so @its-imperator-furiosa wrote an excellent meta wondering about Killianâs burial in S5 that kind of spiraled when @bleebug and @killian-whump wondered why he wasnât buried at sea. @queen-mabs-revenge added some lovely imaginings of what the CS reunion might have looked like then. one of them prompted this.
~1.1k, unbetaâd. alternate CS reunion in 5x21.
Heâd been right. Emma didnât want to admit it at the time, but the horizon was calming, even on a gray, rainy day like today. But so far, it was the only thing that had even remotely quelled the raging emotions within.
Theyâd just buried Robin. She knew she shouldnât blame herselfâHades was the killerâbut still felt some responsibility in letting the devil get to Storybrooke anyway. And watching his young son place a rose-tied arrow on his coffin broke her already fragmented heart into even smaller pieces.
Her family was expecting her at the wake at Grannyâs, and sheâd make it there, eventually. But saying goodbye to Robin so shortly after doing the same to Killian was taking its toll and she needed a moment alone to justâjust breathe, let alone absorb all that had happened in the past however-long (days? weeks? She honestly had lost track).
The beach was quiet; the surf rolled gently against the sand and only the occasional bird sang overhead. The gray ocean matched her mood: flat, listless, and lonely, just like it was the day they buried Killian.
She still wasnât sure how they managed it, but the day after Killian died, her father and Henry piloted the Jolly Roger some ways out away from the harbor. Sheâd certainly been no help; it was all her mother could do to keep her upright and with them, at least physically. Mentally was a fight no one wanted to attempt.
But she was cognizant enough of the shroud wrapped around him, watching as Belle stitched the seam closed over his too-peaceful face (and dripped tears on the sailcloth). She remembered how carefully David and Robin lifted his body onto the plank and gently set the end of the slab on the rail. Words were spoken, but she wasnât sure by who; it was all muffled in her mind.
Then she was standing at the edge of the rail and the plank was tilted and there he went, back into the sea he so loved. The water welcomed him with loving arms, and carried him down to where he would finally be at rest. Part of her wondered if the ocean might offer her any relief from the raging storm of sorrow in her heart, but Henryâs tight embrace kept her grounded. And that was it.
But then the dagger called, and then the Underworld happened, and then that elevatorâthat fucking elevatorâand here she was, hollow and alone and missing him oh so much. She didnât even know it was possible to miss someone so much. It was like Hades still had a grip on her heart.
Maybe it was a true love thing, or maybe it was just a them thing, but sheâd felt it when he moved on, not long after he sent the pages. It was simultaneously a feeling of elation and depression; she was both filled with joy and emptied of it. Because she thought she knew what it felt like when he was gone, but now he really was and she found herself as adrift a ship loose from its mooring. Sheâd find her way back eventually, she knewâher family would helpâbut right now, she had to get her bearings. Too bad she didnât know where that old compass had ended up.
At least she had his flask. Theyâd buried him with his hook, but sheâd saved this. The rum burned a familiar path down her throat, warming her ever so slightly. Licking her lips tasted a bit like him, but not enough.
And so she sat for a while, sipping and staring at the horizon. Eventually, she realized this was the same beach that Elsa had been reunited with her sister. How ironic, she thought, that here she was now mourning.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, pulling her from whatever meditation sheâd been doing, if it could be called that. She didnât have to look to know that it was one of her parents checking in on her, so it was probably time to head back into town. She took one last sip of rum before corking the aged flask, standing and pocketing it, and turning to head back in.
Sheâd hardly taken two steps before a strong gust off the ocean nearly knocked her over; she stumbled in the sand to keep her balance. It had felt oddly warm, considering the cool spring temperatures, but she was sure there was some thermological or meteorological reason that Killian could have given for it. She could almost hear him explaining it in his nerdy, excited voice, and smiled at the thought.
Waitâthat wasnât imagined. It was definitely his voice, but it sounded far-off and intermingled with the sound of the waves. She turned and looked backâand there he was, standing in the water just off the coast.
âKillian?â she breathed in disbelief. But he started to wade toward her, and without a second thought, she took off at a sprint to him. A rational corner of her brain worried that it was a trick, but she hadnât been listening to that part much lately.
She splashed into the shallows and collided with him in a scene that was probably straight out of The Little Mermaid, but she didnât care that her entire life was a Disney movie now because he was real and warm and solid and in her arms and she didnât waste a single moment in kissing the resurrected daylights out of him. If sheâd had any further doubts, they were shuttered when she tasted him on his lips.
Eventually, she managed to stammer out through happy tears, âHowâhow are you here?â But still peppered him with kisses while he responded.
Through his own delirious chuckles, he answered, âZeus must have sent me back as a reward for helping defeat Hades.â
The nerdy voice was real this time. âZeusâyou know, the ruler of the Olympians, the most powerfulââ And she was just too happy to care, so she silenced him with her lips on his once again, before wrapping herself even tighter around him, if it was possible.
âI donât care. I donât care how youâre here, Iâm justâŚâ She was starting to get overwhelmed and words were escaping her; theyâd never been her strong suit anyway.
He knew what she meant, though, like always. âSo are you.â She buried her face in his neck as continued, âIâm so happy youâre alright.â
Sheâd tell him about Robin in a minute. Sheâd deal with her icy ocean-soaked socks in a second. But right now, she was just going to hold him and be held and thank the gods that sheâd listened to his advice about watching the horizon.
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