on the run; who, in what now seemed like another life had helped her fine-tune her skills with a bow and advised her on spots in the forest where one could most easily hunt game to eat without encountering Regina’s guards. Though Snow had long since made the choice to put their painful and sordid history in the past, there was something that teased a warble of delighted laughter up her throat at the sight of this bandit who once graced “Wanted” posters by her side agitating Regina to the point of losing all her icy, polished reserve. “It is a bit of a dubious honor, Regina, you have to admit.”

Charming beside her dipped his head to hide the chuckle rumbling in his chest as well, reaching across their round council table’s polished surface to squeeze her hand. The shepherd-prince consort would have been lying if he refused to admit there wasn’t a part of him who enjoyed watching her Majesty flounder for her unaffected poise. It went without saying that the curse they were speaking of had ripped he and Snow apart and taken their daughter from his arms almost the moment she was born; consigning them all to 28 lonely years of misery. The truth was that plain and that simple, but he wisely held his tongue. At least since his recent pirate friend had gone off on his own after their arrival back in their land, Robin was someone with whom he could break a bit of the tension and who might lighten all of their dark and despairing moods once in a while.

As they returned to discussing the plan to raid Gold’s castle here in their home realm, knowing Zelena had holed up in the Dark One’s stronghold - with Rumplestiltskin himself still prisoner - it became clear it was really the only method they had left to try, to hope that the man who always knew so much more than anyone else would also know some way out of this mess, some way to stop Regina’s rage and envy fueled half-sister. Belle across the table looked pale and strained, her lips pressed together in a thin line but determined, needing to help in whatever way she could. Even if they couldn’t free her True Love, even if his mind were already too fractured by his near death, the half-possession that had held his son’s mind within his body as well, and then that son’s violent loss, he wouldn’t want things to continue as they were; with him under Zelena’s control and bent to her will. Belle had to cling to that truth if nothing else.

Seeming to sense her flagging spirit, Charming saw Leroy sitting next to her place a clumsily large, ax-calloused hand over her slender, tiny one and give it a reassuring squeeze. The dwarf leaned over to whisper encouragingly to the petite beauty, and the prince realized that even within his inner circle of friends and allies there were deeper friendships, and stories leading to them, that he didn’t know, as Belle’s petite frame relaxed and her tense shoulders lowered slightly at the stout little man’s clearly welcomed assurances. The former shepherd thought he just made out the kind, if gruffly voiced, words, “Hang in there, Sister, the battle ain’t over yet.” Charming smiled; that might as well be a mantra for all of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Robin of Locksley, otherwise known in the Enchanted Forest these days by his more colorful moniker of Robin Hood, simply could not seem to help it. He knew something about him - be it his cavalier attitude towards risk and danger, his leisurely and rather lax methods of ruling over his crew (Can he help it if he’d trust them with his life and has never had cause to question their loyalty or skill?) or perhaps it was just his very form and person she objected to. Whatever the case may be, he couldn’t help goading her Majesty, rattling that posh control of which the woman seemed so proud. Behind the cool and haughty veneer Regina Mills carefully wore, he sensed something injured - fragile, even - though she would be appalled at the thought that any weakness showed, he had no doubt of that. The irony, of course, was that bit of a chink in her flawless armor was the one thing that kept him from dismissing her as another selfish, cruel royal stepping on the backs of those less fortunate to get ahead. Her tiny show of pained humanity, the loneliness hidden behind those large dark eyes, beguiled him no matter how hard he tried to resist; drew his empathy where otherwise he would have had only scorn for her past actions and the villain she had been.

They were in the Dark Castle; seemingly, hopefully, having escaped Zelena’s notice so far, but stymied by a large door into the chamber where Rumplestiltskin had to be imprisoned. They had searched the entire rest of the castle and found it empty. None of them were foolish enough, however, to assume that the fact that they had not yet seen the Wicked Witch meant that the way ahead was safe or that she had not laid hidden snares for any intruders. Particularly not if this door were the barrier beyond which she was hiding the powerful being she meant to both use and prove herself to. There had been no other closed doors until this one, after all.

With a huff of impatience, as if she couldn’t be bothered to waste another second of her time - even with safety - the former Queen reached forward, her perfectly manicured hand nearly to the golden inlaid handle despite the Princess Snow’s warnings for caution and the Lady Belle’s wise suggestion that they wait. What appeared as bold unconcern and decisiveness radiated down her spine of steel, held ramrod-straight, but there was a slight tremor in those pale fingers, one he would have missed if he hadn’t been seeking it, just before they closed around the polished metal.

Some strange shiver of foreboding knowledge borne of a life in the forest, in the shadows, constantly on the move, pursued and on the run, made some more-than-tangible knowledge run through him, and Robin’s limbs and muscles were reacting before his mind issued a conscious order. Knowing the proud woman plowing ahead would not heed any words he called out anyway, he had silently reached over his shoulder, pulled an arrow from his quiver, nocked it to his bow, and let it fly before another moment passed, startling Regina enough as its course whistled past her ear to make her jerk back several steps.

The feathered missile embedded in the heavy oaken portal with the solid “thunk” of a shot ringing true, but to the horror of all, rather than remaining there, vibrating from its landing, the arrow was lost from sight as the entire door was engulfed in instantaneous flames.

Watching the blaze which would undoubtedly have devoured her as well had he allowed her to pull open that door before loosing his arrow, Regina paused for mere moments before whipping around, dark eyes flashing, to arrest him angrily. “That arrow nearly took off my head!” she barked, voice as sharp as jagged glass.

Robin shot back, unable to keep himself from rising to the bait. Her lack of gratitude didn’t even surprise him by that point, but he hadn’t intended to be chastised for his quick-thinking aversion of danger either. “Where I come from a simple thank you would have sufficed.”

The regent’s black eyebrow rose in eloquent derision, making her opinion of where he came from quite clear without speaking a word. Yet, despite that hateful, snarling facade he could see the slight tremor he had previously noticed in her pale hands become a full-body quivering that, while still not plainly visible, had to be making it hard for her to remain standing, much less glaring at him with such vitriol. Her full, blood-red-painted lips trembled minutely as well until her perfect white teeth bit into the lower one, stilling it and making him swallow heavily with some reaction he couldn’t explain. She was shaken; that much he knew. But he could understand refusing to admit fear, not being able to let it show for the sake of those who follow, who must see strength to stay their course.

Thankfully, the clearly magical blaze soon expired and the way before them was as clear and unbarred as all the previous entryways they had encountered. Not without a bit of trepidation, but also as brave and determinedly as he had long since learned their hero contingent to be, Prince Charming and Snow pressed forward, followed anxiously by Belle (whom Robin’s heart panged for as she clearly ached to find the man she loved still able to recognize her and navigate his own mind) and the rest of their group. Regina just to the side, looked for all the world as if she were in no particular hurry to enter and see her former mentor, but could instead care less one way or the other. Hanging back, the outlaw of Sherwood Forest made sure the others had passed through the door and into the other room, well out of hearing, before he stepped up to Regina’s side, drawing almost nose-to-nose with her. He then leaned forward practically brushing the shell of her ear as he murmured. “There’s no need to pretend you’re made of stone, your Majesty…” He put precise emphasis on the title which she had let him know in no uncertain terms she preferred upon their first meeting in the forest. “In fact, with the present company, I believe you might get much further by letting them see that you have doubts and fears, just as they do. I know I like you much better seeing you as more than the Evil Queen.”

At her sharp intake of air with his last pronouncement, he pulled back quickly, half expecting a slap to be stinging his skin at any moment. Instead, he found color rising hotly up her neck, her chest rising and falling strenuously in that ridiculously low-cut corseted gown, and her generally looking more flustered and affected than he had ever seen her before.

She opened and closed her mouth soundlessly for several seconds until her tart tongue seemed to return to her, then spit out a quick, “Insolent bandit,” before moving to brush past him and follow the others.

Something in Robin snapped and surged to life in answer to her challenge; not allowing her to push him aside, he grasped her upper arm firmly and held on, her back to the wall and crowding in close to her, until their breaths were mingling in the same air, their faces were so close. Even as his pulse pounded and his heart rate skyrocketed, Robin wondered what had come over him. The woman had maimed and killed, schemed and plotted for her own selfish ends, and stood for everything he had devoted himself to toppling. She was nothing like his beloved Marian had been; someone with whom he would not have imagined sharing a thing in common - and yet he couldn’t fight the pull he felt. The need to imprint upon her not to put her life at risk so needlessly again.

Sweeping forward, he dove into an all-consuming kiss, taking her mouth with his and giving no quarter, delving further instead, and swallowing the whimper and hum that escaped her throat unconsciously, despite her best attempts to remain unaffected.

Regina’s hands grappled blindly at his biceps as if trying to steady herself. She scrabbled for solid support before helplessly melting against him, opening for his questing mouth and giving herself over to the heated embrace. When they finally broke for air, she was breathless, and he huffed out a winded chuckle himself when she managed, “Well, Thief, that really was quite pleasant… Even if you do still smell of forest.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several realms, curses, and years later, in Storybrooke

The three men and their half dozen offspring of various ages creeping through the woods on the border of Storybrooke out near the town line are quiet and intent, completely and unabashedly focused on their prize. Up ahead, atop the small rise of a hill as the sun climbs fully into the cold, clear November morning sky, their prey struts proudly, stopping occasionally to offer its warbled call or peck at the rough ground beneath its feet. They have been tracking the large turkey for some time now, since before day fully dawned, and the time to strike has come at last.

Briefly, the thought flits through Robin’s head that this could be the same tom that had escaped himself and his Merry Men in this same forest years ago, when the hunt had been interrupted by the nightmarish interruption of a winged simian attacker and LIttle John’s subsequent transformation. To this day, the large and otherwise unflappable man stays far away from this particular section of the forest and refuses to go anywhere near the town line on foot. A quick glance at David and his preteen son to the right, then Killian and his little girl and second son to the left, gives him the hint from both men’s expressions that they are also remembering that rather ill-fated day, as bows are readied and last instructions offered.

He can only hope they will face nothing so unexpected this fine morn. The turkey before them has been promised to grace the main table of the large community Thanksgiving feast, and between the three men and their brood of adventurous junior hunters it is a matter of pride that they not return empty-handed today. Roland was promised the first unobstructed shot, and the young man, just barely a teenager but already capable and thoughtful as an adult, has already taken aim and is readying his shot to fly, much to his half-sister Margot’s displeasure as she stands just behind her big brother at Robin’s elbow. She is as untamed and mischievous as Roland is quiet and serious, and was much put out at the decision that Roland as the oldest child should get first chance, arguing rather heatedly that Roland might be biggest but she was the best shot. His blond-braided, green-attired second child is one of the best shots he’s ever seen at barely ten, but if she doesn’t learn to keep her temper and her slightly spoiled younger sibling petulance under control, he is certainly in for further trials in a few years.

Even in the few silent moments afforded him as they all hold their breaths, Rob feels the gratitude and love he has for his children, and the friends and adopted family surrounding them, surge through him with new strength. He had so very nearly left this world, numerous times over, as had the men on either side of him, and the women each of them loved. It was part of the heavy mantle they wore when standing against the Darkness in the world and fighting it back from the light and good time after time. Still, what better time than the present holiday to give thanks for the fact that they are all still standing and present to celebrate together?

Roland lets out a soft breath and then releases the arrow, just as a sharp cry rings out to the left. His son’s aim is true, but the bird is startled from its perch just in time to have the shot glide by beneath its talons as it takes flight. David on his right is already directing Leo to adjust his aim quickly and get off a second shot, even as Robin’s eyes sweep to where Killian is righting Hope from a tumble over a jutting tree root, brushing off her dark leggings and checking her for injury as she clearly struggles to hold back embarrassed and disappointed tears.

What he hasn’t banked on is his daughter’s inability to wait her turn or hold back any longer. Quick as whip, Margot lets fly, striking the bird right as she intends and sending it toppling from the sky. Mouth falling open in surprise at her audacity and her skill in equal measure, Robin can’t help the surge of pride at his daughter’s prowess, even if he knows he should admonish her for taking Leo’s moment from him and wondering if he should be making certain Roland doesn’t feel overshadowed. However, his eldest spares him the trouble when he whoops and claps Margot on the shoulder, crying out “You got him on the fly, Sis! Nice one!”

When the whole group converges together, he decides to let the lecture about abiding by the rules and taking turns slide for the time being upon noticing that Leo looks rather relieved that the pressure to prove his mettle before their quarry escaped has been taken off of his shoulders. Instead, he claps his little girl on the shoulder, squeezing with gentle affection until she looks up at him, beaming. Like her brother before her, she is growing much too fast, turning into a young lady before his eyes, and so for a moment, he lets himself revel in the fact that she still wants to spend time out in the woods with him and wishes to make him proud. Her papa won’t hold the favored spot in her heart forever, so he may as well savor it while he can.

He thinks Killian’s youngest, barely old enough to be tromping around out here with them in truth, looks a bit teary at the downed and unnaturally still bird before them, so he hurries to bag their prize for the journey homeward and puts it out of sight over his shoulder while Killian picks his tired youngest up off his feet and begins asking him how many different types of trees he can recognize from their leaves on the way back. That seems a bit difficult for a five-year-old until little Liam David begins happily babbling (suitably distracted thankfully) and pointing out oaks, maples and scotch pines as the pirate’s unerring sense of direction leads their whole troupe out of the forest toward the main road where they’ve left their trucks, Margot takes his hand, and Hope her grandpa’s, and Roland and Leo fall in behind talking amiably and carrying the bows. Apparently they have a budding naturalist in their midst as well, and Killian Jones - as usual - knows exactly what he is doing.

When he, Roland, and Margot trail back into the mayoral mansion some time later, discarding their muddy boots by the door, but still scattering crumbled leaves and dirt in the entryway, Regina stands in the hall shaking her head, and directs the children toward the laundry room to discard their outerwear before heading up to wash for dinner. She looks at him, trying to muster exasperation, but unable to do so. That flawless Queen is long gone; she has come a long way since they snapped and snarled at each other in self-preservation back in their home realm, neither wanting to fall in love and risk heartbreak again.

Snatching his jacket collar and pulling him in close, Regina nips at his lips playfully before murmuring against his scruffy cheek, “You still smell like forest,” she mocks, “but somehow you’ve managed to steal my heart.”

He shakes his head, offering back words she’d stunned him with once long ago, “That’s not quite the way I remember it. If I recall, your heart was given to me,” he whispers, emotion taking over the jest, “and a person can’t steal what’s been given to him.”

All in all, he’s been given much more than a simple archer from Sherwood Forest could have ever hoped.

Tagging a few who might enjoy: @searchingwardrobes @kmomof4 @jennjenn615 @laschatzi @whimsicallyenchantedrose @jrob64 @apiratewhopines @xarandomdreamx @booksteaandtoomuchtv @kazoosandfannypacks @teamhook @revanmeetra87 @stahlop @anmylica @gingerchangeling @gingerpolyglot @winterbaby89 @spartanguard @therooksshiningknight @optomisticgirl @tiganasummertree @donteattheappleshook @elizabeethan @the-darkdragonfly @bdevereaux @thislassishooked

#self promo sunday #ouat thanksgiving ff #ouat canon divergent oneshot #bless what is given you #thanksgiving ff #outlaw queen #swan jones charming mills family ff

18 notes · View notes

sotangledupinit · 2 years ago

Text

a little bundle of icing - My CS Gift Exchange Fic

Prompt: Giftee's Wants: Established relationship, cs family fluff, cs parents, modern au with established relationship. NO: character death, angst

SUMMARY: She thought the hardest part would be hiding the gifts from the (mostly) reformed pirate. In actuality, the hardest part has been wrapping them. For some reason, every chance she’s gotten has been foiled by one thing or another.// or Emma tells Killian she's pregnant.

RATING: G for General Audiences

WORD COUNT: 4,575 words

TAGS: Captain Swan, Christmas, Holiday fluff, Pregnancy

AO3

AUTHOR’S NOTE: this was fun to work with and try, as i haven't done much established relationship writing. hope everyone enjoys this!

hi @middlemistcs13 ! i picked your prompt for the gift exchange! as you already know (and read), this fic has been up on AO3 for a few days but here’s the tumblr post to accompany it! yay! for anyone who hasn’t read this yet - i hope you enjoy!

***

“And this Santa Claus… your world doesn’t consider him to be flagrant?”

The answering huff of a laugh from Henry is loud, even from the other end of the table. “Dude. Of course not. He leaves presents for you to reward a year of being a good person.”

“But aren’t you required to cook for him as well?”

Emma’s eyes drift to the end of the table where Henry and Killian stand side by side, each holding a piping bag of icing, one red and one green. Sprinkles litter the table and powdered sugar is dusted across Killian’s leather vest, not that he cares much. Their sleeves are rolled up to their elbows and a mixing spoon is still taped to his brace (a brilliant idea that he and her son supposedly had; the mess they have yet to clean up says otherwise).

She tries hard to suppress her grin at the image but she knows she’s failing miserably so she ducks her head and kneads the dough beneath her knuckles, listening along.

“Well, not really,” Henry says. Emma feels his eyes on her for a moment but she pretends not to notice. “It’s more like a donation or a gift.”

“Ah ha!” Killian cheers, mixing spoon gesturing wildly as he points a finger at Henry. Some of the red icing drips from the bag under the pressure and lands with a plop! on the counter between the naked gingerbread people and sugar cookies. “So it’s not from the goodness of his heart!”

At her quick glance up, she catches Killian’s eye and he winks at her. Her kid can be too easy to rile up sometimes, something Killian likes to do to get back at Henry’s quips about his struggles with modern technology. She doesn’t always understand their relationship, the way they can rile each other up one moment and immediately slide into the caring, supportive step-father/son dynamic the next – but she’s grateful nonetheless to have them be so close.

Henry rolls his eyes. “Yes, it is. He’s basically our world’s Robin Hood.”

“Didn’t this world already have a Robin Hood?”

“Oh my god.” Henry groans and then calls out to Emma, a gallop of green icing landing on the face of a gingerbread man. “Mom, you need to divorce your husband.”

“No, you need to start decorating those gingerbread cookies instead of the table.” She thinks she succeeds in keeping the amusement out of her voice but Killian’s quiet snickering tells her otherwise. “And you,” she continues, aiming her glare at the husband in question, “have to clean up. I’m not letting you two leave without cleaning up first.”

“Are you positive you can’t to come with us, love?”

There’s nothing more that Emma would love to do than pick out a tree with Henry and Killian for their first Christmas in their house when there’s nothing going on. No foes, evils witches, or snow monsters appearing out of nowhere to ruin any holiday plans. Storybrooke has been blissfully peaceful for the most part for the last two years following the Final Battle.

Emma still knocks on wood when those thoughts cross her mind. Best not to jinx it.

Still, as much as she wishes she could join the boys on their tree hunt, she can’t as she has far more pressing matters to attend to. Those being trying to wrap Killian’s Christmas gifts without him finding out what they are first. She thought the hardest part would be hiding the gifts from the (mostly) reformed pirate. In actuality, the hardest part has been wrapping them. For some reason, every chance she’s gotten has been foiled by one thing or another.

Her first attempt was when Killian was going out for a day excursion on the Jolly Roger with Smee. She waited until she was absolutely sure the ship left the docks to pull out her gifts only for her sheriff’s beeper to go off. By the time she handled the situation and returned home, the Jolly had returned to shore and it was only a matter of time before Killian came back.

There were a few more close calls at home after that – enough to make her consider wrapping his gifts at the station. By the time she actually attempted it, David had barged through the front doors at such a speed that Emma’s surprised she managed to hide the gifts in time. Despite what most of the town believes about her mother, there’s no worse gossiper or meddler in town than her father. The only thing possibly worse than Killian discovering his gifts early is finding out about them from someone else.

After that, she assumed her luck had almost completely abandoned her. Christmas is coming up quickly and she can’t bear to give him his gifts without wrapping them. Last year he took so much pleasure in showing Henry how easily he could rip through the wrapping with his hook. She can’t take the idea of preventing the look of glee on both of their faces appearing again.

Plus, she wants to be able to watch Killian unwrap one of the most life-changing gifts ever, see the different emotions play on his face as the realization sinks in.

“I’d love to but I really can’t,” she answers honestly. “I have to handle security at the school’s Christmas fair today and we can’t keep putting off the tree. At this rate, we’d be getting it in January.”

“We’ll pick out a good one, Mom, don’t worry,” Henry consoles. He winks at her once Killian isn’t looking and his comforting smile only grows bigger.

It’s her own fault, really. One of her earlier attempts to wrap Killian’s gifts only resulted in Henry coming home from school to see them laid out on her bedroom floor when he went looking for her. The surprise that crossed his face quickly turned into pure joy and Emma unsuccessfully willed herself not to cry.

No bribing was needed to make Henry keep the gifts a secret. He knows how special this is for her.

For the second time in her life, Emma’s pregnant. For the first time, it’s with someone she loves – her True Love at that – and she has no fear of what the future might hold for her and their baby. She’s excited.

All she needs now is just ten minutes of peace with a guarantee of No Killian so she can actually keep it a secret until Christmas.

Killian and Henry are able to appropriately decorate the gingerbread and sugar cookies after a few elbow nudges are exchanged while she puts the last batch of cookies in the oven, though there are some close calls that Emma has to shut down the moment her eyes catch what one of them is trying to do. She does not want to deal with her father’s sputtering and mother’s giggles at the sight of any cookie decorated in any way less than a G rating.

By the time they’re leaving and Killian is warming up the bug, Henry pulls Emma aside under the guise of finding his missing shoe.

“You’re not really missing your shoe, are you? Because otherwise you’re going barefoot, kid.”

Henry rolls his eyes. “Chill, it’s in my backpack.” He hooks a thumb to gesture at the bag on his shoulders and Emma nods. “Grandpa’s already at the school and says he hopes you ‘feel better’. I’m planning to take my sweet time inspecting every tree with Killian. I’m gonna feed him a bunch of fake facts so that he gets really invested too. Should buy you like two hours.”

Emma worries her lip, shoving her hands in her back pockets so she doesn’t play with her ring, a sure sign that she’s hiding something if Killian sees her. “What if Killian’s researched about Christmas trees though? He may be a pirate but he’s also a nerd.”

Henry exudes a confidence that she doesn’t have, given her track record this season. “Trust me, I know how to rile him up.” She rolls her eyes goodheartedly at that. As much as Killian loved to tease and rile Henry up, her kid loved to do the same just as much. She worried at first that it meant the two didn’t like each other and couldn’t get along, but her worries were quickly tossed away when she saw the two sitting at her kitchen table as Killian spoke to Henry in low whispers, helping him with an issue in his friend group.

He treated Henry like an equal, let him know that everything he said, saw, and felt held value. A trust existed between them that Emma didn’t breach – not that she wanted to. She respected that as much as she wants to be able to do everything for her kid, sometimes he needs to seek out someone else and she’s thrilled that most times he chooses Killian. Ribbing on each other is just another way to show that affection.

Emma bids her goodbyes to the two. Henry’s hug leaves her feeling the warmth one only gets from being a parent, and Killian’s goodbye kiss sends tingles down to her toes. That tingling is the exact feeling that got her into this situation and if she hadn’t been already, the look he gives her as he shuts the door behind him would’ve done it.

She waits for them to make it to the tree farm, according to Henry’s location and update texts, checking in with David who’s covering her shift at the school’s Christmas fair. It is then and only then that she feels comfortable enough to wrap the gifts.

Hauling them out of the closet in no time at all, she makes quick work of wrapping them. Despite the assurances that no one would be bothering her, especially her husband, she still chances a glance over her shoulder every few moments, just to be sure. She’s come this far and she’ll be damned if letting her guard down ruins the surprise.

Wrapping goes seamlessly and Emma triple checks that she has gathered and wrapped all the gifts before she places them in the closet under the stairs with the others. One more thing she can cross off her list.

When Emma wakes up the morning of Christmas, it’s to soft humming against her neck, a Christmas song that’s been on the radio more often than not this last week. She’s just thankful it’s one of Kelly Clarkson’s songs and not Wham!’s Last Christmas.

“Merry Christmas, love,” Killian whispers to her neck before placing a light kiss there. He wraps his arm tighter around her middle, pulling her back flush against his front, and she feels her stomach erupt in butterflies. He doesn’t know it yet but his hand rests right where their kid is growing and she works hard to refrain her glee for the time being.

Instead, she focuses on the trail of kisses he places down her jaw until he leans over her side to plant one on her mouth. She hums contently into the kiss, turning onto her back so she can wrap her arms around his neck. “Merry Christmas indeed.”

They share a smile before he leans back in for a short kiss.

“How long do you suppose we have before the lad comes stomping down the stairs for his gifts?”

Emma considers his question, furrowing her eyebrows when she realizes she forgot to charge her phone overnight and it’s dead. “What time is it?”

“Nearly eight.”

She laughs and shakes her head. “It’s a matter of seconds then, not minutes.”

“Think we can distract him with his PlayStation?”

“Wait – PlayStation? Not ‘Playing box’? Not ‘Stationary play’?” He crinkles his nose at her poor imitation of his accent and shakes his head.

“Of course I’ve learned the names by now, Swan.” He ignores her interjection of ‘Jones’ though it does earn her a smile. “I’ve known them for quite some time. But Henry doesn’t know that and I quite enjoy annoying him with that bit.”

She laughs and runs her fingers through his hair, tugging lightly on the silky soft strands as her reprimand. However, his reaction shows it is anything but. “I don’t know which of you is worse. Honestly.”

The two of them lean in with the full intent to enjoy as much of a lazy morning in bed as possible on the holiday but their lips don’t even meet before it’s interrupted.

“Merry Christmas!” Henry yells as he comes down the stairs. His feet stomp on each step and Emma grins at the way Killian cringes. He pauses on the landing outside their door and shouts before hurrying down the steps with stomping feet again. “You’ve got five minutes before I force you out so get dressed!”

“Like a bloody ogre,” Killian mutters as he rolls off of her. Despite his grumbling, the smile he gives her as he helps her out of bed and pulls her close is soft. The walls between them disappeared long ago and neither of them are afraid of the openness that exists in their relationship. It’s another first for Emma, being able to be so unapologetically herself and so vulnerable with her emotions when before Killian, she’d always been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Never before him did she allow such a complete offering of herself to another person. With him, it doesn’t feel so scary.

It's also why she’s so excited to have this baby. Being with Killian makes anything they face not seem so bad.

The thought of what lies beneath their tree brings a giddiness to her movements that even her husband notices.

“What’s gotten into you this morning?” he asks as he puts on his brace. He sends her a wicked grin that has her toes curling as he attaches the hook – the same one he shined the night before so he could show it off to Henry in all its unwrapping glory.

“I’m just… really happy.”

“Aye,” he says once he comes close to her again, one hand on her waist and his lips descending upon hers. “So am I.”

Their moment is broken by Henry banging on their door, warning that they better come down that instant or he’s opening everyone’s presents. The notion gets a laugh out of her, knowing that despite his threats, her kid wouldn’t follow through with this one. Maybe.

Nervousness doesn’t come to her until it’s time to hand her gifts over to Killian. He sits in a pile of wrapping paper on the couch, the ‘Best Dad in the Universe’ mug Henry got for him sitting on the coffee table. Henry had been sheepish as he handed over the gift, calling Killian ‘Dad’ on occasion now and then, nowhere near a regular occurrence. Still, the sentiment behind the gift, and the true feelings it relayed, left both her son and husband emotional. They exchanged quiet words that left them both teary-eyed and Killian had wrapped it up by showing Emma the mug as if she hadn’t helped Henry design it online. He then sat it on the coffee table so gently like a prized trophy and couldn’t stop looking at it.

If he reacted this way to Henry’s gifts, she can’t imagine the emotion that’ll come with hers.

The two of them have led hard lives, obstacles in their paths trying to prevent them from wanting to push for the light at the end of the tunnel. But they both did, whether out of sheer stubbornness or resilience, she’s not sure, and it held it them together until they found each other. Then suddenly they weren’t navigating the ups and downs of life alone and everything became a bit more bearable day by day.

Fatherhood is something that always came natural to Killian, she could see, and something that he wanted. His pirating ways took him to many lands and realms but he’d gotten to the point where he wanted to settle down and have a family. To live a life of peace he was never granted beforehand. Villains didn’t get happy endings though so he assumed it was out of the cards for him.

Henry accepted him, made him part of their family, and looked to him as a father. The remaining Lost Boys sought out his comforting presence, a familiar figure, despite their tangled pasts or because of it, when they were feeling particularly lonely or destructive, and he provided a guiding hand back. Hell, even baby Neal latched onto him almost as quickly as he did her parents.

There was a contentedness to Killian when he stepped into the role of father-figure that she never saw before. It shined brightest with Henry but she always saw the longing look in his eyes when Henry left for a weekend at Regina’s or when they saw Sean and Ashley with their baby at Granny’s.

Her mother once said, “Happy endings always start with hope.” Their life together was the start. This is the continuation of it.

“Ready for my gifts?” Emma asks. She discretely wipes her sweaty palms on her thighs and takes the gifts from Henry’s outstretched hands. He gives her a reassuring smile and she can only manage a quick, tight but grateful grin in return.

“Thanks, love.”

Killian lifts his hook to open the smallest of the boxes when Emma shoots her hand out to grab his wrist, a loud ‘No’ leaving her lips before she even realizes what she’s done.

Concern fills Killian’s gaze as he leans closer. His eyes rove over her person, searching, cataloging, trying to get any hint of what’s happening. “Emma, what’s gotten into you?”

“Actually…” she starts with a sardonic laugh, tilting her head.

“Ew, gross, Mom,” Henry crimes in, face wrinkled in disgust.

She clears her throat while rolling her eyes and instead taps the biggest of the three boxes. “Open this first.”

“O-kay…” Killian eyes her as he gently, slowly, unwraps the biggest box. Instead it lies a photo album titled Daddy & Me. “It’s blank?” he asks.

“Yeah, it’s for you to fill it with photos.”

“Ah.” Killian turns to Henry. “I suppose we should start filling this up, aye?”

A quick moment of panic flashes across Henry’s face as he looks to Emma for guidance, both of them floundering. “Uh, yeah!” he says in a hurry. “I can help you fill it up.” He then gives Emma a pointed look, Killian none the wiser.

“Open your second one,” Emma encourages. Killian takes another hard look at the album, the content in his gaze soothing any nerves that remained from Emma’s anticipation.

Earlier, Henry laughed smugly as Killian ripped through about thirty layers of wrapping paper to finally uncover the mug. Henry encouraged him to really dig into it, something that flashes Emma’s mind back to the beanstalk and made her laugh. Killian had taken the message to heart.

Now, he uses the hook to lift the edges of the wrapping paper and gently unravels it. Beneath the paper is a box and Killian gives her a watery grin once he sees what’s inside.

His very first Christmas ornament – or at least the first that’s meant specifically for him – lays inside. It features a large brown bear holding a baby bear wearing a diaper. Beneath the figures is a banner that reads, ‘Papa Bear, Est. 2022”.

Emma expects the questioning glance he sends her way and the subtle, confused one he gives to Henry. However, he receives no answers and Emma finally taps the small box. “Now you can open it.”

She bites her lip and her and Henry share a reassuring nod as Killian opens the last gift. Sitting inside the small box, cleaned off and surrounded in tissue paper is a positive pregnancy test.

Killian picks it up with a cautionary gentleness that she hasn’t seen before. His mouth drops open as he stares it down and he mouths the word ‘Pregnant’ over and over again as his eyes get misty. “Is – is this real?” he asks, voice full of emotion. Emma nods, blinking back her own tears.

“Yeah, Killian, it’s real.”

“Gods, love.” Suddenly, Emma is pulled out of her chair and swept off her feet as Killian tugs her into a tight embrace. He kisses every inch of skin he can find, pulling back every few kisses to catch her lips before he embraces her again. His arms are bound around her tightly, the squeeze between them only getting tighter as Killian urges Henry to join their hug. “You’re going to be a big brother, lad. The best there is,” he whispers and Emma nearly lets out the croaking sob stuck in her throat.

As much as it is a monumental moment for Killian, he still includes Henry and still makes sure that he’s wanted around. The notion makes her heart burst. Once again, she’s aware that she never needed any official True Love test to give her confirmation that Killian is it for her. The way he acts proves it more than enough. It doesn’t make her any less emotional, especially as Killian whispers, as giddy as she’d been that morning, “We’re having a baby!”

“Yes, we are!” she whispers back excitedly.

The trio embrace for a few more moments before Henry’s phone rings and lets him know that it’s Regina reaching out. He congrats the two of them, tells them what wonderful parents they already are, and then bounds out of the room.

“Wow,” Killian says with the long release of a deep breath. “You’re pregnant.”

“I am,” she teases.

Killian’s wide grin matches her own and even though he leans in to kiss her, they aren’t able to do much as their smiles keep breaking through.

It’s not until Killian places a hand on her stomach that her breath catches and realization sinks in. They’re really doing this. They’re having a baby. She can’t explain it but she thinks she’s having a girl. Even Killian’s seemingly decided so as well, babbling on about their daughter despite the fact that they won’t officially find out until Emma’s next appointment in two weeks.

They will have a baby. Together.

They’re going to bring someone into this world that’s half him and half her and it’ll be their responsibility to not screw them up.

With Henry it was easier. He was already ten by the time he connected with both of them, respect and manners already instilled in him. All they had to do was encourage them to flourish. But with a baby, they’ll be starting from scratch. In all honesty, neither of them know much of what to do aside from the basics to keep a baby alive, but she figures they’ll approach it like they do everything else: together.

“You know, little one,” Killian starts as he leans down towards her stomach. “Your grandma is a very wise woman and she once told me that happy endings always start with hope.” He swallows, glancing up at Emma for a moment as his voice gets even quieter. “I’m excited to meet you, Hope.”

4 years later…

“No, no, no, love, not like that.”

Emma looks up from drying dishes and fixes her gaze on the other end of the table. Killian and Henry are bent over it, heads close together. Between them, Hope kneels on a chair and squeezes an icing bag with so much force that fat glops of red icing plop onto the cookies, nearly covering an entire group of gingerbread men. She watches the way Killian keeps the rounded curve of his hook, sharp tip pointed away, pressed against the center of Hope’s back to keep her steady, attempting to guide her in how to decorate the cookie while she just wants to mix colors together.

One of Henry’s hands holds a gingerbread man in place for her, fingers turning red from the icing that’s slipped over the side, and he’s quick to grab the green icing bag before Hope’s grubby little fingers can grab it. “Oh no you don’t, munchkin.”

“I’m not a munchkin!” Hope pouts. Her glare is fierce as she turns her attention to Henry, cookies completely forgotten as she stands from her kneeling position.

“Oh really?” he eggs her on, fighting to keep the grin off his face. “How come you’re on a chair and I’m still taller than you then? Munchkin.”

“Stinky nose!”

“Short stack.”

“Hairy back!”

A whistle breaks through their teasing before Emma can step in and all eyes go to Killian. He leaves his hook pressed against Hope’s back even as he straightens and stands tall. “Enough of this nonsense from me crew!” Hope stares at him with wide eyes and a dropped jaw, joy filtering its way into her features.

An aspiring pirate captain herself, the three-year-old takes great glee in seeing her father step into his, admittedly watered down, pirate persona. She turns towards Killian, bouncing where she stands in the chair. Her hands attempt to come together in claps but only succeed in dropping more icing all over her hands and Henry’s.

Killian plucks the icing bag from Hope and places it aside. “Now,” he starts, voice an octave lower. “This mess needs to be cleaned otherwise I’ll let Santa know to toss yer presents overboard! Aye?”

“Noooo!” Hope shouts. “He can’t do that!”

“He knows Santa,” Henry says. He nods to Killian as he catches the wet washcloth Emma tosses to him and begins to wipe his icing covered fingers. “He can totally make it happen.”

“Aye,” Emma adds, grinning wide at the way Killian’s nose crinkles. She holds a second wet washcloth in her hands and comes over to Hope, gently wiping her hands clean. “But perhaps me and Papa can clean up the kitchen while you help Henry put some tinsel on the tree instead. It’d be a big help.”

“Aye, aye, captain!” Hope tugs at her hands, pouting when Emma won’t let them free yet. However, once she’s able to, she turns and jumps on Henry’s back, already urging him towards the living room.

“You know,” Killian says, “you’ve just granted her permission to make a mess even worse than this one.”

Emma grins, “Are you saying you weren’t also desperate for five minutes to ourselves?”

Killian hums, giving her a grin that she knows so well. His arms come around her waist while hers wrap around his neck and their lips meet in a soft kiss. When he tries to pull away, Emma keeps him locked with her and the heat between them rises. So lost in the progressing passion of their kisses, she doesn’t even realize Killian’s lifted her onto the table until Henry voices his disgust.

“Gross, guys,” he says. “We eat there.” He shakes his head, shuddering at catching them mid-make out, and reaches for the extra bag of tinsel on the counter. He holds it up and points at it before he leaves. “For scarring me, I am not cleaning this up.”

A snort comes out of Emma before she can stop it and she closes her eyes, content as Killian presses a soft kiss to her cheek. His hand drifts down to rest against her stomach and she feels the butterflies of excitement start up again. Only two more weeks before they can share their big secret.

“This will be a fun Christmas, love.”

#captain swan #killian jones #emma swan #henry mills #captain cobra swan #swan jones family #a little bundle of icing #my fics #temporarystatus #captain swan fanfic #cs fanfic #cs ff #captain swan ff #holiday fic

33 notes · View notes

flslp87 · 2 years ago

Text

Updated 12/30/2022 for New Year’s 2023

It’s been three years since I put together this little ficlit together. But every year, I pull it out and add to it. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll have a complete story.

Life has changed a lot for many of us since OUAT ended. While I’ve not been writing (or really even reading) fanfics, I haven’t said goodbye to writing, though. I’ve been writing small town mystery romance. My books are available in all Estores. You can check them out here. Swan Harbor Books

Some of my friends that I met through our love for CS @imagnifika @duathadun @lfh1226-linda and Maggie for hanging with me through it all.

My hope is for 2023 to bring peace and happiness to all. Remember - without hope, there would be no happy endings.

This ficlet follows canon from my Season 7 Canon divergent -- A Happy Ending Begins with Hope. It can be found on AO3, FF, and tumblr with gifs.

Summary: Hope has a date. How will her family react?

Hope’s New Year’s Date

Words ~ 1500

During Hope Jones’ young life, Storybrooke had gone through many changes, and none more so than around the holidays. They had town Easter Egg hunts, fireworks and picnics in July, bonfires for Halloween, family feasts at Thanksgiving, and caroling at Christmas.

Hope had memories of each one of them. However, there was one event that she had been looking forward to for years, and that was the Snowflake Ball.

Held every New Year’s Eve, the Snowflake Ball was only for those who were sixteen and above. Everyone brought out their formal clothes and danced until midnight. And, if she was lucky, the man she was crushing on would ask her to go with him.

Gideon Gold was ahead of her in school and so dreamy, he made her head spin. Plus, when he looked at her with his chocolate brown eyes, her heart raced, and her breath stuck in her throat.

She’d been crushing on him for years, but it had only been in the last six months that he’d given her the time of day. Did that mean that he was seeing her as more than a girl? If so, was it possible she’d finally get to spend the evening with him — as his date?

Two weeks before the New Year’s Eve Ball, Hope was at Granny’s with her best friends, Melanie and Robyn, bemoaning the fact that Gideon still hadn’t done as she wished. Her only saving grace was that he’d not asked anyone else either — of that, she was sure. So far, she’d tried everything she could think of to let him know she was available. At the speed he was moving, though ….

“Earth to Hope.” Melanie snapped her fingers several times. “Earth to Hope.”

“I’m sitting right here, Melanie,” Hope grumbled. “What’s the problem?”

“You were staring off into space again,” Robyn replied. “Were you dreaming about Gideon?”

“Shush,” Hope hissed. “He’s sitting right over there!”

“He can’t hear us,” Melanie assured her.

Hope glanced over her shoulder toward where Gideon was sitting with her uncle, Neal, and had to agree with Melanie. There was no way they could be heard from that far away.

“You should have told your uncle to tell Gideon to ask you out,” Robyn suggested. “It would have saved a lot of circling around each other.”

“Don’t you know circling around each other is part of the fun?” Hope grinned. “Or at least that’s what my mother says.”

“You don’t believe her, though. Do you?” Melanie followed up.

Hope glanced up from where she’d been pleating and unpleating her napkin. “Why would you say that?”

Melanie nodded down at the table. “Because you’re nervous. If you were having fun, you wouldn’t be nervous.”

Did she agree with her friends? She wasn’t so sure. Yes, she enjoyed flirting with Gideon. But it would be so much easier to enjoy flirting with him, if she knew what he thought of her.

“You could ask him, you know?” Robyn offered pragmatically. “This is the twenty-first century, after all.”

“I know,” Hope sighed. “But …” Again, her gaze was drawn over her shoulder to the table where Gideon and Neal were still involved in a deep conversation. Robyn was right. She could ask him.

“Go on,” Melanie encouraged. “But what?”

Hope shrugged. “My father is a little old-fashioned and well …”

Robyn frowned. “But didn’t I see in the book that your mother asked your father out first?”

“That was different,” Hope murmured. “My father didn’t think he was good enough for my mother.”

“And you don’t think that’s an issue with Gideon?” Melanie asked. “After all, his father and your father have a history.”

“Which I’m fully aware of,” Hope snapped. “But I want him to ask me. Do you think I’m expecting too much?”

“I would say ‘have hope,’” Melanie grinned. “But something tells me you don’t need it.”

“Why?”

“Because,” Robyn tipped her chin slightly in Gideon’s direction, “ he’s headed this way.”

“He’s what?” Hope squeaked.

“On his way over,” Melanie whispered.

Hope glanced over her shoulder, and when her gaze briefly met Gideon’s, her heart dropped into her stomach.

Oh my! Oh my! Oh my! She leaned on the table. “How do I look?”

Melanie rolled her eyes. “You look fine. Stop worrying.”

“Hope,” Gideon’s aftershave titillated her senses, “can I speak with you for a moment?”

Hope’s gaze slowly lifted until her blue eyes clashed with his dark ones. “Sure.” She wanted to roll her eyes at just how breathy she sounded. “Can I help you with something?”

Gideon’s gaze touched on Melanie and Robyn, then back to Hope. “Can we speak alone? Would that be alright?”

“Oh, Okay. That would be fine.” Then she wanted to roll her eyes at how ridiculous she sounded.

“Can we talk now?” Gideon asked again.

“Go on,” Melanie mouthed.

Hope took a nervous breath and slid out of the booth. The butterflies in her stomach took off at once. It forced her to focus on putting one foot in front of the other as she followed Gideon across the floor.

He led her around the building to a secluded corner and crowded her, pushing her to back up against the wall. Being close to him was everything she’d ever wanted, but now that it was happening, her heart was racing, and the urge to giggle was strong.

“Is this okay?” Gideon asked hesitantly. “I noticed that—“

“—Everyone was staring at us?” Hope muttered.

“Yes.” Gideon smiled. “Are you okay with that?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well,” he went on. “Our fathers …”

“Will never be best friends,” Hope replied. “Why?” She hesitated for a beat. “Are you scared of my dad?” Then she wanted to smack herself in the head that those words had fallen from her mouth. “Scared?” Gideon laid his hand on his chest. “Me?”

“There’s no one else out here.”

“I’m not scared.” Gideon propped one hand on the building next to her head and leaned in a little closer. “Should I be?”

“It depends.”

“On?”

“Why you brought me out here?”

Gideon’s gaze dropped to her mouth, then right back up. It caused her lips to tingle and made her wonder what it would feel like if she just went for it.

“Hope.” He brushed her hair behind her shoulder and took a half step closer. His dark eyes mesmerized her, and his heat reached out. “I was wondering if you would go to the Snowflake Ball with me?”

Her breath caught, and the words Be cool! Be cool! were on repeat inside her head. But having Gideon ask her to go to the dance had been her dream for longer than she could remember. “Yes!” She fought to keep from squealing. “Yes, I’ll go to the dance with you.”

A slow smile crawled across Gideon’s mouth. “You will?”

“I will.”

His eyes twinkled, and before he even opened his mouth, somehow, she knew what he was going to say. “And you’ll protect me from your father? If it’s necessary, that is.”

Hope giggled. “I’ll protect you.”

“Good,” he replied in a husky voice. “I’ll pick you up at 8:00 p.m.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Gideon brushed his knuckles down her cheek. “We’ll have fun.”

Her breath hitched, and she fought to push the lump in her throat down. “We will.”

“Shall we?” He inclined his head toward the diner door.

In a daze, Hope followed him back inside and slid into her booth seat. “Well,” Melanie and Robyn cried simultaneously. “What happened?”

“What happened?” Hope asked absently.

“Did he ask you to the dance?” Melanie pushed.

“Did you say yes?” Robyn followed up.

“What are you going to tell you parents?” Melanie questioned.

Hope glanced from one friend to the other. “What do you mean?”

“You know the history between your fathers,” Robyn stated. “Will there be bloodshed?”

“Bloodshed?” Hope giggled. “Aren’t you the one who said this is the twenty-first century?”

“True,” Robyn sighed. “But that had nothing to do with the possibility of a duel.”

Hope rolled her eyes. “There’s not going to be a duel. Everything will be fine.”

“Good luck with that.” Melanie smiled sympathetically. “I’m glad I’m not you.”

“Gee, thanks.” Hope glanced over her shoulder in Gideon’s direction again, and their gazes clashed. “I told him I’d protect him if I needed to.”

Robyn waggled her eyebrows. “But who’s going to protect you from Gideon?”

“Do you think I need to be protected from Gideon?” Hope murmured. “I’m not so sure.”

“I guess it depends on what you want,” Melanie replied. “What do you want?”

Once again, Hope’s gaze clashed with Gideon’s. What did she want from him? The memory of how he’d made her lips tingle when he’d looked at them had her turning back to her friends. “What do I want?”

“Yes, Hope,” Robyn nodded. “What do you want?”

“A kiss,” Hope sighed. “I just want a kiss.”

***

Fin ... at least for now.

Will she get it? Should the story be finished?

Happy 2023! May all your dreams come true.

Tagged a few people who were on the initial one.

@sailormew4 @annaamell @emmateo26 @bethacaciakay @ultraluckycatnd @effulgent-mind @ilovemesomekillianjones @kat2609 @brooke-to-broch @missgymgirl @galadriel26 @the-lady-of-misthaven @charmingturkeysandwich @jennjenn615 @kimmy46 @snowbellewells @iamanneenigma @daxx04 @nickillian @in-spirational @gillie @britishguyslover @ginnyjinxedandhanshotritafirst @kmomof4 @linda8084 @golfgirld @captain-swan-coffee @searchingwardrobes @hollyethecurious @laughswaytoomuch @allyourdarlingswans @winterbaby89 @facesiousbutton82 @therooksshiningknight, @lfh1226-linda @tiganasummertree @jrob64 @jonesfandomfanatic @everything-person @girl-in-a-tiny-box @resident-of-storybrooke @qualitycoffeethings @sherifffjones @countrybroadwayprincess @tiganasummertree @hufflepuffinstorybrooke @kristi555 @nikkiemms @gingerchangeling @marcella2727 @idontdothatveryoften @lady-bell

#csff #csholidayfic #Emma #Killian #Hope #NewYearsDate #csfluff #csedit #csgifset #csgraphic

21 notes · View notes

hollyethecurious · 2 years ago

Text

I posted 853 times in 2022

101 posts created (12%)

752 posts reblogged (88%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@pirateherokillian

@wyntereyez

@hollyethecurious

@killian-whump

@kwistowee

I tagged 744 of my posts in 2022

Only 13% of my posts had no tags

#colin o'donoghue - 158 posts

#killian jones - 132 posts

#captain swan - 75 posts

#captain hook - 41 posts

#icymi - 39 posts

#curious replies - 37 posts

#911 lone star - 32 posts

#cs ff - 31 posts

#words by hollye - 31 posts

#ask game - 27 posts

Longest Tag: 92 characters

#emma enlists killian to come to a family dinner so he can take some of the heat off her from

My Top Posts in 2022:

CS AU: Pan Says... (2/?)

Summary: After waking up in a strange room with a naked stranger, Emma and Killian must endure the twisted game their kidnapper insists they play in order to gain provisions and avoid punishments.

A/N: Sorry I took so long to update. Originally, this part was going to be much longer, incorporating several prompts that were sent to me, but I have opted to go about it differently now. In an effort to highlight each prompt (or the bits of prompts I’m fusing together for a single scene), I’m going to keep the updates focused on one or two Pan Says scenarios as well as their reward/punishment.

I am still taking prompts, so if something comes to mind please feel free to send it in an Ask. Nothing is off limits, as I don’t really have triggers and very few things squick me out, however, I cannot guarantee every Ask will make it into an update. I’ll continue to take prompts until an end game for the fic emerges.

Lots of love to @ultraluckycatnd and @kmomof4 for their exceptional beta skills on this one!

Rated M & eventual E /Also available on ao3 and ff.net / buy me a coffee / add to tag list / Curious? Come Ask Me! / Part One

Prompt & Content Warnings: This prompt came from the csmm Discord - “Tell the other something you don’t like about them.” I don’t think there are any additional content warnings that apply to this part that weren’t listed for Part One, but as with every update to this fic: read at your own risk!

Part Two

“Swan, will you please come sit down?”

“I can’t. I can’t sit down. Not while you’re so calm. You should be yelling at me. Why aren’t you yelling at me?”

“I don’t want to yell at you. There’s no reason for me to yell at you.”

“No reason?” Emma shouted, rounding on him as he sat on the edge of bed, finally halting her frantic pacing. “Killian. I blew it. Failing Round One, that was all--”

“That was not your fault, Swan.”

“Yes, it was! Don’t try and make me feel better about blowing our chance to get out of here. It is my fault. I pulled you into the damn kiss.”

“Aye, you did.” He stood, the pillow still firmly in place over his groin, and Emma had to force herself to not keep glancing down at it every few seconds, focusing instead on his exasperated expression and increasingly frustrated tone. “But in your desperation to get us the fuck out of here, it seems you failed to notice my lips were halfway to meeting yours before your hand even met my shoulder!”

Taken aback, Emma’s lips parted, but he barreled on before she could respond. “That kiss was going to happen, Emma. Whether you initiated it or not, that kiss would have happened. We both fell for Pan’s tricks, and blaming ourselves or one another will do us no good. We have to keep our wits about us and focus on being constructive, because sooner or later he’ll be back to commence with Round Two and God only knows what fresh hell awaits us.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t classify what I have planned for you as hell,” Pan stated over the speakers. “In fact, I’m prepared to make you a very generous offer.”

“Save it.”

“Now now, Emma,” Pan tsked. “Let’s not be hasty.”

The sudden slide of a metal panel startled Emma, causing her to stumble back. Killian moved to stand in front of her, both of them unnerved by the sight of a now exposed window looking into the room from the outer hallway… and that which lay on the other side of it.

Two masked figures, dressed all in black, stood shoulder to shoulder facing them with long, black, pronged batons gripped in their hands.

“Meet my Lost Ones,” Pan said. “Round Two sometimes requires a bit of encouragement in order to really get going, so they’ll be doing my bidding if necessary.” A long pause echoed through the room before Pan spoke again, his tone low and applying a clear measure of threat. “I’d advise you both in making that necessity as infrequent as possible.”

The panel slid closed, hiding the window and the shadowy specters from view, and Pan’s voice was once again jovial.

“As I was saying, I am prepared to make you both a very generous offer!”

“What offer would that be?” Killian questioned through his clenched jaw, reluctantly playing along.

“Pan Says you can earn everything back if… you both spend two full minutes appreciating one another’s naked body.”

Furtive glances were exchanged, and Emma could see the slightest shake of Killian’s head, ready to refuse.

The action did not go unnoticed by Pan either. “Oh, please. Don’t act so noble. You both got your fill of each other’s backsides while taking turns in the shower, so what’s the big deal in paying equal attention to each other’s fronts?”

Emma hated that he had a point. They’d both been guilty of ogling each other in the shower, the only difference in his request was that there would be no sneaky peeks. Actually, that was not the only difference. This time, when she and Killian admired one another, it would be with the other’s full consent. Killian had already given his last night in a blanket statement, but based on the way he had his head craned upward, doing all he could to avoid looking at her at all, he would need for her to reciprocate his words if he was going to agree.

“Killian, look at me.” He shook his head, his Adam’s apple jumping and his teeth grinding in agitation. “Last night you told me I had your consent. Remember?” He nodded, but kept his gaze skyward until she took his hand and brought it up to rest against her sheet shrouded chest. “Well you have mine, too,” she told him, her eyes piercing into his, imploring him to understand why she needed him to agree. When he still seemed unsure and unwilling to relent, she quietly murmured, “Please. I don’t want to give him any reason to send those two in here. ‘Cause we both know they won’t care about our consent, only Pan’s rules.”

See the full post

66 notes - Posted January 2, 2022

CS AU: Conviction (3/?)

Summary: The story had been front page news for months. Scandalous details of a married woman of low birth and with limited means, murdering her husband; hatcheting him to death in order to save her own life and that of her unborn child - or so she claimed. No evidence to support her allegations of abuse had been presented during the trial, but in the end, it was the fact that Mrs. Cassidy was with child that saved her from a verdict of murder in the first degree, a judgment that carried the death penalty for both men and women alike. As an act of mercy, a lesser charge was issued, one that spared her life but now made her Misthaven Penitentiary’s problem to contend with, and more specifically, the Captain of the Guard charged with keeping order within its walls.

A/N: I continue to be blown away by the response to this fic. Thank y’all so much!

In answer to a question I received after the last chapter posted, this fic IS written entirely from Killian’s POV.

Thanks to my amazing betas, @snowbellewells and @kmomof4. Also, shout out to @sotangledupinit for the assist in defringing (there, @teamhook, is that better?) Killian for the art.

Rated T-M (for themes, mentions of abuse, murder, and attempted assault) / Available on ao3 and ff.net / buy me a coffee / add to tag list

Chapter One | Chapter Two

Chapter Three

As the weeks passed, the Captain of the Guard and his unusual charge settled into a familiar routine. Every night Killian would spend time outside her cell, talking with Swan about all manner of things. He would bring her books to read so they might discuss them, and she would share with him the local gossip she’d heard from Granny or one of the other ladies Elsa had recruited to keep her company during visiting hours and the morning walks he still oversaw before leaving each day.

It warmed his heart to see her cell filled with items gifted to her or crafted by her own hand with the yarn and knitting needles she’d come to master. Soft blankets, hats, and booties were overflowing the trunk Marco, the town carpenter, had made for her to hold such keepsakes. Another trunk had been approved to house the garments she’d collected through the generosity of her new friends in order to accommodate her expanding waist and keep her warm during the frigid nights as winter swiftly settled over the prison.

Nights like this one.

Killian turned up the collar of his overcoat and shivered past the drafts seeping in through every crack and crevice within the old stone prison. With a new, heavy blanket in his arms, he made his way to Swan’s cell, intending to spend a few moments with her while Officer Booth (who had replaced Robin on night watch) finished his patrol.

A few of the prisoners nodded at him as he passed, the cold making sleep difficult for them, and one or more groused under their breath at the sight of the blanket. Towards the end of the block, dirt-stained arms hung over the cross brace of the barred door, and one of their newest inmates, Will Scarlet, gave Killian a look bordering on insubordinate as he cheeked, “Something to help keep the missus warm, Captain?”

Killian ignored the man’s question, pausing before his cell only to issue him an order to get back in bed.

“It’s just…” Scarlet continued with a tone of ribbing. “I think someone’s beat you to it.”

Killian’s brow arched up his forehead. Before he asked the thief what he meant by that statement, the soft sound of Swan’s hushed laughter perked his ears. Setting off, he rounded the corner and found Booth standing outside her cell, a bright smile stretching over his usually wooden features as he passed a thick quilt through the bars.

“Officer Booth,” Killian barked, causing the man to balk and snap to attention. “Have you finished patrol?”

“No, Captain,” the man answered.

“Then I suggest you get back to it before I write you up for dereliction of your duty.”

Booth gave his captain a stiff nod, his eyes flicking back towards the cell as if unsure whether he could risk saying anything more to the woman inside. Resolving it wasn’t a risk he was willing to take, Booth made his way past Killian and back to the cell block to continue his patrol. Killian’s flickering jaw muscle practically chased him as he went.

“He was only checking on me,” Swan said, her face pressed between the bars with a look of alarm pinching at her features. “Officer Booth has always been kind, he’s never done or said anything improper. He’s--”

“I know, Swan,” Killian assured her as he closed the distance between them. “I know August is a good man with no… untoward intentions. But he does have duties, and he’s new to the night shift. Many of the men think standards can be lowered during the night because the inmates are asleep, when really it’s the time to be as vigilant as possible.”

Swan nodded, chewing on both her lip and his words before her eyes fell to the blanket in his arms. An amused sound huffed from her chest. “Is that for me?”

“Aye,” Killian replied. A swell of heat rose up the back of his neck, prickling behind his ear until he reached up to paw at it. “I thought you might need an additional blanket to help keep you warm, but it seems Officer Booth has already seen to that comfort.”

His eyes flicked down to the quilt tucked beneath her arm, then back up to her face, which was covered with an expression of affection. Normally, he would have been pleased to see such an appearance, yet for some reason he found himself rather perturbed by the sight of it.

“He isn’t the only one,” she told him, turning to the side and gesturing to a stack of quilts, afghans, and other spreads teetering upon one of her trunks. “Every visitor I’ve had this week has seen fit to bring me at least one.”

The irritation that had flared within his chest subsided when he realized her temperament was because of all the care and kindness she’d received from the community at large and not just from a single, particular source. He also resolutely refused to examine that initial annoyance any further, choosing instead to focus on the issue he could see swirling within the depths of her green eyes as she vacillated over giving it voice.

“What is it, Swan?”

“I know it��s probably against regulations, seeing as there aren’t enough for everyone, but…” Her eyes turned pleading as she gazed up at him, and Killian knew no matter what her request might be, he was unlikely to refuse her. “I have more than enough to keep me comfortable while others must spend the long nights absolutely freezing. Would it… would it be possible to have these extra blankets dispensed to other inmates? Perhaps the older, frailer ones?”

Killian stared down at her, stunned. It really shouldn’t have surprised him that she would be willing to share her excess with others she felt were more in need, but such mindsets were not at all commonplace within the hardened walls of a prison, or among equally hardened prisoners.

See the full post

66 notes - Posted April 24, 2022

CS AU: Conviction (5/?)

A/N: My apologies for not updating last week. While I am determined to maintain a regular, weekly schedule, I'm afraid I've fallen behind on my wiring, and therefore I can't guarantee there won't be more skipped weeks. Now that my homeschool semester is over, I'm hoping to get more writing time so I can catch back up. I just ask that y'all be patient with me.

Thank you for all the lovely comments! I treasure them, and am so thrilled y'all seem to love this story as much as I do! Also, thanks to my amazing betas, @snowbellewells and @kmomof4. Also, shout out to @sotangledupinit for the assist in defringing Killian for the art.

Rated T-M (for themes, mentions of abuse, murder, and attempted assault) / Available on ao3 and ff.net / buy me a coffee / add to tag list

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Snow swirled and the frigid air burned in Killian’s lungs. The scent of pine danced in his sinuses and tickled his tongue, the aroma of the season stirring those feelings of good tidings even though there had been no great joy in his days for the past few weeks.

Actually, that wasn’t completely true. Despite the rift between himself and his brother - a chasm that had only grown wider since his brother’s decree, forcing Killian from Swan’s presence and the pleasure of her company, while removing any comfort his might have given her - there had been moments of elation and gratitude to help lighten the otherwise gloomy December days.

Elsa had wasted no time in acquiring the services of a few masons and the blacksmith, converting the old offices along the upper level of the officer’s wing into a much larger cell for Swan and her swiftly approaching arrival. The men had offered their time and materials, free of charge, and word had spread regarding the prison’s forthcoming addition, spurring the townsfolk into actions of charity, not only for Miss Swan, but the entire prison as well.

The soft crunch of compacted snow, mixed with the shuffle of freshly fallen flakes echoed beneath Killian’s boots as he made his way up the long drive towards the prison. He stopped for a moment, adjusting the bulky item in his arms so he could tighten his scarf, a slight shiver traveling down his spine when the winter breeze whispered across the thin layer of perspiration dampening his skin from the exertion of carrying the object from town. A ring of faint laughter tinkled through the air, and Killian knew the carolers he’d passed in the village must be making their way to the prison.

He remembered lamenting many months ago about how they were to make it through the winter without the assistance of the convent. He never would have imagined the outpouring of care, kindness, and compassion they had received from the town’s residents, from necessities like foodstuffs and fuels, to the indulgence of new clothing for the prisoners and a collection for the officers’ uniforms, as well as decorations and community visits to help lift the population’s spirits. Killian could not remember a more festive or exhilarating Christmas season in all his years, and though Elsa had certainly had her hand in making it happen, Killian knew the true prompting that had brought the whole town together to rally around Misthaven Penitentiary was Emma.

A cloud of vapor briefly hung in the air from where Killian had exhaled heavily. Emma. His Swan. Not a day had gone by that he had not thought of her, and not simply because the work being done on her new cell was happening, quite literally, before his very eyes day after day. He’d timed his arrival during those first few shifts he’d reported for duty with when she’d usually be out on her walks, so he would at least have the opportunity to see her, perhaps even speak with her. However, his brother had accounted for such an action and had issued new orders regarding her yard time. Now that they were back to full staff, they no longer had to depend on the off-duty night shift to perform the task, so she was worked into the day rotation schedule, usually escorted from her cell when Killian was in the training room with one of the new recruits.

The sound of his boot falls interrupted the quiet once more as he trod up the path towards the prison gate. Two of the recruits were milling about in the yard, most likely awaiting the arrival of the carolers. They snapped to attention as soon as they spotted him, one moving quickly to open the door for their captain, whose arms were still laden with an object he hoped to deliver before the visitors’ arrival.

It was a yearly tradition, the carolers beginning their Christmas Eve serenade at the prison before moving through town and finishing at the church for the Silent Night Service. They would spend some time visiting with the prisoners first, encouraging them with conversation and perhaps a small, gifted token, like a piece of peppermint or some other candy, to commemorate the holiday, then sing a few carols before moving on. Killian had always enjoyed the Christmas Eve caroling and the festivities it brought with it, the guards finding ways to make their own merriment as those off-duty joined the on-duty shift for a celebratory toast after the carolers departed, but this year… The rift between him and Liam would most likely sour whatever toast their warden made, and the only person with whom he wished to share Christmas he was forbidden from seeing.

That hadn’t stopped him from bringing her a gift, though.

Depositing the item in his office, Killian straightened his appearance, smoothing down his hair, which had become tussled by the winter wind, and took in a steadying breath as dread gnawed his gut. Never before had he been anxious to face his brother, not to this degree at least, and he wondered if the damage both their words and actions had caused to their relationship would be permanent. In addition to keeping his distance from Swan, as ordered, Killian had done all he could to avoid Liam these past few weeks, dispatching another officer to meet with the warden in his stead and begging off all of Elsa’s invitations to share dinner with them now he had his evenings free. When the rare moment occurred that he had to report to the warden’s office himself, he had been overly formal and guarded with a rapport of extreme professionalism, a conduct Liam had reciprocated in kind.

It had not escaped Killian’s notice that the officers walked on eggshells around them both, nor could he deny the strain it was starting to have on Elsa, who desperately tried to get the two brothers together so they might discuss the matter rather than allow it to continue to fester. Killian would be lying if he said the glimmer of tears in her eyes when he’d turned down the offer to spend Christmas with them hadn’t made his heart twist painfully in his chest, but he knew he’d only bring the celebration down with his sullenness, and he wasn’t about to make her sister or her sister’s family uncomfortable with the added tension his presence would bring.

Besides… Swan was supposed to be moved into her new cell Christmas morning, and Killian wanted to be there, even if he couldn’t share the occasion by her side or give her the gift he’d worked on with Marco himself.

Exiting his office, he glanced across the corridor as he passed the new cell and paused. Philip and Thomas - two of the newest recruits and set to make officer after the first of the year - were bustling around the space, depositing firewood into the nook beside the hearth and positioning the new furnishings into place, readying the cell for its new inhabitant. A copper tub sat in the corner, partially hidden behind a partition that would provide her privacy when she bathed, the fireplace allowing her not only warmth, but the ability to heat water without the assistance of the guards. A rocking chair faced the hearth, a fresh mattress was laid out upon the suspended frame on the opposite wall, and a wardrobe filled the opposite corner, ready for Swan’s and her baby's belongings to be transferred from the trunks they’d been packed in for months. A smile lifted the corners of his mouth, a moment of gladdened contentment pushing past the longing that had been hollowing out his chest cavity day by day.

“Do you need something, Captain?”

The question brought Killian back to his purpose. “No. Thank you, Thomas. Carry on.”

Leaving the recruits to finish their work, Killian turned and fortified himself before raising his hand to knock on the warden’s door. Dutifully, he waited until he heard his brother bid entrance.

“Killian?” Liam said, standing from his chair with a perplexed yet tentatively relieved expression. His hair was as unruly as Killian’s, but where the wind had been responsible for the younger Jones’ appearance, it seemed the chaotic nature of Liam’s hair had been caused by his fingers continuously running through the curly strands. “I was not sure you’d return for the festivities when Erik informed me you’d already left for the day.”

Killian lifted his chin, his hands tucked behind his back with his posture board straight as he addressed his warden. “I had an errand to run in town, sir.”

“I see,” Liam commented, wincing a bit at the curt edge of Killian’s formal tone. Making his way around the desk, Liam paused when he reached the front edge, wringing his hands for a moment before letting them fall to his sides. “I was sorry to hear you refused our invitation for Christmas,” he said. “And not because it means I must endure Elsa’s sister and brother-in-law without the aid of my li...er, younger brother.”

Killian’s brows twitched, nearly pinching together in disbelief at the correction. Was his brother attempting to make amends? It wasn’t like Liam to concede, to ever admit he might be wrong, and if it was his intention to make things right then it surely had to have been prompted by Elsa.

“I offered to take the Christmas shift so Thomas could spend the holiday with his wife. I felt the other recruits deserved to spend the day with their lady loves as well.”

“And the fact Mrs. Cassidy is moving to the cell across the hall tomorrow morning had no bearing on such an offer, I’m sure.”

Killian stiffened further, his posture becoming more rigid as he geared up for another row with his brother, but the spark of anger Liam’s quip had ignited was quickly snuffed out with his brother’s next words.

See the full post

69 notes - Posted May 15, 2022

WIP Wednesday: New CS AU Sneak Peek

Summary: The story had been front page news for months. Scandalous details of a married woman of low birth and with limited means, murdering her husband; hatcheting him to death in order to save her own life and that of her unborn child - or so she claimed. No evidence to support her allegations of abuse had been presented during the trial, but in the end, it was the fact that Mrs. Cassidy was with child that saved her from a verdict of murder in the first degree, a judgment that carried the death penalty for both men and women alike. As an act of mercy, a lesser charge was issued, one that spared her life but now made her Misthaven Penitentiary's problem to contend with, and more specifically, the Captain of the Guard charged with keeping order within its walls.

A/N: This fic was inspired by the true account of Martha Casto who was incarcerated in the Missouri State Penitentiary in 1843 for manslaughter. I first heard her story on an episode of Who Do You Think You Are, featuring the lineage of actress Cynthia Nixon. While I have taken some details of Martha’s crime and sentencing to weave into the story, mine will not be a retelling of the accounts of her time in prison. Also, while I am setting this fic in the same time period as the inspiration (mid-1800s), I will be taking some historical liberties.

Thanks to my amazing betas, @snowbellewells and @kmomof4. Also, shout out to @sotangledupinit for the assist in debanging (don’t make it dirty, people) Killian for the art.

Rated T-M (for themes, mentions of abuse, murder, and attempted assault) / updating weekly on Sundays / buy me a coffee / add to tag list / Curious? Come Ask Me!

Sneak Peek from Chapter One:

“Mrs. Cassidy, I am Liam Jones, Warden here at Misthaven Penitentiary, and this is my Captain of the Guard, Killian Jones.”

Killian gave the woman a curt nod and tried to focus his attention on the words Liam was speaking. Not that he really needed to. It was the same speech he gave to every other inmate who passed through their doors. Albeit, no other inmate had ever had the privilege of receiving these remarks within the warden’s own office. A change in protocol that further iterated how remarkable a situation they all faced.

Remarkable. Yes. Such a designation seemed apt as Killian took in the woman before him. He was not sure what he had expected of Mrs. Cassidy, but the thin-framed young woman before him certainly was not it. She couldn’t have been more than twenty years old, and only reached his chin. Though she had to be petrified of what lay ahead, her countenance betrayed none of her trepidations. Standing stiff-backed with her head held high, she struck Killian as a tough lass. Tough and bloody beautiful to boot.

His job just got a whole lot harder.

A small grimace passed over her features when she turned back towards the door, having been dismissed by the warden and ready to be led to her cell. Her delicate hands clenched and released, the red welts from the shackles clasped around her wrists stood out in stark contrast to her pale skin. Killian ground his teeth together, a response he’d involuntarily given into a number of times since seeing her disembark from the prison wagon with chains binding her wrists and ankles. It was standard procedure when transporting prisoners, but Killian could barely stomach the sight of those restraints on a woman, regardless of her crime.

Escorted by his fellow guardsman, Robin, Killian marched his prisoner along the corridor towards the catwalk that allowed them to cross over to the other side of the upper level. While passing the manned cells, Killian did his best to shield Mrs. Cassidy from the other prisoners’ view, but it didn’t stop a few taunts and lewd comments thrown her way by one of the more hardened inmates. Pulling his baton from where it rested at his hip, Killian slammed it against the bars as a warning.

“You’d best hold your tongue, before I remove it,” Killian said in a hushed, menacing tone that matched the look he stared the man down with until the perpetrator backed away.

Out of instinct, Killian reached out to grasp the woman’s arm in order to prompt her forward, but retracted his hand when he saw her flinch. He had to bite down on his tongue to keep from apologizing, reminding himself she was just another prisoner and had to be treated as such in order to maintain the necessary balance required for order and discipline within the prison.

They made their way across the catwalk, down the opposite side, and around the corner to her cell without further incident. Robin unlocked the cell door, swinging it wide, while Killian knelt down to remove the shackles around her ankles. The length and layers of her skirts made it difficult to locate the keyhole on the first side, until they suddenly hitched up, revealing her boots and metal irons surrounding them. Killian flicked his eyes up to see Mrs. Cassidy had bunched the fabric up in her hands in order to make the work easier for him, and he was once again tempted to break protocol, swallowing back the thank you that threatened to slip out.

Once her leg irons were removed and handed off to Robin, Killian gestured her inside the cell and closed the door behind her with a loud, jarring clang, causing her to flinch once more.

“Hands,” he ordered. His tone was a bit harsher than he meant it to be, so he was thankful when she slipped her hands between the bars without hesitation.

Like the shackles at her ankles, Killian made quick work of the restraints around her wrists. Anger flared within him at the sight of the red, raw skin revealed beneath the heavy metal, and this time he could not hold back the apology slipping past his lips when a hiss escaped her from the fresh air stinging the open wounds.

“I will have a salve brought to you that will help with those,” Killian told her, passing the wrist restraints off to Robin, who nodded his understanding of the implied order before heading back towards the officers’ station.

“That isn’t necessary,” the woman replied, gingerly rubbing the skin surrounding the welts and sores.

“It’s standard procedure,” Killian informed her, lest she think he was offering her special treatment. “As the warden mentioned, meals will be brought up for you to eat in your cell. Your dinner should arrive within the hour. Have you any questions, Mrs. Cassidy?”

“Emma,” she replied sharply.

“I beg your pardon?”

She sighed and set her features with a firm resolve. “I do not wish to be addressed as Mrs. Cassidy. Please, call me Emma.”

“I am afraid that will not be possible,” Killian told her, attempting to keep the sympathy out of his voice. “My brother feels such familiarity would be inappropriate.”

“Your brother?”

Killian bit back a curse at the carelessness of his words. “I meant, the warden,” he corrected.

“Right,” she nodded. “Jones. I should have realized the connection.” Robin returned and handed the jar of salve and a square of clean linen to her through the bars, which she accepted with a timid thank you. “How should I address you and the other guards if I have need?”

“You may address the guards as Officer, or include that title with their surname.” Killian gestured to Robin. “For instance, this is Officer Locksley.”

Robin offered her a polite nod which she returned before flicking her gaze back to Killian. “And you?”

See the full post

80 notes - Posted April 6, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

CS AU: Conviction (1/?)

Thanks to my amazing betas, @snowbellewells and @kmomof4. Also, shout out to @sotangledupinit for the assist in debanging (don’t make it dirty, people) Killian for the art.

Rated T-M (for themes, mentions of abuse, murder, and attempted assault) / Available on ao3 and ff.net / buy me a coffee / add to tag list

Chapter One

“You cannot be bloody serious.” Killian’s eyes jumped from the order in his hands to his brother’s face. “They’re sending her here?”

“This is the only prison within Misthaven County,” Liam reminded him, seemingly unperturbed by the proclamation that a woman, who had just been found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to serve five years for the crime against her husband, would be housed within the stone walls he was charged with overseeing as warden.

Killian shook his head and tossed the missive onto the imposing mahogany desk in front of him. “This is madness,” he said, running a hand through his hair while trying to grapple with the logistical nightmare the magistrate had set upon them. “Her presence will cause chaos among the other prisoners, to say nothing of how she will affect the guards.”

“I see no reason why her incarceration here should cause such disastrous waves of which you seem concerned.”

Killian stared slack jawed at his brother, who had resumed his seat and began scratching quill to parchment. “Brother,” Killian began with an incredulous tone once he again found his voice, “We are not equipped to see to the needs of a woman here, especially one who is with child.”

“We will see to her needs as we do the men under our supervision. However,” Liam held up his hand to stay his brother’s protest, “I recognize that a few concessions will be necessary in order to ensure her safety and well-being whilst she is here.” Setting the ink he had just finished applying to the page, Liam stood and handed the paper to Killian. “As Captain of the Guard, I entrust these added measures into your authority. See to it the other guards are aware of my instructions and that they are upheld.”

Killian grit his teeth, but held his tongue. He knew a dismissal when it was issued, and though Liam was his older brother, he was also the prison warden and Killian’s superior. Positions Killian respected, even if he did think his brother was being purposefully obtuse about the reality of the circumstance about to befall them.

Upon exiting his brother’s office and returning to his own, Killian settled himself in his desk chair and read over the principles by which Liam would have them all handle the presence of Mrs. Cassidy. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Killian released a long sigh before glancing out the window that looked across the open corridor to the upper level cells that stood adjacent to the officers’ wing. From where he sat, Killian had a clear view around the corner to the secluded stretch where lay the cell Liam had determined would house the infamous ax-murderess.

The story had been front page news for months. Scandalous details of a married woman of low birth and limited means murdering her husband; hatcheting him to death in order to save her own life and that of her unborn child - or so she claimed. No evidence to support her allegations of abuse had been presented during the trial when neighbors and members of the man’s family had come forward with their testimonies of character, painting the victim in portraits of virtue while his wife was further vilified. In the end, it was the fact that Mrs. Cassidy was with child that had saved her from a verdict of murder in the first degree, a judgment that carried the death penalty for men and women alike. As an act of mercy, a lesser charge was issued, one that spared her life but now made her Killian's problem to contend with.

And she would most certainly be a problem.

Keeping order within the prison was a challenge on the best of days. They were woefully underfunded and understaffed. Though not as deplorable in condition as other prisons Killian had seen, Misthaven Penitentiary had always relied on the charity of the local convent to see them through hard times. With its closing earlier in the year, and the nuns dispersed to other parishes, Killian was not sure how they would fare in the upcoming winter. To say nothing of how they’d fare having an inmate of the fairer sex within their midst.

A scoff of scorn erupted from the back of Killian’s throat when he read back over his brother’s edict. No man shall enter Mrs. Cassidy’s cell for any reason, lest it be a matter of life or death. Liam was a damn fool if he thought such a decree would dissuade some of the more… unsavory members of their guard from the temptation the woman would present, and it would be left to Killian to maintain order and discipline, not just from the sentenced population, but from his own men. A task he was not relishing in the slightest. Nor was he overjoyed by his brother’s commands that essentially made him her own personal jailor, a notion which left him with a sour taste in his mouth and equally unpleasant sensation in his gut.

Checking the time on his pocket watch, Killian stood and made himself presentable for the shift change. Liam would be addressing the whole of their guard staff, informing them of the impending arrival of Mrs. Cassidy, as well as a dozen or so other new inmates to follow, which meant longer shifts would be required in order to make the necessary preparations. Killian’s hopes of spending some time along the coast while the autumn weather was still agreeable were well and truly snuffed out, much like the desk candle he extinguished before leaving his office.

~/~

“Mrs. Cassidy, I am Liam Jones, Warden here at Misthaven Penitentiary, and this is my Captain of the Guard, Killian Jones.”

His job just got a whole lot harder.

“You’d best hold your tongue, before I remove it,” Killian said in a hushed, menacing tone that matched the look he stared the man down with until the perpetrator backed away.

Once her leg irons were removed and handed off to Robin, Killian gestured her inside the cell and closed the door behind her with a loud, jarring clang, causing her to flinch once more.

See the full post

85 notes - Posted April 10, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #long post

5 notes · View notes

kmomof4 · 2 years ago

Text

I posted 2,210 times in 2022

102 posts created (5%)

2,108 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@jrob64

@cssns

@hollyethecurious

@snowbellewells

@pirateherokillian

I tagged 2,199 of my posts in 2022

#cs ff - 551 posts

#captain swan - 299 posts

#killian jones - 234 posts

#otp forever - 161 posts

#captain hook - 147 posts

#enchanted swans - 139 posts

#colin odonoghue - 130 posts

#cssns22 - 118 posts

#krystal writes - 91 posts

#kwistowee - 76 posts

Longest Tag: 100 characters

#yeah emma… cos the natural thing is to grab someone by the waist and pull them tight to your body 👀

My Top Posts in 2022:

Dance With the Gypsy: A Red Hunter story in the Universe of A Family Affair

I wanted to get Ruby and Graham posted in January, and here I am slipping it in just under the wire!!! Yay, me!!!

As you can see, Dance With the Gypsy is dropping as its own fic instead of simply a chapter in Love Between the Pages. When I saw how long this fic was and how long the OQ and Snowing portions were shaping up to be, I thought it’d be much better to make it a series instead. The series is named A Family Affair and will include the love stories of all the siblings introduced in LBtP. I cannot BEGIN to express the joy y'all have given me with all the love shown this verse. It means more than I can ever say!! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

And now to give credit where credit is due. DWtG wouldn’t be here without the love, care, and attention of @snowbellewells, @jrob64, and @hollyethecurious. Both for the fic and for me. They were there to lend me their eyes, their ears, and their unending support. Thank you so so much, ladies!!

And to all of you readers. Thank you again for all the love you’ve already shown this verse. I hope you enjoy this new offering and let me know what you think!!

Summary: Graham Humbert swore off love long ago- determined never to fall in love, never to marry. And that worked great. Until he met Ruby Lucas. What's he supposed to do when she sets her eyes on him? Maybe falling in love isn't so bad after all...

Rating: M (smut)

Words: 11k

Tags: Inspired by Dance to the Piper of The O’Hurleys by Nora Roberts, Broadway, Smut

Fic on ao3

Series on ao3

Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

From a young age, Ruby was a dancer. When she got her first pair of tap shoes at the age of four, she began dreaming of a time when she would be a star on Broadway in New York City. All these years later, she was finally here.

She had come to New York at the age of eighteen, not long after Emma had left the family to marry NASCAR darling Neal Cassidy. Ruby supported herself by waiting tables in the theater district, in between dance classes and auditions, falling into bed in the wee hours of the morning before getting up and doing it all over again. She survived on Starbucks and reduced or free meals at the restaurants where she worked. She finally got her first chorus line contract after being in New York for three years, and her first lead about four years after that, allowing her to finally quit her waitressing job for good. Now she was on her second leading role after being in the show Six for two and half years.

Secrets would be opening in Philadelphia on the 4th of July weekend, bankrolled by Humbert Records, the producer of the soundtracks for legacy Broadway shows like Cats and Phantom of the Opera, as well as more recent hits like The Lion King and Hamilton. Ruby was thrilled to be a part of a show with that kind of clout behind it. Of course, there was no guarantee a particular show would be a hit, but with the kind of track record Humbert Records had, and her own instincts as to the viability of the show, she was pretty confident it would have a very long, very successful run. And would only open more doors for her down the road.

~*~*~

Graham Humbert was a second generation recording mogul in New York City, having taken over after his father finally retired from the business seven years ago. His father, Maurice had founded Humbert Records as a young man in the early eighties, when Andrew Lloyd Webber decided to take a chance on a young unknown with his new musical Cats. Humbert Records had been a powerhouse in the business for decades when Graham stepped into his father’s role, and that status had been confirmed when he’d landed the soundtrack for Hamilton not long after taking the helm.

Graham loved and respected his father tremendously and wanted nothing more than to make him proud, so when his father had come to him late last year with a recommendation for a new musical and a prospective leading lady- I have a good feeling about this one, he’d said with a grin and a wink- Graham hadn’t hesitated to pursue the recording rights. Now the musical was cast and in rehearsals, so Graham had decided to drop in to watch a portion of the rehearsal with the principals of the musical.

As he sat in the darkened theater with the director and choreographer, he watched as Ruby Lucas spun across the stage in a series of small turns before leaping into the arms of her co-star, Peter Wolffe, who’d just appeared onstage for a beautiful pas de deux. Graham knew who she was, of course, he’d seen her in Six and had personally approached her to offer her the starring role after his father’s recommendation, but watching her now, her strength and beauty took his breath away.

Once the rehearsal was over, Graham was invited on stage to meet with the stars of the show. He tried to school his features as he approached them and could only hope his nerves weren’t as obvious to Ms. Lucas as they were to him.

“Graham Humbert,” the choreographer, Cora Hart, began, “I understand you’ve already met Ruby Lucas,” she said, nodding at the star before turning to her partner. “May I introduce Peter Wolffe?”

He shook hands with Peter, commending him on the scene they’d just been rehearsing before turning back to Ruby. “It’s nice to see you again, Ms. Lucas,” Graham said, extending his hand for her to take. She was gorgeous, and he hoped his palms weren’t sweating. She smiled broadly, Graham was sure he could see every one of her teeth, and took his hand. Her green eyes sparkled and he couldn’t help but return her smile.

“Call me Ruby,” she countered with a wink.

~*~*~

Over the next few weeks, Graham made several appearances at rehearsals, and every time he did, Ruby’s heart beat double time. But she was a professional and couldn’t let this little infatuation interfere with her work. It took a few times, but when Graham made his fourth appearance in the space of about a week and a half, Ruby was finally able to put him in the back of her mind and concentrate fully on her rehearsal instead of half on what was going on around her and the other half on the handsome producer sitting in the front row.

She wasn’t blind to the way he looked at her, though. Every time she snuck a glance at him, he was entirely focused on her, sending a shiver of feminine pride down her spine. And when she was dancing with Peter, his stare about drilled a hole in her head. Since it appeared her attraction was not one-sided, Ruby decided to do something about it.

When rehearsal was over, Ruby approached him.

“Checking up on your investment?” she asked him with a grin.

See the full post

40 notes - Posted January 31, 2022

Hotel Neverland: A New Fic for CSSNS22

Hello everyone!!! I am so thrilled to share my entry for this years @cssns!!!! I’ve had this in my head for a while, and I’m so excited to finally post it!!!!

All the love and thanks to the mods for hosting another FANTASTIC event, @hollyethecurious who helped me get it plotted back in May when I visited, and to @profdanglaisstuff for her beta services and her expert advice on how to make this a little more unsettling, a little more creepy, just a little more all the way around... Thank you all so much, ladies!!!

And finally, to my artist @thesschesthair. Mandy is an ACTUAL SAINT for her GORGEOUS artwork for this fic and I am absolutely BESIDE myself for ALL of it!!! Please go give her heaps and loads of love for her work!!! She did several banners for the fic that I had a hell of a time choosing between, so I decided, why not use them all? And then, at the eleventh hour, she did another piece of work that sent me into TOTAL SCREAMING FLAILING CONNIPTIONS. It’s a bit spoilery, so it’ll be at the end of the fic.

But now, without further ado, here we go!

Fic Summary: A CS story for the Captain Swan Supernatural Summer ‘22

Rating: M (smut)

Words: 6611

Tags: CSSNS22, Inspired by Hotel California, Ghost Story, Smut

On ao3

Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

See the full post

41 notes - Posted August 19, 2022

Filming start June 6!!!!!! I can’t WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!!!!

47 notes - Posted May 16, 2022

Apologies, Dr. Jones- A New Fic by @kmomof4

Happy birthday @zaharadessert!!!!! It’s not quite your birthday here yet, but I wanted this posted before you woke up on your special day, so here you go!! You are a dear friend and I’m so glad this fandom has brought you into my life!! I hope this fic makes your birthday even better! Love you, babe!!!

All the love and thanks to @hollyethecurious for encouraging me to write this in the first place and to @jrob64 for an incredibly fast beta and for her help with the artwork! Thank you so much, ladies!!! Love y’all!!! 😘

From a post here on Tumblr by @lifeinahole27

How do I explain to my professor that the reason I didn't show up to class is because in my dream I woke up and checked my email and saw that class was canceled and I believed it?

Rating: M (smut)

Words: 3865

Tags: Teacher-Student Relationship, No Power Dynamic Issues, Consensual Sex, Smut

On ao3

Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

“Where were you?” Ruby asked, sitting down across from Emma at their usual coffee and breakfast spot. They always came here after their 9am British Lit class for the food they never had time to eat before class. And more coffee. Much more coffee.

“What do you mean ‘where was I’?” she asked, taking a bite of her bear claw.

“You weren’t in class,” Ruby said, incredulously. “Where were you?”

“I went back to sleep for a little while after the alarm went off, then came here,” she informed her friend. “I figured since you weren’t home when I got up that you must have gone to the library or something.”

“Nooo,” Ruby drawled. “I was in class. Where you should have been.”

Emma’s eyes got wide, as understanding dawned. “Class wasn’t canceled?” She pulled out her phone and frantically searched through her email.

Ruby grinned. “Did you dream that class was canceled?”

Heat flooded Emma’s cheeks as she looked up at Ruby. “I could have sworn…”

Ruby clapped her hands and threw back her head, laughing loudly. “Oh, Emma,” she howled, wiping the tears from her eyes. “No, class wasn’t canceled. And Dr. Jones stopped me after class to ask where you were. He seemed quite concerned about not seeing your face this morning, or the rest of you, for that matter.” Ruby’s eyebrows wiggled salaciously. “Mm mm mmmmmm,” she hummed. “If I were you, girl, I’d get me some of that…”

More heat flooded Emma’s cheeks at Ruby’s comment. “He’s my professor, Rubes,” she said, rolling her eyes. “That’s not gonna happen.” Until the end of the semester anyway, she thought, trying to hide a smirk at the thought.

But Ruby wasn’t fooled. She knew Emma too well and wasn’t blind to the attraction between her best friend and their professor that’d been simmering all semester long.

Emma dropped her head into her folded arms on the table between them. “How am I supposed to explain this? It must have been a dream. I woke up, checked my email and saw class was canceled. So why wouldn’t I go back to sleep? Ugh!”

“Well,” her friend tried to console her, “at least you’re not gonna be penalized for missing class. And you can copy my notes.”

Emma looked back up at her. “Yeah, but I was so looking forward to today’s class. You know how much I love Tolkien.”

“And you can tell how much he loves Tolkien, too,” Ruby informed her. “I’ve never seen him so animated during a lecture. And you know, that’s saying a lot.”

“Yeah,” Emma agreed, thinking about her hot professor and how she’d never had another that kept her attention so easily, no matter what time of day the class was held, much less first thing on Monday mornings. He obviously knew and loved his subject and it translated into his lectures. But today was the introduction to several lectures on Tolkien himself, and Emma wanted to kick herself for missing it. “I’m gonna have to go and apologize to him,” she said standing and checking the time on her phone. “He’s in his office for another hour. I’ll see you later.”

Ruby smirked at her. “Uh huh,” she murmured, “an hour’s plenty of time.”

Emma rolled her eyes at her friend. “Shut up, Rubes.”

See the full post

72 notes - Posted February 16, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

A One Time Thing? A new fic for the CS Neverland New Year!

I am so excited to finally be sharing my new fic for @neverlandnewyear!!!! This is a canon divergence from the kiss and was basically just an excuse to write Neverland smut. I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think!!

Thank you to the mods for hosting another great event this year!! I’m thrilled to have something new to contribute! Thank you to @hollyethecurious for outstanding beta services and all the ladies of the CSNLNY and CSMM discords for their support and encouragement!

Summary: A canon divergence from the Neverland kiss

Rating: M

Words: 2,220

Tags: Neverland, Smut, Canon Divergence

On ao3

Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

A One Time Thing?

“Perhaps you’re the one who couldn’t handle it,” he said, a sultry smirk on his face and popping the T.

Emma inhaled sharply at the way his voice dropped into a sexy croon, wrapping itself around every syllable the way she wished he would wrap around her. He made no move toward her, however, other than to hold her gaze, always letting her lead, his own eyes hooded, his cheeks and lips flushed red.

It only took a moment for her to make her decision. Grabbing the collar of that damn coat he always wore- how he didn’t melt in the Neverland heat with that blasted thing on, she’d never know- she hauled him to her and captured his lips with her own.

His stunned surprise melted as she released one side of the collar to wrap her hand around his neck, holding him to her. Her fingers buried themselves into the softness of his hair as his own hand tentatively brushed her long golden strands. The moist heat of his mouth tasted of rum with notes of leather, the sea, and sweat as their tongues tangled.

Oh, god.

Oh, no.

Oh, no, no, no, no, noooo.

Oh, yesss…

Killian’s own thoughts were barely coherent, simply losing himself in the moment. Oh, yesss… Oh, Swan… gods above, below, and all the realms between. Emma Swan, the gorgeous and bloody brilliant woman he’d follow to the ends of the earth, and had, was in his arms and she seemed determined to kill him with the way she fully possessed his mouth and held on to him as if she was drowning and he was her savior instead of the other way around. He pulled her closer into him, his hooked appendage wrapping around her waist and drawing her into where he was quickly hardening. She wasn’t relaxing her grip on his collar, her movements jerky and desperate, so he slowed his own movements down, determined to enjoy this brief interlude as much as possible in this hellscape.

Emma grabbed his collar again, her shoulders rising as she sucked in some desperately needed air before diving back in. His hook circled behind her and pushed her hips into his own, drawing a positively obscene moan from her mouth. His hard length was hitting her just right and it was all she could do to keep from grinding against him.

Her kiss grew more desperate, breathing him in as he tried to slow the pace down, his tongue caressing hers rather than dueling.

No, no, NO!!

This was not happening. She couldn’t allow it. He may be helping them find her son, he may have saved David’s life, but she would not fool herself into believing this meant anything. This was nothing more than a flirtation for him. She’d been burned before and she’d be damned if she let it happen again. But god, she really wanted him...

She grabbed his collar tighter as their lips barely parted. Killian couldn’t open his eyes yet, but their heavy breaths mingled in the space between them. Once he forced his eyes at least partially open, he couldn’t look away from her red swollen lips and heaving chest.

“That was…”

The words were barely a whisper against her lips. If she’d been any further away, she probably would have missed them. Their mouths were only millimeters apart, his nose brushing hers in the perfect position to dive back in, to hell with the consequences. But Emma couldn’t let that happen. She had to get away. She had to put some space between them.

“A one time thing,” she murmured into the moist air between them before releasing him and taking a small step back. In an instant, Killian’s gaze hardened.

“We’ll see about that, darling,” he all but growled, catching Emma off guard. He’d never been that forceful with her before, always letting her set the pace in their little dance. Sure, it didn’t stop him from flirting, but with her declaration, she would have expected him to back off, not assert himself like that.

See the full post

77 notes - Posted January 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

FINALLY!!!! Only took 2+hrs for the Post now button to light up...

But anyway, I'm pretty excited that most of my top posts were fics I wrote this year and that only 11 of my posts didn't have tags!

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

3 notes · View notes

midnightswans · 7 years ago

Text

The last chapter

Summary: After the curse on Hyperion Heights is broken, Henry decides to bring his new family, wife and daughter, to meet the rest of his family in Storybrooke.

A/N: I wrote this little one shot, trying to give an ending to Emma and Captain Swan's stories, for me, this should happen at the end of this season, at least I hope A&E manage to bring JMO one more time to make something like this, and because I feel like we deserved this.

Big big thank you this amazing persons @the-reason-to-sail-home @swaansong and @shealivedarnit they help to write this in the best way pd. this part isn’t beta so I’m sorry if I wrote something wrong.

Read: ff.net/AO3

The curse broke at 8:34 PM on Friday after Lucy risked her life trying to jump from the ledge of the balcony in her step-grandmother's office in a last desperate attempt to make Henry believe again.

She didn't jump, but slipped trying to step down and fell to the balcony below, knocking her unconscious. The loss of blood dropped her blood pressure to the floor, putting her in critical state. The accident sent her to the hospital's PICU for three days until her mother and father -after talking with the doctors about the health state their girl- both kissed her head wishing for the best but expecting the worst.

Then, the magic came like a rush of energy.

A week after that episode, Henry brought his whole family: wife and daughter, along with his mother and his friend Officer Rogers, to Storybrooke so that they could see where he was from. Regina - or Roni - could visit her own place and see what problems Zelena had made in their big white house and most important: look to see what Storybrooke had done without a mayor like her.

He led the way to that big, white picket fence house, the house where he lived his teenage years, where he fell in love for the first time, the place where he felt like he was home, the place that gave him a father – not a birth father, but a stepfather who loved him like his own.

"Wow, you lived here? This place is amazing, Dad," Lucy said with amazed tone, looking at the big house that now was full of toys everywhere. The backyard even had a little play castle like the one he had years ago when he brought Emma with him.

"Yeah kid, I think I lived here since I was thirteen years old between Regina's place, my da- step dad bought it for my mom, remember the story in the book? The house that Hook bought for Emma when she was the dark one?"

"That house is this house?" She asked mouth and eyes wide open looking at her mother like she couldn't believe what she was looking at.

"Yes Lucy, let's hope it's still theirs." He smiled, giving a squeeze to Jacinda's hand who stood beside him. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips with a hopeful smile, trying to make him feel more comfortable.

"I think your mother will be thrilled to see you again," she said simply with her characteristic accent playing with her hands. She was still a little nervous to meet this mother, she'd met Regina under other circumstances and they were already friends before the curse broke.

With a big sigh giving his girls a last look, he opened the door carefully, trying to clear away and not trip on the toys that surrounded the stairs. This was something he never thought he would see, this house full of kid stuff and, damn, he was thrilled about it.

Emma opened the front door to him at 6:34 PM on Saturday, a blonde toddler with bright blue eyes in her arms and a big bump on her stomach. Her usual red leather jacket and jeans with boots were replaced with a blue maxi dress with small flowers and a bun over her head in a casual style he never saw on her before.

At first, no one knew what to say, his mother couldn't hide her exhaustion but was very happy. It was a face he'd never seen on her before. True, he knew he made her happy, but the ghost of giving him up for adoption had always followed Emma, keeping her from being fully happy. The expression she had now had nothing but happiness and tiredness from having a toddler but freedom to be who she was.

And even being mother of a toddler and being pregnant on third trimester, as he thought she was, Henry was positive his mother would never leave the station, so yeah, those things could add some tiredness too.

"Hey mom," he said, not knowing what more to say.

"Henry?" She asked not sure if this man – no longer a kid - was her son, years had passed and even when she was sure she will always remember Henry's face, some of his features had changed.

She knew time passed differently in Henry's realm, and that was the reason why she came to his rescue and told him she was pregnant for the first time was only 1 year after he left. Up until this very moment, Henry must have been gone from Storybrooke for at least 4 years.

"Yeah, mom. It's me, it's Henry." He smiled, tears starting to go down his face. Emma couldn't help but hugged him, both of them crying with his little sister between them.

"Oh my god, kid. I mean I can't keep calling you that but… Look at you, you're so grown up," she said looking at him and hugging him one more time "Look Leia, look who's here. Remember Papa and I told you about your amazing big bro?" She asked with silly tone to baby Leia, who just looked at him like he was some stranger. Henry laughed at his mother's words and started to make faces to his sister trying to make her feel comfortable around him, but she snuggled harder around her mother.

Jacinda and Lucy were behind, giving their man time with his own mother. For him, it had been at least 10 years since he saw his mother. He deserved to have a heart to heart conversation with her before his new family stepped up to speak.

"Leia? Really?" he asked almost laughing about the name.

"Well, Star Wars is a thing in this family and it seemed to suit her." She smiled back, taking away some of tears and playing with one of her daughter's hair.

"Did I hear that the prodigal son has returned?" Killian voice came from upstairs and he soon descended with a towel around his shoulder after spending most of the day helping David on the farm.

"Killian," He grinned and give the man a big hug. Yes, Officer Rogers could looks a lot like Killian and speak like him but he wasn't the man who helped raise him and taught him how to sail. "You look older captain, looks like someone gave you gray hair." He laughed, looking down at Leia touching her nose with affection.

"Officer Rogers?" Lucy couldn't contain anymore giving a step forward while her mother tell her to stop, stopping Killian to answer his step-son.

Both Emma and Killian looked at the girl, and then back to Henry, trying to understand what he was doing with a 10 year old girl, and most importantly why she called Killian officer Rogers. With that, Jacinda appeared from behind, trying to stop her daughter.

"Lucy!" she whispered before looked to her in-laws. "Hello, I'm sorry for Lucy's behavior," she said with her Latin accent. Forcing a smile, she still felt a little awkward around her in laws and the situation of how she met them.

"I always thought that grandmas and grandpas had to be be older," Lucy said breaking the silence that was around them. She looked at Emma and Killian like she was studying them to see if they fit as the grandparent's job.

"Kid…?" Emma asked not knowing what the hell was happening around her giving a quick look at Killian who just raise both of his eyebrows.

"As you can see a lot has happened," he said simply, putting a hand on his daughter's shoulder and the other one around Jacinda's waist, the happiness reaching his eyes making them a little smaller than usual.

Emma couldn't help but just start laughing, not knowing what else to say or do. Yes, her family tree was already so fucking weird. What was a little more weirdness? Having her brother who was 29 years younger than her was nothing, why not to add a little more? After passing Leia to Killian she continued laughing until she crouched to meet Lucy's gaze.

"Now I know how your grandparents must have felt when the first curse was broken," she laughed again hugging little Lucy which made Henry laugh too remembering those years. "Hello, Lucy, I'm Emma and I assure you I don't even have wrinkles yet." She said still laughing but trying to compose herself.

"I know, I saw you in my dad's book." She grinned, hugging her grandmother back before going to hug Killian and try to talk with Leia.

"Book?" Emma asked her son after hugging Jacinda.

"Oh, well… I officially became a writer and wrote a book about us and all our adventures years ago," he explained. Henry scratched his ear, visibly uncomfortable talking about it. No one in Storybrooke knew about it and he wasn't sure if they would like it or not.

"And he was a bestselling author!" Jacinda smiled, proudly putting a kiss on his check while Henry turned a little red and coughing to make look more normal.

"But we have all the time to talk about it, like who Officer Rogers is, the guy in Granny's Inn who looks like Killian. The woman will think you kicked him out of the house!" Henry laughed, thinking about the moment Granny would see both of them in the same room.

"It wouldn't be the first time, mate" Killian speaks watching his daughter and step-granddaughter play with some Leia's toys from the sofa on the living room. "Never contradict a pregnant woman, especially if she has magic." He rose an eyebrow and looked at Emma who just pinched his arm in retaliation.

"Magic? So everything in the book was real?" Lucy asked amazed still couldn't believe everything was real.

"Yeah, kid, everything is real" Henry smiled to his daughter before looking at his parents "Guys, is there a chance we could stay here while we look for our own home? I remember that Granny's has the worst beds ever. I'm pretty sure Rogers will be complaining tomorrow," he asked hoping Emma could transform his old room into a guest room or something.

"As long as you want! If you want to be woken up by a three year old and soon a newborn, be my guest." Emma joked. "We can put a bed for Lucy in Leia's room, Leia can sleep with us that way so Lucy wouldn't be woken by her. And about you two, a while ago I made some modifications in your bedroom hoping you came back when you were older."

"I can sleep with Leia, she doesn't need to go to sleep with you guys, it'll be like having a little sister." Lucy smiled up at Jacinda and Henry, looking at eachother with warning, hearing the subliminal message their daughter sent them.

"It would be an adventure," Henry smiled, hugging Jacinda and taking Emma's hand.

"Like old times, kid."

Finally he found his own story with his big family.

And the book finally could end, giving them the most precious words:

They all lived happily ever after.

Thank you for read this little one shot, feel free to give likes, reblogs or comments.

#cs ff #captain swan ff #ouat s7 ff #ouat ff #ouat fanfic #ouat fanfiction #captain swan fanfiction #cs fanfics #captain cobra swan ff #captain cobra swan #swan jones family #swan jones family ff #once upon a time ff #family fluff #family ff

134 notes · View notes

cosette141 · 2 years ago

Text

A Snowball's Chance (OUAT fanfic) | Oneshot

Fandom: Once Upon A Time Pairing: Captain Swan Author: cosette141 Words: 3k Summary: After Emma rescues Killian from Hades in the Underworld, David and Snow tend to some of Killian's physical wounds, and end up healing emotional ones. (aka, Snow and David acting as parental figures for Killian) hurt/comfort oneshot

AO3

a/n: This was initially a deleted scene from my Underworld divergence "Hell to Pay". However, it can be read as a standalone moment where David and Snow tend to Killian after Emma rescues Killian from Hades in the Underworld. In that story (Hell to Pay), I'd written it where Emma's magic is weaker in the Underworld, meaning she had to heal his injuries one by one and it took a lot out of her. It also took her a lot longer to get Killian back to safety, for h/c reasons lol. So, right now they're safe in the Underworld version of the loft, Emma is passed out asleep from saving him and Killian is still quite banged up. So, if you haven't read Hell to Pay, then just know that, and you'll be caught up. If you have read Hell to Pay, then this could have taken place right after Chapter 14.

Killian woke to pain.

His torso was a pit of fire.

He couldn't remember what rendered him lying on his chest. The only thing his muddled, pain-ridden mind could put together was that lying on broken ribs hurt, and it was an agony he couldn't take.

He tried to push himself up, get the pressure off his ribs, but the moment he moved, a horrible pain shot through his chest. An unhinged sound escaped his throat, making him fall the inch back down, which did not help the broken ribs.

Hands were suddenly on him, a voice speaking from somewhere beyond the haze of agony. Whoever grabbed him was trying to lift him up, the same way Hades' guards had dragged him up from the floor of his cell countless times for another beating.

Killian panicked.

He lashed out with his hook.

But the moment he did, something in his left shoulder tore with a searing pain.

Killian groaned, feeling his forearm grabbed before it could make contact. Despite the pain, he fought.

He couldn't be taken again.

He couldn't bloody handle any more pain.

"HOOK!"

Killian's eyes snapped open.

David was breathing hard, one hand still holding his left forearm.

Killian blinked in utter confusion.

The prince was on his feet, looking incredibly relieved to have Killian's attention, as if he'd been trying to get it for some time. David slowly released him. "Hook," he said, a little breathless. "It's okay. You're safe," he added, in a sort of gentle voice that Killian had only ever heard directed at the members of his immediate family.

Another stab of pain from his ribs made Killian screw his eyes shut. He tried again to push himself up, but his muscles couldn't handle the strain.

"I'll help," said David, reaching for him again. "Don't try to take my head off, okay?"

In too much pain to reply, Killian just shut his eyes, and tried his best to help as David helped him to his back. He couldn't swallow the pained sounds that escaped his clenched teeth as David moved him, and by the time he was on his back, against what felt like pillows, he was panting. "Thank you," whispered Killian, out of breath.

David sank to the edge of the coffee table. With a shaky smile, David said, "I'm just glad you didn't have your hook."

Killian opened his eyes, giving him a halfhearted wince. "Sorry, mate," he said with difficulty, every breath still feeling like a knife sliding through his ribs.

Killian shut his eyes. His phantom heart was still pounding, just beginning to slow with the relief that he wasn't in that godforsaken prison of Hades'. That realization suddenly dawned the memories from the river to the caves to the woodland and the twisted Underworld version of Storybrooke. He and Emma were safe.

Killian's phantom heart stopped.

His eyes snapped open.

Emma.

"Emma—" he breathed, and without thinking, he jerked upright, only for pain to ignite everywhere, making him catch a cry in his throat. Despite it, he still tried to get up, only for David to push down on his uninjured shoulder, though carefully enough not to press into the broken bones.

"—is just fine," said David with a flick of a touched smile. Before Killian could ask, David nodded his head to his right, and Killian looked.

Asleep in the armchair beside the couch was Emma.

She was curled into a ball, and it would have been adorable if it wasn't because she was utterly exhausted. But Killian could see her breathe, see her chest rise and fall. She was okay.

She was safe.

Killian felt relief settle into his broken bones like cool water.

"She fell asleep about an hour ago," said David, watching his daughter with a glint in his eye like he could watch her forever. He looked back at Killian. He sighed, wincing a little. "This might be a dumb question, but... how are you feeling?"

Bloody horrible.

His torso was the worst of the pain. His ribs were still a fire that hasn't calmed down, and his shoulder was a new pain, searing and feeling like claws were ripping it open all over again. There were more broken bones in his torso than his ribs—Emma had healed most of his ribs, his beautiful lass—and he guessed the damn creature's claws were the culprit of that. His head pounded, and it made the room blur and spin. He felt weak and slightly sick. Above it all, he felt exhaustion so heavy it was determined to pull him back under.

But he suddenly, blissfully, he realized his back was nearly free of the agony it once was, thanks to his time at the mercy (or lack thereof) of Hades' lash. Killian nearly smiled with relief; that pain had quite likely been the worst of it all. But his relief faltered a moment later when he realized his jacket was missing and why the pain was gone.

Bloody hell.

Emma must have healed him.

That was something he didn't want her to see.

"Hook?"

Killian blinked his eyes back open, not realizing he closed them. He blinked, then answered David's question. "About as good as I… appear," he said raggedly, "I suppose."

David grimaced. "I'm sorry we couldn't find you… sooner," he said quietly. "You shouldn't have had to go through this."

Guilt gnawed at Killian, hurting worse than the injuries, thinking about the last time he saw Emma's father. "After…" rasped Killian, wincing sharply through physical and emotional pain. "After all I've… done," he managed, forcing himself to meet David's eyes, "I deserved it," he whispered.

Something shifted in David's eyes. "Hook—"

Killian looked away before he could see what that change was.

Before he could see his own hatred reflected in the other man's eyes.

Because bloody hell he knew he couldn't take any more physical pain, but he couldn't take that pain even more.

"I need…" Killian lost his breath, grimacing as he breathed through fire. "I need to apologize," he said shallowly. David opened his mouth to respond, but Killian didn't let him. "Please," he whispered. "I…" His eyes burned. "I am so bloody sorry for everything… everything I did to your family," he choked out. "If I could take it back, I would in an instant."

"Hook—" said David again, but Killian didn't let him finish; couldn't hear David say what he had been telling himself ever since he bloody died.

"I never deserved your daughter," said Killian heavily, the words scraped out and broken. "I never deserved to play any part in your family. And after what I did…" He shut his eyes. "You were right to hate me those years ago. I—"

"Killian."

Killian opened his eyes, his words dying in his throat.

David hasn't called him by his name since he had to, back when Henry didn't have his memory.

And only stunning Killian more, David didn't have the contempt in his eyes that Killian expected to see.

David sighed. "Do you really think, after everything you just went through here, after sacrificing yourself to save us all, that I could possibly hate you? That any of us could?" Killian blinked, stunned into silence. "We get it, Hook. You fought the darkness your whole life; I can't imagine how hard it was to have to fight it all over again. I…" He hesitated, looking at his daughter's sleeping form. "I'm glad Emma saved your life back in Camelot, because believe it or not… you've… grown on me." He looked back at Killian, saying the words with a slight roll of his eyes, but his eyes couldn't hide the fact that he meant it. Killian listened with utter disbelief. David sobered a little, adding, "But I'm sorry that saving your life had to come to that. I wish neither of you had to suffer that curse. But, you fought it and you were a hero. Are a hero." he corrected. With a heavy, almost exasperated sigh, he said, "Did you really think we'd all come down here to save you if we didn't think that?"

Killian couldn't speak.

Shocked into absolute silence.

"And for the record," said David, rolling his eyes again for effect, "I never hated you. It was more like… a strong dislike for the infuriating pirate who wouldn't stop hitting on my daughter." A glare. "And my wife."

Killian found himself smiling a little, lifting a brow to say, "I would have hit on you if you only asked, mate."

That time, Killian knew the eye roll was real.

But Killian sobered too, guilt stinging more than the wounds, saying quietly, "Apologies for my past behavior as well. I'm… I'm not proud of the man I used to be."

David gave him a meaningful look. "Don't think I forgot about Neverland, Hook. Without you saving my sorry ass, I wouldn't be with my family right now." David lifted a brow. "Back then, you said you did it for Emma, but you and I both know you did it because you're a good, if sometimes misguided, man." Killian opened his mouth to reply, but David beat him to it. "We all made mistakes in the past. Regardless of them, you should be proud of the man you are today." That soft look that Killian would never get used to being directed at him was in David's eyes again. "You've deserved Emma for a long time, now, Killian."

Killian blinked.

Never in his life would he have expected getting such… such approval from David, in more ways than one.

He wasn't sure he exactly agreed with him—forgiving himself wouldn't be that easy, if it were even possible—but he smiled nonetheless, because he had the prince's forgiveness and he honestly had worried he'd never even get close to it.

Killian shifted, in an attempt to alleviate the horrible pain in his shoulder. He grimaced, his hand grasping at his shoulder.

David's brows kneaded, seeing the way Killian was clutching at his ribs. David winced a little in sympathy. "Regina and the others should be back in a few hours. I'm sure she can heal the rest of your injuries." Giving Emma a worried look, David said, "Emma seems pretty drained."

"Emma has done enough," whispered Killian, looking at Emma himself, knowing how far she pushed herself to help him. To save him. "I can wait for Her Majesty," said Killian quietly. As much as he hurt, he was incapable of watching Emma heal him at her expense anymore.

Footsteps on the staircase announced Snow, who walked down to the first level with a pile of blankets in her arms. "I found some blankets in the closet that weren't covered in dust—" She stopped, seeing Killian awake. "Killian! You're awake," she said with a smile.

"Aye," he said, giving her a strained smile back, even when it pulled at the split in his lip.

Snow laid one of the blankets over Emma, gently tucking it in around her. Killian watched with a grin playing at his lips. When she was done, she picked up another and turned to him. "I have one for you, too," she said with another smile.

"I don't—" began Killian, but she ignored his weak protest.

"You're shaking like a leaf," she commented with a crease in her brows, draping it over him.

Killian didn't have the heart (literally or figuratively) to tell her that his trembling had nothing to do with being cold.

His shoulder stung sharply again, and Killian sucked in a breath, quickly removing his hand. Fresh blood smeared over the palm of his hand. Killian shut his eyes in irritation, tired of being so bloody broken.

"You're bleeding," said Snow suddenly.

Killian opened his eyes, giving her a strained smile. "I'll—" His words froze, having the word live on the tip of his tongue. And from the way both Emma's parents stiffened a little, he knew they heard it too. "...be all right," he finished softly.

Snow looked carefully at his shoulder. He heard her gasp a little.

Killian blinked his eyes open, seeing an unreadable expression on her face. She looked at him, looking like it took her a moment to find her voice. "Killian… is this…" She swallowed before asking, "Did… did Cerberus do this to you?"

"If that's… the name of the bloody… hell beast," he whispered, "then… unfortunately… aye," he managed.

Snow's face fell in a mix of shock and horror. "Oh, Killian…" she whispered.

"Holy—" breathed David, eyes widening.

Handing David one of the other blankets she'd brought down, Snow said to her husband, "David, rip this into some strips. We can stop the bleeding at the very least." Snow reached for Killian's shirt.

"It doesn't matter," said Killian through a wince. "I'm… in no danger," he said, so quietly he didn't even know if she heard him.

Can't bloody die twice.

Snow's hand paused, hearing what he was saying. She turned a gaze onto him with eyes that held a million sad emotions. "Of course it matters," she whispered, looking heartbroken that he felt it didn't.

David handed her a few strips of the blanket. Snow took them, turning back to Killian.

Something inside him made him try again. "You really don't have to," he whispered.

"I want to." said Snow without hesitation. She smiled, a little wince in her face. "Besides, losing this much blood is going to make you pass out again, and the air can't be helping the pain."

Killian blinked.

He stared at her, like she was an enigma.

He was dead.

Bleeding out wasn't a concern—if it were, he would have bled out ages ago. The only thing bandages would solve would be suffering.

He still, after these past few years, couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he—Captain Hook—had managed to gain the care of people who would bother to stop the bleeding of a dead man.

To think that he would gain even the care of anyone after all he's done in his life, it was like a snowball's chance in, well, this bloody place.

Yet…

That concern in Snow's eyes was for him and him alone. And no matter how much he tried, he didn't know what to do with it. His whole life, he'd looked after himself, patched up his own wounds—even cauterizing his own arm after losing his bloody hand. From a young age, he had to look after himself, wanting to show Liam he could be better, that he wasn't the little brother Liam always referred to him as. Milah had shown him kindness and care but he never really accepted it, always hid his pain from her as much as she could because women were too precious to bear any of his burdens. Emma had been the first person he'd shown his cracks to, his weakness, but he never wanted to. One look at her crumpled in that exhausted form on the armchair made his chest hurt because no one should have to bother with his pain.

Snow's kindness reminded him of something he never had.

Something he hadn't even thought about in decades.

A parent.

He knew Emma didn't grow up with Snow and David, but Killian has watched them attempt to make up for lost time. Seen David's reaction when Emma had been freezing to death in Elsa's ice cavern. Feeling like it was a lifetime ago, he remembered meeting Emma in the Enchanted Forest. Snow had protected her with her life and more.

His own parents were long dead. His father hadn't even loved him. His mother never even knew him.

Something deep inside Killian, a pain that had been buried so far down he thought it no longer existed, hurt.

And right there, in Snow's eyes, was the closest look toward that kind of care Killian knew he would ever see.

So, he let her wrap his shoulder in bandages, holding in a groan when it stung.

Once in place, Killian tiredly opened his eyes, no longer feeling the steady stream of blood dripping down his chest and side, and feeling the fog in his head wane.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Of course," she said just as softly.

"For… everything," said Killian, and in the way Snow's eyes changed, he knew that she knew the extent he was thanking her for.

He shut his eyes.

He had no idea what he did to deserve a second chance at a family.

And he had even less of an idea why they gave it to him.

All he knew was that he didn't have to wait for Regina to heal his pain after all.

tag list: @justanother-unluckysoul @elise-the-writer @kmomof4 @klynn-stormz @stahlop @ilovemesomekillianjones @hookmecaptain @tiganasummertree @jadehowlettthewolf @jonesfandomfanatic @anmylica @pirateprincessofpizza @stahlop @snowbellewells @eddisfargo @motherkatereloyshipper @confessionsofthemword @killianwhump

96 notes · View notes

exhaustedpirate · 3 years ago

Text

Killian had told Emma that he was a patient man. For so many years, it had rung true. Now, it seemed his patience had reached its end.

rated T | 1,665 words

back from a bout of writer's block, i decided to dip my toe in the water with this small one-shot that had been swimming around my brain for quite some time. some captaincobraswan for you beautiful people. i hope you enjoy!

beta'd by the extraordinary @profdanglaisstuff *chef's kiss*

Killian had told Emma some years before that he was a patient man. A man willing to wait for her walled-up heart to open to his love. A man willing to wait for all of them to see the change in him. A man willing to wait for a spot in her heart and in her family. In a rushing world where everyone is eager to stretch her in every direction, having Killian's steadfast and calm love on her side was a relief.

However, for all his patience with her love, there was no ignoring the anxious and vibrant energy coming off him in waves ever since their conversation. Emma was glad he had no magic of his own for she was sure there would be mayhem in their cosy kitchen. For all his patience with her family, his pointed look as he handed her an extra mug of hot cocoa - with the obligatory whipped cream and cinnamon - was loud and clear. You'd think a man who waited centuries for his revenge and years for a second chance at love would be able to wait another week.

But she couldn't blame him, he was excited. And, under all her nerves, so was she. And he was right - not that she would admit it. It was Henry's last night with them. They wouldn't see him in the morning before school and he would spend the rest of the week at Regina's. It was now or never. Well, it was now or have to deal with Killian's impatience for another week.

With a roll of her eyes to hide her own anxiety, she made her way out of the kitchen side door.

The house Killian had chosen had a porch. It had seemed important then that they would have it - a place to relax, to look at the sky, to enjoy a hot cocoa in the evening. Henry had chosen the porch swing that David and Killian had spent a whole spring afternoon trying to assemble only for Emma and Snow to actually install it. It had amused her that even fairy tale men were too stubborn to ask for help.

Henry was also the one using it at that moment. He also enjoyed the calm seat to make use of the extensive library Killian had moved to the house. With a subtle deep breath, Emma put on her best smile, hoping to conceal her true intentions. She could feel Killian's eyes on her as she crossed towards the swing from the wide kitchen window. Soon though, as soon as she crossed it, it would just be her and Henry on the porch and Killian inside wishing for x-ray vision.

"Hey kid, thirsty?" Emma asked, taking a seat next to him and extending the steaming mug.

Henry's attention shifted from his book to her and from the initial smile at the offer, she could see his brow furrow as he seemed to take stock of her expression.

Damnit, she was surrounded by perceptive men.

"Please tell me no one is cursed…" Henry asked as he took the second cup from her hand.

"No, no, no one is cursed!" Emma quickly rushed to reassure him as she wrapped both her hands around the warm mug, for something to do with the nervous energy.

"You guys have been anxious all weekend and Killian has been doing the eyebrow thing so much, I think he might just pull a muscle."

Emma snorted in surprise even as she thought Henry might be right. Another reason for this conversation to happen now.

"Everything's alright, kid, great even." She took a steadying breath. "I just wanted to talk to you about something."

"Okay…" Henry dragged out the syllables as he put his book aside and turned fully to her.

"Well, Killian and I…Henry, you know I love you, right?" Henry nodded as his amused smile went unnoticed by his fumbling mother.

Perhaps she should have let Killian talk to Henry instead. She wasn't good at this.

"I love you and I always will, of course, and Killian and I… we, uh-"

"You want to have a baby."

For a second, Emma thought she had actually managed to say it until she realised she actually hadn't been making much sense. Henry had finished her thought. Her perceptive man.

Emma looked at Henry with wide eyes and mouth parted only to find him smiling knowingly at her.

"How-?"

"I'm 17, mom, I know what is supposed to happen." Henry rushed even as both mother and son felt their cheeks heating up. "I mean, you guys are married and you'll want to start a family together."

Emma put aside her still full mug to hold on to Henry's hand in a flash.

"Henry, you are my family, and Killian thinks the same." Her tone was strong, no margin for doubt, and Henry was filled with a wave of love so strong it feels like magic.

"I know, Mom." He squeezed her hand back.

"I'm not replacing you, you could never be replaced, I love you so much, I-"

Henry's other hand came up to hold Emma's hand as well and in the tiniest corner of her mind, she hoped he managed not to break the mug.

"I know, Mom," he repeated and when their eyes met, she saw his love clear as day. "You fought a dragon for me, you dragged our whole family to Neverland to find me." Emma smiled shyly as he related her heroic deeds with the wonder and awe in his voice that could only be rivalled by a certain anxious pirate. "I think your love for me is very clear."

Emma's vision was blurry and she realised she might be crying but she didn't care as she released his hands to cup his cheeks.

"I love you so much, Henry."

"I love you too, Mom."

Emma laughed shakily as she laid a reverent kiss on his forehead. Henry's hands held on to her wrists and she knew soon this easy affection would be less habitual but she'd hold on to it for as long as she could.

She'd hold on to the magic of this love for the rest of her life. Emma caressed his cheek as she looked at the boy that was no longer a boy, but still the boy who brought her to her family, to her own happy ending. To her happy beginning.

"But, hmm, are you pregnant now?" Henry asked after Emma finally let go of his face and they held hands for another silent second.

"No, no, not yet." Emma let out a chuckling breath as she brought her palm to her cheek to finally wipe the tear that had fallen. "Killian and I talked about this a couple of days ago but we wanted to talk to you first. Good form and all."

They both shared a quiet laugh at Emma's poor imitation of Killian's accent and she felt the air lighten around them.

"You didn't need to have worried so much, any kid will be welcome to join this crazy family of ours."

Emma's smile was watery again - she wondered if she'd cry this much when she was actually pregnant. "Come here, kid." She didn't wait before she pulled Henry to her arms for a tight hug.

She could hear Henry's chuckle against her neck even as he tightened the hug. "You guys are going to be great parents, you already are."

When they finally parted, Emma couldn't help herself from caressing his cheek once more. "Thank you, Henry."

And it felt like so much more than just simple gratitude, it felt like everything. Henry must have felt it too because his eyes sparkled in his next blink and his smile was beaming.

"I think we should go inside before Killian manages to actually burn a hole through the wall." Henry laughed before they picked up their, thankfully intact, mugs from the floor.

Emma's arm was around Henry's waist - his shoulder was already too high for her to reach - as they entered the kitchen. Killian, previously sitting at the table with the air of someone waiting on a sentence hearing, jumped out of the chair when the door opened.

"Lad." Emma noticed the strain in his voice and recognised that while she had been talking to her son, Killian had probably gone through a million scenarios in his head.

Before she could open her mouth to give him the good news, however, she heard Henry's even tone, his expression giving up nothing.

"Mom and I talked." Emma was sure Henry could also hear Killian's heart beating faster in his chest, could see the distressed look in his eyes. And Emma was also sure that was what made Henry give up his act so quickly. She saw his smile from her place on his side and she was sure she felt Killian's relieved breath through her body. "I think it's my duty to prevent Storybrooke's first baby-stealing pirate."

Killian joined their laughter with an embarrassed chuckle of his own. "I've been a lot of things but never a baby thief," He pointed out with a finger pointed at Henry. She's sure he meant for it to look threatening but his good spirits took any bite out of it.

"With the way you've been looking at all the Storybrooke babies, I have my doubts," Emma teased as she walked past Henry to hold on to Killian's hand.

"I've just been eager to start a family, that's all," Killian defended even as his eyes shone with love and the prospect of actually starting said family. "I mean, adding to this family," he quickly added, turning to Henry who simply smiled at the scene before him.

"I know," Henry reassured him as he approached them to give a playful slap on Killian's shoulder before resting his hand there. "At ease, Captain." Killian laughed with them. Henry's expression softened to something more solemn.

"You'll be a great father."

#captain hook #killian jones #emma swan #emma swan-jones #henry mills #swan-jones family #captainswan #cobraswan #captaincobraswan #ouat #once upon a time #ouat ff #fluff #family #swan jones family #mills swan jones family #cs ff #carolina writes

57 notes · View notes

seriouslyhooked · 2 years ago

Text

To Meet You (The Enchanted Sequel)

CS AU story where Emma and Killian meet at a parent/teacher conference (Emma is a single mother and Killian is helping raise Liam’s daughter). Instalove and fluff ensues as they make the most of the moment and fall under each others spell. Available on FF Here and AO3 Here.

A/N: This is a sequel to the previous mixtape chapter ‘Enchanted.’ After so much love from my readers, and heartfelt pleas for a follow up, I couldn’t resist another tiny glimpse into a longer fic that could have been. I loved this meet cute idea of Emma and Killian coming together at a parent teacher night. For clarity, this chapter is going to look a ways into the future. You can expect nothing but fluff, fluff and more fluff. I needed the chance to write something like this given all of the really heavy and scary stuff happening in the world. Anyway, hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think!

If I keep pacing, I’ll ruin the bloody floorboards. It’s a miracle I haven’t worn a path already.

The thought did little to deter Killian’s constant walking from one end of the pent house to another. He was unable to keep still despite the lateness of the hour. For years he had considered himself unflappable. In order to achieve the things he wanted, he needed to stay grounded and secure. Mind over matter was the recipe to his success. Fear fostered nothing of real worth and doubt crumbled initiatives faster than anything else. A man needed confidence in himself and in his purpose, and Killian had always felt the power of that and done his best to live up to those ideals.

What he’d learned in recent months, however, was that none of the things he’d pursued before had the same stakes as what he was currently seeking. Killian had been looking for a way to make his name, to build a life, and to honor his family, but the weight of those burdens didn’t impact him in the same ways as what he was after now. It was only when something came forward that truly meant the world to him that he began to realize the risks involved in every step he took. Move too quickly and things might fall apart, but move too slowly and he may very well go mad from wondering ‘what if?’

The unease he felt tonight meant his bed was still made, with no signs of inhabitance. Truthfully, there had never been a chance of his getting in there. It was no use trying to rest when sleep would never come. Instead, he wandered about this apartment in the sky feeling overwhelmed by the emptiness inside. To an outsider, he appeared on top of the world. This place was huge, the décor pristine, the energy a blend of modernity and personal preference all cultivated by one of New York’s most sought-after designers. Yet for Killian, this suite left much to be desired. It was beautiful but barren of the things that made a house complete. Not like Emma’s apartment. Not like the place he most yearned to call home.

“Nine months in and I’m fully hooked,” he murmured to himself, looking out the full length window at the New York City streets. The city that never slept may still be bustling, but it was subdued now, quieter than any other time of day. Too bad his heart wouldn’t follow suit. “To hell with that. She had me from the first time. Nine months just sank me that much more.”

In some ways it was crazy to think that nine months had passed since their first meeting. On a soul deep level, meeting Emma felt like arriving at a destined destination. She was familiar and yet a fantasy he could have never dreamed. That she was real still amazed him, and that she returned his interest was the most important thing. From their first night together and the fleeting but fantastic date they went on, there had been no looking back. Killian had been forever changed, and every day brought something new and remarkable.

With more dates and more stolen moments, he and Emma grew to know each other, moving from a one-time-thing to a now secured relationship. Dating a single mum required finesse in balancing schedules and respecting her needs and those of her son, but Killian was undaunted. His only goal was to be worthy of Emma and her boy.

After meeting him and hearing so much about him from Emma, Killian knew that Henry was a testament to his mum. Killian had never met a child of such spirit and conviction, who loved his family and his friends and never met a curiosity that failed to spark his interest. Emma’s son was creative and courageous, and thankfully, he was also accepting of Killian and Emma. If anything, Henry seemed firmly on Killian’s side, and two weeks ago, a few nights before leaving for his first time at sleep away camp, Henry had shown that attachment most clearly.

“So, are we ever going to talk about it?”

“Talk about what?” Killian asked, uncertain of Henry’s desired course of conversation. There were so many things they found time to discuss and on an evening like this, where Killian had the chance to help Emma with the nightly routine while she was delayed with a case, Henry and he filled time with all kinds of topics.

“You marrying my Mom.”

On top of an astute judge of intention and character, Henry also had a solid command of timing, another trait he’d inherited from his mother. Killian was in the midst of drinking some water when the question was asked, and he coughed and sputtered with the suddenness of the query. Henry managed to keep from giggling, but the pure glee on his face told Killian his objective was attained. Only after a moment did Henry’s face cloud with doubt.

“You are going to ask her, aren’t you?”

“Aye, lad. I have every intention of asking your mother to marry me. And in truth, I had every intention of speaking to you first.”

“Then what’s holding you back?”

That was a complex question and the truth was something Killian was embarrassed to admit. It was fear that was holding him back. Fear that he may have misread the signs, or, more realistically, that Emma may shy away from such a question so soon. If he moved too quickly, he could undo all the good in their lives, and life had never been so good before. He was blessed even as his heart held the burden of separation. Every night he left this home, saying goodbye to Emma and to Henry, he felt the sadness of that. He wanted to be fully part of this family. He wanted to be part of their forever.

“I want to make sure it’s right, lad. For your Mum and for you.”

“It’s right for me,” Henry said eagerly. “I always wanted a Dad and I know you’d be a great one. You listen to me and hang out with me. You get me. Not everyone gets me.”

Killian smiled at that, pride coursing through him. Having Henry think so highly of him meant the world, and so did the idea itself. Being a father was something he always wanted. Now he felt at the precipice of that chance, it was almost too much to hope for.

“And you are far and away the best son a parent could ask for,” Killian replied. “I would be honored to be your Dad, Henry. That you would accept me is one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever been given, and that you would share your Mum with me is a blessing I’ll never take for granted. I want you to know that I’ll always love you both. I’d do anything for you two. But still, it’s not that simple.”

“You think Mom’s going to bolt.” Henry’s statement wasn’t a question at all, but a reading of a credible worry on Killian’s part. “Maybe she would have in the past, but that was before you.”

“You seem rather confident in that.”

“I am. You’re different Killian. For one thing, she never introduced me to any other guys she dated. Aunt Ruby says it’s because she couldn’t handle the commitment. Auntie Anna says commitment is another word for heartbreak. But I know Mom’s not afraid of either of those anymore. Just yesterday I heard her talking to Aunt Elsa and she said -,”

“I think it’s best to allow your mother her privacy.”

It killed Killian to say that, especially if Henry seemed certain from the statements that Emma truly wanted this. But it wasn’t right in his eyes to collect intelligence that way. It felt somehow dishonest to have overheard Emma in a private moment, and he’d made a vow to himself never to deceive his Swan, not when so many others had done so before.

“And that right there is how I really know,” Henry said, smiling at Killian’s reaction. “The way you love my Mom is better than the stories. Princes and Princesses, fairytales and happy endings. They’re great and all, but they’re not quite real. But you and Mom, you guys are true in a way those stories aren’t. She’s going to say yes. You just have to have hope.”

As straightforward as the advice from Henry was, it was hard to emulate. Especially at moments like these, when the distance of thirty city blocks seemed endless and he knew he’d have to go the night alone. He and Emma had spent each night together while Henry was away at camp, and the indulgence of that was pure bliss. He’d never slept so well or been so happy, but in the interest of giving Emma and her boy time to reconnect, he’d left this morning to give them a window of being together. That leaving was one of the hardest things he’d ever done, and for once Killian held regret in his heart. He should have taken the chance to ask his Emma for forever during this time. He’d had an opportunity and squandered it.

Continuing to grapple with these negative thoughts in his mind, Killian was surprised at the ding of his personal access elevator. He looked to the clock on the mantel and saw the time: 2 AM. On instinct he moved to the entryway, knowing very few people had the ability to get into his place. But of all the possibilities he imagined, he never dreamed it would be Emma. He was stunned to see the woman he’d been missing so surely standing there smiling at him.

In the dim lights of the early morning, Emma had never looked so beautiful. Her golden hair waved softly on her shoulders, falling into soft curls. Her jade-colored eyes were shining and searching for his, and despite the time of night she held an energy within her that made her even more beguiling. She was a siren and so much more. Killian’s heart leapt at the sight of her, and he moved with purpose to stand beside her. Sparks were too tame a word for what he felt between them. He’d been put under a spell at first sight, an inescapable enchantment, and he had no urge to run. Now he only felt at peace when she was near.

“Emma, love, is everything all right?” he asked, and though she was smiling, she shook her head, stepping into his arms. Her hand came to rest over his heart and his arms encircled her. At last, two fated pieces joined together. The rightness damn near took his breath away.

“No, it isn’t. You couldn’t sleep.”

He fought valiantly to keep his jaw from dropping at her spot on sense of him. How she had surmised this exact scenario from a distance was beyond him. Clearly his love was as brilliant as she was beautiful, but still he was moved to ask for more. “Aye, love. You’re right in that. But how did you know?”

Emma smirked at his question, as if the very premise of his being mysterious was entertaining to her. He didn’t mind though, not when she replied with a searing kiss that breathed life back into him. After only a few hours apart, he had missed this so acutely. This kiss brought their connection back to the forefront. He felt the salve of that, the emptiness from before filled up in an instant. He was slightly dazed as he pulled away but kept grounded by her soft voice and the genuine love reverberating in it.

“I knew because I couldn’t sleep either.” Her whisper was soft but certain. Her eyes moved from his lips to his own gaze, and she hid nothing from him as she continued. “Something was missing. That something is you.”

“I’m so glad you came, love.” He kissed her again, unable to resist, reveling in her being there with him, meeting him beat for beat. Only after a few more moments did rational thinking return. “And Henry? He made it home?”

“Yes. Ruby’s watching him. Her night on the truck ended and she headed right over. But just for a little while.”

“You won’t be staying?” He tried his best to keep the disappoint from his features. It was likely that he failed miserably.

“No, and hopefully you won’t either. Killian…” she trailed off, for the first time off kilter since walking through those elevator doors.

“Whatever it is, Swan, you know I’ll do it. I’d go to the ends of the earth for you.”

Her smile returned and the confidence he saw embodied in her person soothed him too. “I was thinking more like Brooklyn. I’m here to bring you with me. I came to bring you home.”

“You mean…?” He dared not finish the sentence though his hope was rapidly increasing.

“I mean that I love you, and so does Henry. And when you love someone, you want to be with them. You’d do anything for them. I want you, Killian. Now and always. I’m still amazed that I can say that, but you gave me that. You make me braver because you love me. You make me hope for something more, but there’s nothing more that I want than you with me and Henry. So please say you’ll move in with us. Come home with me.”

“I will, love. Without doubt or condition. There’s just one thing…”

He pulled back from Emma and she looked on with curiosity until he got down on one knee, pulling from his pocket a parcel he’d been keeping close for weeks now. When he opened the box to reveal the ring he was desperate to give to Emma, a beautiful diamond encircled with more on a soft white gold band, her hand came up to cover her mouth and tears appeared, threatening to fall. But they were ones of joy and ones of love, and so he carried on.

“I’ve been trying to imagine the words I’d say to you at this moment, love, but I never expected this. I am, as always, stunned by everything you are. How a man could be so blessed I’ll never know, but you, in short, are everything. You came to bring me home, but the god’s honest truth is that home is where you are. In Brooklyn or beyond, I want to be with you, Emma, with you and with Henry. We are already a family in my heart, and I want to make that real in all ways and for the rest of our lives. So, Emma Swan, love of my life, light in my world, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“Yes,” she breathed out. “Forever and ever, yes.”

No sooner were the words spoken than Killian put the ring on her finger and took her into his arms again. Their connection was that of searing heat and the realest adoration. Roaming hands, and loving words blended together into tantalizing action. Losing themselves in each other, they thought of nothing but reveling in the love that they’d found. They stole more precious moments there, stories and stories above the city. But sure enough, sometime later, and just before the dawn, they headed home, eager for the happily ever after they knew was on the way.

………….

It’s crazy how much can change in a year. If someone told me this would be my life, I’d have never believed them.

The thought had Emma smiling as she sat in the back of a town car, holding the hand of her husband and the man who’d been the reason for that change.

Saying yes to Killian Jones’ abrupt proposition at that parent teacher night about a year ago had been something that scared Emma, but she was never more grateful for a decision. That night was the beginning of something more beautiful than she could have ever imagined. A year out, she could look back and say that their road to love was swift and surprisingly easy. She’d fallen fast and hard, and at all the usual points when she’d start to get cagey and run, she only felt certain that this time was different, and that love was worth the risk.

That wasn’t to say that they faced no challenges, because they did, but Emma believed that this relatively smooth sailing was karma for the trials of their pasts. She and Killian had both sacrificed and faced heartbreak, but now they had each other, and they faced each new day together. Being part of a team while still being cherished for who she was on her own meant the world to Emma, and add to that how Killian had stepped so surely into a paternal role for Henry and she couldn’t ask for more. Her kid was happy. Really, truly happy, and together they were a family.

“You know better than that, love.”

Her husband’s voice was gruff and gravely, sending a thrill of anticipation through her. She looked up at him, caught as always by how handsome he was. The heat in his eyes was matched only by the love, and he came closer to her, kissing her lips before dropping a kiss to her cheek and then her neck. She gasped and then sighed out contentedly as he murmured against her skin.

“Your looking this happy and being this close to me tempt me to distraction. I’ve half a mind to tell Gus to head back home”

“Why don’t you?” she asked, just as interested in the idea. Maybe it wasn’t her best Mom moment, but Henry was so open with them both about how school was, and they were already in touch with his teachers… certainly they could skip the formalities or plan a one-on-one meeting down the line.

“And miss the chance to show you off to that miserable mob? Not on your life. Every last parent in that school will know you’re mine. Even if it kills me.”

She looked at him and saw he was serious, and Emma couldn’t help the laugh. At her amusement he looked surprised and then thought the better of his own insistence. He joined in the laughter, but that then devolved into stolen kisses behind the divider of their sleek, luxurious ride. Minutes later they broke apart, the two of them less than presentable for their efforts. She knew she would look thoroughly kissed, and that the lust she shared with her husband would be clear as day to anyone near. Emma wouldn’t be embarrassed for that intimacy though. They were newlyweds, after all. Still, knowing Killian, they’d be making out like teenagers for the rest of their days.

“What if we compromise?” Emma finally asked, running her fingertips against the scruff of his beard as she looked up to him.

“I’m listening.”

“I’ll trade you thirty minutes of attention for the teacher’s opening update, but the second that bell rings for break out spots, it’ll be me, you, and Ruby and Elsa’s food truck.”

“The food truck wasn’t exactly my plan, Emma.” His eyes roamed over her figure and left a trail of fire in their wake. “I had a rather different hunger on my mind.”

“Mmmm.” She hummed out agreement as his lips came back to those spots that teased her most. His hands ran over her waist and then the small of her back and she leaned into him before remembering herself.

“Trust me, we’ll both need the sustenance for what I’m planning to reward you with later.”

She’d done her best to be seductive, and she knew she’d accomplished her goal. Instantly he’d tensed up, but his hold on her tightened. He let out a groan of anticipation and delight before nodding and stealing another kiss.

“Sold. But remember, love, if we want those sixty years together you’ll need to show some mercy. A weaker man may not survive your remarkable rewards.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” she replied happily. “And I know that you’re up for the challenge. You always are.”

They sealed that truth with a final kiss, before Killian pulled out his phone, typing something out Emma couldn’t see. It didn’t phase her in the slightest. Killian had a company to run, the same way she had her business, and though he did everything he could to keep that firmly at work, sometimes duty called. She was surprised then when he grinned and showed her his screen. It wasn’t work at all. He’d sent a text to his brother about their plans for the evening, and Liam had responded with a picture. It was of Elsa and Arabella in the back of the food truck, both with aprons on prepping something delicious for the evening’s fare. They were both so happy, and Emma would bet anything Liam was as smitten as he ever was with her friend and his daughter.

“Don’t even bother reaching out to Graham,” she joked. “He doesn’t let Ruby out of his sight these days.”

“With a child on the way you can hardly blame him. His wife is… how to put this delicately… exuberant and prone to accidents.”

Emma laughed again, knowing that was true. Ruby and Graham had met through her and Killian a few weeks after their first date, and if she and Killian had fallen fast, they were nothing to their friends. Within two months, Ruby and Graham had married in a last-minute elopement up in Maine. Emma, Killian, and Henry were in attendance. Ruby was pregnant only a month after that. She was getting ever closer to her due date, but Ruby was unfazed. She was still a constant ball of energy and prone to a bit of clumsiness. But Graham didn’t mind. He loved being by her side, enabling his wife’s wilder ways while protecting her and keeping her safe.

“Very gracious of you, Captain.” Emma’s whispered nickname for her husband had his eyes fogging over with lust once more, but she’d timed this perfectly. Right at that moment the car rolled to a stop and their driver let them know they’d arrived. Killian’s low growl and promise for pay back later was enough to get her through the evening’s lunacy.

The parents at Henry’s school were still completely obnoxious, but Emma watched in wonder as the treatment she received turned on a dime. Killian and her being together had clearly vaulted her to a higher status. Gone were the days of open set downs and gossip at her expense. Now they whispered, but it was more in awe and surprise than anything else. Despite the strangeness of it all, her husband handled it perfectly. His cold and commanding manner shouldn’t have been such a turn on, but it was, especially because Emma knew the warmth of the real man beneath. He shared that warmth at times tonight too, especially to Henry’s teacher and the parents of Henry’s other school friends. Soon enough the bell rang, and this time they both knew the plan. They made their escape and walked over to the same spot they had that fateful night.

“Well, if it isn’t Mr. and Mrs. Jones,” Ruby said in greeting, hanging out of the side of the truck when she saw them. Graham was there too, holding her steady with a mildly amused look on his face. As they reached the window Ruby offered some more free assessments. “By the way, I don’t think you two are going to be the only ones with that name for long. Liam and Elsa are giving big proposal energy today.”

“Ruby!” Elsa’s voice from inside the truck sounded somewhat embarrassed. It was unsurprising when she came into sight and her cheeks were flushed. “Hi guys. Ignore her. It’s the hormones.”

Ruby scoffed at the thought before sassing back. “Honey, it’s not the hormones. It’s the facts.”

“She’s not wrong, love.” This came from Liam, who had given Emma and Killian a mere nod of acknowledgement at their arrival. Elsa’s blush deepened, but she only smiled when Liam kissed her quickly. Yeah, if Emma had to bet, she’d give them a week, maybe two before an engagement arrived. Even that felt like a stretch

“Mom! Dad! You made it!”

The welcome call came from Henry who was bounding up with his now cousin and best friend, Arabella. Anna, who had been watching him tonight, was behind them, resolved to their exuberance but still entertained at their constant energy. Emma was glad to see her kid, and still felt the warmth of how close he was with Killian too. Every time Henry called him Dad, her heart skipped. It had been a regret she long carried, that the man who gave her Henry was so unfit to be a parent. She knew she could love Henry enough for two, but it was different now. Henry had even more support and love, and no kid could deserve that more.

“Of course we did, kid.” Emma pulled her son into a firm hug. Holding onto these precious moments where he was still small and loved the affection. “We couldn’t miss a party like this.”

“To be fair, it’s kind of what we do most Wednesdays,” Arabella said, and Killian pulled his niece into his own hug, before nuzzling her hair for the bit of sass.

“How was the parent night?” Liam asked. Unlike Emma and Killian, Liam had no interest in making an appearance at the school. He’d already had a number of appointments with all of Arabella’s teachers. After years of long spells away, he was now incredibly involved. Thus, he knew everything he needed to without having to brave the barbs of Manhattan’s elite.

“Successful,” Killian replied, pulling Emma in closer. She shook her head but couldn’t hide the smile at his lingering possessiveness

“They got the message then?”

“Aye. Every last one of them.”

“Good man. Well I think this calls for celebration.”

“Does it?” Emma joked, exchanging a look with her friends, both of whom laughed quietly. Their men were sometimes beyond understanding.

“I think it does. And I have an idea of how we can. I just finished the new installment at the gallery and –,” Graham had no chance to finish before Ruby had hit him full force in the chest with a flailing arm. The impact was hard enough to take his breath and prompt a loud ooof.

“It’s done?! And you didn’t tell me?!”

“Surprise,” he said, playing up the wheezing that her hit created. Ruby was beyond hearing him. She was in crowd control mode making a well-received announcement. Due to an unforeseen need to close, everyone in line was having dinner on the house and then the truck would be back tomorrow. People were thrilled, as was the soup kitchen nearby. Anna offered to drive the truck for the delivery to the local charity and meet them at the gallery after. This was enough for the rest of them, who brought their dinner to eat picnic style at the exhibit, and they all set out for Graham’s place.

Everyone was excited for the prospect of what Graham had made. Despite questions from Ruby and the kids, he had been rather hush hush about the new show. Some time later, when they all finished their take out in the front room and entered the exhibit, they realized why. The title of the show was ‘Love in New York’ and it was a deeply personal testament to the feeling everyone searched for.

At Graham’s last exhibition, Emma had been amazed at the layers of materials and mastery involved. This time lived up to that as well. There was an intricacy of beauty here that defied understanding. It was shocking that one man could create so much, but Emma knew underneath the cool and easy going façade he was a man of deep passion. He had to be to keep up with Ruby. But Graham was also gifted with an ability to capture perfect moments. A story of depth and richness could be told with a single image or expressive work of art.

For nearly an hour they moved through it together, breaking up unconsciously into different groups. Graham and Ruby took their time together, with Ruby lost in the world her husband had created. She was rarely quiet, but in the face of this work she was so consumed she could do nothing but admire and feel and rejoice. Elsa and Liam also took in each part, with Henry and Arabella sticking together. Emma stuck close to Killian, knowing each piece spoke more surely to her because she loved him so much.

“Hey that’s us!”

Henry was right, and as Emma and Killian approached where he stood, the art piece in question came into view. It was an image of Emma and Killian with Henry on their wedding day. The three of them were together, laughing about something, and it felt like a perfect moment. The happiness was so clear, and so was the affection. They had all been so ready to take the next step, and their end of summer wedding on the beach near the ocean was exactly what they wanted. The most amazing part was that this was a completely unseen scene for Emma. She remembered the moment, but the photographer never caught it, at least not like this. The hyper-realistic painting held so much depth and emotion. It was incredible. Emanating outwards from there was also a mural-like collection of shells and metallic colored flowers. The effect was heavenly, and it felt like their wedding day, suspended in a magic that could never be recreated.

“Graham, it’s remarkable. I can’t believe it. It’s… it’s just perfect,” she finally said, thanking her friend. He accepted her hug and all of Henry’s praise. Emma expected her husband to agree, but when he remained quiet she looked at him. His face was fierce. Uh oh.

“There’s no way you’re selling that to anyone but me. Swear it to me, Graham.”

Graham laughed loudly before gesturing to the plaque beneath the piece. Inscribed there was the note ‘For Killian, Emma and Henry. A gift for your wonderful day and your new family.’

“Crisis averted,” Ruby joked and Emma looked back to Killian who was speaking to Graham, but whose eyes were still trained on the image. She could see the depth of his reaction to it.

“Barely,” Emma whispered. Killian then looked to her and she smiled. Only then did her husband exhale and smile back. With a quick thanks to Graham, he headed back and took her hand.

“I’ve spoken to Liam and Elsa. They’re eager to have Henry for the night with Arabella.”

“Oh really?” she asked, teasing him by pretending that wasn’t fabulously welcome news. Despite it being a school night, the kids were good about bed time, and since Liam had bought a town house right beside their new home, it would be easy to get Henry ready for the next day come morning.

“Aye, love. And I think, all things considered, I’ve been tremendously patient.”

“Hmm.” She caved when his arms looped around her and smiled. “I’m tempted to agree. Alright, Captain. Take me home.”

“As you wish.”

………….

There I was again tonight

Forcing laughter, faking smiles

Same old tired, lonely place

Walls of insincerity, shifting eyes and vacancy

Vanished when I saw your face

All I can say is, it was enchanting to meet you

Your eyes whispered, "Have we met?"

'Cross the room your silhouette

Starts to make its way to me

The playful conversation starts

Counter all your quick remarks

Like passing notes in secrecy

And it was enchanting to meet you

All I can say is, I was enchanted to meet you

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go

I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home

I'll spend forever wondering if you knew

I was enchanted to meet you

The lingering question kept me up

2 AM, who do you love?

I wonder 'til I'm wide awake

And now I'm pacing back and forth

Wishing you were at my door

I'd open up and you would say, "Hey"

It was enchanting to meet you

All I know is, I was enchanted to meet you

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go

I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home

I'll spend forever wondering if you knew

That this night is flawless, don't you let it go

I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone

I'll spend forever wondering if you knew

I was enchanted to meet you

This is me praying that

This was the very first page

Not where the story line ends

My thoughts will echo your name, until I see you again

These are the words I held back, as I was leaving too soon

I was enchanted to meet you

Please don't be in love with someone else

Please don't have somebody waiting on you

Please don't be in love with someone else

Please don't have somebody waiting on you

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go

I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home

I'll spend forever wondering if you knew

This night is flawless, don't you let it go

I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone

I'll spend forever wondering if you knew

I was enchanted to meet you

Please don't be in love with someone else

Please don't have somebody waiting on you

Post-Note: So there we have it. I hope that it lived up to the hopes that some of you had for a sequel to this story. I so rarely come back to these mixtape stories, but with my writing being as infrequent as it has been, I’ve decided to follow my muse wherever she leads. I sincerely hope that you all enjoyed this, and if, like me, you’ve been feeling the stress and anxiety of this time in the world, I hope this story sparked some joy. Keep your heads up everyone, and just know I’m sending you love and all good things, xE

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, Part 195, Part 196, Part 197, Part 198

Tagging some friends who may enjoy: @kmomof4 @jennjenn615 @resident-of-storybrooke @winterbaby89 @teamhook

15 notes · View notes

everything-person · 1 year ago

Text

Kazoos Advent Calendar

@kazoosandfannypacks Day

Well it’s officially been a week of gifts. Hopefully the gifts haven’t been disappointing and made you at least crack a smile. Is there anything you’d like to see or have me mix in?? Any advice??

Without further ado here is todays gift.

Summary: Henry surprises his mother with a visit home around the holidays. But he comes home to the house not decorated and a strange man is there. (Inspired by A Muppets Family Christmas)

Haul out the holly

We’re getting home so we can celebrate

Fill up the stockings

We may be rushing but we can hardly wait now

For we need a little Christmas, right this very minute

Jacinda reached over and turned down the radio, “Henry are you sure your moms is going to be okay with this?”

“Oh absolutely! Cin you need to know one thing about my mom she’s predictable.” Henry glanced at his girlfriend, seeing one eyebrow lifted and her lips quirked to the side, looking back at the road he continued, “Look I know exactly what she is doing right now. She sitting in our house, everything decorated tree in the corner. She sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, in front of the fire, cup of hot chocolate with cinnamon in her hands. Just a bit sad thinking she will spend the holidays alone. Trust me she will be thrilled.”

“Mhmm,” Jacinda hummed, still unsure this surprise is going to go as Henry said.

They continued to drive down the road as snow flurries began to fall on the scenery. It wasn’t long before they passed an intricately carved sign reading ‘Welcome to Storybrooke.’ And not long after that they pulled up to a blue Victorian style house starting to be covered in a layer of snow.

“Hmmm?”

Jacinda paused before getting out the car looking over at her boyfriend who seemed busy scanning the house. “What?”

“She didn’t decorate the outside like we usually do.”

“Oh?”

“I’m sure it’s nothing. Come on.” Henry got out of the car racing up the steps, Jacinda following cautiously behind him.

Henry knocked on the door with in minutes it flew open. He was welcomed with the sight of his mother. Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. It took her a moment of her opening and closing her mouth blinking rapidly before she was able to muster up words.

“Henry?”

“Hi mom.”

A forced chuckle escaped her lips and a smile crept to her face and she moved aside to allow him in and enveloped him in a hug. Jacinda didn’t miss when the smile dropped for a moment over Henry’s shoulder.

“Henry what are you doing here?” She asked pulling out of the hug.

“I can’t come home.”

Emma gave him a light tap on his arm causing him to laugh, “Of course you can. But I thought you were staying at school for the break?”

Henry shrugged, “We wanted to surprise you.”

It was in that moment she realized there was someone else with her son. “Jacinda?”

“Hi Ms Swan.”

Emma came forward taking the girls hand, “it’s so good to finally meet you in person.”

“You as well Ms Swan.”

“So? Do you like your surprise?” Henry asked, wanting a little bit to prove his girlfriend wrong.

“Yes! I always love seeing you,” she shifted slightly, “It’s just that…”

Henry took a look around and saw his childhood home was bare completely unlike the Christmas he knew growing up. “Mom where is everything? Where’s the tree? The lights? The garland?”

“Well-” Before she was able to answer everyone’s attention was drawn to the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. A man with greying in his bread and hair came bounding down the stairs.

“Who was at the door-” the man looked up before finishing his sentence, “oh hello.”

“Hi,” Henry greeted then turned to his mother, “mom who’s that?”

The gentleman spoke up again, “Ah you must be Henry,” he continued down the stairs approaching the small group with his hand out stretched, “a pleasure.”

Henry cautiously took his hand, “Yeah. I’m sorry who are you?”

“My apologies. Killian Jones I’m-“

“Renting the house!”

Everyone turned at Emma loud interruption.

She let out a nervous laugh, “Kid you know how much I love the beach. When I found out you weren’t coming home I decided to treat myself and take a trip down the coast and have a sandy Christmas instead of being cooped up here. You know all by myself.” Her eyes nervously shifting between her son and the man next to her, “I didn’t want to house to sit so Mr Jones was going to stay here.”

Henry and Jacinda looked back at the man who’s smile now seemed tighter, “Aye. I usually live on my boat figured I could get my land legs back this season and have a nice quiet Christmas.”

“I’m sorry if we have ruined both of your plans,” Jacinda spoke up, eyeing her boyfriend, “we should’ve called.”

“It’s quite alright lass.”

Henry spoke up again, “I’m sorry Mr Jones. Will it take you long to gather your things? I’m sure my mom would be willing to give you a refund.”

Killian reached up and scratched behind his ear, “Unfortunately I can’t leave. My boat is in storage and with the storm coming in it doesn’t seem safe to be on it now. And with it being a week from Christmas I doubt any inns will be available.”

“I’m sure we can figure something out later. Henry why don’t you go get your guys luggage and take it up to your room.”

“Let me help you lad,” Killian offered.

As Henry turned exited back out the door missing the silent exchange Mr Jones had with his mother. But Jacinda didn’t.

When they were gone emma turned to Jacinda and smiled, “I guess we have some decorating to do. Mind helping me bring some up from the basement?”

“Lead the way.”

#kazooadventcalendar #cs fanfic #cs ff #cs fic #cs family #captain swan #emma swan #killian jones #henry mills #Jacinda #ouat #once upon a time

12 notes · View notes

jennjenn615 · 2 years ago

Text

This is so beautiful!!!! What a blessing little Hope is to her Daddy and Mommy! I have tears in my eyes!!!!!

Merry Christmas!!! I hope you have an amazing day!!!!! Thank you for sharing this!!!!!

Self Promo Sunday: “Beautiful in the Broken Places”

~** MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL MY LOVELY CS SHIPMATES!!! I AM SO GRATEFUL TO SHARE THE LOVE FOR OUR PIRATE AND PRINCESS, AND THE ENDURING FRIENDSHIP IT HAS BROUGHT US, WITH ALL OF YOU!!! **~

Summary: Christmas cookie baking leads to a tender family moment for Emma, Killian, and their rather wise little girl. ;)

Notes: This little Christmas story is full of cookies, cuddles, and CS future family fluff! It was originally a CS Secret Santa gift for @kitsunewingstar in 2018, and it takes place a few years after season six, sometime in the time after Henry leaves to find his own story during season seven, but instead takes place in the peaceful domesticity I hope Emma and Killian were able to enjoy back in Storybrooke as a married couple with a little one.

Also available on AO3 or ff.net if that is your preference…

Snowflakes drifted lightly on the crisp winter breeze outside the Swan-Jones home in Storybrooke, Maine, making the pale, grey day look as wintry and bright as it should a scant few hours before Christmas morning. The downy flecks of feathered white sifted to Earth, gradually covering the spacious yard leading all the way to their dock and stretch of the shore, much to the delight of Hope Swan-Jones, where she stood on the seat of a kitchen chair, braced lightly by her mother’s watchful hands, peering out the window toward the choppy waves with her little palms on the countertop for balance, looking out the window in awe at the bright, almost magical blanket on the ground, turning dry, wintry brown to startlingly beautiful white.

“Okay, Hopey,” Emma finally urged, trying to move on with their task before her husband got home for supper. A light chuckle crept into her voice as it often did at using her daughter’s self-chosen moniker. One that she could only imagine came from the little girl’s having an older brother whom she idolized named Henry, and two little friends - Thomas and Ashley’s second child Toby and Philip and Aurora’s little girl Mary - making her think her name should end in a ‘y’ too. Emma would have never imagined herself, even a mere five or six years ago, using cutesy nicknames with a second child of her own, puttering away in the kitchen so the place would smell of fresh-baked cookies for her husband’s return. After all the loneliness, pain and doubt of her early life, and the danger, trial and loss of her first few years as the Savior and lost princess when she and Killian’s story began, what she had before her seemed almost too happy and idyllic to be real. “Ready to get down now?” she asked again. “We’d better start icing these cookies if you want some ready for Papa when he gets home and to leave out for Santa tonight.”

“M’kay!” Hope chirped enthusiastically, jumping down from her perch to scamper over to the table once more, then crawling back up to sit when her mom moved the chair over into its original place, already bouncing excitedly in her seat as Emma came to sit beside her, patiently showing her how to slather the homemade mix of milk and powdered sugar white icing over cutout baked sleighs and bells, Christmas trees and stars, and gingerbread men and women. Emma iced with her for several minutes, affectionately amused at Hope’s focused concentration on the task until the oven timer went off, signaling that their final batch of the cookies were finished baking.

Keep reading

#self promo sunday #cs future family fluff #cs christmas one shot #ouat future ff #cs ff #captain swan #killian jones #captain swan ff #cs fic #emma swan

20 notes · View notes

dani-ellie03 · 5 years ago

Text

(It’s my birthday! As has become tradition, I am dropping a gift in the form of a flashfic on your dashes today. Hope you enjoy! :))

-----

Of all the things Killian Jones expected to find when he returned to the sheriff’s station with two cups of cocoa with cinnamon in hand, Emma tearing her office apart was not one of them. “What in blazes are you doing, Swan?” he asked, setting the carryout tray down on her desk.

“Looking for something,” she replied, her voice muffled since her head was mostly tucked in the file cabinet.

“Aye, love, I can see that.”

Emma heaved a sigh as she slammed the file drawer closed. “It’s not there.”

“I gathered that, too.” Killian watched, his brow wrinkling in concern, as his wife plopped down in her chair and began rummaging through her desk drawers. From the piles of paper littering her desk, he gathered she’d already been through the drawers but was redoubling her efforts for lack of anywhere else to look. “You know,” he said, injecting a teasing lilt into his voice despite his concern, “if you need a pen, I have plenty at my desk.”

Finally, a smirk tugged at her lips. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“In all seriousness, love, what are you searching for?”

She heaved another sigh. “I had a key to the loft in my desk drawer but it seems to have vanished.”

Now Killian was confused rather than concerned. “No one we know lives at the loft anymore, Swan.”

“No, I know, it’s just ... “ A third sigh, then a blink and a sniffle. “You know what?” She forced a smile. “It’s not important.”

But it was. Killian didn’t quite know why the key was so important to her but it was plain as day that its disappearance had upset her. Always an open book to him, his Swan, even after all these years.

And so Killian knew what he had to do.

-----

When Emma plopped down at her desk the next morning, a shiny brass key smiled up at her from her blotter. She knew in an instant what it was and who had placed it there. It was too bright, too new to have been the one she lost but it was a key to the loft just the same.

A touched smile lit her face. She stepped out of her office and approached Killian, who was checking the department’s “screen letters” (otherwise known as email) for any memos that had come in overnight. “You did this, didn’t you?” she asked, holding out the key.

He smiled back at her. “Aye, love. I was at first bewildered that the loss of a key to a dwelling your family no longer occupied would upset you so but eventually, I understood. It was your first home key, wasn’t it?”

Emma nodded, her eyes glistening. “The first house key that meant anything, anyway. I never gave back my copy when Mom and Dad bought the farmhouse. I’m not sentimental, not really, but ... I couldn’t bear to part with it. I’d planned on tucking it in my trinket box but it vanished from my desk before I could.”

“I understand, love,” he said gently, standing from his chair and pulling her into an embrace.

Emma allowed herself to be comforted for a beat and then pulled away. “How did you do this? The building manager wouldn’t have given you a copy. Hell, they probably changed the locks when my parents moved out.”

“You’re more like your parents than you know, Swan,” Killian replied, smiling. “Your mother kept her key as well, for much the same reason. The loft was where her family had come together, she said. I had this one made from hers.”

Emma smiled. Like mother, like daughter, apparently.

Then she brought herself up on her tiptoes and gave her pirate a soft, tender kiss. He’d brought her home more times than she could count, and today, he’d helped her hold onto the first real home she’d had. And so she said the only thing she could: “Thank you.”

Killian returned both her tender kiss and gentle smile. “You’re very welcome, love.”

#ouat ff #cs ff #cs fic #charming family ff #by proxy #emma swan #killian jones #flashfic #birthday shenanigans

42 notes · View notes

starrnobella · 4 years ago

Photo

Wake Up Call

Killian Jones/Emma Swan Rated GA Summary: Sometimes early morning wake up calls are not what you expect them to be. FFN: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12198295/10/Written-in-the-Stars AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12261165

#One Fic a Day #starrnobella writes #Starr's in the Queue #killian jones #emma swan #henry mills #swan jones family #captain swan #captain swan fanfic #captain swan fanfiction #captain swan ff #captain swan fic

9 notes · View notes

delightfully-difficult-pirate · 5 years ago

Text

Dada Hook

Merry Christmas @mayquita!

Tis I, your Secret Santa for @cssecretsanta2k19! I have had a blast getting to know you. I hope you enjoy this fluffy, Swan-Jones family Christmas fic. It was partially inspired by my nieces and nephews.

Summary: On Christmas morning, Killian discovers that 2 year-old Hope Swan-Jones is a lot more observant than he thought. (Not S7 compliant)

AO3

“Up! Up! Mama! Dada! Up!”

Still half asleep, Killian Jones smiled as he heard his daughter yell through the baby monitor. He cracked open one eye and turned over in bed until he could see the small, digital screen that showed video of Hope’s room. He saw Hope standing in her crib, little hands grasping the wooden rail, staring directly into the camera that linked to the tablet. She was an observant little child and recently had worked out that she could get her parent’s attention by yelling at the camera.

He felt Emma curl herself up against his back. “What time is it?” she murmured against his shoulder.

Killian squinted at the clock. “7:15 am. She let us sleep in.”

He heard Emma groan all the same. She wasn’t a morning person.

“I’ll get up with her,” he said as he started to remove himself from her embrace. But her arms around him only tightened.

“No, it’s my turn.” She pushed away from his back and when she threw the blankets off, he felt a cold breeze against across his skin. He shivered and reminded himself to check the houses heating system. It may be winter, but there was no need for the house to be as cold as the Jolly Roger while at sea.

Emma pulled a pair of lounge pants and a large Storybrooke Pet Shelter t-shirt on over her underwear. “You got up with her the other night when she had that nightmare.”

Killian grasped his wife’s hand as she headed toward the bedroom door. “Regardless, love. If you want to stay abed a bit longer, I am happy to entertain our little early bird so you can rest.”

That earned him a smile. “I’m already up. Try and get some more sleep; we have a busy day ahead.” Emma gave him a quick kiss as she turned off the baby monitor and headed out.

Killian groaned and dramatically pulled the blanket up and over his head. He could hear Emma’s laugh as she made her way down to Hope’s room.

A busy day…

That was a bit of an understatement.

It was Christmas, one of this realm’s winter holidays.

It was a day filled with family, friends, many odd traditions, and copious amounts of food and drink. He quite enjoyed the holiday, personally, especially the food and drink.

But last year had been a bit of a disaster.

Emma, Henry, 1 year-old Hope, and himself had all gone over to Mary-Margaret and David’s house for an early Christmas brunch and to exchange gifts. Afterwards, they’d all gone into town and had a small lunch at Granny’s. They then continued onto Regina’s house, where the combined “royal family of Storybrooke” hosted a large Christmas party that the people of the town flitted in and out of the rest of the day.

Normally, this would have been a long, if tiring, day. But any event was made more complicated when there was a toddler involved.

The excitement of the day had made getting Hope down for her afternoon nap nearly impossible. It had taken over an hour to get her to sleep and she refused to stay asleep unless she was in either his or Emma’s arms. Even then, she only slept half the normal amount of time she usually did.

Which resulted in everyone having to deal with a very cranky toddler for the remainder of the holiday. Tempers frayed, words were exchanged, and Killian had had to pull Emma out of the house and into the cold before she roasted the Christmas ham without the aid of an oven.

In the weeks leading up to this year’s event, he and Emma had made the decision to spend the morning at home and join the rest of their family after Hope’s nap. Mary Margaret had been disappointed and tried to convince them otherwise. David, however, had understood and had been instrumental in getting his wife to let them make their own decisions.

“Dada! Up! Dada get up!” Hope’s voice drifted down the hall, pulling him from his musing.

He heard Emma shushed her gently, “No duckling, let Dada sleep.”

“No… Dada up!”

The sound of Hope running down the hall told Killian that his time in bed was about to end. But he decided to have some fun before his daughter dragged him out of it. He settled himself down and pretended to be asleep.

“Dada!” He heard Hope yell as she ran into the room. The bed shook as her tiny body barreled into the side of it. There was a soft tug on the blanket as she said, “Get up Dada! Get up!”

Killian let out an exaggerated snore in response. Her small, soft hands patted at his face. Before she could move, Killian quickly wrapped his arm around her and pulled her onto the bed. Hope shrieked in laughter.

“Don’t you know better than to wake a sleeping pirate?” He asked as he snuggled her close. She smelled like baby powder and the soft lavender scent of the baby-specific detergent they used for her clothes only.

Hope babbled something too fast for him to understand completely, but he did make out the words “strawberries”, “pancakes”, and “newt”, the last being his daughter’s current word for milk, so he figured she was talking about what she wanted to breakfast.

“I don’t know love, I’m very comfortable right here. Why don’t you and Mama bring me breakfast in bed?” He winked at Emma as he said this and received a roll of the eyes in response.

“No Dada. Up!” Hope continued to insist. She squirmed from his arms and out of bed. Once on the ground again, she grasped his hand and pulled. At the sight of her determination, Killian relented.

“Alright, alright, you win. I’m getting up,” he said as he moved the blankets aside. He swung his legs over the side and sat on the edge of the bed. This seemed to satisfy Hope, who released his hand. Killian ruffled her dark hair before stretching his arms above his head, hearing a few joints pop in the process. His 200 years were finally catching up to him.

As he brought his arms down, he noticed that Hope had a look on her face that he hadn’t seen before. No, that was wrong. He saw the same speculative look on Emma’s face every time she was presented with a new situation.

He started to ask her what was wrong, but stopped when Hope slowly reached out and placed her hands on the blunted end of his left arm. Her small fingers explored the scared skin, in much the same way Emma had the first time she had seen it.

“Hooky.”

Killian blinked, unsure at first if he heard Hope correctly.

“Hooky,” she repeated.

He looked up at Emma, whose face now wore an identical expression to Hope.

“I think she is wondering where your hook is,” Emma cautiously suggested.

Killian frowned. He knew Hope had seen him without his hook many times. He wore the fake hand nearly as often as he wore the hook nowadays, especially when at home.

Hope poked at the end of his stump.

“Hooky.” Her small voice was starting to take on a slightly hysterical edge, which both he and Emma knew meant that a meltdown was on its way.

Without taking his eyes off of Hope, Killian stretched his arm out and pulled his brace from the drawer of his nightstand. He places it on his lap, careful to position the point of the hook away from his daughter. It’s duller now than it used to be, but it was still a weapon.

Hope’s attention shifted and she placed one hand on the leather of the brace. Her voice was soft as she almost whispers, “Hooky.”

Killian nodded as he said, “Yes duckling, this is how Dada wears his hook.”

Hope moved his arm closer to the brace. Figuring out what she wants, Killian guided it onto his arm. The straps of the harness that secure it hang loose, but Hope appeared much happier as soon as the brace and hook are on his arm.

“Dada Hook,” she yelled, triumphant.

Killian wraps both his arms around his daughter and pulls her close.

“Yes duckling. Dada Hook,” he whispers against her hair. He feels Emma’s arms encircle both of them. They stay that way for a moment, before Hope begins to wriggle.

“Henry up!” She says before running out of the room, presumably to go wake up Henry.

Without prompting, Emma positions and fastens the straps of the harness along his arm and shoulders. This simple act help sooth some of the insecure feelings that had settled in his gut. Once finished, she placed a kiss on the back of his neck and said, “Come on, Dada Hook. It’s time to have Christmas breakfast with your family.”

fin?

#csss2019 #csss #Lee writes #cs ff #captain swan #swan-jones family #captain swan secret santa #captain swan secret santa 2019

65 notes · View notes

hollyethecurious · 5 years ago

Text

Friends and Family Discount

A Birthday fic for @kmomof4

A/N: Happy Birthday, Krystal!!! While Laura and I were missing you during our weekend together, we though we’d write you a little something. We both know of your intense, passionate response whenever Walsh makes an appearance in fic, so we thought we’d devote some words to the monkey man for you.

Summary: In which Walsh is NOT an utter bastard deserving of a slow painful death, for once.

Rated T / Walsh POV / ~1500 words / co-written with @winterbaby89 and beta’d by the fabulous @ultraluckycatnd / Also available on ao3

The bell sounded over the shop door, its friendly tinkling chime alerting him to the presence of new customers. Walsh emerged from the back room that held his workshop and stopped short at the sight of the pair who’d just walked in. The woman’s prominent belly, swollen from the life currently growing inside of her was the first attribute he noticed. The second were the hands, large and strong yet caring and gentle that caressed her abdomen as the man crooned something over the bump. The woman’s face lit up with a smile, and Walsh couldn’t help the twinge of reminiscence he felt in his chest of a time when she used to smile like that for him.

Well, not exactly like that. Her smiles had never been as free and joyous with him, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t had their moments of happiness. Still, even in their happiest of times it had always felt as though she, Emma, always had one foot out the door, and that foot always seemed poised to take her in only one direction.

Killian’s.

Walsh had finally gotten Emma to agree to go on a date with him, after months of pining, and he was elated. The fated date actually went well, leading from one to another, to another, and before he knew it they had been dating six months. In that time he had met her few friends and coworkers, even having weekly get-togethers with the lot of them, with a good time had by all. As time went on, though, he noticed the little things, small annoyances about things he wasn’t even sure Emma was aware she was doing. He knew she’d had a rough childhood, so she was skittish and standoffish with everyone; everyone but him, Killian. At first Walsh didn’t think anything about it because they worked together in bail bonds, and you had to trust your partner with your safety and on occasion your life. But he couldn’t shake it off as much as he tried; there was an undeniable connection between the two that went past working together in a dangerous job. Even a blind man could see it.

Despite these niggling insecurities and occasional suspicions that Killian’s feelings for his partner (and Walsh’s girlfriend) might go beyond that of being just friends, Walsh couldn’t help but like the man. He was gregarious and irreverent, never without a quip or innuendo, yet he always had his friends’ backs and lived by a code of honor Walsh could only ever hope to aspire to. And yeah… he was good looking. Okay, very good looking. Even he had to admit the man was, as their mutual friend Ruby had put it a time or twice, ‘sex on legs’. Not that he’d ever own up to that assessment publicly.

It shouldn’t have been such a surprise to him when the pieces finally fell into place, the two partners realizing they did mean more to one another than mere coworkers or friends. Their realization had still been like a punch in the gut though, probably because it had happened the night Walsh had planned to propose. She’d gotten the call while they were at dinner. Jones had been shot by the skip he’d tracked down and rushed off to the hospital. Being Killian’s friend, Walsh had been worried for him too, but not the same way he’d watched the fear eat away at his girlfriend while they waited for Killian to pull through emergency surgery. When the doctor said they could go in one at a time to see him, it hadn’t even been a question among their assembled group of friends that Emma would go first, that she would be the one Killian would want to see the moment he woke up and that she’d want to be the one there for him when he did.

It was then that Walsh knew.

After Killian had pulled through, and was sent home a week later, Walsh avowed to have a much needed conversation with Emma. While Killian was in the hospital, she had been by his side night and day when she didn’t have to be at work, and now that he was home, Walsh had told her they needed to get lunch together. During their lunch, he kept a level head and calm demeanor as he laid out all of his observations before suggesting that they should break up. Emma had looked guilty and acted properly contrite for her part in all of it, and had agreed with him that it was probably best if they were just friends. Walsh had left their lunch feeling a bit downtrodden about the turn of events, especially since he could see the writing on the wall of what would happen next. Knowing it was coming did not stop the feeling of having all the air knocked out of him the first time he saw it in person.

They weren’t flamboyant about it or anything. That wasn’t really either of their styles. Respectfully discreet when out with the group, it was still too much for Walsh knowing they were clearly a couple, so he’d started to withdraw from the normal gatherings. It wasn’t until he’d run into a despondent and deep into his cups Killian at the bar one night that Walsh recognized there was still a place for him in their lives. They’d all been friends, once upon a time, and he held no ill will towards either Killian or Emma. In fact, upon hearing that the two had just had their first major row, Walsh found himself quite invested in their happiness.

He’d spent the next few hours commiserating with Killian about Emma’s walls and her natural tendency to want to run when the going got tough, but encouraged his friend with the fact that he was the one she tended to run to and the fact that she’d already texted him wanting to kiss and make up was a good sign. After that, things had slowly gotten back to normal. He and Killian often met for drinks after work and Emma had set him up with a fun and feisty redhead. The relationship hadn’t worked out, but it had shown him that he had a lot to offer and the right woman might still be out there for him.

When the time came, Killian had asked him to be one of the men to stand with him as he vowed to spend the rest of his life with Emma. Emma, in turn, had thanked him for making her see the truth that day at lunch as he spun her around the dance floor in her bridal gown. Any remnants of jealousy or longing he might have been holding on to evaporated when they announced the impending arrival of their little one, and though he’d always hold a special place in his heart for the time he spent with Emma, it was clear to everyone who knew them that Killian and Emma belonged with one another and were more than deserving of this happy beginning.

Coming back to the present after reliving their history, Walsh made his way towards the couple with a genuine smile and warm greeting for his friends.

“Is it that time already?”

Killian reached out to embrace his friend in a hug as he said, “Just about; we’ve almost got everything ready, but we knew you would have the perfect crib and changing table for the wee one.”

“I absolutely do. I actually earmarked two I knew you would love, shall we?”

“Lead the way.”

It only took them about two hours to decide on the set they had to have, and when it came time to pay for their newly found treasures, Walsh had stopped their objections over the reduced price stating, “Friends and family discount for you two. You know this by now, so no arguing. I will be sure to engrave the name into the crib’s headboard, that is of course if you two ever decide on one,” he teased.

With everything settled, other than the delivery date and the customization, which was to be determined, hinging upon the baby’s name, he bid his friends good day as they made their way out of the store and on to the rest of their afternoon. Walsh chuckled to himself over the thought of how he’d razz Killian later when they all met for drinks with their other friends. The topic of the baby’s name was sure to be the leading subject of their discussion, and he already planned to tell Jones that the discount would only apply if he agreed to name the baby Walsh. Who cared if it was a girl? They were a progressive couple after all, and they owed him, he would remind him. Killian would most likely give him that infamous raised brow while Emma rolled her eyes, both flat out refusing to do anything of the sort, and Walsh would take it all in stride, awaiting the announcement of the baby’s name so he could gift them other customized pieces to welcome their little bundle with.

After all, what were friends for?

(I promise, we really do love you, K! We just couldn’t resist, lol!)

Tagging the Curious Crew:

@kmomof4 @sals86 @jennjenn615 @darkcolinodonorgasm @artistic-writer @courtorderedcake @winterbaby89 @snowbellewells @heavenlyjoycastle @sunshine2632 @stahlop @resident-of-storybrooke @kday426 @cocohook38 @unworried-corsair @aprilqueen84 @tiganasummertree @therooksshiningknight @angellifedeath @ilovemesomekillianjones @ultraluckycatnd @wyntereyez @ultimiflos @superchocovian @qualitycoffeethings @facesiousbutton82 @theonceoverthinker @sherlockianwhovian @lillpon

#cs ff #cs fic #csff #cs au #captain swan #killian jones #emma swan #walsh #walsh pov #modern au #friends and family discount #fandom birthday gift #kmomof4 #winterbaby89 writes #words by hollye

44 notes · View notes