#cssns 18

“Killian, please, you’re teasing me, and you know how much I hate that.”

The feel of his hands on her body, running along her skin as his mouth moved across to mark all of her most sensitive places was driving Emma crazy. It was so good – so mind shatteringly perfect – but it just wasn’t quite enough. He was drawing this out and taking his time, and yeah, maybe they had all night, and maybe he’d already taken her in the kitchen mere minutes ago, but she couldn’t wait. It was killing her to feel so close but not quite there. She was restless and needy and flooded with desperate desire. And her mate was eating it all up, loving how riled she got while tormenting her with that sinful grin of his.

“Hate is a strong word, love,” Killian rumbled against her skin, his teeth nipping at her in the most provocative way and sparking even more arousal and want. “And I happen to know for a fact that hate isn’t the winner in the sea of your emotions right now. I might be driving you mad, but not so secretly you love this. You love me in every way I give myself to you.”

“Yes, God yes, but – uh -,”

Words and all rational thinking flew out the window as he found the place she wanted him most, tracing her delicate flesh with a lightness that verged on feathery. Her eyes closed and she moaned aloud, forgetting her whole argument for a moment, but then, when he’d moved lower, teasing her with his hand only to move down her body and hover over her sex with his mouth he stopped, making her crazy all over again.

“Tell me what you want, Emma. You know I’ll give you anything you ask. Anything at all.”

“Oh!” Again she lost all ability to even think as his tongue worked against her, moving exactly how she liked it. He was an expert at her every last desire, and he knew it, numbing her mind with bliss and letting her think she could have it before she gave him what he’d asked for.

“Emma,” he said, his voice playful but somehow still growly, showing her that he was still in control but that it was slipping. Much as he might play in these moments, Killian was just as caught up as her, and he could only last so long before giving in. Lucky for him though, she always seemed to cave first.

“Love me, Killian. Taste me. Take me. Anything, please!”

She heard a mumbled ‘as you wish’ pass his lips before he continued devouring her, making her come apart with the mastery of his mouth. He then gave her just enough time to return to herself, and when she’d finally felt like the world stopped spinning, he came back above her and filled him with himself in such a deep and consuming way she almost couldn’t breathe. It was so good and so real, and when it was over it felt in some ways like it had only just begun. The love was strong between them, anchoring her to a happiness no money could ever bye, and Emma sighed into it, reveling in the sensation that everything was as it should be.  

Tucked into his chest and protected by his hold on her, Emma nuzzled into her fiancé, taking in the scent of the two of them together. It was intoxicating and comforting all at once, much like the familiar press of his hard body against hers. This was her most sacred space, the place her heart felt truly free, and she was so grateful to have found it that tears formed in her eyes.

“Was I too hard with you, my love?” Killian asked, though she knew he knew that wasn’t the answer.

“Never. You’re always just right.”

“Then what’s brought on those tears?”

“Can’t a girl just be so happy that she cries a little?” Emma asked, sniffling a bit before she broke into a smile. Killian chuckled at her joke and she responded in kind as her hand came to rest above his heart. “I know it sounds stupid -,”

“Not at all, Emma. It sounds like exactly what I’ll always want for us. This feeling – this love, this joy – it’s what we’ve been meant for. Before we were two lost souls, and now we’re one that’s found. That’s a beautiful thing.”

Emma nodded, humming out a contented noise almost like a purr at his words before watching Killian’s hand move over to where their baby was now growing. It was too soon for anything like a kick from their little one, but Emma swore she felt a little flutter, a reminder that their little boy or girl was with them always. “Well technically we’re one with one on the way.”

“As per usual you are right, love. And it’s only a matter of time before one becomes more…”

“So is this the kind of thing that’s going to fade after the wedding, or what?”

The question from Anna was teasing in nature, but it pulled Emma back so forcefully from her remembrance of last night with Killian that she actually jolted in place. God, she had totally left the building mentally. She was reliving a private moment with her man, but in actuality her friends were here, organizing the different dishes they’d made and snacks they brought to this impromptu cook out. Emma felt her cheeks warm, but though she might be flustered, she couldn’t say she was embarrassed. She loved Killian too much to have anything like shame as far as he was concerned, but in an ideal world she might not have let her mind wander quite so far when she was with friends who were needing her attention.

“No way. She’s going to look this smitten forever,” Ruby countered, her smirk signaling her amusement while also telling Emma she harbored no resentment to Emma’s blanking out. “But as bad as she is, my cousin’s even worse. Killian will be as old as the day is long and still staring at Emma like she hangs the moon.”

“Guys.” Emma wished she had a comeback or something, but there was none to be found. They weren’t wrong, after all. She was smitten, and though she might have been known for her poker face once upon a time, those days were largely gone. Anyone could read her feelings now, blush or not, and what they read was that she was in love.

“What? It’s not a bad thing, Emma,” Anna affirmed. “God knows you both deserve it. And it’s really… uh, sweet.”

“You don’t sound so convinced,” Emma replied and she was curious as to Anna’s new perspective on things. She thought her friend was happy for her, and she could tell she was, but there was something a little off with her today.

“Don’t mind, Anna, she’s just impatient,” Elsa said, trying to smooth everything over. “She wants her own shifter soul mate, and you know how she feels about waiting.”

“It’s not the waiting,” Anna said sternly before yielding the truth. “Okay, so it’s partially about the waiting. But really it’s just… I mean, I’m worried. What if he never comes? What if there’s only so much of this cute, cuddly, couply stuff to go around?”

“Not a chance,” Emma said, completely certain on this matter. “There’s no way your one isn’t out there Anna. Shifter or not, you’re going to find the man you belong with. He’s just a little delayed.”

“A little?” Anna asked, and the rest of them laughed. Anna made it seem like it had been an eternity, but Emma had only known Killian a few months and Elsa and Ruby had only known Liam and Graham a handful of weeks.

“Think of it this way,” Elsa offered. “It’s just one more thing you’ll have in common. I mean honestly, when was the last time you made it to anything on time?”

Anna grumbled that her sister made a good point and all of them laughed again at her feigned annoyance. It was so typically Anna, and now that she’d gotten what Emma knew to be very real worries out there, she would let it be for now. Anna was always good about that. She knew that giving oneself over to anxiety was a lost cause, and until there was really need to panic, it was best to look on the bright side, and right now, there were admittedly many pieces of all of their lives that were bright and beautiful.

That beauty was something that didn’t just belong to Emma. Ruby and Elsa had equally as much cause for joy and they both were eager to share their similar yet very different stories. At one end of the new-mates spectrum there were Elsa and Liam, who were bonded and blissful together, but still taking things step by step. They neither of them had any need to move quickly, instead getting to know each other better even though their hearts were already intertwined. On the other end of the mate measurement scale were Ruby and Graham, two shifters who had always known their animals and their destinies, and who, as a result, had no fear diving in.

“Graham told me this morning that he’s getting me pregnant next full moon.”

“He said what?!” Anna barked out, her hand flying over her heart in shock.

“How could he know?” Elsa asked, and though she was less visibly stunned at the words, Emma saw the trace of a blush on her cheeks. It made Emma smile, and she wondered how many times she and Liam might have spoken of something similar. Because no matter how slow they were taking things, Emma knew there was no way something like that had gone unsaid. Liam was all in, and he never made any attempt to hide that from her friend.

“He doesn’t,” Ruby said with a shrug. “But damn if it won’t be amazing letting him try.”

“As if you aren’t already trying,” Emma joked and Ruby chuckled.

“What can I say? When you’re right, you’re right. I love that man. He’s mine and I’m his and I’ll be damned if we don’t have our three babies that my visions and my dreams always promised.”

“I wish I had those kinds of dreams,” Anna said wistfully, and though Elsa nodded, Emma could see something in her best friend’s eyes that hinted at something larger.

“Me too.”

“You’ll get there, Elsa. These nightmares will pass.”

“You’re having nightmares again?” Emma asked, surprised since this was the first she’d heard of it. She assumed Elsa’s nightmares were a thing of the past. The reason for them had always presumably been Liam being out there searching for Killian, and when Liam found his way here, they had stopped.

“It’s probably nothing, just unsettled stress. A lot has happened, and my brain is just catching up.”

“And what exactly is your brain telling you while it catches up?” Emma pushed, waiting for Elsa to meet her eye and then confess to her.

“Well honestly it’s hard to explain. The dreams are choppy and kind of manic.”

“So kind of like the one’s about Liam?” Emma clarified.

“Sort of, but they’re worse. There’s more anger and there’s always this sense of hunting or being hunted. Sometimes I’m the prey and sometimes I’m the predator, but in the end it always ends the same, with my heart about to beat out of my chest, my body worked up in a cold sweat, and everything flashing to red.”

“That’s what I haven’t been able to make out,” Ruby said, and it was clear that she had previously interrogated Elsa thoroughly about these dreams. “I looked through my family’s spells and journals, and Elsa looked through hers, but red is actually a pretty rare color when it comes to magic, and the sentiments around it are varied. Red birds in the trees are a sign of good luck and red soil a sign of new harvest, but then there’s the obvious connotations too when it’s something bad like this.”

“Blood,” Emma whispered. Elsa nodded.

“But it’s brighter than blood. It’s bold but terrible, heightened and horrifying. It’s everywhere in the dreams. In the rivers, in the sunlight, in their eyes.”

“They have red eyes?” Emma responded, her stomach sinking to new lows as her sense of foreboding built astronomically.

“Yes. They’re like -,”

“Like Liam’s at his breaking point, but scarlet and full.”

“Yes,” Elsa hedged, though the raising of her brow told Emma that she was perplexed at how she could know that. “But I’ve looked through all I could find in my family’s archives and there’s no accounts of shifters with eyes like that. The closest is a copper color for lions, but that’ not what this is.”

“No they’re far less natural. Like you took red ink and exposed it to something chemical. I’ve never seen anything else like it.”

“But Emma how did you…?”

“When I was attacked in Boston by that shifter, it had red eyes just like that, remember? I told you about it.”

“You told me there were two wolves fighting over you,” Elsa clarified, her face betraying the current wracking of her memory for some sort of lost clue. “You said they were giant and that there was one that was good and one bad. You said it was terrifying, but I don’t remember anything about their eyes.”

Was it possible that Emma had never mentioned the color of their eyes to Elsa? Looking back, it would have felt like a small detail to her when compared to everything else. She’d almost been killed by one giant wolf and then promptly saved by another. At the time Emma also felt like she was going crazy. She’d literally written it off as a mental break for years, so it stood to reason that maybe she might have let this detail slip by. But this detail, however tiny it might have seemed back then, was too big a similarity to be purely coincidental.

“Wait,” Anna said, holding her hand up as she tried to catch up. “So what you’re saying is a wolf had red eyes like Elsa’s dream? But how could that be?”

“That’s an excellent question,” Emma admitted. “But I think the bigger question is how likely is it that these are only dreams and not actual visions?”

They all knew the answer to that, and with a quick agreement that this wasn’t something that could wait, they all headed outside. Emma was eager to get this out there and see if maybe they could all figure this out. She had spoken before with Killian about that night, but maybe he had more insight into what was wrong with that other shifter. Was there something more than the eyes and the aggression? They needed to know, and they needed to know now.

As soon as she was out of the house, Killian’s gaze found hers, and without a word she knew he was aware something was wrong. Her mind was open to his, and she read that he was concerned about Elsa’s dreams, so she pushed to him that they were more than just dreams, and that as such this was a way bigger issue than a little lack of sleep.

“They’re visions. Definitely visions,” she said as she took comfort in his arms. It helped a lot to be with him, but Emma would be lying if she said she wasn’t scared. Damn it! Were things always going to be like this? They get past one big battle just to trade it in for another?

“Aye, so it would seem,” Killian said and his affirmation made Emma close her eyes. She wished she could go back to a few hours ago. Okay maybe not the wedding planning part, but definitely last night or early this morning. Things were so good. Why, oh why, did they have to get so wonky?

“So much for normal, huh?”

This time Killian didn’t need to say any words aloud. He commiserated with her on a deeper level, keeping her wrapped up tight and pressing a kiss to her temple. It was soft and subtle, but it told Emma that he was here and here to stay, and whether life was normal or not, they would get through this just like they had everything before.

“Normal or not, what we need right now is the full story,” Liam said, taking charge in a way Emma recognized as being similar to his brother. “If there are red-eyed shifters in our path somehow, we need everyone on the same page.”

Emma agreed and the group of them all moved back to the patio where Emma’s parents, her grandmother and Granny had remained. For a moment Emma felt a bit of guilt. Right now her family was laughing and happy, all of them smiling and looking really relaxed. Maybe it was lingering planning for the wedding, or just a pure moment of contentment, but whatever the reason for their joy, Emma was about to change that. They were all going to take that from them, and Emma wished that didn’t have to be the case.

“They want to help, love, and I promise we’ll all be back to that state very soon. We’ve a wedding coming up after all, and nothing, not storm, nor man, nor beast is going to keep us from that, all right?”

Emma nodded before whispering that she loved him and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. She felt enough comfort from his promise to push forward, and though it broke her heart to see the moment when her parents and grandmother realized something was wrong, she persevered.

“Emma, honey, what’s wrong?” her mother asked.

“Are you hurt?” her father echoed, immediately standing up and coming towards her.

“No, Dad I’m fine. But Elsa’s been having some visions lately and we all need to be on our guard.”

From there the explanation rolled out as best it could. Emma and Killian spoke candidly about the original attacks, knowing that everyone had varying levels of information about what had happened. Even Emma learned more than she had about Killian’s perception on the other rogue and how the animal was possessed and totally transformed.

“There was no pushing through to his mind. No sense of self, no coherent thought,” Killian explained, his face stony though Emma could tell the memory still rattled him all these years later. “The wolf was manic and brutal and clearly unhinged. I thought of Brennan, because it was the only other time that everything felt wrong about a fellow shifter, but it was different enough that I let it slide. His smell was foul up close, his manners were jerky and heightened. I remember wondering if shifters could get rabies as well as ‘the bite’, because that’s the only think I could think to compare it to.”

“I can’t believe you both went through that,” Emma’s mother said, with tears in her eyes. She was no doubt still eaten up by the guilt of not being there for Emma all those years ago. They’d come to terms with this already, and spoken about it for the most part when Emma told them of Killian’s shifter status, but it probably never got easier as a parent to hear that your child had been in real danger.

“I’ve never heard of a shifter acting like that,” her father said, combing through his medical experience and the countless interactions he’s had with shifters over the years. “Shifters are immune to rabies; they regenerate and heal so quickly that an outside parasite or virus never survives long enough for it to get too bad. The only real sickness I’ve heard of is the one that you’ve both seen.”

Her father looked to Killian and Liam and it went without saying that the sickness in question was alpha sickness. For her part, Emma quietly considered the similarities. That rage and aggression, the want to attack when not actually provoked or threatened. It lined up in some ways, but she’d never seen someone with alpha sickness so out of control. Killian’s stories and memories of his father showed a twisted soul, but the man ultimately had control over himself when he wanted to display it. For Liam too he wasn’t so far gone as to have nothing left, but the wolf they had seen was anchorless, completely consumed with madness in a way that Emma had never experienced before.

“How similar was it to the bite, brother?” Liam asked, his voice clogged with his own twisting emotions.

“In your case? Not so similar. You always held onto who Liam was even with the beast inside. No, this wolf, was completely gone. Like the human and the shifter were erased. It was just animal – feral, primal, and unstoppable. The red of its eyes tells you that too – like the bloodlust of such a being physically cannot be concealed.”

“David, do any shifter species you know of have red eyes?”

“We’ve run through the lists, Mary Margaret,” Ruby said somberly. “Elsa and I each checked our family archives and there’s nothing like this mentioned.”

“Not to devalue the works of your family in any way, honey, but David has been doing this a long time and he has secrets and knowledge a coven of witches could go forever without ever amassing. Species of shifters long thought extinct, other paranormal who’ve kept their whole existence a secret, David has treated them and protected them all.”

“Is this true, Dad?” Emma asked and her father nodded.

“It’s true. I knew a lot as a hunter, but I know at least three times as much now. I probably have a grasp on any magic-adjacent species in the States. Now I’m sure you’ve ruled out mountain lions. You can rule out all the big cats, none of them are really all that red. Is there any chance they eyes are an auburn color? Dingo shifters have auburn eyes. It might explain why you thought it was a wolf.”

“Dingos, like Australia?” Anna asked, temporarily forgetting the crisis at hand and giving into the curiosity they were all sensing.

“Yes, Anna. Remember this is America. We’ve got people and shifters from all over the world. The melting pot exists for all species.”

Emma and Anna shared a look about how awesome that was, but unfortunately it wasn’t the time, and even worse her father’s insight hadn’t actually given them any answers.

“They weren’t auburn. They’re scarlet red, and this was definitely a wolf.”

“Well I’m sorry then, I don’t have any knowledge of a color like that,” David said sadly.

“But I might,” Emma’s grandmother replied, shocking everyone. “I’ve seen a shifter with eyes like that too.”

“Where?” they all asked at once.

“Gold’s compound.”

“I’m sorry… what?” Ruby’s shocked question pretty much summed up exactly how Emma felt at hearing this revelation.

“Gold had a shifter like that in his collection, with red eyes just like you’re describing. I’m sure of it.”

Ruth’s expression took on a pained quality as she recalled the animal in question, and Emma’s heart went out to her. It was hard to tell what exactly brought on the bad feelings. Was it related to this sickened shifter? Or was it all the unknown horror she’d experienced while in Gold’s clutches? Emma didn’t know for sure, but having had the pleasure of getting to know her grandmother recently, Emma knew of her profound empathy. While Ruth was likely suffering her own mental wounds at Gold’s hands, it wouldn’t be outlandish to think that she felt badly for not saving any other beings that might remain in the dark man’s clutches.

“Mom, you don’t have to talk about this,” Emma’s father said, knowing that it would be so difficult for his mother to go back to the headspace. She’d been trapped, and likely experimented on for years. It was invasive and wrong and terrible, but Ruth shook her head, looking determined to tell them all she knew.

“I appreciate you wanting to spare me, son, but if I can help protect this family, then that’s exactly what I aim to do. What do you all want to know?”

“Anything,” Killian said at the same time Elsa pleaded, “Everything.”

“Okay then. Well it was quick, so there isn’t too much to share, really. When I woke up, I struggled to put together what the hell was going on. I was in a room with a lot of trinkets and a lot of clutter, as I’ve told you all before, but amongst all the stuff, oh god, how do I put this delicately? There were, um… displays, I guess you could call them. Exhibits, maybe? All I know is Gold had taken the time to stage a lot of things, and it was clear I wasn’t the only living being that was being held against my will. I was the only human though, at least the only recognizable one, but I saw a lot of things I didn’t understand, and it scared me. I think it’s because as a descendent of hunters I thought I already knew everything the world had to offer. I was in on the big secret, you know? There shouldn’t have been more out there.”

Emma watched her Dad holding his Mom’s hand, offering her support. He swallowed harshly a number of times and it was clearly hard to hear this. It was hard for all of them, but as much as they never wanted to push before, her Grandmother’s memories could be critical for figuring out what the hell these red eyed beasts even were.

“Eventually though I realized that something had happened. I wasn’t supposed to be awake. I didn’t know how long I’d been there, and all I could think was I had to get out. I immediately tried to focus on finding a door or an exit, but I knew Gold must have some sort of mechanisms in place to keep track of his treasures. I kept an eye out for motion sensors or obvious magical fields that might give me away, but I didn’t see any. There were a couple of glowing items or ones that had strange energy if you got too close, so I just avoided them. I walked through this maze of stuff, and then when I got up and moved towards the door, I heard it. A low, menacing snarl that stopped me in my tracks.

“When I looked to the first real open space in the place I saw it – a huge bear, grizzly I think, but it could have just been brown. Either way, I panicked. I couldn’t see any sort of bars separating us and then it charged at me, and all I could see was its glowing red eyes. I’d never seen a bear shifter before, though, so I didn’t know if that was normal. I’d only seen wolves, coyotes, and the occasional mountain lion where I grew up. My brother, George, had mentioned bears before. He told me they were some of the strongest shifters in the world, and that a full-grown grizzly shifter could take down ten unsuspecting humans in under a minute.”

“So how did you get away?” Emma asked, thinking of how terrifying that must have been. The wolf she saw was huge, but bears would be even larger, and with red eyes like that? She honestly couldn’t understand how her grandmother could still be here.

“Right before it reached me, it hit a magical barrier, bouncing off of it hard. But what I noticed was the force field had the same red tint, but with almost a gold finish. It dissolved eventually, but I saw the depths of it and they were the same scarlet color as the eyes looking back at me.”

“Do you think that means something?” Emma asked Ruby and Ruby nodded.

“Magic manifests in different colors, but most witches have a certain signature finish. The gold probably means Gold himself cast the spell. It would better explain his name for sure.”

“But the magic itself was red. Is that common?” Emma asked and Ruby shook her head.

“No. I told you all before red is a rare color in the magical world. The only spells that are a deep and enduring red involve blood magic. Rituals, sacrifices, curses, that kind of thing. They manifest as a crimson color, but there are dark forces being used. The color comes from the blood needed for the magic itself, but from what I’ve read it’s exactly how you’ve all described the eyes so far. God, now it all makes sense! The shifters with the red eyes must be cursed with some sort of magic. I’ve just never heard of any magic used on shifters like that and lasting long term. Shifters tend to have a lot of immunity to spells. It’s like David talked about with illness. We don’t stay cursed for long because our bodies flush whatever is harmful from our systems. It would have to be an insanely strong charm. Gold alone couldn’t cast it.”

“So what are you saying?” Killian asked and Ruby shook her head, like she was trying to sift through her thoughts in a way that made sense even to her.

“I’m saying that this is way bigger than we thought. If it’s magic that’s causing this, it would have to involve the power of dozens of witches.”

“So there’s a whole fleet of bad guys to take down right now, at least if we want to stop these cursed shifters?” Emma clarified, her fear and dread amplifying to an even higher degree.

“Not necessarily. Technically Gold could have taken the magic from other witches in one of his transactions. If he made a deal with a witch, he could collect their powers to use at his own discretion.”

“Could he take magic from pixies or sprites, or is this just a witch to witch thing?” David asked and Ruby looked shocked before stuttering her reply.

“They still exist?” Emma watched her father nod. “Well then yes, technically any magic wielding being could be harvested. Dark magic like that is tricky though. It’s dangerous and untethering. If Gold has managed to do that, he’s so much more of a risk than any of us have ever known.”

“Is that what you see though, Ruby? Because hearing all of this hasn’t given me total clarity like it usually would,” Elsa confessed. “Certain parts make sense – there’s definitely magic tied into this somehow - but I feel like if Gold were so all-powerful I’d have sensed him. He’s never been in the dreams, it’s always just been the animals and me. I don’t know… it just doesn’t feel quite right.”

Everyone took Elsa’s words with all of the care and attention that they deserved. After all, Elsa was the vessel for any of their awareness of what might be coming their way. Her instincts were second to none, and Emma knew that even if it wasn’t all adding up, she would always side with Elsa’s gut over another theory. Still, it was best for all of them to be prepared for any scenario and to do everything they could to find out more.

The conversation continued with everyone trying to think of what they could do next. Who could they consult, and where could they look for answers? It was a tricky thing, but it seemed their only real lead for now was Gold. But before Emma could get pulled into the logistics of tracking him down, her phone rang, chiming out the sound of an incoming video call. Strange – nearly everyone she ever spoke with on the phone was here, but then Emma saw it was her little brother calling and she grew even more curious. He was coming home from camp in just a few more days and he didn’t usually call her, especially not when there were activities keeping him and the other campers busy all day. Immediately she could sense something was wrong.

“Hi Neal, you doing ok?” Emma asked as the call connected, but when her brother’s face appeared, she could tell he was troubled by something.

“I don’t know, Emma. Something really weird just happened. Some random guy came up to me just now outside.”

“Where are you, are you safe?” Emma asked before waving her parents over to her. When her Mother saw Emma’s little brother on the screen, she grew immediately more agitated.

“I’m back in the main building again, in a room next to our robotics lab. I told my counselor I had to talk to you and she said it was okay to come in here for a few minutes.”

“What happened?” Emma asked.

“Well, I was walking back from our room for our afternoon session with Jackson,” Emma looked to her father who mouthed ‘roommate’ to her. “But then Jackson forgot his ipad and had to run back for it. I kept walking so I wouldn’t be late, and a few moments later this older guy came up to me and just started talking. It was like he was waiting for me; he knew my name and everything.”

“What did he try to talk to you about?”

“About you and me.” She and Neal? What the hell?!

“What did he say exactly?” Her father asked and Neal recited the conversation back with authority.

“He said, ‘I’ve wondered a long while what you would be like.’ I told him I had to go because I got a bad feeling from him, but he stood in my path and wouldn’t move. I was going to call for help or something, but there was suddenly no one around, and then he just kept talking. He said I was meant to be ‘unyielding and unfailing,’ that I should have been a ‘true Nolan hunter if I wasn’t what I was’ whatever that means.”

“Did he say anything else?” Emma asked, not following what they’re being descended from hunters had to do with anything here. Gold knew of that obviously, because of the deal he made with her grandmother, but was that really relevant somehow?

“Yeah, he said that you and I were meant for so much more. Then he talked about my getting sick – I don’t know exactly what he was getting at, it didn’t all make sense. He was kind of talking in circles, and I didn’t follow him at all. But the last thing he said was that you, Emma, were the last hope but that you made the wrong choice.”

Emma was so frazzled as to all of this that she didn’t know how to process anything that was said. Who the heck was this person? And most importantly, was it safe for Neal to stay there anymore? She didn’t think so, and neither did her Dad who ducked into the house, coming out a moment later with his keys in hand after her Mom had taken over the call, trying to get details about what the man looked like.

“Neal, I want you to stay with your counselor no matter what. If that man comes back you call the police immediately. I’m coming to get you, I’ll be there soon.”

“Dad it’s okay, I’m fine,” her brother said, but Emma wasn’t so sure. He looked really relieved at the thought of their Dad coming to get him.

“No, Neal, we’re coming,” Emma’s mother confirmed. “I know it’s a few days early, but it’s for the best. Now please can you bring the phone to your counselor, I’d like to talk to her.”

While her mother continued to talk to whoever was in charge at Neal’s program, Emma and her father moved to the others. They were quickly filled in that there had been an incident, but Emma was surprised by her father’s response to it all. “Killian, Liam, and Graham, I’d feel better if you all came with us.”

“Are you sure, David? If it’s Gold one of the girls should go,” her grandmother offered. “Elsa or Ruby would be better able to track him.”

“No, Mom. This isn’t Gold. It’s George.”

“David, you can’t possibly know that-,”

“Why do you think it’s your Uncle?” Emma asked, ignoring her grandmother’s protest because she knew it stemmed more from fear than any actual proof. All it took was one look in grandma Ruth’s direction to know that the mention of her brother truly rattled her.

“It’s the way he talked about the hunters. He used a closely guarded family phrase, one even you don’t know, Mom. Gold wouldn’t ever have access to that because they weren’t even in your memories. It has to be George, and if he’s come for my son, I need the strongest people with us, just in case.”

“Okay, I told Neal’s counselor there’s been a family emergency and warned her that your Uncle might come back but that he’s not a stable man.”

“You knew it was him?” Emma asked and her mother nodded.

“He used the Nolan words.”

Emma should have known that her father would never have secrets from her mother. Of course she knew everything, and Mary Maragert’s memory was a great and powerful thing. But whatever her mother’s many strengths may be, she was ill fit for the quarrel and Emma’s father told her that, remaining adamant that she not come.  

“You need to stay here, Mary Margaret.”

“David, I am not staying here! We are going to get our son and that’s that.”

“No it isn’t. I will get Neal, I promise you I will protect him from this, but I need to know you and Emma are safe. The house is prepared for a situation like this. I didn’t know if he’d ever find us, but I planned it out just in case. We’ll be back in just a few hours, but I can’t -,” her father’s voice broke in anguish. “I can’t risk you or Emma coming along for this. It’s too dangerous.”

Emma fully expected her mother to rebuke this request from her Dad, but there was no denying that David was doing everything in his power to protect them. Ultimately Emma trusted her Dad. If he said that her Uncle was threatening, she believed him, and though she hated to stay behind and wait, she also knew that being there would make her a liability. She was still a new shifter and she was too close to this emotionally. And her mother, bright and capable as she may be, was human, with no training and no powers to fall back on.

“You bring our boy back to me, David. You bring him back, and you bring yourself back. There’s no other option. This family will stay together, do you hear me?”

“Loud and clear,” he replied, pulling Mary Margaret in for a quick kiss and sharing a silent moment with her. At the same time Killian took Emma’s hand in his, drawing her attention back to him. Her heart leapt into her throat. She was worried about how dangerous this might be, but the look in his eyes was completely assured and steadfast.

“I’ll be back before you even have chance to miss me,” Killian whispered and Emma shook her head, fending off tears caused by her lingering anxiety.

“Not possible,” she replied pulling him in by the cloth of his shirt. “Be safe, okay?”

“Always, love.”

With a last gentle kiss, Emma watched her mate, her father, and the others leave, knowing that she wouldn’t feel even a shred of peace until they were back again. Looking to Elsa and Ruby, she knew they felt similarly, but her mother was the one hurting the most. The tears Emma had tried to fight spilled over on her mother’s cheeks, but Mary Margaret wiped them away quickly, unwilling to give into the riotous emotions. Emma did the only thing she could think to make it better, she hugged her Mom and made a promise of her own.

“It’s going to be okay, Mom. I love you”

“I love you too, Emma. Always, always, always.”

With that, there was nothing left to do but wait and trust that everything would be okay in the end, and in the meantime they all had many questions still to answer. With three new threats on the horizon and no way of knowing who or what might strike first, they were all at a standstill. That was debilitating, but it also motivated all of them to stand together and try to fight the only way they could – through scouring their memories and resources for clues.

………………….

Standing in the clearing he’d scoped out on the edge of this all-too-quaint town of Storybrooke, he couldn’t help but feel like victory was already in his grasp. The plan was perfect and the stage was set. It was nearly time for resolution after so many years of waiting, and he grinned at the thought that the light and the hopeful magic surrounding this place would soon be extinguished. Gone were the days of peace and calm in this little town in Maine. A reckoning was here, and he would be the one to bring it.

The buzzing of his phone alerted him to the call he was awaiting. He hated these blasted things, but now and then they served their purpose. He answered without preface, only seeking one answer of any merit. “Is it done?”

“Yes. It went exactly as you said it would.”

“Good.”

Hanging up, he broke the phone into pieces and tossed it in the shallow waters of the river bed beside him. He had no use for it anymore. All he had to do was wait. A little more time and they’d be in the clear, a little more time and the moment he’d yearned for would truly arrive.

Waiting in the silence would phase many others, but he didn’t think of them as he stood there in the quiet. They were nothing to him, lacking in vision and smarts and everything that made him worthy. It was him and him alone with the power and the brains to complete this. He may have made some deals along the way, but the glory of this would belong to him. The pride he felt at that was all he clung to, and he disregarded any past missteps that led him here. This was a war and not a battle, and thanks to the element of surprise, he was certain that this war was about to end decidedly in his favor.

“It’s time,” he said aloud finally, knowing no one could here him, save the monster in his keep. With assured movements he walked to the cage where the beast resided, looking the bear in the eyes with another wicked grin. “Find the girl and her companions. Spare none of them, and when that’s over take the rest of the town as well.”

With one last burst of locks and mechanisms, the bear was freed and looked liable to let out a loud roar and charge its master, but the collar that it wore restricted that urge. It compelled this animal to do what it was meant for, and with a last menacing look, the bear charged in the direction of the Nolans and their extended brood, destined to cause a destruction the likes that none of them had ever seen before.  

Post- Note: I know that so many of you are going to be so mad at me for this cliff hanger and trust me, I am just as mad at myself! But there’s so much that has to happen it can’t all fit in one chapter. I PROMISE there will be resolution in the next installment, and I also promise that you’ll forgive me in the end for this. However, truthfully I’m not fully sure when the next chapter will be published. It’s so hectic right now with school and my traveling that I have still a little more writing and editing to do before I actually post. But please trust that I will do my best to get you the next chapter and put you all out of your misery ASAP. Thank you so much for reading and hope you’ll tune in next time!

Despite his baser wish to hide away with Emma and revel in their still new bond to each other, his lovely mate had other commitments. She and her father did invaluable work at their clinic, serving the town in a way that couldn’t be avoided long term. Killian was proud of all Emma accomplished, and loved how much she loved what she did even if it meant their days were filled with some hours apart. In the meantime Killian had been preparing – working towards cementing his life here and helping Liam to do the same. While there was no need to work, Killian felt strongly that he and Liam should do something together, for that was what they’d always thought might happen when they were young. Killian also felt strongly that he wanted to find the perfect spot for his next chapter with Emma. There were many beautiful homes here in Storybrooke, but the hunt for the right one was proving a bit laborious, though Killian was more than up for the challenge. All in all they were adjusting still, but things here felt right, like this was the home Killian and his brother had always been meant to find.

Mixed in with all of this business and responsibility, there were also extensive chances for fun as well. Emma’s family and friends were great fans of barbeques and dinner parties, of bonfires on the beach and the occasional fireworks show and all of it was a welcome change to Killian. What a new feeling it was to celebrate a summer again, to revel in the lazier days, the subtle heat, and unfiltered sunshine. The sea this time of year was picture perfect, and he and Liam had found themselves there a number of times, reminding him of the good times they’d had as kids in England. He was reinvigorated by the freedom and connection that Storybrooke provided. He’d never felt such a sense of belonging or peace, and though each moment had been miraculous, none of them ever compared to the ones like where it was just he and Emma.

Right now was a truly quiet moment. While he had risen with the sun and the songbirds, Emma was still nestled up beside him, holding close even as dreams still claimed her. She was totally relaxed and indescribably beautiful, with her golden hair tumbling around her and the long, lean lines of her body intertwined with his. Emma was perfection itself, and Killian couldn’t tear his gaze away or keep from grinning at all of his good fortune. He didn’t know how long he stayed this way, luxuriating in the easy comfort of this moment, but soon enough the quiet was broken with sultry words from his lovely mate.  

“How is it that I know you’re smiling, even without opening my eyes?”

The words from Emma as she stirred awake were thick but sensual, gripped with lingering sleep but filled with love and amusement. His siren might tease him this morning, but there was no doubt of her happiness at his unbridled joy, not when the first thing she did was meet his eyes and share a brilliant smile of her own. Her green eyes sparkled, and her lips called to him, demanding that he greet her with the kiss he’d been craving from the moment he woke up.

“You know because there is nothing in my life but goodness, now, love. I have you and so I have everything.”

“Everything?” Emma asked, her eyes filled with feeling as her fingers traced over the muscles of his chest.

“Everything. With you I have more than any man would dare to dream of. I want for nothing, Emma, as long as I have you.”

“Well I don’t know about that,” Emma said, her eyes heating up as her gaze slid down his body. He made no move to cover himself, knowing that the sheet that draped over them last night was no longer there thanks to the summer heat. His core muscles flexed unconsciously as a response to Emma’s eyes hungrily taking him in. They moved down his chest and his abs to the hard length that had woken him this morning. It was a given when he was allowed to hold his love all night long that he should always need her, but that need ramped up even higher as Emma licked her lips and her eyes shot back to his. “I think we both know there’s more you’re wanting right now.”

“Perhaps,” Killian said, pulling a surprised gasp from her lips and then a laugh as he moved above her quickly, but it turned into a moan as he moved his lips to her neck kissing her before he nipped at her sensitive skin. “But I can sense my mate is just as willing and desirous as I am.”

“Always,” Emma sighed out, her hands clutching to him and driving him mad as the love continued to grow between them. “I always want you. It’s never enough, even if it’s everything.”

Killian knew exactly what she meant when she said that, and so no more words were needed. What Emma wanted was action, and Killian was desperate to give it to her. He traced every beautiful line of her body and every erogenous place that drove his love wild with his hands and his mouth. He chronicled every sound she made, every arch for closeness, and every beg for more, feeling more alive as he brought her closer to the edge than he ever could outside of this space between them. He gave over to his instincts and his urges, feasting on the love of his life, and tasting as she came not once but twice. He’d have stayed there forever, blending Emma’s need for slow steady patience at the start that then became faster and more demanding, but his beauty had other ideas, bringing him up over her again before taking control and giving them both what they wanted. They chased a joint completion, crashing towards an all too blissful finish, and when Emma’s soft plea fell from her lips that begged him to come with her he was lost. He had no choice but to give in, and then revel in the glory that was their love made real.

“So, is it living up to all that you expected?” Killian asked when they’d both regained their breath enough to speak again. Emma arched a brow at his question and he couldn’t help grinning at her perplexed look. “The calm after the storm. This is the normal you wanted, isn’t it?”

“I would hardly call anything we just did normal,” Emma countered, pressing another kiss to his lips as a smile played at the corners of her mouth.

“What would you call it?” Killian growled, his want for her growing again even though they’d just sated this need a moment ago.

“I’d call it perfect or destined or fated,” Emma whispered, her eyes misting up a little in a show Killian knew was brought on by sheer joy. “Every day I think maybe some of this will fade, but it never does. I love you more today than yesterday, and I know tomorrow will be the same. It’s so much more than normal. It’s exceptional.”

There was no way to hear this and not immediately want to ravish her again. Where Emma had breathtaking words that mirrored his own feeling so exquisitely, he had physical response. He’d show her all over again just how much he loved her, but then a knock sounded at the door, and without even knowing who was behind it Killian groaned loudly. This prompted Emma to laugh, which in turn lit him up inside, but he resented the fact that whoever had come to see them was ending this moment for the time being. Emma got out of bed, finding some clothes to throw on and pulling her hair back in a tie as she mirthfully watched him where he still lay in bed.

“I think it’s safe to say you jinxed us. You said our life was peaceful, but you forgot, we don’t really do calm, quiet moments. At least not for long.”

“No I guess we don’t,” Killian said, admitting defeat and getting up. Before he went about clothing himself though, he brought Emma in for another kiss, taking delight in the way she went a bit breathless and the touch of pink kissed her cheeks as her eyes widened ever so slightly.

“I’ll get the door while you get dressed. There’s no telling who this is, and if it’s my Mom…”

“If it’s your mother, I’ve got roughly thirty seconds before all hell breaks loose. Aye, I know, love. I’ll get a move on.”

Killian took comfort in Emma’s laughter that reverberated through this home that he thought of as theirs. It was small, but it was bursting with life and with love, and Killian knew that while it wouldn’t be their forever place, he couldn’t think of giving it up. Someday soon, if all went as he hoped, Emma and him would marry and then grow their family, but he had enough saved away to keep this place and any other home they may acquire in town. Perhaps it was strange to think that way, but Killian had eyes set on the future, even as he and Emma shared an incredibly present.

“Elsa, are you all right? Did something happen?”

The words from Emma spurned Killian to dress faster and close the space between them. He moved hastily to the front hall, seeing that Elsa was not alone outside. His brother stood next to her, and behind them were Ruby, Graham and Anna. Not a one of them looked to be at all happy to be here, and Killian immediately felt the same sense of foreboding that his mate was grappling with. These were their dearest friends and family, and there was clearly something very wrong.

“I’m fine, Emma. Just tired, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“Elsa, I don’t know what’s going on, but I do know that’s not true. You’re more than tired. You’re shaking, you’re pale -,”

“Well technically I’m always pale,” Elsa joked, but Killian could see what Emma meant. Her friend was whiter than normal, and there were dark circles forming underneath her usually bright blue eyes.

“Elsa, you look like you’d topple over at the next strong breeze. What’s happening?”

“It’s my fault,” Liam said, his voice gruff with anger at himself and pain at his mate’s suffering. Killian’s brows knit together. How was Liam the cause for this? Surely he’d never willingly do anything to harm Elsa. He’d rather die than do so.

“It’s not, Liam,” Elsa attested, squeezing his hand as she looked at him with nothing less than full-blown love. “All of this is just a lot for my magic to handle.”

“Elsa’s essence and Liam’s are being tied together naturally,” Ruby explained. “Their mating bond has created a natural sharing of energy, but it’s not sustainable for it to go on this way. The sickness is strong, and right now Elsa is overextended.”

“So what do we do? How do we fix this?” Emma asked, ready to do whatever it took to help her friend. Killian pulled her back to him, and though she was still determined, Emma welcomed the gesture, pulling strength from him and his supportive presence.

“There is a way,” Anna said, her usually bubbly demeanor now softened and unsettling. Emma’s friend was quieter than Killian had ever seen her, leading him to believe the answer would not be a satisfactory one. “We found a spell in the family archives that essentially ties two lives together. Our great-great aunts used it when one of them was sick as a teenager. They blended their life lines together, making them both healthy for many more years. They lived together for decades, and ultimately passed together too.”

“That’s amazing,” Emma said and Killian nodded in agreement. It sounded spectacular to him, but also, Killian was guessing, very dangerous.

“It is,” Elsa agreed. “But the thing is, when we’ve done this, my magic will be severely limited. I’ll still have it, but it won’t be as strong.”

“Oh,” Emma whispered, but where she seemed to understand something new from Elsa’s disclosure, Killian was still at a loss. True Elsa had just recently discovered her gifts, but what was a little sacrifice when it came to securing a life long love?

“What am I missing here?” he asked, and after a moment of awkward silence, Emma filled in with her own guess.

“Elsa was going to help lift my block if I ever decided I was ready to be a shifter. She was going to do what she did for Neal with me.”

The weight of that came crashing back into Killian, and though he’d never forgotten that Emma was a hybrid of two species, he had allowed himself to forget that this was a risk she could someday face. He knew that Emma was unsure about what she wanted, but deep down Killian also realized the what-if would always stay with her. A part of Emma was a brilliant, vibrant animal, just as he was, and he knew first hand how hard it must be to not feel truly whole by not having an open connection with one’s wolf. As much as he loved her, and as much as she loved him, it would always be something missing if she didn’t rectify that rift. Killian grieved for Emma, believing as she did that Elsa was saying she could no longer perform such magic. But a not so little part of him was relieved that the choice had been made already and that Emma would not undergo such a potentially dangerous process when she was well and healthy right now.

“I still can,” Elsa said, prompting Killian’s heart to plummet. “It’s just… well the time table has moved up a little.”

“How much?” Killian asked, and Elsa looked at him blinking in confusion. “How much time does she have to decide? A few weeks? Days?”

“Hours,” Ruby replied.

“Hours?” Emma parroted, her voice flying up an octave.

“The sooner this is done the better for Elsa,” Ruby reiterated. “She’s only growing weaker, and she needs as much energy as she can possibly garner. Also, the moon is strong right now and the tides will be in longer than they normally would, meaning Emma’s wolf will hopefully be stronger too, even if she’s currently suppressed.”

“But you don’t have to do this, Emma,” Anna assured her. “If you’re not ready it’s okay. We can probably figure something else out. We can study Elsa’s memories more and maybe together Ruby and I can -,”

“No,” Emma said, halting Anna’s words and making Killian’s heart skip painfully again. “I’m sorry, Anna, I know you mean well, but it has to be Elsa. I don’t know why, but I just… know.”

“Just like you know that this is what you want,” Killian said, not needing to ask a question when he could feel Emma’s decision coursing through the link between them. She looked at him then, turning to face him and focusing solely on him. Her arms wrapped around him and he pulled her close, and though he was worried and so damn scared – more scared that at any other point in his life – he did everything he could not to show it.

“This isn’t just my choice, Killian, and I know that. I won’t do this if you think I shouldn’t.”

He was so close to saying just that, but Killian couldn’t take that choice from Emma. He loved her with everything he was, and sometimes love meant giving up one’s peace of mind in the name of their love’s happiness. He knew he could never live without Emma, and so her risking herself in this way was a risk to him too. But in the depths of her jade colored eyes Killian could still see belief that this would be okay. She was hopeful, despite the odds stacked against it, and because Emma’s hope had never served him wrong before, he chose to follow it again. He brought his hand to push away a strand of her wayward hair, his fingers running lightly against her cheek as he memorized her every feature.

“I trust you, Emma, and I trust in us. We’ve a lifetime ahead of us, and if you and Elsa feel good about this, then this is what we do.”

Emma’s eyes looked to Elsa and the two of them shared a nod of certainty. Killian felt his throat tighten at the choice, but he stood by what he’d said. He would follow her anywhere, even if it terrified him in every way.

“What do we need to do?” Emma asked. “Can we do it here? Now?”

“But Emma, your parents. Maybe you should…” Graham let the idea trail off, knowing that his thought process insinuated that Emma should be saying goodbye. That riled Killian up, and he stiffened up at the notion, but Emma put her hand on his chest above his heart to calm him as she responded.

“There’s no need to worry them. It’s going to be fine, and I don’t want to put them through that. After everything with Neal… they just should never have to face something like that again.”

“That’s your choice,” Anna said with a nod. “And we will all respect that.”

The group agreed, and things felt like they moved impossibly quickly from there. Killian’s nerves continued to fray as he watched Elsa, Anna, and Ruby get everything ready. It seemed that Elsa’s memories had given enough clues of how this worked to instruct some of their choices, but Killian felt lost and unhelpful at every turn. There was nothing he could do except support Emma and try to keep the terror he was feeling from showing and worrying his mate. When everything was finally ready, Elsa looked to Emma, another silent exchange between the friends telling Emma that it was time. For the first time Killian could see that Emma wasn’t as calm, cool, and collected as she’d been before. She was still certain this was what she wanted, but Killian could sense her fear and unease. Not knowing what would happen was a scary thing, but in seeing Emma falter, Killian felt his own courage rise. He had to be there for her to defend and protect her, and though he couldn’t do much, he could remind her that he loved her always, and that he’d be here every step of the way.

“I’ll be right here, Emma. There’s no need to worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Emma let out a soft laugh at his resolve, and then pulled him down by the collar of his shirt so he was jut a breath away. “I know you won’t. But trust Elsa, okay? If it looks a bit dodgy at any point you have to respect her choices. She’ll know what to do. Right?”

Emma looked to Elsa who nodded and responded with an immediate, “Yes.” This prompted Emma to finally be led to the couch, the place that Elsa had decided was best for the treatment. She lay back, closing her eyes for a moment, before opening them again and looking only at him.

“Don’t let go, okay?” Emma whispered, and though she smiled at him, Killian could sense her lingering fear. He swallowed harshly, fighting against his own emotion and nodded.

“I’ll never let you go, love. I love you, Emma. You can do this.”

With that Emma nodded, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, and then Elsa moved her hands to hover over her, and Killian and the others watched in awe as magic filled the room and the process of blending Emma’s souls began.

…………………

It was beyond difficult to act like she wasn’t scared shitless at the thought of submitting herself to such an unknown magic, but Emma did everything she could to hold on to her calm. It should have been impossible to do so, but the love in Killian’s eyes was so comforting, and knowing that he would never leave her helped Emma to push forward.

Closing her eyes and giving into this was a monumental task. Emma tried not to hyperventilate and to count the breaths she took. She heard Elsa’s words, felt the warmth of her magic, and eventually her mind evened out, settling into something more comfortable than fear. The sounds all around her faded, and Emma transitioned into a new state of calm that made her feel like things must be going okay. It could have been seconds or days that she stayed like this, but finally Emma’s consciousness told her to open her eyes again. She expected to see the ceiling of her and Killian’s home, or maybe the faces of the people she loved most, but what she saw instead was as beautiful as it was perplexing.

As her gaze took in her surrounding, the light she saw was too raw and too natural for her to be in the right place. It glowed like the first few moments where sun breaks through the clouds on a gloomy day. The gentle swirls of gold were lovely, but it didn’t fade as Emma blinked her eyes from the sleepy state of rest she’d just been in. When she saw the canopy above her she felt her brow furrow in confusion. She inhaled the air around her, sensing she was definitely outside, and that this wasn’t a trick of her imagination. There was the hearty smell of forest with the softest kiss of something floral. A cool breeze settled over the grass around her, and as she realized she was laying somewhere on the ground and not on the couch she’d started on she bolted up.

“Oh no,” Emma whispered, her eyes watering immediately as she contemplated what may have happened. Had she… no please, say it wasn’t so. Had she really sacrificed all of her happiness only to have it end so soon? She felt ready to crumble at the thought, when a voice sounded out around her.

“You’re not dead, you’re healing, becoming something new. It’s all right, Emma. Everything is going to be all right.”

The words came from a voice just shy of familiar, and Emma jumped at the realization that there was anyone else here at all. Then when she turned to find out who had spoken, she was struck by the sight of a beautiful woman who she had never seen before. This woman was a complete stranger to Emma, dressed in a flowing light green dress that danced in the slight gusts of wind around them. Her hair was curled and long, held back by a bold emerald ribbon, and the color was so dark it was nearly black. Her skin was fair, spattered with a few freckles that Emma could see even from this distance, and those eyes – she’d only ever seen eyes of that exact shade one place in her life, but that had to be a coincidence. Surely no one else in the world could have the same eyes as Killian.

“I don’t understand,” Emma said, not knowing how to formulate any other thoughts. The woman smiled, and again Emma was struck by the resemblance this woman had to the love of her life.

“Oh I think you do, Emma, at least to some degree. But let me clarify so as to spare you that impossible question. My name is Meera, Meera Jones.”

A physical bomb detonating in that moment would have been less jarring to Emma than that claim. At some level Emma knew it could be true. Just looking at this woman, the resemblance was uncanny. She could see Killian and Liam so acutely in her features, but Emma’s rational mind argued that it couldn’t be possible. Their mother was killed so many years ago, and seeing her while also being alive had to be, by definition, impossible.

“I thought you said I wasn’t dead,” Emma blurted and though she was mortified for a second, she was instantly soothed by the sound of genuine laughter. It was easily given, and though it was distinct from Killian’s, Emma sensed a familiarity in it, as if her bond with the man she loved gave her insight into this special sound he must cherish deep in his memories.

“You aren’t. You are still very much alive, but this is a plane outside of life and death, it just… is.”

Meera gestured at their surroundings, and though Emma took the time to look around again, tracking all of the wild natural beauty that was bursting with energy while still being still and tranquil, she noticed Meera didn’t do so. Her lack of interest in this otherworldly place interested Emma, and ultimately curiosity about the particulars of this meeting right now won out.

“But you… I mean, Brennan…” Emma blanched as she realized that hearing the name of her psychopathic husband/killer might upset Killian’s mother.

“It’s okay, my dear, you can say his name. Brennan took me from my boys too soon,” she acknowledged, and though the words were painful, it didn’t sound like Meera was carrying that pain any longer. Killian’s mother seemed calm and unbothered, as if she’d long ago accepted what her fate had been. It was an unexpected response, when Emma knew forgiveness must be near impossible when someone had wronged you so horribly, but the perseverance in this woman’s whole demeanor inspired her. She wasn’t devoid of feeling; she simply had stopped giving the evil actions of her husband any kind of power. “He had his reasons, at least in his mind.”

“But why? Just for revenge? Because you left?”

“No. In the end, his actions had very little to do with me leaving at all. It wouldn’t have mattered if I stayed or left. He wanted me gone forever, and he told me as much when he found me. I was always a means to an end, and running, in the end, gave me so much more precious time with my boys. Time I am incredibly grateful for.”

“It’s not right though. You should have had so much more.”

“I wish we could have, but the thing about dying is that you truly learn a lesson we’re all taught when we’re very young,” Meera said, pausing a moment before explaining to Emma. “You realize that life really does unfold with purpose. Things happen for a reason, things end in their time, and every pain and every heartbreak serves a purpose. It hurts you, it changes you, but it ultimately makes you, you. Brennan understood that in his own twisted way, and he thought that my death would push my sons towards a darkness not unlike his own. He hoped to take my boys and make them monsters just like him, and he knew that as long as I lived, I would never let that happen.

“But despite his best laid plans, Brennan ultimately failed, because he neglected to understand that a mother’s love is stronger than life and death. It doesn’t ever end or fade. It is eternal. I loved my sons from the first moments they knew life, and I will love them always and infinitely. Truly nothing could take me from them, and I’ve been with Killian and Liam every step of the way.”

“You protected them,” Emma said, knowing from the fierce love in Meera’s eyes that she’d done everything she possibly could from whatever kind of spirit world this was.

“In every single way I could, but even a mother’s love has limits. I hoped that time would heal all wounds, but for my boys the wounds seemed to get worse and worse, just in different ways. I’ve fretted over that for years, until you came dear.”

“Me?” Emma asked and Meera nodded, stepping close enough to pull Emma into a huge bear hug. Emma was surprised for a moment, but accepted the gesture, hugging this remarkable woman back not just for her but for Killian and Liam too.

“I’m sorry, I know I should have asked,” Meera said as she pulled back while shaking her head. “I just don’t know what else to do. You saved my sons – both of them.”

“I didn’t,” Emma said but Meera cut her off.

“You did.  You opened my youngest boy up to love when he’d hardened himself to goodness on the whole. You brought him back, you made him remember,” she said, her words whispered with the subtle tone of tears. “I fought for years to be close to Killian, to guide him, to help him feel like hope wasn’t lost and like he wasn’t alone, but I couldn’t reach him. He closed himself off in order to survive, but when he found you he remembered how to live. In Boston you paved the way, and in Storybrooke you changed him for the better, and through your love you saved Liam too. My sons will be healthy and whole now. They will live long and lovely lives, all because of you.”

“You sound so sure of that,” Emma responded and Meera gave a small shrug.

“That’s because I am. Things work differently here. Fate is clearer, and she makes no attempt to hide. I’ve known since I came here how things would end. I held onto it every day – my impossibly possible dream. I knew that you would heal my family, just as I know that you will make it grow.”

“You mean like kids?” Emma asked, her hand absentmindedly moving across her abdomen as Meera looked to her totally flat stomach with a knowing smile.

“Your children will be beautiful and wonderful, Emma. They’ll be the perfect blend of you and Killian. And yes, some may be here a bit sooner than expected, but that just means more priceless time to love them. Don’t let any of it go to waste, my dear. It’ll never be enough, no amount of time can be.”

“I – I don’t know what to say,” Emma replied, her mind and heart both overwhelmed by all of this.

“You don’t have to say anything. All you have to do is believe that you and Killian have everything you need to walk this life together. You two can and will weather every storm. No matter what comes, you’ll be ready. Just think of all you’ve already done for your children without even knowing they would come.”

Emma nodded, appreciating that thought even though she was still stunned. Kids. She was going to have kids, and from what Meera was saying, it sounded like one – or maybe more – was already on the way. Was she okay with that? Yes, her mind thought immediately and she smiled at the way things were shaping up.

“I need to thank you, Emma. It’ll never be enough, no words ever could be, but I am so grateful for all that you have done. You believed in love and took the risk, and in doing so, you inspired Killian to do the same. That is no easy feat, but you rose to the challenge. I owe you everything, and I will always be in awe of all that you have done.”

“It was just as much Killian’s work as mine. He’s saved me just as much as I’ve saved him,” Emma confessed, and at this Meera smiled even brighter.

“You are partners, equals in all ways. Well almost. There’s just one last thing that needs doing.”

Meera motioned to the tree line and Emma saw the white wolf that had been in her dreams so many times before. The beast was beautiful and bold, unflinching and unafraid. Her fur was a silky, creamy color, almost white, but laced with a hint of gold. Immediately Emma started to walk towards the animal, pulled in by her presence in ways she couldn’t explain, she didn’t even have the space to think if that was rude to Meera. She had to go see this part of herself that had always been there, but never truly in reach. But when they were close enough to touch Emma faltered, wondering what it was she was meant to do.

“Listen to your instincts Emma, for there is where your wolf will meet you.”

Emma heeded Meera’s command as she tried to listen to her inner thoughts. She allowed herself to trust her gut, and to follow the eyes of the animal before her. Finally she nodded at the beautiful beast before her, and she stood unflinching as the animal charged at her, jumping at her but landing with no impact, instead dissolving into Emma’s very being. The moment that they blended together was transcendent, and aside from the moment that she’d first seen and bonded with Killian, it was the strongest lightening bolt of rightness that she’d ever been struck by. Suddenly Emma felt so much more and sensed the whole world around her in new and transformative ways. She’d internalized her gifts, and the world was an all the more glorious thing to behold because of it. 

“Amazing! That was fantastic, and so much easier than it was with Neal.”

“Neal?” Emma asked, her level of surprise vastly outpacing what it had been even ten seconds ago when her wolf essentially crashed into her innermost being. “You know my brother?”

“I do, but let’s finish the task at hand before I explain why, okay? Best to settle the present before we journey back into the past.”

Emma agreed to give Meera time, and she listened with rapt attention as Killian’s mother explained to her what shifting was like and how to access her animal now that they were joined. She was a wonderful teacher and patient and kind when Emma faltered slightly, but soon enough it became second nature, and Emma felt the power and the pleasure of being connected to her wolf and in command of her shifter abilities. She sprinted at top speed, loving the complete command she had of her body. She fed off of the exertion, living for the feel of a hunt and the adventure of running through unknown wilds. She tried out her strength, jumped higher than she could have imagined, and learned so much that she knew was still only at the surface of her potential. Soon she was pleased with all of it that her wolf acted on instinct, howling into the open air and prompting a feint echo in the distance.

“You are a natural, Emma,” Meera said with glee as she clapped her hands excitedly once they’d shifted back to human form and returned the quiet calm of the field where they had started. “Killian won’t know what to do with himself.”

Emma was happy to hear that, and she knew Meera was right. Killian and her would get the chance to share so much, and in time share that gift with their own little ones too.

“But I know you have questions, and I promised to answer them. Ask away, Emma. I swear I will tell you everything I can.”

“How is it possible that you were there for Neal?”

“That was fate acting in her way,” Meera replied with a smile. “The night you and Killian met in Boston, you two couldn’t know what you were to each other. You were still too young, and mates must come of age to sense their bond in all its glory. But I knew exactly what you’d become to each other, and could see it all. I was curious to know who this girl was that was so right for my boy, and so I stayed with you. I watched you pull yourself together after facing such a terrifying moment and I knew then that you were strong and brave. Then I saw what life had given you so far and I understood that bravery had become part of the very fabric of who you are. 

“Seeing your brother and the grief your family was facing, my heart broke for you all, and I knew I had to help in some way. I saw that the doctors couldn’t fix this. Neal needed magic, and you already had magic in your life, even if you never knew. I couldn’t believe how fortunate that was, and when I realized that Elsa was meant for Liam… well it was one of the happiest days I’ve ever known, experiencing all this newfound hope for my boys. I sent Elsa a dream that night, and low and behold she came. Then, when she wielded her magic on your side, I was here, helping however I could.

“It was admittedly much harder the first time around. Your brother was so young, too young to shift, and he had no idea about any of this. Explaining shifters to him was tricky. I didn’t know much he should know, and I had no idea how he could blend his shifter self with his human self. He was so fascinated by this world and his wolf was still just as young and excitable, and he and his animal ran and ran and ran. I think he was so sick for so long that running was a relief to him. I couldn’t bring myself to stop his fun. Lord knew he’d had so little of it those long hard months.”

Emma felt tears running down her cheeks as she held herself together at the thought. It made her so happy to think that Neal had had that experience because Meera was right. His illness had been so draining and limiting. Running must have felt amazing after so long spent in confinement.

“Does he remember any of this?” Emma asked and Meera smiled again.

“That I don’t know. I think he chalked it up to a dream, but knowing how smart Neal is, he could very well understand it all. I did tell him that this had to stay a secret and that when the time came for him to tell your family, he would know.”

“You never know with him,” Emma said with a laugh. “But we’ll find out soon enough when he comes home.”

“Yes, and there will be plenty to catch him up on. The story is hardly finished, but you just need to remember what I said Emma, it will all be okay in the end. You can handle this and everything still to come.”

Emma didn’t know what Meera was speaking of. It felt like she was being purposefully vague so as to not give Emma too much insight into the future, but as she reached out to touch Emma’s stomach Emma knew that her hint about babies had been a real one. Inexplicably Emma felt a stirring inside too, and she realized it was her wolf confirming that she was in fact pregnant already with her and Killian’s cub.

From there, Emma’s questions were a little less easy to respond to. Meera couldn’t give the particulars of how she’d gotten here or what things were like here long term. She could only say that unfinished business had kept her from being able to move forward. Until she knew that Liam and Killian would be okay, her soul would never rest easy, but that business was now resolved after years of uncertainty. Meera also shared that while Elsa had an incredible gift, this would be the last time such a spell could ever be wielded. Once she and Liam were truly mated the door would be closed, but since everyone who wished to be a shifter was now able to do so, and since all of Emma’s children wouldn’t suffer the remnants of this block, there should be no need for such an exorbitant magical showing. Meera than gave Emma some last tips about communing with her animal, and reminded Emma that while time was a great teacher, she already had all the same tools of a wolf at her disposal.

“Thank you so much. I couldn’t have done this without you,” Emma confessed and Meera hugged her close again before pulling back and wiping away a happy tear.

“You are stronger than you know, Emma, but it has been my pleasure to help you with this. I only wish I could do more, but time, I’m afraid, is not on our side.”

Emma knew she was right, and she was beginning to feel restless to return. She could only imagine how worried everyone was. She’d been here so long and it was time to go back. She couldn’t wait to get back to her life and embrace all the people she already missed to pieces, but she also felt a loss to say goodbye to Killian’s mother who had been nothing but wonderful to her.

“And what about you?”

“Me? I finally get to move on,” Meera said thoughtfully, looking to the other end of the field where they stood. In that corner the sunlight was strong, but Emma found her vision was hazy, and she couldn’t really see what lay beyond. It was obscured, but Emma could imagine that it was beautiful and serene. “Take care of my sons, Emma, and my grandbabies, and know that wherever I go next, I’ll still always be with them, and with you.”

With one final hug, Emma bid farewell to Meera, watching as she moved into whatever beyond lay in store. It was a bittersweet moment, but Emma chose to cling to the good. After years of limbo, Killian’s mother could finally be at peace, and though she may be farther away than she was before, Emma knew Meera and her love would never really disappear. Closing her eyes Emma quietly willed herself to be taken from this place too, wishing for the chance to go home, and when she opened them again she was delighted to find that she was back safe and sound on the couch once more.

“Emma!”

The chorus of everyone’s happiness at seeing her awake was the best kind of welcoming Emma could imagine, but immediately she got up and flung herself into Killian’s arms. He hugged her back, his relief undeniably washing over them as he held her close and murmured words about how much he loved her. It was too much for Emma, and all the emotions of the past few hours bubbled over into happy tears that quietly streamed down her face.

“I missed you so much,” Emma whispered and Killian smiled before kissing her surely.

“Missed him? You’ve been asleep for like thirty seconds. I know you love him, Emma, but that’s a little much,” Ruby joked. Emma looked over at her friends shaking her head.

“You’re not serious. I was only gone that long? God, it felt like forever.”

“Aye it did,” Killian agreed and Emma looked back to him as he continued his thought. “Longest thirty seconds of my life, and one I have no intention of ever repeating.”

“No, there’s no need,” Emma agreed. “It’s over now. I’m a shifter.”

“Well, let’s see then!” Anna said excitedly. “Show us what you got!”

Emma happily agreed, and as they all moved outside she wondered if she’d feel any pressure or worry about doing this. It was still so new, but Emma felt totally in control. She also couldn’t wait to see Killian’s reaction, and as she shifted before them all she got exactly the response she was hoping for. Everyone else commented on how amazing it was or how gorgeous her wolf was, but Killian was looking at her so intently, his eyes burning her from the inside out. Emma could sense that he was ready to pounce, and the image of him shifting and them being like this together made her tummy flip, but before he could she shifted back, knowing that she had to tell them all the truth of all she’d gone through before doing anything else.

Telling the story was difficult in its way, especially at first. Emma stayed close to Killian, holding onto him as she outlined what her time in the in between had been like and who was waiting for her. Throughout her retelling, Killian was still and silent, but Emma felt all of his shock and wonder and awe. Both Liam and Killian were astounded, but Elsa was the most vocal when confronted with the unbelievable news.

“I can’t believe that was your mother, Liam. She came to me in my dream that night. I couldn’t remember the particulars before, I just knew I had to get to Boston, but now that you’ve said that…” Elsa trailed off, her eyes glazing a bit as she recalled the memory. Liam for his part was holding her so tight, and he was clearly overcome with the thought that his mother had not only been watching him, but that she’d found a way to meet his future mate. “She was so beautiful, and so kind. She told me I had to get to Neal and to Emma because only I could make things right. She said my magic was a great healer and then she hugged me. When we broke apart she said she was sorry, but that things would be the way they should be soon.”

“Do you think she was talking about Mom and Dad?” Anna asked, her eyes absolutely watering as she made no attempt to hide her emotion. Elsa nodded, and the sisters embraced even as Liam kept hold of Elsa.

“They weren’t there with us,” Emma said, hoping to offer her friends support. “Which makes me think they must have already moved on to whatever comes next. They didn’t have the same anchors here, because they knew you two had each other.”

“And you,” Elsa and Anna said at the same time as Emma smiled.

“Yes and me.”

Everyone continued to ask Emma questions about all that had happened, but eventually the hour grew late and the day drew to a close. Emma, for her part, was exhausted, but more than anything she just wanted to be alone with Killian. He’d been so quiet since she revealed the truth of how her block was lifted, and she needed to be sure he was okay. So as soon as everyone left and they were in the house once more, Emma brought him to face her, and ran her fingertips against his jaw until his deep blue eyes met hers.

“Talk to me.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Killian replied honestly as his hands snaked around her, drawing her in. “You met my mother, and it turns out she has been protecting me all this time. It’s miraculous. But…”

“But even if she was there, you didn’t always feel it. You might not have been alone but you felt that way for a long, long time.”

“Aye,” Killian agreed, closing his eyes as he pressed his forehead to hers. “Maybe that’s wrong. I should only be grateful, and God knows I love her and I am thankful for all that she’s done. I just wish we had more. I can’t forgive as easily as she can.”

“And you don’t need to,” Emma replied with conviction. “All you need to do is what’s best for you. Forgiving your father brought your mother peace, but if it doesn’t for you, then don’t push it. I told her myself I found her strength incredible. I don’t think I could ever do what she did.”

“So you don’t fault me then?”

“Never,” Emma affirmed. “I know you, Killian. I know your heart. I know who you are and what you’ve been and I love every part of you. The light and the dark. We’re all a mix of both in our own ways, and I would never judge you for how you handle the pain you’ve faced in your life. I love you for everything you are and I always will.”

“Marry me,” Killian begged and Emma’s heart skipped a beat as she took in his incredible words.

“What?” she asked, hoping she’d heard right and knowing she had as he grabbed a tiny black box from the side table and then came down on one knee in front of her.

“Emma Nolan, I love you in ways that I can’t possibly describe. You are the sunshine of my life, the hope in the darkness, the beauty in everything I see. I am who I want to be when I’m with you. You’re my mate, but you’re so much more. You, Emma, are the magic in the world. You’re the calm in the storm and the peace that I’ve been craving. No one could ever deserve you, but damn if I won’t try every day to do just that. So please love, please say you’ll be my wife so that I may be your husband for this day and every day.”

“I want to say yes, but I have to tell you something,” Emma said, and immediately she blurted it out when Killian started to worry at her reaction. “I’m pregnant.”

The growl that came from Killian as he jumped up and pulled her in for a kiss took Emma’s breath away and she couldn’t help but meet him at exactly the same level of frenzy and passion. She could feel his joy pulsating between them, and eventually when he broke away from the kiss, his hand came to rest over the space that would soon swell with their child. His eyes were filled with so much admiration, and his voice was tinged with the sounds of genuine felicity.

“I will love you, this child, and every other we may have for this life and any others there may be. I’ll never stop, and I’ll never let go. It’s us forever, Emma.”

He slipped the ring on her finger without her even vocalizing that she would marry him, but for good measure she said what they both already knew aloud. Of course she would marry him, for marrying him was part of the big beautiful dream that was her life. And all she asked was that the wedding happen soon, so that she and her mate could have a chance to enjoy being newly weds before the impending joy of their new child graced their lives with even more beauty and joy and hope.  

Over the past three days Anna and Elsa had been doing their best to make progress in their ability to wield their family gift. This had been a fatiguing process, with Ruby having to start from very basic places. There were rules, it turned out, about how to cast spells and use magic safely. One had to remember all of these steps to make sure no one got hurt, and though at times Anna was a little hyper active or distractible, Emma had never seen her friend more studious and focused. She was determined to access her magic and do everything she could with it, and that determination was bringing her leaps and bounds in a very short time. In fact, Ruby was so confident in Anna’s ability to test her gifts and to remember to follow the laws of magic that she’d given her free time to just explore what she could do, thus this impromptu garden party of sorts.

“It’s amazing, Anna. How does it feel?” Emma asked, having a sense herself as she felt the warm and subtle kiss of the magic in the air around them. Emma felt rejuvenated and calmed all at once by this magical display, so she could only imagine what casting the spells that made this possible felt like.

“It feels like…” Anna closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and soaking in the joy around her, and when she opened her eyes they were filled with emotion and a thoughtful quality that spoke to real happiness. “It feels like getting to lick the spoon when Grams makes cookies, or the first beach day with Mom and Dad every summer.”

“That good?” Emma asked, less as a question and more as a statement of awe and true joy for her friend.

“That good,” Anna agreed, her smile growing as her eyes cast around at all she’d created over the past few hours. But eventually her gaze turned back to the house and some of that happiness dimmed. It wasn’t fully gone, but now there was a little bit of sadness in the midst of all this celebration. “I only wish that Elsa felt this way too.”

“She’ll get there,” Emma promised, though she didn’t have visions of the future to check that that was true. All she had was a thorough understanding of her other best friend, and faith that soon the pieces would fall as surely into place for Elsa as they had for her sister. “You two are never far apart for long.”

“And where we go you usually follow,” Anna joked, making Emma laugh even though this time that couldn’t be the case.

“Unless you know of some mystical waters or whatever the heck sparked magical people years ago, where I could get a gift like yours, I’m not sure that’ll be happening this time. I think the flowers only have one new overlord to answer to.”

“Well of course your magic won’t be the same,” Anna said, like this whole conversation was so totally obvious. “But being a shifter? I mean come on, that’s arguably the coolest magic of all. You’ll get to turn into a wolf for crying out loud!”

At the mention of her suppressed shifter status Emma’s heart jumped. That seemed to be a recurring thing since her grandmother had turned up and dropped the bomb of all bombs. Well honestly, maybe the biggest reveal had been the fact that her grandmother was even alive at all, but looking past the magic that was required for all of this to be real, and the heartbreak of the years that Ruth and her Dad had been apart, the reality that there was shifter blood running through Emma’s veins was surreal.

Being a hybrid, even if her ability was currently blocked, changed so much about what Emma knew of herself. It was a blessing and a curse in so many ways. On the one hand Emma was glad to have some things make more sense. The white wolf in her dreams all those years ago and that feeling that not everything was as it should be now made sense, but at the same time there was no guarantee that Elsa could even remove the block in Emma’s spirit as she had for Neal.

Currently Elsa was trying to access those memories with Ruby, but it was slow going. And even if Elsa could recreate the spell, Emma had to think about if that’s what she wanted. It would no doubt be dangerous, and no one actually knew what happened when human/shifter hybrids came of age. She would be the first one as far as they all knew and she was so out of touch with her animal Emma didn’t even realize it was there when she was awake. So how could she ever expect to be a good shifter? How could she hope to learn all that needed to be learned? What if in the end she wasn’t meant to be one? What if -

“Uh oh, and there you go again, over thinking things,” Anna said, bringing Emma’s attention back to the real world. Anna’s hand was now on her hip and she shook her head in an almost chastising way. “You’ve got to stop doing that, Ems. Elsa is going to figure this out, she’s going to find a way to safely lift the block, and then you are going to finally be all you were meant to be.”

Emma didn’t want to argue with her friend, but suffice it to say she wasn’t as convinced. Anna made it sound so simple, but in Emma’s mind it wasn’t. What she had right now was brilliant. Her life was full and happy. She had her family and her friends, and she had a true love, her fated mate, a man who made her experience love in the most blissful of ways. She didn’t want to risk any of that, and she didn’t want to go off hoping for more when what she had right now was more than enough. No one should be this lucky, despite the continued unrest that waiting for Liam was bringing, and Emma didn’t want to jinx things by feeling entitled to being a shifter too.

“It’s like me and my magic, Emma. When we found out, I was excited but I was also really scared. I kept thinking that everyone was wrong. There had to be a mistake, because it wasn’t me who was special it was Elsa.”

“Anna,” Emma said, her earnestness showing through in her tone. “Elsa might be special but so are you. You deserve your magic just as much as she deserves hers.”

“I know that, Emma, I do, but even if I know that, there’s still that voice in my head that doesn’t want to hear it, and I bet it sounds a lot like the one you have telling you that you’re not ready to be or worthy of being a shifter.”

Anna came over and took Emma’s hand in hers in a sign of solidarity. She was right, after all. Those negative thoughts did seem to be something they shared, and though she was nervous, Emma craved the chance to overcome hers just as Anna had.

“So how did you get over it?” Emma asked and Anna laughed.

“I didn’t. It’s still there sometimes, but I just have to tell it to shut up. Fear doesn’t want you to hope for good things, Emma. It wants you to limit yourself and deprive yourself of things that could be great just because they also could be scary. You can either cave to it or you can overcome it, and not so deep down you know that. And you know how I know that you know?  Because you, Emma Nolan, are one of the bravest people I have ever met.”

Emma’s throat tightened at the words, and she could feel her friend’s own emotion starting to get the better of her. Anna’s feelings freely flowed in the air around them just as they always did. She was not the kind of person to stifle her reactions. Instead, she spoke the truth as she saw at, blowing Emma away as she did.

“There’s no one else who faces a crisis like you, Emma. You stay steady, even when everyone else breaks. You did it when we were kids and small scale things happened, like when the Heller boys decided to start bullying Elsa, or when someone had to scale the McNealy’s fence to get our ball back.”

Emma barked out a laugh, thinking about old Mr. McNealy and how he used to scare them senseless as kids. Now they knew he was just a curmudgeonly old guy, but back then he seemed like a real monster.

“And you did it when everything was happening with Neal. You had to take on so much far too soon, and you did it unflinchingly for your brother and for your parents. Then, when we lost Grams, and then lost Mom and Dad so soon after, you were there for us too. Night and day, no matter what, you were our rock. As much as Elsa and I pulled ourselves together, you were right there with us, and you never questioned it. It’s always a given to you that you’ll help everyone you love and anyone you meet.”

“Well when you put it like that…” Emma said, attempting some humor even though her voice was thick with emotion. She was touched at Anna’s words, and it came to a head when her friend pulled her in for a hug. The tears pooling in her eyes fell at that point, quietly but undeniable, and she had to wipe them away as she pulled back. “Thanks, Anna. And just for the record, I don’t think I have that calm in the storm thing all to myself.”

“I know. It was a great pep talk wasn’t it?” Anna asked, prompting more laughter between the friends that continued until some rustling came from the hedgerow and Elsa and Ruby appeared.

“Seems like you two are having fun,” Elsa said, her eyes softening immediately as she saw Emma and Anna. There was still stress there, but Emma could see that Elsa felt better being back in their company.

“Well there’s plenty to go around,” Anna joked, flicking her wrist and launching an ivy vine up into the air and having it rustle against Elsa’s braided hair. “Unless you guys still have work to do. It’s kind of been a lot for one day, don’t you think?”

“About that… we’ve got some good news and some not so good news,” Ruby announced, her hands waving along as she talked, a trait Emma knew she and Killian shared when they were catching other people up to speed. “The good news is that we were able to access Elsa’s memory of when she helped Neal.”

“So you saw the spell?” Emma asked, looking between Ruby and Elsa. A chill zipped through her at their faces, because despite the breakthrough, neither of them seemed super enthusiastic.

“We did,” Ruby continued. “Turns out Elsa did the impossible – she literally removed Neal’s two souls from his body to blend them back together.”

“Removed them... wait, like killed him?” Emma asked, shocked, and Elsa looked so stricken as she quickly explained.

“I didn’t kill him. It was just a few seconds. It happened really quickly. He just went to sleep for a second, that’s all.”

“But technically without a soul a person is dead,” Ruby supplied. “And if they’re not, we’re entering vampire territory.”

“Vampires?!”  The question was yelled out not just by Emma, but Anna and Elsa as well, and Ruby winced in response.

“Sorry, bad joke. Vampires aren’t actually a thing. But then again removing souls from a body wasn’t supposed to be a thing either. So at this point…” Her continued attempt at light heartedness petered off as Ruby shrugged.

“But you can do it,” Emma said, looking to Elsa and her friend nodded.

“Apparently I can. I had no idea what I was doing then, and I can’t find anything in my family’s archives. It’s a mystery.”

“Would you even be able to do it again?” Anna asked and Emma fully expected Elsa to say that she couldn’t, but for the first time Elsa looked certain as she nodded.

“Yes. I can do it.”

“Maybe,” Ruby stressed. “She can maybe recreate a miracle a second time, but I have to be honest guys, this is not magic I know how to wield. It’s a real risk. Anything could go wrong. Your souls could react badly, they could not blend, they could reject any kind of intervention at all, and if they did…”

“If they did, I could die.”

There was no need to say anything else on the matter for a moment. The four of them allowed Emma’s observation to hang in the air, sinking in in a sickening way. Life and death situations were something Emma had faced before, but she’d never willingly put herself in a dangerous way. To do so now would either be incredibly foolish or impossibly brave, and Emma wasn’t sure where she stood yet on that. On the one hand, she could be taking a huge risk only to lose everything she now held so dearly. On the other, this could be the answer to that last missing piece of the puzzle that was her life. Plus it would help not only her, but Neal as well who was going to be facing his first shift just a few more years from now.

“Whatever you decide, Emma, there’s no need to rush,” Anna said, finally breaking the silence that had fallen as she touched Emma’s arm in a reassuring motion. “It’s not like Elsa is going anywhere. We’ve got time to see what you might want.”

“Exactly,” Ruby said with a firm nod. “This isn’t the kind of thing we should be too hasty about. Let’s just tackle one thing at a time. Liam will be arriving any day now. Let’s climb that mountain before staring down another.”

The four of them agreed this was a good place to leave things, and Emma was relieved. Crazy that the impending arrival of Killian’s unknowable brother was of relief to her now when for days it had been so anxiety inducing. But for some reason, that felt like a battle that could be won. For this moment she was part of a team, it was her and Killian and her friends and family. She felt like anything could be accomplished as long as they were together, and she genuinely had hope in her heart that things weren’t as hopeless with Liam as Killian believed. But trying to heal her block… well that would just be her and Elsa trying to do something they had no real clue how to do, and that was scary as hell.

“Ruby, what’s wrong?”

Elsa’s sudden question prompted Emma to look to her new friend, immediately feeling a pang of anxiety again. Ruby was overly alert, and Emma had seen that kind of posturing before from Killian when he thought she was in trouble.

“We’ve got company.”

“Liam?” Emma and Elsa asked at the same time and Ruby shook her head.

“No. I think I’d sense if it were Liam. No I just heard something. In the woods back there.”

The three friends turned to follow Ruby’s gaze, but Emma was shocked when Ruby moved forward towards the sound. She told them to stay back and she’d figure it out, but just as she moved out of sight, Emma, Elsa, and Anna heard a throaty chuckle that came from the opposite direction. They jumped in surprise and whipped their attention over and then Emma and her friends sighed aloud in relief.

“Graham, was that you?” Emma asked, and their town Sherriff grinned.

“Maybe.”

“It was him,” Anna said with an eye roll. “Well I hope you’re happy. You scared five years off my life. Not cool Graham.”

“Ruby it’s okay you can come out!” Emma called. “It’s just Graham. He’s harmless.”

“Oh you wound me, Emma. I like to think I could do some…”

Whatever words Graham was going to say trailed away as his eyes looked past Emma and back to the tree line. Without even having to peer over, Emma knew what he was staring at, or rather who he was staring at. The only person in that direction was Ruby and from Graham’s expression, this was more than a strictly ‘she’s hot’ reaction. Emma flipped her gaze to her new friend and sure enough, Ruby looked just as struck silly as Graham did.

“Ooh, look it’s happening again!” Anna whispered whisper-yelled gleefully. “Love struck, the two of them. It’s like Emma and Killian 2.0. I bet you guys a month of diner lunches that they’re fated mates too.”

Both Emma and Elsa refused to take the bet, instead watching (with totally no chill and no attempt at giving Graham and Ruby privacy) as the two shifters moved toward each other. Emma wondered what it must be like for them, but she had some idea. Killian had detailed to her what it felt like to be confronted with one’s other half if you were a shifter. Everything shifted focus and all of a person’s senses were heightened and needy. It was an instant force of lust and want and adoration. It was really love at first sight, and for most shifters it was just understood. There was no need for small talk or getting to know each other. Nature chose your perfect match, and time would prove that to be true.

Because she knew this, it didn’t surprise Emma when Graham took Ruby’s hand in his and when his other hand came to cup her cheek. They were so close, eyes flashing a wolf’s color and they looked just a split second away from forgetting themselves entirely and making out or doing more. Surprisingly though, words did come, and though Emma and Elsa and Anna were totally forgotten, Ruby did seem to have the sense to ask some critical questions.

“But how did I… there’s no trace of you in town. I should have known about this - known about you.”

“Oh trust me, babe, Tink is going to be hearing quite an earful from me about this.”

“Babe?” Emma whispered to Elsa and Anna, half shocked at the word choice and half uncomfortable. In all her years of knowing Graham he had never, ever, called anyone anything like that before.

“Tink?” Ruby asked, and Emma was really curious now about what having a mate meant for Ruby. There was a chance she was so overwhelmed with Graham that she wasn’t able to tap into her gifts, but this seemed like a relatively straightforward vision. Also, Emma was like ninety five percent sure Tink had been mentioned more than once.

“Girl, she is so gone for him,” Anna said gleefully. “Oh! We should make popcorn!”

“Uh no,” Emma and Elsa said at the same time before Elsa continued on. “If anything we should leave them be. It’s only a matter of time before they start going at it, and we don’t need to be anywhere near seeing that.”

Emma laughed at Elsa’s claims as Anna feigned a sigh. Obviously she wasn’t interested in spying on the intimate moments of two new mates, but Anna really did love love, and Emma knew her friend was hoping for more cuteness before any impending sexy times. But whatever any of them were expecting, it likely wasn’t what happened next. One second Ruby and Graham looked poised to run off together, and the next Ruby’s features changed and her eyes went hazy. It only lasted a moment but she jumped when it was over and she looked to be in actual pain. Graham moved with her, and though Ruby was still alarmed, Emma could see the slightest bit of comfort come form Graham still being there. Still it wasn’t enough to fully calm her, and what Ruby declared next sent ice rushing through Emma’s veins.

“He’s here. Liam’s here, and he just found Killian.”

Shit!

………………………………..

At times like this it was difficult for Killian to know if pacing was a product of habit or an animalistic urge.

There was evidence enough to suggest it could be his animal. Wolves were known for patrolling when they were contained, agitated, or ready to fight, but as the morning light shifted to a mid-day warmth, Killian’s pacing felt like more than that. True, he felt a little held captive; the anxiety of what was coming was getting to him and there might indeed be reason to fight. But this motion right now, this back and forth route in front of his new Storybrooke home, wasn’t caused by his brother or an impending battle: it was caused by a desire so strong it was starting to control him.

As the days passed by, Killian’s love for Emma only grew. Despite the full moon being long gone by now, he felt this continuing clawing need to be near his mate. It was difficult for him to be away from her, and it was damn near impossible when there was a threat not too far off. In fact, the only thing keeping him sane right now was that she was protected and surrounded by other people who loved her. Ruby was a more than capable shifter who had made it very clear that she considered Emma family in the realest kind of way, and with her visions she should see any danger for Emma before it got here. They had been spotty as of late, with larger blind spots than she was used to, but both Killian and Ruby were certain that when the time for Liam’s arrival actually came, Ruby would know of it. That, coupled with Anna and Elsa’s new gifts, was enough to keep Killian from trailing Emma all afternoon and trying to protect her himself.

The fierceness of his need to see Emma safe was one of the strongest things he’d ever experienced, second only to his love for her, and carrying around such immensity of emotion made Killian eager to shift and to run and howl. He’d allowed himself the first two so far this morning already, but eventually he’d been called back to human form and to the house again. Connecting with his wolf right now just didn’t seem to hold all of the power that it once did for his peace of mind, and Killian was relatively certain he knew why. For underneath all of that protective instinct, and beyond the anticipation of seeing his brother again, there was something else clawing at Killian, something he wanted to do so badly but kept having to keep himself in check over.

Opening the small black box that held a symbol of his hopes for he and Emma, Killian looked down again at his grandmother’s ring, his eyes catching the way the precious gem sparkled in the light. It looked just the same as it always had, a classic and beautiful ornament, now fitted to Emma to perfection, and designed to show the world how tied up they were together. It was a testament to love, a symbol that, if she said yes, the two of them would be wed. And even though he knew that’s what Emma wanted, seeing as she’d already agreed to be his mate, it still made his heart sputter in his chest to think of asking her. He knew that he wanted that moment to be perfect. Emma deserved everything from flowers to candlelight. She deserved ambiance and the undeniable truth that he loved her more than anything. She deserved a story, one they could tell forever and look back at with pride. But even though he knew what should be done, it was killing Killian not to just do this now. He hated waiting. His patience was all but fried, and every day that he spent not working towards that forever with Emma hurt him more than he could say.

But here was where it all came back full circle. Because the reality was he couldn’t create that moment. He couldn’t give Emma those things when he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. All of them were anticipating the arrival of his brother and the showdown that would come, and until that was faced and dealt with Killian couldn’t do what he wanted most. It would be too selfish on his part, and he already had regrets about how things had gone with Emma already. Not their being together surely, for he could regret nothing about having Emma in his life and in his heart. But he wished that things could have been a little less harried. Emma was strong and determined. She would stand tall through whatever storm came their way, but he wished she didn’t have to. That essence of normalcy that she was craving? Truth was he craved it too. If they could just have a little bit of peace and quiet to enjoy all that they’d found it would be miraculous. But it seemed too much to ask the universe to have such a brilliant mate and a bit of time to truly enjoy his good fortune.

You’re going to wear a patch in the grass, Killian.

He heard the words in his head and they were said with the loving chastisement that only his mother had ever truly been able to capture. He closed his eyes and stopped, inhaling the fresh air around him and breathing out again. It was rare for him to do this anymore, to hear his mother’s voice as he went about his life. He’d shut off the part that was open to her and her goodness so long ago. When he trained to confront his father, he stifled that old connection. He shut down the little voice inside his head that reminded him what was good and right. But since he’d found Emma and tried to separate himself from that old life of revenge, he was more and more susceptible to it again. That susceptibility was both beautiful and painful. On the one hand he swore he could hear his mom right now. He could picture her in his minds’ eye shaking her head at him with a smile at her lips. But he knew when he opened her eyes she wouldn’t be here. There would just be more waiting and more agonizing over what was next.

“Bloody hell, Liam, I wish you would just get here already and be done with it.”

The words were gruff as he spoke them aloud, nearly yelling with the ferocity of his agitation. He kept his eyes closed and tried to center himself again, but before he could a voice by the tree line responded to him.

“Wish granted.”

Careful not to make any sudden movements, Killian pivoted to where he heard his brother’s voice and looked at him for the first time in so many years, seeing that it was in fact Liam there, and not just some figment of his imagination.

A few seconds passed where Killian allowed himself to take his brother in, and though he was surprised at how clean cut and together Liam still seemed to be, he didn’t let any of that show. If this reunion was going to be anything like last time then he was in for a hell of a fight, but there was a real need for Killian to control himself. Even on the night he was first infected, the bite had made it so Liam was out of control and unable to resist his baser urges. To counteract that, Killian had to be smart. It was the only way to handle this and to see that he, Emma, and the rest of their friends and family were okay. Still, looking at Liam now was like a stab to the heart, for though all this time had passed, he still looked as he always had, and Killian swore he saw a mix of sadness and also love in his brother’s eyes, despite everything.

“It’s been a long time, little brother,” Liam said, filling the space between them with words that were charged in a way Killian couldn’t understand. There was no anger there. No resentment. Just longing and a little bit of pain. “You look different.”

“I am different,” Killian replied. His muscles flexed slightly, and though he hoped to hide it from Liam, Killian watched as his brother tracked the movement. Liam didn’t reply in kind though, instead siding with continued conversation as he moved a bit closer.

“Ah yes. A mate’s love will do that, or at least that’s what they tell me.”

Now Killian couldn’t help tensing up.  He didn’t like it at all that his brother had mentioned Emma, even in the abstract. It was too close for comfort, but when Killian let out a low growl, Liam only laughed. It was a barked out sound, one that made it seem like Liam hadn’t had cause to laugh in a long time, but it calmed something inside of Killian. It wasn’t threatening. If anything, Liam seemed to be enjoying himself. That was unexpected, but it didn’t feel aggressive and that was something to be grateful for.

“Relax, brother. I didn’t come here for her.”

“Then why did you come?” Killian asked, wanting to believe Liam, but knowing that the bite would change any man and that it had already started to change Liam years ago.

“So it’s like that then,” Liam sighed. “Straight to the point. No conversation after all this time? No soft landing?”

“Why bother putting it off? You’re here, and we both know why.”

“I’m not so sure we do,” Liam replied thoughtfully. “I’ve thought of this moment every day since that night. I thought of what I’d say when I saw you again, and damn if I can bring myself to say any of that now. It all seems… not enough.”

“Well why don’t we start with the basics. This control you’re displaying. Is that… permanent?”

“Much as I might like to say yes, I can’t do that. For all my flaws, lying is something I still can’t abide by.”

Killian’s stomach fell at the confession from his brother. It was confusing to say the least, because on the one hand Liam didn’t seem to be doing anything that would signal that he or his wolf wanted to fight. There was no display of dominance, no call to contest. To Killian that signaled that maybe Emma’s more wishful thinking was right. Perhaps Liam was here to make amends and to make things right, as crazy as that seemed, but confessing that he wasn’t actually in control scared Killian. He’d seen the flip switched in his brother before. It was terrible to behold and if Liam couldn’t stop it then it was only a matter of time before Killian bore witness to that beast again.

“So the sickness. You haven’t cured it?”

“No,” Liam replied, his acceptance of his condition heart wrenching to hear. “I am what I am now. A monster, a beast, an abomination: you can call me whatever you like, but the curse remains.”

Killian allowed that truth he already knew to soak in. Again he’d been hopeful, and again his hope was thwarted. Of course Liam was still burdened with this blackness. There was no escaping it, but still it killed Killian to hear it. Listening to his brother berating himself, calling himself a monster – a beast – it was terrible, and yet Killian couldn’t contradict him. He knew nothing of Liam anymore. He knew the man he had been, but what was to say that man truly remained? He appeared to be here, but appearances weren’t enough to build trust on. They couldn’t be, not when the stakes were so high.

“You never were good at covering your emotions, brother,” Liam said witfully, his eyes studying Killian intently. “I can see it all practically jumping off of you. Love. Wariness. Sadness. Fear. Crazy you stayed hidden all these years. You’d think so much energy would be easier to track.”

The mention of tracking put Killian on alert again. There was the reminder he needed that this wasn’t a one off. Liam wasn’t here for a casual visit. He’d been hunting for Killian for years and Killian had known it. He’d lived off the grid as much as he could. He never built a life, never had roots. Hell, he never had dreams of any kind for years and years to stay ahead of that search. His life had been hellish, and that hell was in no small part because there was always the threat of Liam just waiting to take him down.

“What can I say? Ruby’s a powerful witch.”

“Ah she always was. Little Red,” Liam said with another strange laugh. “Remember when we called her that as kids? God she hated that.”

Killian was thrown by the tenderness Liam displayed for Ruby. This whole exchange was honestly giving him whiplash. One moment his brother was kind and trying to connect, the next he was poking Killian with the reminders of the threat he posed. It was confounding and confusing, and it made the wolf inside scratch at the surface, trying to fight this out instead of lingering in whatever strange game Liam was playing here.

“Ruby isn’t the reason you came either. So let’s get on with it. Why are you here, Liam?”

“I’m here because I have to be. We had to meet again. You made sure of it that night.”

“I spared you that night, Liam. I…” Killian trailed off before reiterating the thought, because honestly he wasn’t so sure that’s what he’d done. Had he spared Liam? Or had he just damned his brother to so many more years of this descent into madness?

“You made a choice, a choice that speaks to who you are, brother. You could have killed me, but you didn’t. You couldn’t. It could have all been over. You could have been free, but instead you chose another path. This path, and now we have to face it.”

The ominous words hung in the field between them and Killian didn’t know what to say. Liam was right after all, at least in a way. He hadn’t been capable of killing Liam. There just wasn’t that option, and because of that there had been the risk and that sinking sensation that followed Killian all these years that they’d meet again. But while his brother was resigned and yet also strangely unreadable, Killian was resolute. Things wouldn’t end the same way twice. There were too many other people who needed protecting, and too much more to live for now than there had been years ago.

“I’m sorry, Killian. I’m sorry for that night, and for any night you’ve faced since that you worried about me. I’m more sorry than you can ever imagine. I would have done anything to spare you that.”

Wait… what?

“You’re sorry,” Killian repeated, his mind reeling from the truth he heard in Liam’s out of the blue words. “But you’ve come here to kill me.”

“So you keep suggesting,” Liam replied, his eyes taking on a little humor again.

“And what are you suggesting, Liam? I realize this is all some big game to you, but frankly I don’t want to play. I never did, so if you’ve come to fight me, fight me.”

“You know I thought this would be different, our last time together,” Liam said, his voice a wistful whisper, as it sailed across the breeze to Killian’s ears. “I should have known, even if I hoped for something more. But let me cut to the chase. I came to -,”

The snap of a branch in the woods very close to them claimed both brothers’ attention, and when Killian saw it was Tink his feelings were mixed. There was relief, but also dread. He couldn’t exactly explain why, but the reason would show itself soon enough.

“I caught a new scent in town and thought you might need backup,” Tink said, but her usual confidence was cowed in an instant when a fierce growl sounded out so loudly that it shook the ground around them.

Killian whipped his head back to look at his brother, but Liam was gone and all that remained was the beast in man’s clothing. His eyes were like coal, his face was snarled, his stance was poised for shifting. He heaved for breath, his anger rolling off of him, and just like that the nightmare Killian had been reliving for years was with him once more. Whatever had just occurred was over. The talking was done, the dancing was finished, and now it was time to face this twisted fate once and for all...

Post-Note: Okay I know I know I left this on a cliffhanger and I am terrible! BUT I have some pretty great news – the next chapter of this story is already mostly written and I will be posting it sometime in the next week! I should probably space it out more since the rest of the chapters aren’t completed yet, but trust me – you will all want to see the conclusion of what happens between Killian and Liam.  Anyway thank you all so much for your patience and your continued support. Hope you’re all doing well, and hope you’ll tune in next time!

In seconds Killian readied himself for battle, crouching low, with every intention of shifting. His wolf was nearly at the forefront of his mind, his body just a hair away from transforming, but just before he did the monster in front of him went from totally controlling his brother to essentially disappearing. Liam physically stumbled, his body bending over as he shook his head with tremendous force, and when he looked up again his real eyes stared back at Killian, the deep darkness from before now gone. Liam was nearly normal again, though clearly had used a large amount of energy to fight back. But how? And more importantly, why?

“It’s like I said, before. The monster remains. There’s no shaking it.”

“But you’re trying to fight it,” Killian acknowledged and Liam nodded.

“Yes. I have tried everything I can to suppress it since that night. The night you spared me.”

“I might not know many details about what happened to you after our fight, brother, but I do know you stayed with the pack,” Killian bit out, his own resentment at that not hidden in the slightest. He’d thought it was a terrible idea then, and he still believed it to be so now. He had no idea how Liam would have ever rectified the want to suppress his inner demon with staying in that toxic place they once called home.  “So it doesn’t add up. You fought darkness, but lingered in it too.”

“That night…” Liam paused for a moment as he tried to find the words for how everything had gone down. “That night I was unhinged and unwell, but I wasn’t fully gone, not like you thought I was. That instinct to stay with the pack – it wasn’t all the bite talking. That had always been my plan, since the moment we set out to kill Brennan.”

“You never told me that,” Killian said, not believing it even if part of him wondered if it could be true. Had Liam always wanted to return to the pack? Maybe, but the thought, even in hindsight, was so abhorrent to Killian he couldn’t fully comprehend it.

“Of course I didn’t. You never would have supported that idea. You were of one mind. All you could focus on was finding justice for Mum, and I knew there would be no discussion on the subject. I had hoped after everything was done that maybe you’d see. Maybe killing our father would free you from all your hatred of the past. Maybe you’d feel as I did, that our life back there was more than evil and power and greed. There was still good in where we came from. It just had to be nurtured and fought for.”

“Sounds like bullshit,” Tink said, her words reminding both brothers that she was still here, something Killian had already forgotten.

“It’s true,” Liam reaffirmed, his aggravation growing, but his eyes remained a steady cerulean as he looked at Tink. “I always planned to rid the ugliness from our past, and from our family.”

“Oh sure, that’s possible,” Tink said with a dismissive wave of her hand, “Hell, I’d say it’s even likely, seeing as you’re related to Killian, who does everything he can to be a good guy. But that bite should have changed everything. If you really wanted to make things better, you should have known you weren’t the man to do it. You were compromised, and you clearly still are.”

“I did know I wasn’t the one to truly make things right,” Liam confessed. “And despite knowing I still tried anyway because I was selfish. I fooled myself into thinking I would be okay. When Killian left, the beast inside me calmed a hell of a lot. He never truly went away, but he was quieter, less agitated. I hovered above the monster, and I did what needed doing. I got rid of the old guard, all of the pack who supported Brennan -,”

“They all supported him, Liam. Every last one of them,” Killian spat out and Liam shook his head.

“No, not all of them. They didn’t support him; they endured him. The fear we felt wasn’t ours alone to shoulder. There were many others stuck in the same torturous cycles, hoping for escape without finding it. Mothers scared for their cubs, fathers who knew that defecting from the pack would put a mark on them and their families forever. Brennan was ruthless and he hated nothing more than disloyalty. Everyone was trapped, and just because they all didn’t show the bravery of our mother doesn’t mean they all deserved to be condemned.”

Killian remained quiet. He knew that at some level Liam was right. The cubs were absolutely without guilt, for none of them could choose the pack they were born to or the rules of their clan. And yes, Killian remembered that there was fear beyond his own little world. People got quiet around his father, and the women especially made sure never to linger too long in his presence. It was always a place filled with whispers and walking on eggshells. Still, Killian knew that even if the bite hadn’t come between them he never would have stayed. Some might say Killian wasn’t strong enough to face the past. They might think he lacked honor for not going and rebuilding what was broken, but Killian didn’t see it as his duty to fix what his father had created. He wanted no part of Brennan’s legacy, and if he’d been forced to face it he’d have disbanded the clan and told every single member that they’d be better off starting over somewhere without all the baggage and heartbreak.

“I know you think the pack should have dissolved, and there’s merit to that thinking, but what you failed to see was that as much pain as the pack brought, the pack was also family. For better or worse, it was all most of them ever knew, and breaking that bond is painful. It’s like leaving a part of yourself behind forever. You never felt that when we were kids, but I did, and I knew how much it hurt and how badly I wished it never happened. I didn’t want to take anything more from anyone, so I tried to heal the hurts instead.”

“And how did that work?” Killian asked skeptically.

“It was slow going, but there was steady progress. A few years in and we’d discharged all of the remaining dissenters. Brennan’s core backers were gone, and the members that remained began to believe that more might be possible for the first time in a long time. We set new rules, we cleansed the laws of the pack, and we started to build something everyone could be proud of.”

“Sounds like a fairy tale,” Tink joked and Liam winced.

“Hardly. Much as I tried to deny it, I was still sick. I could play at being healed all I wanted, hell I even fooled myself into thinking I was still on solid ground. I told no one I was infected, and I lived for a long time like nothing was wrong. But it wasn’t that simple. I might have been caging my animal, but I was still feeding it every day. I made all of them rely on me. I amassed substantial power as alpha, both within our pack and outside it, even if it wasn’t through fear as Brennan had. I was in total command and that soothed the beast which lusted for control, but all it took was one moment to show me how wrong I was in thinking that I could ever overcome this.”

“What happened?”

“What always happens in pack life: an outsider came and challenged me, thinking he stood a chance to take what I’d,” Liam stalled, shaking his head and changing his wording purposefully. “What we had been building.”

“That’s not so unusual,” Tink said, though her nose scrunched up slightly in a show of disgust. “Well not for wolves anyway. You’re all so abrasive, that just comes with the territory.”

The joke fell flat though Killian knew in another situation he’d have laughed. Tink’s thoughts on other shifters were usually entertaining to him, but the look of regret in Liam’s eyes told Killian his brother’s dark deed had crossed a line. He could only imagine what that might have been like.

“A challenge is normal, yes, but there are customs now. We don’t fight to the death like the wolves of old. We fight until surrender or until one side can’t fight anymore. We aren’t supposed to see an attacker and think that the only way forward is draining the life from them.  We aren’t supposed to welcome that kind of fight while vehemently resenting anyone for trying to stake a claim. Our animal shouldn’t crave cruelty or demand death.”

“But yours did.”

“Aye. Looking back it’s like someone else’s memory, but that fight… hell it was worse than ours ever had the chance to be. I was ruthless. I’d won the match ten times over, but the bite had me taunting and tormenting my opponent. I wouldn’t just have killed him. This was torture. This was blood sport…” Liam said, his eyes haunted and his shame written clear as day on his face. “It took every member of the pack to get me back from the depths of my demons, and even then they couldn’t fully stop me. I was possessed, consumed with this evil need. I was seconds away from finally killing him, but the ruckus of the pack distracted me, enough that I saw my reflection in the creek. My eyes were worse than black…”

“They were shattered,” Killian said, knowing the way his father had looked when they fought him, and remembering how ungodly the sight was.

“They were on the edge, the fragments were forming. The last pieces of my soul were withering away far faster than I imagined, and only in seeing that could I find a way to stop. And the only way to stop was to leave, so I ran.”

“Wait, you left?” Killian asked, shocked that after everything Liam would have ever left the pack for any length of time.

“I had to. I was stricken with the wants of the sickness for days. I couldn’t shift back to human form, all I could do was run, trying to exhaust myself and keep myself from turning back and finishing the job. Finally I passed out from the lack of food and water and sleep, but even then, when the fog of it all lifted I knew I couldn’t return. I called my second in command, and I told him I was done. The beast in me was too much, and I had to save the little control I have left for something more important. I had to save it for you, Killian. I had to try and mend things between us the best I could after everything that’s happened. I’m only glad you’ve found your happiness when you did, so Ruby’s block could be lifted and I could get here in time. It’s been over a year and each day I searched in vain, knowing I was never really close and would likely never find you. So you see, you finding your mate isn’t just your miracle, but mine too.”

Killian allowed that to sink in, and finally he accepted that Liam was really trying to do the right thing. This wasn’t a trick or a game. It was a genuine attempt by his elder brother to make amends. That was more than Killian had ever dared to dream of, but in accepting this to be fact Killian also realized that his brother’s words all pointed to a sadness he could not comprehend. Liam wasn’t here to hurt him, but he was here to say goodbye, and that goodbye was going to be a final one.

“So you mean to tell me that you withstood the bite for years, rebuilt the pack, overcame the beast again and have been tirelessly tracking me in the hopes of saying you’re sorry?”

“You’ve colored the story in my favor by putting it that way, but yes. It will never be enough, but I am sorry, Killian. I’m sorry for all of it. I miscalculated with Brennan even though we’d trained so hard. He never should have bit me in the first place, but I fucked up and he did. Then I caved so quickly to the crazy impulses this sickness brings, only to put you in the most impossible position. I can never take back that night, but if I could I truly would. More than anything though I want you to know that I tried. I tried to be the man you still believed was in me when you spared my life. I tried to be a man you and Mum could be proud of. I tried as long as I could.”

“And so now what, it’s just over? You’re giving up?” Tink asked, her own hard exterior defenses softening as she grappled with the self-sacrifice Liam was planning to make.  

“There’s no other way. I can’t live with this beast without succumbing to it,” Liam confessed, his resigned manner making Killian’s heart ache even more. “I’m a threat to everyone I meet. It’s barely restrained. The monster keeps rising closer and closer to the surface. Seeing you right now is the work of so much time, brother, and it’s all I ever wanted, but the pain I feel at holding onto everything is almost blinding. Frankly it’s miraculous I’ve held on this long. Soon enough the dam will break, and when it does I’ll be gone, and you and the people you care about here will be in real danger. So I have to stop that from happening. I can’t become what our father was. I won’t.”

“So you’ll die a hero then, a man who overcame to spare the rest of us. Because that’s what you’re saying. You’re saying you have to die. That you have to…” Killian couldn’t even form the rest of the terrible words, instead leaving the implication hanging in the air around them.

“It’s the only way.”

“I don’t believe that,” Killian said. “I might have bought that before. If you found me even a few months ago I would have been jaded enough to do so, but now… there’s too much good in the world for this to end like this Liam. There’s hope that lives here, hope like we’ve never known before, hope you deserve to feel.”

“Your mate, you love her,” Liam said and Killian nodded, now not distressed at Liam’s casual mention of Emma or at the thoughtful smile that formed on Liam’s face. “She’s your light and your hope, just like Mum used to say a mate should be, and I’m happy for you, brother, happier than you’ll ever know. I only wish I had the chance to meet the woman who could be so much to my favorite person.”

“Killian!”

The call from Emma that sounded through the woods at this most opportune time caused Killian to move forward, soon enough she appeared at the tree line with Ruby, Elsa, and Anna, and when she did Killian could see her fierce want to be with him and to protect him. She didn’t realize that he didn’t need protection, but at least now Liam could see the light that he had guessed at previously. He could have one wish granted in the end.

As he was thinking that though, Liam surprised Killian by springing towards Emma and her friends, and Killian’s good thoughts evaporated at the perceived threat. Liam moved with lightening speed, charging in Emma’s direction and Killian matched his pace, acting on instinct until he’d come to stand right before his love, protecting her as best he could, but then he realized it wasn’t Emma Liam had in his sights, it was Elsa. The expression on Liam’s face was torn and in flux, his eyes flashed between blue and the brilliant color of a healthy wolf, but all of his attention was settled on Emma’s best friend. One moment he was joyous, the next confused, and concerned. His actions were strange and almost unknowable, but then Killian realized something: Elsa must truly matter to Liam. She must call to him, and intrigue him in a way that he couldn’t control himself. She must be…

……………

My mate!

The words repeating over and over in his head the moment Liam laid eyes on the fair-haired beauty before him were undeniable, and even stranger they were said in the tone of his wolf pre-sickness. The demons that had taken up residence in his mind the past few years were silent, and all there was to focus on was this impossibly beautiful woman.

For a few beats of his heart, Liam experienced a rush of yearning and rightness. For the first time in years he felt like he had a chance at being whole and at being more than okay again. Acting on instinct he moved toward this familiar stranger, pulled by something stronger than gravity to be closer in her orbit. He barely even took in the others in her presence. Ruby was there, and he spared her the same fleeting glance that he gave to the other two women. One was clearly Killian’s mate, as his brother had charged to stand in front of her in a show of protection, but Killian’s face wasn’t animated with anger. Instead he looked perplexed and then a small smile began to tug at his lips as understanding dawned on him. Liam didn’t have time to make heads or tails of that; all he wanted was to get to his angel – his mate.

“Liam, stop!” Ruby said fiercely, putting her body between him and the woman he wanted so badly and Liam felt a growl growing in his chest, but he ultimately halted in his tracks. He met his cousin’s eyes, which were slightly clouded in that familiar way that said she was here in this moment while also receiving one of the visions she’d been having since childhood. When it had passed Liam growled low again, not liking the distance from his new found other half, and though Ruby seemed more relaxed than a moment ago, her fear had shifted to annoyance very quickly. “Seriously, quit it or you’ll scare her.”

“Uh, isn’t that the point?” one of the other women whispered. Looking at her, Liam could see some similarities between this woman and his blue-eyed beauty. They must be related somehow, but Liam’s gaze only stayed with her a moment before returning to his impossible dream again. “He’s the bad guy, remember?”

“He’s not,” his mate said sternly, speaking for the first time in his presence. Her voice rang out with indescribable melody, and each word, each subtle intonation lapped at his very soul like a gentle wave on the shore.

Her eyes didn’t demure in any way as he continued to stare her down, instead she met his gaze head on, and the emotion that he saw in those crystal blue pools nearly knocked him over. She was already fierce in her want to protect him and defend him despite not knowing him at all, and God he could just see how sweet and pure she was. Her hair was so light it could hardly be real, and though she’d tied it back in a tidy, elegant braid, Liam longed to see it set free. So many little dreams passed before his eyes – flashes of what he wanted with her, of what he wished could be. He never imagined anything like her before, he longed to reach out and touch her and to hold her close. She was sunlight in the midst of so much shadow, but he’d never deserve her, and he knew rationally that they could never be together, even if he’d never wanted anything more.

“I am though, love. And this… it can’t happen. I can’t be here,” Liam murmured. The realization was worse than anything he’d ever felt. He’d do all of life’s most terrible moments over again a million times to avoid this fate. He’d give anything to have things be different, but they weren’t. He was broken, and though he didn’t even know her name, Liam knew he’d never subject this angel to the burdens that he carried.

“You can,” his mate replied, her eyes holding so much softness even in the face of his brusque attempt at cold.

“Elsa?” The woman who clearly belonged with Killian looked for guidance and more clarification from his mate, and Liam rejoiced at hearing her name for the first time. Elsa – so unique and uncommon, just like her.

“It’s all right, Emma. It’s going to be okay,” Elsa said before looking back to him and speaking directly to him again. “You’re going to be okay.”

“No, I’m not. It’s – God it’s a sick joke! I live long enough to find you, but I can’t have you.”

“Yes you can. I can help you,” Elsa said, her voice lilting with the same calm and warmth despite the fact that his own was edging towards full-blown despair.

“Help him?” Ruby asked, her face giving every hint that her visions weren’t serving her as well as she wanted right now. She couldn’t read the future that his mate seemed so certain of, but without even hearing the details, Liam felt himself start to believe this remarkable woman. He knew nothing of Elsa, but at the same time he knew everything, and if she believed then he would to. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I can heal him,” Elsa announced, totally and completely assured of herself.

“How?” Everyone except for Liam asked at the same time, and then Elsa smiled as she very clearly replied.

“Because I’m his mate.”

“MATE?!” the girl who looked like Elsa asked exuberantly. “Did you just say mate? Did my sister just say mate?!”

“Yes, Anna, I said mate,” Elsa said, her own happiness bubbling up into a tinkling laugh that sounded out like the chimes of a bell.

Liam’s chest filled with pride at her claiming him like this, and he knew he’d never felt such joy in his life. That she would feel all he felt for her was incredible, and that she could see past the darkness that he was… well it was the best thing that had ever happened in his life. It was only topped by the moment that his Elsa stepped forward, finally taking his hand in hers. At the contact he was overcome with elation in a way that defied description. All he knew was one moment he was a jumble of feelings and the next he was truly peaceful. For the first time in a long time all his monsters were at bay, and he felt anchored even as he reveled in this taste of true freedom. Then he watched as a swirl of light began to emanate from her. It was magic, raw, powerful light magic, and he felt it seep into him, warming him through and making him feel like more than he’d ever been, even before the bite.

“See what I mean?” Elsa whispered so quietly he was sure only he could here. “We can handle this. We’ll figure this out together.”

“Together,” Liam mused as his hands pulled her closer so she was flush against his body. “Got to say I love the sound of that.”

And though they’d only just met, and their journey together was still as new as new could be, Liam felt euphoric when his mate moved upwards to press a kiss to his lips. As crazy as this was, and as sudden as the shift had been from all hope being lost to every dream coming true, Liam wouldn’t have it any other way. Lost in the love he already felt coursing through him for her, he allowed the weight of his world to slip away, and as long as he had Elsa by his side, he knew there were no more beasts and no more demons that could ever be successful in holding him down.

……………

“So this hasn’t gone exactly as expected,” Emma commented as the rest of them watched Elsa and Liam connecting closer to the middle of the field. They were caught up in a heated kiss, but what was truly awe inspiring was the flow of magic all around them. You could see it and feel it all around them, and without even needing to be told of any set plans or remedies, Emma knew her friend was right when she said she’d be the one to heal Killian’s brother.  

To be honest though, this was quite literally one of the last things Emma ever could have anticipated. Even if she had believed that there was a chance that Liam might still be savable, she couldn’t have ever expected that his savior would be Elsa or that her best friend would find the same kind of true love in an instant as Emma and Killian had. It was a truly remarkable thing, and as she watched Liam and Elsa’s embrace she felt her eyes grow misty. This was such a blessing for so many reasons, not the least of which was that Killian would have one of the most important people in his life back. Finally after so long so many of his old hurts could heal, and in the process Elsa would hopefully find her own happily ever after, which Emma knew she absolutely deserved.

“No, love. I think it’s safe to say this has gone completely off the rails.”

“In a good way though,” Emma joked and Killian laughed, pressing a light kiss to her lips.

“Aye, in the best way. My brother has returned, Elsa is confident that she can heal him, and it turns out they are fated mates. Who would believe it?”

“Well while we’re on the subject of mates, the new sheriff is making my wolf act up. Could be nothing but -,”

Before Ruby could get the words out a growl sounded from the woods, and Emma looked over to see a giant wolf at the tree line. It was clear the wolf had been there for some time, and Emma had to assume this was Graham. Even though she’d been around shifters more and more the past few weeks, it was still an amazing thing to see. These animals were gorgeous and different and huge, and yet it was still totally Graham. Emma couldn’t explain it, there was just something about the way this wolf carried himself. Well that and the way that he was not pleased with Ruby underselling their connection, which was admittedly hilarious. Still, there was so much happening here, Emma couldn’t help shaking her head in continued disbelief.

“That doesn’t sound like ‘nothing,’” Anna said gleefully. “In fact, it sounds like this might just be my favorite day ever!”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m totally here for the surprise love fest,” Tink replied as she stuck her thumb out in Graham’s general direction, “Especially if it means seeing this guy find someone after years of telling me he never would. You owe me a hundred bucks by the way, Humbert.”

Graham’s wolf made what was probably the animal equivalent of an amused snort, which caused everyone to laugh, except for Ruby who rolled her eyes in feigned annoyance.

“Oh what, like it’s hard to be fated for me?” Her words were barely out of her mouth and Graham had shifted back, holding her close and making her gasp as he leaned in to reassure her.

“Easiest thing I’ve ever done, babe. Count on that.” The words, corny as they sounded to Emma, made Ruby swoon, which in turn seemed to set off Elsa and Liam and even she and Killian.

“Okay, cool it cowboy. It’s been like ten minutes and there are other people present,” Tink said, sternly reminding the couples that now was not the time or place. “Like I was saying, this absolutely beats a battle to the death. But I gotta ask… are we actually out of the woods here? Is Liam safe to be around or to even have in town for that matter?”

“He’s safe,” Elsa and Ruby said at the same time and Emma felt the last of Killian’s tension leave him as he exhaled at their assurances.

“So it’s over then? That’s it?” Emma asked, her whole attitude brightening at the thought that this great daunting doom that had hung over them so long was finally through. Now she and Killian could get on with the whole settling in and building a life together thing, something that she was definitely ready for. And more than that, Liam not being a threat meant all of them were safe now. Her family could stop worrying, and her friends could rest easy. In short, this was a spectacular turn of events.

“Well I wouldn’t say it’s over,” Anna acknowledged with a wave of her hand. “It seems to me that it’s really only beginning. Plus if you think we’re ending this and I don’t get a fated match too then you’re crazy. I’ll be patient, but I will be finding true love, you hear me?”

It was impossible not to laugh at Anna’s words, and Emma tucked herself into Killian as she did, loving the rumble of his laughter as it moved against her at Anna’s antics. Closing her eyes for a brief moment Emma allowed herself to just take this all in. The sun was shining, the breeze was gentle as it moved through the glen, and the air around them crackled with that sense of rightness that Emma usually only felt when she and Killian were alone and trying to forget the world. That she could feel this with everyone was a gift, and Emma knew this was a turning point; it just had to be.

“Well, I think there’s really only one question left to ask,” Tink said with a look of pure amusement on her face. “Who’s telling the Nolans?”

“Not it!” Emma, Anna, and Elsa all chimed at the same time, but before they could debate amongst themselves who would deliver the updates to her parents, her mother’s voice interrupted over the static of the radio that no one had noticed until just now.

“Hey, I heard that! Oh shoot I forgot to say over. I heard that, over.”

Tink looked shocked and Emma knew that this wasn’t some elaborate prank. Tink was genuinely unaware that Mary Margaret had been listening in. They were all astounded, well all of them except Graham who immediately looked embarrassed. He motioned to the radio he’d been wearing and finally seemed to notice it had been set to on this whole time, even when he’d been in wolf form.

“That’s my bad. I gave her the extra radio at the station yesterday. Figured it would be the best way to keep them in the loop. I didn’t realize it was on all this time.”

“Was it really though?” Emma asked, knowing her mother could fully hear her now. “I don’t know how likely it is that Mom could hear everything happening today and keep quiet. First you and Ruby, then Elsa and Liam. It would have been an awful lot of temptation…”

“Emma!” Her Mom said with a tone of censure, but then there was mumbling in the background and she heard her mother sigh. “Okay fine, I wanted to say things but your father reminded me that if I did Graham would probably shut off the feed, and I just couldn’t risk it.”

“I may not know your parents well, but that sounds about right,” Ruby said with a smirk. “And five bucks says Granny’s in on this too.”

“No one’s dumb enough to take that bet,” Killian joked and sure enough Granny’s voice came through the feed confirming that she was there and enjoying all the updates as well.

“Oh I’m here, and I have all sorts of questions for this man who thinks he’s good enough for my Ruby Lee.”

“Oh Jesus,” Ruby said with the first show of embarrassment she’d had today. She grabbed the walkie talkie from Graham and finally put this all to bed.

“All right you three, show’s over. You’ve had your fun. Granny, I will see you tomorrow,” Ruby said, before backtracking after looking back at Graham whose eyes were on her and filled with both heat and a quizzical question asking if she’d really be up for company tomorrow. “Scratch that, I’ll see you soon…ish. You want references, you got them sitting right next to you. I’m sure Mary Margaret and David are all too happy to fill you in on all things Graham.”

Anna then took the reciever from Ruby and gave her own message to Emma’s parents. “And don’t worry, I was only playing earlier. I’ll be over to fill you in on everything you missed. All I ask is that you make one of your awesome blueberry pies. I don’t have a man yet, so I should at least get some damn dessert.”

Emma bit back another laugh at how quickly her mother agreed to that proposition, and over the next few minutes the group disbanded, with the new mates going to find alone time as Anna and Tink headed towards her parents house. For Emma and Killian though, there was so much to be said and so much to discuss, but Emma knew that they wouldn’t get into the details tonight. No, she didn’t see much in the way of talking happening tonight at all, not when the relief she felt was so distinctly mirrored in her mate’s eyes, and not when the lifting of the Liam burden had left space only for love and hope and happiness.

“Picture it, love,” Killian said as he brought her into the house, locking the door behind them and then pulling her into his arms so there was no space left between them. “A whole night just you and me and some good old fashioned peace and quiet.”

“Well I don’t know about quiet…” Emma teased as her hand trailed down his chest, her voice dropping a bit lower and the huskiness of her want for him sounding out undeniably in her tone. “I kind of like when we get all worked up.”

Killian’s growl gave away how much he loved that too, and the next thing she knew he was sweeping her up and bringing them to the bedroom. Whether it was shifter speed or just Emma’s own infatuated state any time Killian put his hands on her she didn’t know, but it felt like one second her feet were on the ground and the next she was pinned against the door in their bedroom as Killian gazed at her with lust and love and longing.

“Allow me to be more clear,” Killian murmured his mouth whispering the words against her skin between kisses as he moved from his lips to her jaw, down her neck and lower. “Tonight it’s just you and me and the love between us. Nothing – and I do mean nothing – is getting between me and my mate tonight.”

Killian murmured the words as he practically ripped the clothing from her body, and Emma was mindless to do anything but claw away the clothes he still had on too. She went from teasing to needy in the blink of an eye, and from the hungry, predatory gaze Killian sent her way, Emma knew the night before them would be anything but fast. No, Killian had other plans, and if the already delicious torment of his hands and his mouth were anything to go by, Emma was going to be more than satisfied in every way.

“Every day I wonder if I’ll be used to this yet,” Killian rasped against her skin as he brought her to the bed, trailing his wicked mouth along the bared flesh of her neck. He nipped lightly at one of the mating marks he’d left on her and Emma jumped, her body so hot and ready and wanting though they’d barely even begun. “I wonder if your beauty will stop taking my breath away, or if I’ll feel anything but awe here in your presence. Will my heart stop feeling fit to burst? Will my need ever calm or wane away?”

“And the verdict?” Emma asked as one of his hands moved up her thigh as his lips moved down to her breasts, his touches moving between gentle and demanding, riling her up so effortlessly.

“It’s a waste of wondering, love. For there will never come a day when I don’t crave you. I need you, Emma, more than anything the world over, and I love you in ways I can’t possibly put in words.”

“So show me,” Emma begged, her voice a breathy moan as Killian’s lips turned up in a sinfully sexy smirk.

“That’s exactly what I plan to do.”

Emma was so torn in this moment. Mindless with pleasure and crescendoing desire, she wanted to close her eyes and revel in all of his ministrations. His fingers came to touch her most intimate skin, and the brush of his thumb on her clit as his teeth nipped the sensitive part of her breast pulled more moans from within her. But if she looked away from him now, Emma would deny herself the pleasure of seeing the man she was made for looking both fantastically wild and totally in control. Killian was so damn attractive.  He always had her thinking the dirtiest things and craving something more, no matter the time of day, but seeing him like this, totally assured and completely in command of her body had her arching to be closer to him. He was magnificent right now – and if someone were to tell her there was a world outside of this bed right now she’d hardly believe them. She was so caught up in this moment, so strung out sensation, all she could do was feel and want and beg for more.

“Killian,” she pleaded, words failing her, and then he growled with satisfaction against her skin. 

The hum of his territorial action pushed Emma’s already aching need towards the edge of release. Then the anticipation pushed her still closer as he moved down her body, his lips tasting every part of her until his mouth came to feast on her, tormenting her into marvelous madness.  She shattered so quickly, but her mate wasn’t anywhere near satisfied. He pulled her climax from her only to tease her more, building her up and taking another. He seemed hell bent on a third but Emma was brazen now and desperate for more. She pulled him back up to her, and when he thrust inside, filling her completely she felt nothing but satisfaction and the most ethereal sense of completion.

There was no telling how long they were locked together like this. Both of them were consumed with the other, chasing release and saying with words and with actions everything they felt. This was more than love; it was destiny while somehow also being a choice. No matter what the mating call had said, Emma knew that their love transcended all of that. Nature was strong, but somehow this was stronger, and the pull of wanting never seemed to fade between them.

“You’re mine,” Emma whispered, when they were both spent and exhausted, as she placed another kiss to the place just above his heart. She must have said it a thousand times tonight, but each time it was both a claiming and a prayer. She was so happy to have this and to have Killian, and there was no denying that he felt the same. 

“And you’re mine, Emma. For far longer than forever.”

With those beautiful promises in mind, Emma lay there, wrapped up in her mate thinking about how sure this thing between them was. And as she drifted off to sleep, it was almost hard to discern reality from fantasy, because life, right here in this moment, was better than any dream. Because this life was real and it was hers and it was filled with endless, glorious, wonderful possibility. 

Post-Note: So some of you (okay probably all of you) must have seen this coming. I would never be able to write something so painful as losing Liam or Killian having to kill his brother. I always knew ever since the start that Liam and Elsa would be mates, and I knew that the only way to heal Liam would require magic. There’s much more to come in terms of the bite and how Elsa will help Liam, so rest assured that will be covered. And there’s also quite a few more chapters left to go. My plan is to have 22 chapters and then potentially an additional epilogue, and trust me when I tell you there is plenty more story yet, and all of our twists and turns are not quite over. Anyway thanks so much to all of you for all your love and support. It might be few weeks or so until I get to publish my next chapter because I am doing a lot of traveling now that school is out, but I promise it’s coming! Thanks again and hope you all have a great rest of your week!

There were roughly one billion other things Emma could have said that would make more sense to Killian in that moment, because truth be told there was no way that this woman, this young, maybe thirty year old woman, could be Emma’s grandparent. She was younger than David and Mary Margaret, easily closer to his and Emma’s age than either of them, but from the way the woman had flung herself into Emma’s father’s arms and was currently clinging to David, Killian knew she had to be someone who loved him. At the very least she was relieved to see the man, and then Emma’s father spoke, and the claim his mate had put before them all was proved true.

“Mom? But how… you’re…” David’s voice cracked, something Killian had never heard from the man before. Emma’s father was a collected and put together person, but right now he was clearly struggling to comprehended all that stood before him.

“Dead,” Mary Margaret finished in a whisper as she came to stand by her husband, and though Emma’s mother was usually the embodiment of kindness and enthusiastic greetings, she seemed shocked and somewhat aghast when their new guest pulled her into a hug too.

“Oh David, look what a fine job you did. She’s beautiful. I always knew you’d have a lovely wife someday. A real soul mate, like you deserve. I used to dream of how it would be, ever since I knew that I was pregnant. I just thought I’d be there for all those other milestones too. You were just a baby, and now here you are, a man, a husband, a father.”

For a few more moments everyone continued to look on with fascination and complete disbelief. It was as if all of them were frozen, and the only one who wasn’t beholden to this state of complete bewilderment was the newest arrival. David’s possible mother – Mrs. Nolan? Ruth? Killian didn’t know what to call her really – looked positively elated, and she was standing there taking everything in about the man she claimed was her son. While she did that, Killian moved his attention to Emma. Her green eyes were filled with wonder and she was spellbound by the sight of her parents and the woman claiming to be their kin. Then she shook her head, as if trying to clear her thoughts and her eyes found Killian’s.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Emma whispered, low enough that only he could hear her. “My father has a picture of her holding him when he was just born, and she looks the exact same. But how could that happen? How can she be here and how can she look like this?”

“I don’t know, love,” Killian responded, pulling her closer to his side. “But we’ll figure it out together.”

“How is this possible?”

As David asked the question, Emma looked back to the doorway. Meanwhile, Killian looked over to Ruby for guidance. She should have seen something about this, right? At the very least her gift should give her some intuitive glimpses now. But when he glanced his cousin’s way she shook her head. She had nothing to offer and her face spoke to her disappointment and confusion at not being able to read the situation. This grew stranger and stranger by the second and that made Killian nervous. Maybe this woman wasn’t who she said she was. Maybe they had to be more cautious than the original shock to the system would allow.

“It’s okay, Killian,” Anna said, calmly from across the room. He had stiffened considerably without realizing it, and he was about to rise up, putting himself in the direct way between Emma and this stranger when Anna spoke. Killian, along with everyone else, looked to her quizzically. “She is who she says she is, right Els?”

“Yes,” Elsa agreed quickly. “But I don’t know how it’s possible.”

“I can help with the particulars," the woman said, making it perfectly clear that she could hear everything going on inside despite their attempts to keep quiet. “But it’s a complicated story, one that merits a little more than a quick recount in the doorway.”

After silently exchanging a look that spoke to the easy connection of long time true loves, David and Mary Margaret let the woman inside. Killian watched the way Emma’s mother stood by her husband’s side as this familiar stranger entered their home. Mary Margaret was trying to protect David, and Killian could feel Emma’s want to do the same though she stayed rooted where she was. She squeezed Killian’s hand lightly, and he knew that she was staying put for his benefit. He would worry if Emma wasn’t right here beside him, and he was so grateful that Emma understood that about him. Too many bad things had happened in his life for him to trust easy, and despite everyone’s attempt at making him comfortable, he wasn’t going to find comfort, not until they knew everything and had absolutely checked out this woman’s story as the truth.

Killian’s eyes tracked their movements back into the living room closely, seeing the way David and Mary Margaret were still stiff and a bit unsteady. Meanwhile Emma’s grandmother was radiating joy, and then she turned to Emma and her eyes went wide again. In a split second she looked just as happy at seeing his mate as she had at seeing David, which made no sense. If Killian was understanding this correctly, David’s mother had died, or left as it were, when David was only an infant. She should have had no encounters with Emma on any level at any point. Yet the recognition in her gaze was instant, and as impossible as this whole situation was, this was an added layer of abnormality.

“Emma! Oh my goodness, look at you,” she said, rushing forward and only stopping when she was just about to touch Emma. She seemed to remember that the happiness of their meeting was not a given on both sides, and she kept herself from grasping for Emma even though her look of joy remained. “You’re exactly as I dreamed you would be, honey. So beautiful and all grown up now.”

“You’ve dreamed of me?” Emma asked, clearly shaken by the thought and the woman nodded even as she looked unsure of how to proceed.

“Why don’t I start at the beginning, yeah?”

“That’s usually a good place to begin,” Killian stated, and he noticed the way this woman - supposedly Emma’s grandmother - smiled at him. She gazed upon him and Emma with the same satisfied look that Emma’s mother was prone to using, and he could sense her genuine delight at seeing them together.

“Before you do though, maybe we should leave?” Elsa asked, not wanting to intrude. It was very telling that her good manners remained even in a time of upheaval, but though Killian knew she meant what she said, he could see Anna’s despair at the thought. Clearly the younger sister was incredibly intrigued and she had no want to leave the scene before them. “You all could use the privacy.”

“I think it’s probably best that you stay actually,” David said, coming to take a seat after seeing his mother had found a comfortable spot in a chair just beside him. “Whatever is happening here, it’s clearly not normal, and given the way things are right now, I think we should all be aware of everything out of the ordinary. Besides, we’re family, all of us.”

The words packed a powerful punch for Killian and he had to wonder if they were the product of David’s true feelings or if he was simply overwhelmed by it all. It was one thing to say that Anna and Elsa were members of the family:  these girls had grown up with Emma and been very close to the Nolan’s for years. But he and Ruby and Granny were far newer additions, and though Killian knew he would forever be a permanent fixture in Emma’s life as her mate, he was still honored to have that be recognized. When David nodded at Killian he knew that Emma’s father had meant what he said, and Killian’s slight feeling of discomfort shifted back to curiosity and protectiveness towards Emma.

“Well, I guess I should start with the basics. My name is Ruth Nolan. I was born in a small town in Washington State, well outside of Seattle -,”

“When?” Anna interrupted, clearly thinking the same thing everyone else was – how had this woman not aged from the time she had David?

“The summer of 1950. But we’ll get to how that’s possible soon enough,” Ruth said offering a sad attempt at a smile as she pressed on. “The family I grew up in was…unique you could say. It was my parents and I and my older brother George. I had cousins as well, a big extended family on the whole, but beyond them I knew very little of the world and very few people. We stayed rather insulated in the woods where we lived because… well because…”

“Because they were hunters,” David filled in, saying the words his mother had been afraid to say in mixed company. “Everyone here knows about the shifter world. Actually wait, did you guys hear about hunters?”

The question was aimed to Elsa and Anna, and Killian could see the softness of a father’s love extended to Emma’s friends from David. It was clear that he saw them as extensions of his children too, and his ability to be mindful of them and where they were in knowing things spoke to his love for them.

“We did. Well we caught the basics anyway,” Elsa clarified. “Enough to know we want nothing to do with them.”

“Good,” David said sternly before looking back at his mother. “Because we aren’t hunters and we never will be.”

“Oh thank God,” Ruth exclaimed, closing her eyes and looking relieved. “That life was all I ever knew growing up, and I didn’t see it as evil or wicked when I was young. When you’re raised on stories of danger and monsters in the dark, you don’t question it. You’re taught to trust your parents and to heed their counsel. So I listened to them and I carried their teachings, but it was still very abstract to me. I always thought of myself as an ordinary girl, even if we didn’t have an ordinary life, and then, when I was sixteen my parents were gone, killed by a clan they’d been hunting for a few months.”

Killian could sense the surprise that everyone was feeling, including Emma. The only one’s who weren’t taken aback by the words were David and Mary Margaret. Killian knew that would have changed eventually. After speaking with her father and learning the first pieces of her family’s legacy, she was bound to find out more. But time hadn’t been on their side. So many things had happened between now and then, and as Ruth proceeded, Killian knew she was going to bring far more with her.

“Well actually, tormenting is a better word for what my family did to that pack. My father and his brothers were as merciless and they were clinical, with very few rules and absolutely no empathy at all. They were not above torture, and half of their joy came from stalking a party before the hunt. Women and children didn’t register as being any different. Shifters were shifters and they had to be eradicated.”

Killian’s anger at the very notion was difficult to contain. He had heard talk of hunters before, but it still filled him with rage to think that there were men and women out there in the world who lived solely to harm his kind. Didn’t they understand that shifters were just like everyone else? Having the ability to shift into an animal and some added bonuses of increased healing or faster reflexes and increased strength didn’t make him someone who lacked humanity. He was still a person, and he and his fellow shifters were worth more than brutal slaughter based solely on their gifts. True, there were good and bad shifters, just like there were people, but for the most part, all shifters wanted was to go about their lives and live in peace away from the dangers of the world.

“I didn’t understand that fierceness of feeling,” Ruth confessed, drawing Killian’s attention back to her story. “I could never seem to muster the hatred it took or the coldness one had to have to kill without feeling. Girls weren’t trained like boys were back then, not typically. We were more supporting figures –running house, creating supplies, helping raise the next generation of shifters - but when my parents died and George took over as the head of our family, he let me into the true world of hunters. He thought that the anger and rage he felt at my parent’s death would be mirrored in me. He thought if I knew the realities of the world in which we lived I’d come to hate shifters as much as he did. But he showed me too much without realizing that I myself had experience and a sense of what was right and what was wrong. I knew the world wasn’t really as he said it was because I saw the destruction he was causing first hand. No being deserved the kind of cruelty my brother saved for shifters and I knew all shifters couldn’t be monsters. It just wasn’t possible, and then, one day I met Robert and it all changed.”

“Who is Robert?” Mary Margaret asked and Ruth gave a soft, somber smile.

“Robert is David’s father.”

“My father? But who was he? What happened to him?” David asked, clearly dying to know. It was the first time that David had seemed unsure of a part of the story. “George said he was a fellow hunter from an old family, but I never believed that. If he were, then why wouldn’t he and his family be raising us? Why would he leave heirs to his family’s legacy?”

“Ha! A hunter? No, quite the opposite. Robert wasn’t a hunter, he was a shifter. A wolf to be exact.”

There would have been complete silence in the room at that wildly unexpected announcement if not for Ruby’s instinctual response of, “Oh. My. GOD! I knew you guys weren’t totally human!” The looks she drew from Ruth, David, and everyone else reminded Ruby that this was a moment that wasn’t strictly appropriate and she demurred. “Sorry, my bad.”

“It’s quite alright, dear, and you’re correct…” Ruth said, looking to get his cousin’s name and showing a lot of patience when others might not have.

“Ruby.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ruby. And as you’ve noted, my sons were not fully human. David and James were born hybrids, and as far as I could tell they were the first of their kind.”

“Wait, you had cubs with a shifter? So were you mated?” Emma asked, her voice curious even as it sounded a bit hoarse from the shock she was still feeling. The implications of her father being a hybrid shifter – if that was even possible – were astounding, and it would no doubt have a deep and real impact on Emma.

“We were,” Ruth said, a sad smile spreading on her face. “Humans and shifters aren’t usually mates as I am sure you know, but I found out later that we could be because of old hunter practice. When women are pregnant in hunter clans they drink shifter blood for strength. It’s believed that blood makes for stronger hunters, and the only way to kill shifters is with added strength.”

“Ew!” Anna exclaimed at the same time that Emma and Elsa winced. Killian had heard rumors of that ritual and it disgusted him to his core, but to find out it was real was galling. What a twisted way of living these hunters had.

“Yes, it’s hardly a sound or logical choice. But that little bit of blood seemed enough to allow Robert and I to be fated mates. I don’t know the particulars, but I do know he was mine and I was his,” Ruth said, her eyes going glassy with the memories of her mate. Killian wondered where this Robert was, but he had a sense of foreboding that it wasn’t anywhere good before Ruth confided the truth. “But our time was over far too soon. We were going to leave, run away together and start a family in a place without the baggage of his clan or my family. But before we could, Robert was killed. Murdered by my brother.”

“I’m so sorry,” Mary Margaret said, and Killian didn’t know if she meant it more for Ruth or for her husband, but both of them seemed to take comfort in her words and soothing touch.

“It was a long time ago, though to be fair, not so long ago to me. Five years give or take.”

“Which brings us to the ultimate question,” David said gruffly. “How is it possible that you’ve barely aged? So many years have gone by, but you’re still exactly the same.”

“When I lost your father I was devastated,” Ruth said, her breathing little shaky as she recounted the emotion. “It was the worst kind of pain I had ever known up to then, but I couldn’t even begin to show my sadness. I couldn’t grieve for risk of giving everything away. If I had, your Uncle would have known what we were to each other. I can’t even imagine what he would have done if he knew I mated a shifter. Sister or not it wouldn’t have mattered. I’d be the enemy because of who I loved. The only reason I’m alive now is because he never found out. But I couldn’t hide the truth forever.”

“Because you were pregnant,” Anna whispered and Ruth nodded.

“There’s no way to describe how I felt when I found out. At first I was elated. I always wanted children, and I loved you and your brother from the start, David. But then I was so sad, sad that your father would never get the chance to know you and that you boys would never know him. It was cruel and unspeakable, and then, to make matters worse, the fear set in. How would I ever explain that I was pregnant? My brother knew everyone in my life except for Robert. But even more than that there was a danger of how I could ever find a way to hide your true nature from everyone.”

“But I thought shifter children weren’t detectable,” Emma said, voicing a confusion a few of them shared.

“They aren’t, not usually, but given that the babies were both were a mix of human and shifter I just couldn’t be sure. All I knew was I had to protect them. I thought about running, but I didn’t trust that I could go off the grid enough to elude my brother and that we’d ever be safe. So I made a decision. I told my brother I was going on a solo trek. I claimed that I wanted to be like the other hunters in our family so I would go for six months alone into the wilderness and identify another pack that was vulnerable. He agreed, but instead of finding other shifters I tracked down a male witch, supposedly the most powerful in a thousand miles. He went by the name of Gold.”

“Oh God no,” Granny said aloud and though no one else knew why she said it, Ruth agreed.

“Oh no is right. That man – that monster - told me that he would help me. He said he would block David and James’ true natures so they would never be discovered. I was so relieved that there might be an answer that I barely noted his warning: ‘magic always comes with a price.’”

“That’s bull shit!” Ruby said angrily. “Magic is freely given if a witch is good. There’s no price that comes with it.”

“And so it is, at least it’s supposed to be, but with Gold there was a transaction required, and I didn’t know what it would be. I didn’t imagine it would be some huge sacrifice, and I had inherited money from my parents. I assumed it would be some sort of goods that he wanted, and I only found out after I had the boys what was actually expected of me. I was in the hospital, holding them both, thankful they were both well and healthy after fighting so hard to get them here. I had no one with me, so the nurses took some pictures. I thought they would just be snapshots – one moment of so many - but then he came. He came and he told me that it was time to pay, and it turned out the payment he had in mind was me.”

“You?” Mary Margaret asked, her dismay ringing out clear as day.

“Me,” Ruth said grimly, and Killian could sense she wasn’t past the trauma such an exchange would have caused. “He came to the hospital and he told me that the spell he’d created had built in fail safes. He could undo the spell at any time, and doing so wouldn’t just expose the boys. This was a magic that had never been used so there was no telling what would happen. I was devastated. I begged him not to undo anything. I begged for your life David, your life and James’ and he said the only way he would leave things be was if I left right then and there.

“It broke my heart in every way to say good bye to you, but I clung to two little lights in my new sea of darkness – one, you both had each other. You would never be alone,” Ruth said, her voice breaking as she cried, no doubt for the son she had lost. Emma hadn’t been super detailed, but Killian knew that David’s brother had passed of a childhood illness, the same illness that her brother Neal had suffered from years back. As Ruth allowed herself to give in to some of her grief, David enveloped her in his arms, and Killian saw the tears Emma’s father let free at the same time. Still, Ruth pushed forward, adamant that her story must be told. “But more than that, I also believed you were free. Free of the Nolan burden. I used a totally different name. I left no contact for the hospital, and though I was terrified of what leaving you to the system would mean, I had to believe it was better than my brother.”

“But we still ended up with him,” David said, pushing through the emotion that clung to him.

“It was Gold. That heartless bastard. He decided to test his magic. He was as proud as he was terrible, and he wanted to prove to himself and to everyone that his magic would be smart enough to outwit one of the greatest hunting families in the Americas. He told your Uncle I’d been found and had given birth. And though I don’t know what else he offered as explanation, I do know Gold still believes that George had no idea.”

“So he took you. And then what happened?” Emma asked, trying to push her grandmother towards resolution so this pain and agony would subside.

“I was put under a sleeping curse. It froze me essentially, and while I was frozen Gold ran these magical tests, so to speak. He was consumed with the possibility of humans and shifters being together. He thought it could mean a whole new world order. And he didn’t like the idea of that world.”

“No, I can’t imagine he would have,” Granny said, reminding everyone that she had heard of the man in question before. “Anything that gets in the way of Gold and praise and power is something he’d detest.”

“Exactly right,” Ruth said, the two women sharing a look that spoke to a mutual understanding. Meanwhile Killian was struck at the fact that these women were actually similar ages. It was crazy though that time had essentially stopped for one of them.

“So how did you get out then?” David inquired. “How did you escape him?”

“It was the strangest thing. I was asleep for decades, aware to some degree, but not really. Enough to know I was an occasional magical test subject but nothing more, and soon I was essentially forgotten, left in a room he had filled with other enchanted objects. Then one day I woke up. I woke up and all I knew was I had to get out. That was five years ago now.”

“Five years?!” The questioned was asked aloud by multiple people in the room, but no doubt thought by all of them. Five years? Killian assumed that she’d awoken only recently. Honestly he thought maybe this was another effect of his and Emma’s mating. But five years ago?

“What happened five years ago?” Anna asked and Ruth shook her head, shrugging.

“I was honestly hoping you all might know. It wasn’t Gold. He’s still alive, and you can imagine very angry that I managed to slip away. But for whatever reason his magic doesn’t seem to have any more effect. I’m free of him and there’s no real reason I can guess as to why. So I assumed it must have something to do with you all.”

“I don’t know what it could have been,” Mary Margaret replied. “Five years ago we were in Boston. We were just praying and hoping Neal would be all right. It became our whole life, and then, by some miracle he got better.”

“All I know is I woke up on October eleventh. Does that date ring a bell for anyone?”

“The eleventh?” Emma asked, her eyes finding Elsa’s and Killian watched as the friends looked curious.

“Wasn’t that the day I came to see you all?” Elsa asked and Emma and her parents nodded.

“It was also the day Neal finally took a turn for the better,’ Mary Margaret said. “The first day of the end of his illness. The treatment he was on… we didn’t think it would work but the doctor’s called it a miracle.”

“Unless it wasn’t,” Emma whispered, low enough that Killian believed he was likely the only one to hear her. Then her voice grew louder as she started to fit the pieces of this mystery together. “What if it wasn’t the medicine that made Neal better? What if it was Elsa?”

“Me?” Elsa asked and Emma nodded.

“I left you two for a few minutes, remember? I went back to the alley to look for signs of the attack and when I came back you were passed out. You said you were just tired but what if you weren’t? What if something happened… something magical?”

“Neal was expecting me,” Elsa said, as if the memory was more foreign to her than Emma, but they all watched as she started to recall whatever part of the story she’d forgotten in the past. “And it was the strangest thing because I woke up in the morning and I knew I had to get to you guys. But usually when I feel like that my dreams are vivid. They tell me everything I need to know. But not that night. I just remembered going to the hospital. I took Neal’s hand and then he said it was time. I was so freaked out, I thought he meant it was time for him to go. He was so sick, but he was also so happy still. The next thing I knew I was warm. I was burning up with his hand in mind and the room… it was filled with light… I don’t.”

“Oh my God you reversed the block,” Ruby murmured aloud, her eyes glazed over in the way Killian knew meant she was having a vision of her own. No doubt she’d accessed Elsa’s memories and she was witnessing it all first hand. “I don’t know how – I didn’t even know witches could undo the spells of another – but you settled him. He was sick because his shifter soul was restless, soaking up all of his energy and life force because it was rejecting being split from the part of him that was human. To block their powers Gold separated the pieces and Elsa put them back again.”

“That must have been what woke me up!” Ruth exclaimed. “The deal was that my family would be blocked from recognition. Those words turned out to be so fatally important in the end. I meant to say that they would be safe, but clearly that wasn’t the case for James. I stole away some of Gold’s old journals filled with the notes about my case. James rejected the spell in the end. That was what took him from us. But when you shifted the block entirely, the deal was broken and Gold’s magical hold of me had to break, right?”

“Yes,” Ruby said. “Transactional magic is absolute, and once it’s broken it’s broken for good.”

The conversation from there was still involved, and there were more revelations and details pieced together. Ruby, Anna, and Elsa began to try and figure out how Elsa’s magic could be capable of overriding the magic of another. At the same time Emma’s parents continued to ask more questions about where Ruth had been for all of these years and about the logistics of tracking them down. It stood to reason that her ability to act would be substantially halted given the situation: she had been put to sleep decades ago, well before the internet or modern digital world. Everything she knew was different and she no longer had anyone she could consider a friend to help her. She had to start from basically nothing, her only saving grace being that Gold had no need for money. She’d taken enough originally to start a life for her and her sons, and she eventually used it to get away and to try and track down what had happened to them without notifying her brother. That turned out to be an incredibly complex task because David’s Uncle had done everything he could to keep them off the grid, and when James had died he moved David to a new hunter circle hundreds of miles away.

While all of this was happening, and Ruth was trying to track down her long lost family, the dreams had begun to crop up more and more. They were particularly noticeable in the first year since she’d woken up, and over the years the dreams decreased, not cropping up as much as usual. Most nights Ruth didn’t remember them the next morning, but the one’s she did remember always had Emma in them. In the beginning she didn’t know who Emma was. Ruth was confused and befuddled, but then, when she’d finally managed to track down David, who also had taken every care to not be so easily discovered, she saw a picture of their family. It was from the last inauguration for Mary Margaret as mayor, just a few months before, and immediately she knew that this was a sign. She believed it was residual magic from being tested on by Gold somehow at work, but Killian knew it wasn’t. These dreams involved Emma because Emma was special, and though not all of her abilities had been explained or fully articulated tonight, it had become very clear that she was more than she always imagined.

Despite everyone’s want to get to the answers tonight, Killian knew that would never happen so quickly, and eventually a time came when Killian had to put the good of his mate over her continued curiosity. Emma could have likely stayed for hours more, asking questions and trying to make sense of the huge changes that had just come hurtling at them, but Killian reminded her of how long of a day they had had. She’d risen early, worried about Elsa and Anna, gone on an emotional journey with her best friends and family, and then discovered all sorts of new parts about herself in a little more than twelve hours. That was too much for the mind to bear peacefully, and more answers could wait until tomorrow, but right now what his mate needed was rest and a bit of reprieve.

Luckily as they were gearing up to depart for the night it was decided that Ruby and Granny would stay with Elsa and Anna. Emma’s friends had the room at their house, and as much as Emma and her family had to deal with, Elsa and Anna truly had just as much to come to terms with. That process would no doubt be helped by being close to Ruby. And despite the fact that he loved Ruby and Granny, Killian was glad for the solitude. He needed to be alone with Emma now, to make sure she was truly okay, and to help her get through this moment of substantial upheaval.

“Do you think it’s always going be like this?” Emma asked, when the front door was closed behind them, and they were back safely inside his cabin once again. She looked so beautiful across the room even though he could see that she was tired and uncertain. “Do you think there’s always going to be another big surprise coming down the pike? Or do you think we’ll ever be…”

“Normal?” Killian offered and Emma nodded as she exhaled a sigh, glad for his understanding. He closed the space between them and pulled Emma into his arms, feeling every bit a champion when she leaned into his embrace and held on just as tight as he did. “I doubt normal in the traditional sense will ever be a descriptor for us, love. But I also know that eventually this will all pass. We’ll find our version of normal, and it won’t always be like this. This was just one day. Tomorrow is another.”

“But even with tomorrow, there’s still more coming. Liam is heading here. Elsa and Anna have to essentially go to magic school with Ruby. My parents have to figure out where my grandmother fits in our lives. She’s closer to my age than she is to theirs, Killian, I mean that’s just crazy. How are we ever going to manage that? Then we still have to tell Neal everything because he’s off at camp completely clueless, but his souls are blended again. Because people can apparently have more than one and they can be meddled with. And meanwhile I…”

Emma tried to find the words to explain her feelings and thought it was difficult Killian patiently waited for her to complete her own thought, not wanting to speak for her when this sentiment was so important. It was undoubtedly the biggest reveal of the night, that Emma and her father and brother had wolf shifter lineage, but it was something Emma had to come to terms with even more than he did. Yes it had tremendous impact on Killian, and he found that he was amazed, awed, and excited at the prospect of Emma being like him, but he didn’t want to project those feelings to her. Whatever Emma felt, it was her right to feel as such, but he could only hope that she was going to be okay with all of this.

“I always knew something was off. You know what it was like for me, I told you about how things were a few years back, but I truly believed it was just nightmares. I thought it was all in my head, and then you came into my life and I found out about shifters and everything and I assumed this was another part of my bond to you. I was fated to be yours and this was just that link manifesting. I never imagined that I was a shifter, just a human with a shifter mate, but it’s so obvious now. Those dreams had you in them, yes, but they also had me. Or my wolf I guess. I knew it deep down, but I could never quite accept it. All this time there was another part of me just waiting to get out, and it might not be as restless as Neal’s was, thank God, but it was never truly settled either, not until you got here.”

Killian pressed a kiss to Emma’s temple as she hugged him tight and he was so glad that he had been a soothing balm for her. God knew that her presence had revived him. He had never been so happy, and never truly known peace, but now he had that with his mate. She lit up his world and gave him an anchor and a home at last. To know that he’d eased any of her burden or calmed the anxieties of her mind was enough for him. He just knew that whatever may come he’d do whatever it took to keep being such a force for good in her life.

“And we know those dreams she was having totally had to do with me. I mean am I projecting something? Is my lack of soul cohesion making me some sort of beacon? I don’t know because I don’t know how any of this works and the reality is no one does! We don’t have any answers and that terrifies me, because all I want to know is that we’re going to be okay and we’ll get past this.”

The fervor of her words made Emma’s breathing irregular. She seemed winded, not from exertion but from the intensity of unknown that lurked all around them. There were tears in her eyes, and that mistiness tore at his heart, but while Emma was worried, Killian was calm, at least in one regard. This was a storm for sure, but like any other storm in life this would eventually pass. He knew that deep in his bones, but he wanted her to know it too, and he thought of how to say that to her as he reached out to brush a wayward strand of hair from her face. His fingertips brushed lightly against her ear and then his hand cupped her cheek. She leaned into the touch, her eyes closing briefly, and then she looked back at him and Killian could see she already knew the truth he was going to speak. She only needed to be reminded.

“We will absolutely get past this, Emma,” Killian vowed. “And I swear to you that I will keep you and your loved ones safe no matter what. There’s upset in our world right now, but not with us. We are constant. We are solid. There’s no debate or doubt when it comes to us. You are mine as I am yours and we will be more than okay. I promise.”

“I want to believe that so badly,” Emma whispered, the sound of unshed tears spilling into her soft tone. “I do believe you. I just… I don’t want to deal with this tonight, you know?”

“Aye, love, I do. So I have a proposal,” he said and Emma’s brows immediately rose as her eyes grew big. He could see shock and a bit of panic at his poor choice of words and so he backtracked. “Not that kind of proposal. Not yet. I was going to say we can pick up where we left off earlier.”

“You mean back in my room? When we were pretending?” Emma asked, her cheeks flushing a beautiful shade of pink as she recalled how they’d been back at the house just hours before. It felt like ages ago, but also like mere moments. Instantly they were both at that same level of wanting, and now they hadn’t any need to wait. Thank God for that, because Killian didn’t think he could take it. After a day like this he needed his mate, needed reminding of how right the world could be when they brought things back to the foundations of the two of them together.

“None of it was fake or forged on my end, Emma. The story might not be entirely ours but everything that matters was real.”

“I know,” Emma agreed, holding him tighter and pulling him towards the bedroom. “And I want that again. Make me forget, just for tonight.”

“As you wish.”

And with that, Killian brought his mate back to their bed, intent on ending this trying day with the best kind of medicine either of them could acquire. They made love until exhaustion set in, losing count of all the peaks they climbed together, but his last thought as he slipped of to bed was surprisingly certain and assured: everything really was going to be okay, and somehow, someway they were going to get through this together.

……………………..

I’d rather be running.

Despite the thought that had been plaguing him all night as he sat in the passenger seat of this eighteen-wheeler truck, Liam knew that right now he had to ignore his animal instincts.

It wouldn’t be possible to do so for very long. Truth be told, Liam had maybe an hour or two tops before the gnawing in his mind that manifested as a wolf’s sharp whining sound would get too much to bear. When it did he’d have the driver stop and let him off and then he’d feel a weight lifting off his shoulders. He hated the confinement of the truck and the caged feeling of driving on the highway versus tracking in the woods. But he had to get to Killian sooner rather than later, and since he wasn’t shifting on this journey, he couldn’t very well run the whole way coast to coast.

As a compromise Liam was hitchhiking with forested stops in between. He could handle the road in five to six hour increments and then he had to stop. He found food, not for any enjoyment or satisfaction, but to keep his energy up. He needed to be as sharp as he could for what was coming, and he also needed to treat his animal delicately. Even if it made the trip that much longer he had to abide by it. Flying wasn’t an option. Short of tranquilizing himself with enough sedative for four horses there wasn’t a force that could keep his animal anywhere near calm on such a journey. And trains, though grounded and often surrounded by woods and hills weren’t really the same. It still felt too industrial and too man-made. Things of that nature irked his animal now, and since the bite had taken hold of him Liam had to let his wolf win nearly every fight. It was a struggle to stay concealed and in control, so he sacrificed ease and comfort in the hopes of a return down the road.

“You know I meant to say it earlier, but you don’t exactly look the hitchhiking type.”

The driver of the truck who had let him tag along had been good at not bothering him with questions the past few hours. He would have gotten off the truck if too much talking ensued, and right now he knew he had to shut this conversation down too. He had no interest in discussing how he’d gotten here or what kind of person lived this way. The truck driver had no idea of his life or his choices. He was trying to sketch his likeness but it couldn’t be done. All that would happen was Liam would be irritated and the man would be left wondering.

“That probably means you’re a runner. Only question is are you running from something or towards something?”

Liam tried to keep from snarling at the comment. He looked over to the man, and though he knew he sent a glare his way that would make any shifter cower, this human seemed unfazed. In fact, he broke out into a smile at Liam’s standoffishness.

“Towards something. Definitely towards,” the man mused aloud. “I get a lot of runners but not so many with a place in mind. Kind of refreshing actually.”

“Glad I can be of service,” Liam growled out and now the man laughed.

“Ah so he speaks at last. I was wondering if you’d forgotten how. Still can’t believe I picked you up when all you said was ‘Chengwatana.’ Usually I ask a few more questions, but despite the big scary thing you got going here I can tell you ain’t got ill intent.”

Liam was relieved when the man stopped talking. He was hoping he was out of the woods with that, so to speak, but unfortunately a few seconds later he started up again, causing Liam to tense noticeably.

“Now don’t go getting yourself all worked up. I ain’t asking any questions aside from one. We’re gonna hit the forest in an hour. It’s the middle of the night and you ain’t got shit with you. You equipped to handle this? Biggest state park in the state of Minnesota. There’s animals out there, and the elements ain’t always too friendly.”

“I’ll be fine,” Liam said, looking at the man and hoping to impart that to him. The concern he saw there was well-meant, and Liam knew this man had done him a great service. He had helped a stranger for nothing in return and was making sure he’d be okay hereafter. That was a kind thing to do, but it had been a long time since kindness came naturally to Liam.

“Well all right then. Why don’t we go back to silence then? Seems you like it best that way.”

And without any more conversation, their drive continued on as Liam watched outside the window at the country that was passing by him. A few more days of this and he’d be where he needed to be. He’d find Killian and he’d do what needed to be done.

(Part 1)

Wild Within

…

The eerie, pitch black road was intermittently illuminated by the moonlight, and snow covered the surrounding trees. Not another living soul was in sight. In hindsight, he should have paid closer attention to the road, but time was his enemy and all he could think of was that he was running late.     

Out of his peripheral vision, he saw something streak from the forest. This something, an animal of sorts, jumped in front of his beloved classic car and before Killian could even think about swerving out of the way, he made contact. Oh please don’t let it be dead. Hopefully, the animal was alive, but if it wasn’t he would give it some dignity. He would not allow a poor innocent animal to become roadkill.

He had been distracted by thoughts of his love. It was their anniversary, married for five years, and he was more in love than ever.

At the beginning of their relationship, they were looking for something casual. No commitment. They just wanted to enjoy each other, neither of them were looking for love, but somehow it had found them. The day he met Milah was at a mandatory office party that he had no inclination to attend. Killian was nursing some rum at the bar when she approached to order a drink, and they had exchanged some small talk along with some smiles, and now he was a happily married man.

He sighed and looked for a flashlight because the headlights were not providing enough illumination for his inspection. He found one and checked it, the bulb flickering a little before staying on. It wasn’t perfect but it would do, so he exited his car and approached the animal. It looked like a dog, only it was bigger. Much bigger.

He knelt in front of it and noticed the beast had its eyes closed and was breathing with shallow pants, but suddenly, its eyes opened and it snarled and snapped at him, catching him on the hand.

Disconcerted, Killian watched as the wolf - it’s a bloody wolf -   rose to its feet, bared its teeth and growled at him, and then ran with a limp into the forest. Apparently, the animal was not as hurt as he had first thought, but least he didn’t have to call animal control to pick it up.

Killian looked around for any other signs of life. He knew wolves traveled in packs, and he certainly didn’t want to be caught unawares if there were more nearby. He looked down at his hand to inspect the bite, but it didn’t look to be at all serious. It was not much more than a nibble, but he should probably go to the doctor regardless. He shrugged and stood up to inspect his car. The hood and grill didn’t show any signs of damage, but it was dark, so he’d have to inspect it in the daylight. He got in and continued until he reached his intended destination.

Killian knocked on the door of the hotel room. “Killian, it’s about time!” Milah pulled him inside the room wearing a sheer nightgown and promptly pushed him against the door as she kissed him.  She desperately pushed his coat off his shoulders and let it drop to the floor. She was touching him all over in a frenzy and was about to tear the shirt open for better access when he stopped her.

“Milah! Sorry I’m late, love. I had a little accident,” he stammered as he glanced at his bitten hand with smudges of dried blood.

“What? Killian, I’m so sorry and I was just attacking you! Are you alright?” She looked at him incredulously and stepped back, distancing herself from him both physically and emotionally.

He took a breath and continued, “I’m fine and I don’t mind being attacked by the woman I love. Sweetheart, we need to talk-”

“But I don’t want to talk… Don’t you want me?” The look in her eyes turned sultry, “It is our anniversary after all…” she purred as she sauntered toward him.

He raised his hand to stop her and walked toward his discarded coat with his jaw clenched. “I have something for you.” It never failed. Every time he just wanted to talk to her she wasn’t interested. She had been so distant lately. She only wanted to fuck. Fuck, not make love. He tried to banish the thoughts from his mind as he turned back to her with a small box in his hand. She was pouting on the other side of the room. He stared at her as he held out the anniversary gift he’d purchased to commemorate their love.  

“Milah love,” he slowly approached her with the gift and handed it to her. “I love you, sweetheart.”

“Thank you. I love them.” She opened the box and looked at the diamond earrings with a lack of excitement that she tried to hide. She walked toward her bag and grabbed a box. She made her way back to him “Here is your gift and Happy Anniversary.” She grabbed a drink and sat down.

“Thank you. It’s lovely.” He looked at the expensive watch. “Milah, I –“

Annoyed at his insistence, she interrupted him once again, “Killian, I’m very tired and I think I’m going to turn in. Goodnight.”

 He stood there in the middle of the room as she locked herself in the bathroom. Hurt and frustrated, he grabbed his coat and stormed out into the cold night,  anniversary gifts forgotten. He had struggled to make the day special somehow. Unable to get out of a work commitment to truly spoil his wife as he had wished but life interfered.

Somehow, amid the firestorm in his head, Killian had made it home and fallen asleep in their marital bed. After a night of mostly tossing and turning, he got up and got ready for work.

As he was about to leave, he decided he should probably change the bandage on his hand. Once he had removed it, he was amazed to find no evidence of the bite. Shrugging his shoulders, he hurried to the office.

Excelsior Publishing House. The sign on the tall building never ceased to thrill him. Killian loved his job. He loved everything about it. He had loved to read from the time he was a little boy and he couldn’t help but think that perhaps that was what made him a good editor-in-chief. His mentor at the publishing house had taken him under his wing and truly shown him the ropes. Killian’s charm and good looks were usually quite effective in signing new authors. But when they didn’t work, his obvious knowledge of the industry closed the deal. These things ensured that the best client list belonged to him. His authors remained at the top of the Bestsellers List for weeks at a time. He had it all. He had a job he loved, and a wife he adored. Everything he had ever wanted. Even with the storm clouds on the horizon.

The publishing house was being absorbed by Spencer Group; the parent company of Nolan & Blanchard, a communications company. The takeover had been in talks for some time now. The tension at Excelsior over potential job losses was palpable. Killian himself wasn’t quite as anxious as perhaps he should be. He felt his value to the house would ensure his continued employment, but if things went south, he knew his best friend Robert Gold would follow him and if it was the other way around, Killian would do the same. They had been friends for years, and it was through Robert that he had met and fallen in love with Milah. Robert had been set up on a blind date with the beautiful Milah Balefrie, but they just didn’t click. He introduced Milah and Killian and Killian was instantly besotted. He had hesitated in pursuing her because of his friendship with Robert, but his friend had encouraged him. He would be forever grateful to his friend for introducing him to his love.   

Reaching his office, he was surprised to find his assistant, William Smee, waiting for him.

“Oh, Smee, good, you’re here. I need you to schedule a doctor’s appointment for me. The earlier the better.”

“Of course sir.” Smee stumbled out of the door and collided with Ella De Vil. “I’m sorry Miss De Vil. I will announce you in one second.”

“Darling, there is no need to announce me. Killian is one of my special friends.” She pushed Smee to the side and without knocking, stormed into Killian’s office. Killian looked up, startled as she entered.

“Hello, darling.” Ella approached Killian and kissed his cheek.

“Ella, I’m sorry love, did we have an appointment?”

“No, I just heard about the merger.” She paced in front of his desk. “What are you going to do  Killian?” she asked, turning to face him.

“I plan on staying put after the takeover,” he replied.

“What are you saying? Are you saying there’s a chance of them letting you go? You are Editor-in-Chief! Your name and reputation alone should be enough to keep you on.”

“Thank you, love, but that is not up to you. But the good news is that my best friend is the head of marketing and he is willing to leave with me if I leave. Word is they are not willing to lose him.” Killian shrugged.

“Well how about we add to the mix? I will leave too.” The twinkle in her eye suggested she was enjoying this a little too much. Killian smiled, “I will let Bobby know and thank you for your support.”

She waved his thanks aside, with a laugh, “Oh, darling, you know I love you. I’ll follow you anywhere. If only Milah had not won your heart, I would be the one enjoying that stubble.”

Killian turned beet red to the tips of his elf ears. “Of course love,” he replied, looking down at his desk.

“Are you going for a new look? Your hair and the beard too look... different.” She approached his side of the desk, undeterred when he didn’t meet her eyes.

“Pardon?” Killian looked up, surprised to see her standing right next to him.

“Your hair looks thicker and the beard too.” She reached to touch his jawline and he quickly dodged her. He loved Ella De Vil but sometimes she was too handsy.

“I’m afraid I didn’t have enough time to trim it today. Would you excuse me one tic?” Rushing around her toward the door, Killian made his escape.

“Of course.” She sat down.

He reached Smee’s desk, just as he was hanging up the phone.

“Sir, the doctor said he could squeeze you in today as long as you arrive before noon.”

“Are you ill darling?” Ella asked concerned. Both men looked up, startled to see that Ella had followed Killian out of the office.

“No,” Killian waved aside her concern, “a wolf bit me and I need to get a rabies shot.”

“Oh well, then you should make haste and go get that shot. Killian, please keep me informed about your status here. I refuse to work with anyone else.” The seriousness on her face spoke volumes to Killian.

He nodded, “Thank you for your support, Ella.’’

Killian then glanced into Smee’s direction. “I better go see the good doctor then. Smee will you be attending the party at Spencer’s?”

“I will sir and you?”

“We will be there. I better go. See you there,” Killian replied as he strode out of the office.

“See you tonight, sir.”

At the doctor’s office, no one believed he was bitten by a wolf. All he can do is listen to the doctor’s anecdotes about rabies shots and his sister-in-law getting bit in the arse by a raccoon.

Later that evening, Killian was dressed all in black and waiting for his lovely wife. Tick tock, he thought, glancing at his watch. Finally, she emerged dressed in a dark grey fitted dress. It hugged her in all the right places and Killian couldn’t help when his thoughts took a lascivious turn. “You look stunning, love,” he whispered in her ear as he helped her with her coat.

“Thank you,” she murmured. She was obviously not excited to be going to the party, but as he opened the door for her, he promised he’ll make it up to her later if she’ll let him.

Emma Nolan stood in front of the full-length mirror in her dressing room not really seeing the beautiful face before her. Her tasteful and elegant gown accentuated her lithe body but she was totally oblivious. She was lost in thoughts of the last six months. The last six months that had changed her life forever. The Spencer Estate, no her home, should be called Nolan. After all, George Spencer was the step-father of David Nolan. This was their home. Not his. David had been raised here. George was the interloper. He had married Ruth Nolan when David and James were in their late teens. James had taken to the man but David had always been more cautious.

Ten years later both Ruth and James perished in an accident. Foul play was ruled out, but after recent events, Emma had gone back to look at the accident that killed her grandmother and uncle that she barely remembered. Emma’s instincts were rarely off, and something about the accident didn’t sit right with her. As the older twin and already working in the family communication business, David inherited his mother’s position of CEO instead of George. Instead of the loss unifying the house, it tore it apart. And then there were two. David and socialite Snow Blanchard had married by this time and their only child, Emma, was a toddler. When she was old enough, David started bringing her in to get her familiar with the business so she could one day take over. Now she was a woman. A woman thoroughly trained into the business. A woman who could handle the day to day operations. She worked by her father’s side and was ready to step in when he was ready to retire. Tragically, six months ago, instead of some planned family time together at the Storybrooke estate, David and Snow were in a car accident. Their car, which was in excellent working condition, or more specifically its brakes, had suddenly failed. It was his decision to not resuscitate. It was his fault her parents were dead. She hated him. They had fallen in a coma together as they did everything else. Their injuries had not been considered serious at first and then the doctor said they had no brain activity. Once they had been declared brain dead, George Spencer pounced and took over. She had requested a second opinion. He had claimed that she was too distraught to properly handle the situation or to manage the company and managed to force her out. And now, thanks to him, she was alone. She and George were the last remaining members of the family. The worst thing was that he kept trying to sell the loving family angle.

She kept her distance and avoided interacting with the man as much as she could but the merger with Excelsior had been one of her father’s projects so she wanted to see it through for him. She shook her head and brought herself back to the present and the party downstairs that she REALLY didn’t want to go to. But, she was expected and she didn’t need to give her grandfather another reason to push her further out from her father’s company. With a sigh, she picked up her wrap and headed for the door.

The party had been dull, to say the least. Killian couldn’t wait to get out of there. It felt like creepy crawlies were under his skin and he couldn’t figure out why. He felt like it was a time bomb that was surely going to explode in his face soon.

The dinner had been delicious as he met the surprised gaze of his wife at his new found craving for extremely rare meat, all but dripping with blood. He was enjoying the conversation between Robert and Milah, only occasionally sharing his thoughts when he was summoned.

A liveried butler approached the table. “Mr. Jones could you please follow me, sir. Mr. Spencer would like to have a word with you on the terrace.”

“Of course,” Killian replied as he smiled and rose from his seat. “Please excuse me,” he said to his dining companions. He then promptly followed the butler.

As he stepped out onto the terrace he was greeted by a tall, thin, balding man. “Mr. Jones, it is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Likewise Mr. Spencer,” he replied holding out his hand, “I understand you wanted to have a word.”

George Spencer looked down at Killian’s proffered hand with only thinly veiled disdain. “Ah yes, right to the point. Let’s take a walk.” The man turned toward the stairs that would take them to the manicured estate grounds. Killian followed with a furrowed brow. After some minutes walking away from the house, the music and laughter from inside a distant echo, George stopped. “I want you to consider Europe. Eastern Europe to be precise.” He finally turned to look at Killian’s troubled visage.

“Sir, I don’t follow.” Confusion laced his words.

With a sigh of impatience, George continued, “I want you to think of it as your area. A brand new market opening up and I think you are a perfect match.” Now, Killian was no fool, but he just couldn’t summon the same enthusiasm that was so apparent in the man’s words.

“I see.” Killian nodded. “Then it is safe to assume that I will no longer be editor-in-chief at Excelsior after the takeover?” He could hear the resignation and defeat in his voice, whilst something inside him was screaming at him to not just lay down and let this man walk all over him. But he felt helpless to comply with that sentiment.

“I hope you understand that this is business and not personal.” George placed a placating hand on Killian’s shoulder. “You are clearly a man of taste and individuality, which I prize.” The false sympathy in his voice turned Killian’s stomach.

He shook the man’s hand from his shoulder. That at least got the screaming in his head to turn the volume down just a notch. “You just don’t prize said qualities enough to let me keep my job. I wonder what traits my successor possesses?” he pondered aloud.

With a shrug of his shoulders and nonchalant demeanor, George answered, “Drive and ambition. He nagged me until I gave him your job.”

“I see,” Killian repeated. He smiled tightly and couldn’t help himself as he clenched his jaw in an attempt to drown out the continued ranting in his head and to stop himself from divulging his true feelings.

They continued their walk in silence. Reaching into his jacket pocket Killian retrieved and turned on a cigarette. He knew it was a horrible vice but right now he needed it. Anything to keep his mouth and hands occupied.

Up ahead, Killian noticed a small crowd gathering. He then spotted the beautiful beast.     

“This is my prized possession,” George spoke reverently as he approached the magnificent creature. A huge black stallion, fully 16 hands high at the shoulder, stood in front of them along with a couple more horses. “He is the sire. I’m sorry but please put the cigarette out. Horses don’t like them.” Killian stood, awestruck at the breathtaking animal. The horse snickered as his master approached, but when the horse met Killian’s eyes, all hell broke loose! The horses reared, hooves kicking the air in front of them, screaming, ears flattening against their heads, eyes wide in panic before landing on solid earth again, turning and galloping away.

Killian was aware of screams. All he could hear were screams. They seemed to echo in his head. He thought it was the other people in the crowd. Then he thought it must be the horse’s screams. They must have somehow taken up residence between his ears. Finally, he realized the screams were his own. Both in his head and pouring from his mouth. As he tried to drown out the sounds of his fear and anguish, Killian ran. He ran toward the trees that were a good 300 yds away. Within what seemed like only seconds, he was beyond the tree line. He spotted a bench and sat. The screaming was finally beginning to quiet down. His heart was pounding so fast he thought it would explode given half the chance.

“I have a feeling this will help. Drink up.” A feminine voice from his left got his attention as she handed him an amber liquid.

Kilian looked up at the source and was transfixed by what he saw before him. A beautiful blonde woman in her early twenties. She wore a red leather jacket and skinny jeans. She had green eyes that instantly calmed him and silenced the screaming for good.

“I can't thank you enough for your kindness lass,” he replied as he swallowed the rum down, “but now you are without a drink.”

“No worries. Follow me.” She turned away, her long curls bouncing against her back. Killian couldn’t help himself. He got up and followed her. Something inside told him this would not be the last time he followed her. He thought he recognized her from dinner earlier, but couldn’t be sure, as her appearance, if she was the same person, was quite different. They entered a cottage not far from the bench where she found him. She preceded him inside. “Would you like another drink?” she asked, turning to him with a small smile on her face. Killian was captivated. He was certain he’d never beheld anything so beautiful in his entire life.

“I don’t think I should lass. I don’t want to drink all your liquor.” He smiled shyly yet genuinely at his gracious host.

“What are you, the last gentleman alive?” She asked skeptically with a raised eyebrow.

“I’ll have you know, I’m always a gentleman.” Killian tried to look affronted. He didn’t think he pulled it off very well.

“I sincerely doubt that. You look like you could have a bit of a scoundrel in you.” She turned toward the kitchen.“How about you tell me what that anxiety attack was caused by?” she tossed over her shoulder.

Killian followed her into the kitchen as she prepared herself a drink, “Well, it turns out I’m about to enjoy Europe.” His shrug and self-deprecating chuckle belied the anxiety he could feel trying to claw its way back to the surface of his mind.

“Wow and you sound so happy about it,” she said as she turned to him and took a sip of her drink.

“I’m not,” he replied as he joined her leaning against the counter, “but it is either Europe or unemployment. I’m too old for unemployment so I will opt for the job that no one could possibly want.”

“Oh, I see. So my grandfather is the reason for your bad luck, but you make it sound like you are an old man. What are you like 200?” she asked with a chuckle and another sip of her drink. “Are you sure you don’t want another drink? It’s bad form to let a lady drink alone.”

Killian laughed “I’m sure. If that was the case I have somehow managed to maintain my dashing good looks.”

“But you failed to maintain your youthful looks?” She tentatively ran her fingers lightly over the gray hairs frosting his temples.

“Lass some things get better with age.” He smirked as he waggled his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes at his ridiculousness. “I’m sorry,” Killian stated with furrowed brows, “you said he is your grandfather? George Spencer?” he questioned. She pushed away from the counter and led the way back into the living area.

“Step-grandfather is more accurate. He was my father’s stepfather. I’m Emma Nolan and you are?” She settled herself onto the leather sofa. Killian sat next to her.

“Killian Jones, former editor-in-chief of Excelsior Publishing.” This time when he put his hand out, she laid hers on it without hesitation.“Nice to meet you, Emma Nolan.” Killian raised her hand laid on his and brushed his lips across her knuckles. He didn’t let go.

“Likewise, Killian Jones,” she whispered. Her breath stuttered. She was looking at the man in front of her, dumbfounded. No one had ever kissed her hand before. He was older than her that was obvious. Sure he had some gray hairs but he was right they enhanced his looks. The beard was nicely maintained if a little thick, but what truly enchanted her were his eyes. Blue like the sea. A sea that called to her. A sea that had hidden depths that swirled with something she dared not think about, much less name. A sea she could see herself drowning in.

“Thank you for helping me in my time of need but I should get back to my wife.” Emma felt like she had just careened back to earth at about 100 mph. She visibly deflated as she removed her hand from his and looked up at him with eyes that continued to hold the anxiety about his future at bay.

“Of course and it was nice meeting you.” He stood on the sofa and held out his hand to help her to her feet.

“Likewise I’m sure.” Taking his hand, she allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. He bowed over her hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles a second time.

“Until we meet again, Emma.” Killian straightened and walked toward the door. “Do you know the direction of the main house?” When he got to the door, he realized he had no idea where he was.

“Oh sure,” she answered, “about 30 yds straight ahead you’ll come to the edge of the trees. You’ll be able to see the house from there.” Emma stayed behind in her little cottage retreat. She was not about to go back into the big house to go spend time with the awful man. She’d had enough of that from earlier, thank you very much. Thank god they didn’t share any DNA.

Killian finally reached the stairs leading on to the terrace that featured at the beginning of this harrowing experience. Climbing them, he shook his head at how his evening had gone. Trying to banish the thoughts of emerald green eyes from his head, he looked around for his wife. He finally found her inside the parlor of the house looking quite alone and perturbed. “Milah,” he said, approaching her, “we can go now if you want.” He reached for her hand to help her up from the settee on which she sat.

She looked up at him with trepidation on her face. “First tell me how it went.”

Killian sighed and brushed his hand through his thick hair. “Where is Robert? I think he would want to hear this,” he stated as he looked around for his friend.

“Why?” Milah sounded confused. “I think he left. He had kept me company for a while but you were gone for over an hour and he just decided to leave. What is the big news?” she asked him.

“He is the new editor-in-chief!” Killian tried for enthusiasm and failed miserably. He looked around for anyone who might be privy to this conversation but found no one. His shoulders drooped dejectedly. “Spencer wants to transfer me to Eastern Europe once the merger goes through. He said to think of it as my area. An emerging market that I am perfect for.” The sarcasm dripped from his lips as they twisted into a sneer.

“Spencer told you that Robert was getting your job? What did he say exactly?” Killian didn’t notice Milah’s eyes light up when she mentioned Robert.

“Well,” he sighed, “he didn’t say that exactly, but it also wasn’t hard to arrive at the conclusion. He would be the logical choice. And I am a perceptive man.” Killian shrugged. As the weight of his best friend’s betrayal settled on him, the voice in his head that had been silent since he looked into Emma’s green eyes started to crank up again. How could he do this to me? He was supposed to have my back! Just like I would have his if the positions were reversed. Killian shook his head, trying to rid himself of his traitorous thoughts. You’re not the traitor, he is. The voice sneered. “Come on Milah, we’re going home.”

“That bastard never said he was offered your job,” Milah complained. She could feel Killian place a calming hand on the small of her back as he steered them towards the door.

“Why would he tell you?” Killian snapped, “He didn’t say anything to me either. And I’m supposed to be his best friend!” He could hear the voice; he could feel his blood pressure rising again at the thought of Robert getting his job, behind his back no less!

Milah ignored the question. “The least he could have done was warn you,” she mumbled under her breath. She pasted a fake smile on her face as they were intercepted on their way to the door by none other than George Spencer, himself.

“Sir, I’m so sorry about the horses earlier,” Killian apologized. “Are they all right? Were they found?” He asked, his voice laced with concern.

“Oh, of course,” the man said, waving aside his concern, “Once you took off, they were quite easily brought under control. Where did you go, by the way? I sent some of the house staff to try and find you.” The apparent lie rolled off his tongue with disconcerting ease.

“Apparently, I have a phobia of screaming horses,” Killian said with a self-deprecating chuckle, “I ran toward the tree line and was able to collect myself at a stone bench I found there.” He turned toward his wife with a sheepish expression. “Anyway, we must be going. Thank you for a... enlightening evening.” He smiled tightly at his host and ushered his wife toward the door.

“Of course. Thank you so much for coming. Please consider what we talked about. I’d like an answer before the week is out.” The man’s smug demeanor made Killian’s skin crawl. Yeah, I’ll give you my answer all right. The thought rolled around in his head before he could stop it. Tightening his hand around his wife’s waist, he turned toward the door once again.

“Yes, sir,” he tossed over his shoulder without looking back. “You’ll have your answer before the weekend is over.” He stalked out the door, all but slamming it behind him.

Milah groaned as she sought out the blaring alarm, arm waving in the air as she tried to turn it off but only succeeded in knocking her phone to the floor. Turning to Killian she tried to rouse him so he would get up and turn off the alarm, but he was just dead tired, continuing to snore softly, dead to the world.

“Killian,” she said, patting him lightly on his bare chest, “it’s 7:30.” snore “It’s time to wake up.” When his snores continued, she sat up shaking his shoulder. “Killian, wake up!”

Killian gave a start, snorting, as his body jerked awake, his eyes blinking away the disorientation that took several moments to dissipate “Huh? Wha-?” He turned toward his wife, “I think I’ve earned a little break. Give me till 8?”

“Are you kidding? No! You can’t have until 8,” she screeched, “It’s Monday morning! You have to go to work! You are going to be late and you are never late.”

“What? What are you talking about? It’s Saturday!” As he looked at the disbelieving expression on Milah’s face, comprehension dawned. “Isn’t it?” He questioned. Milah continued to stare at him, dumbfounded.

“No, Killian,” she sighed, “It’s Monday morning. It’s now 7:37 am. You’ve been asleep since you went to bed Friday night.” Milah rolled over and got out of bed. Killian groggily looked on as she walked away and went back to sleep.

The following morning, Killian woke to find Milah in her robe standing at the end of the bed. “Are you going to work today?” she asked, arms crossed over her chest.

“Yes love, I feel like a new man.” He tried to gather her in his arms, but she turned away with contempt. Killian’s brow furrowed as she turned to face him.

“What is wrong with you? You sleep for 80 hrs, and expect me to just forget that? You expect me to excuse it? Are you kidding me? You can’t just abandon me like that for 3 days and expect me to respond to you when you’re ready for sex. When you want to tell me what’s going on, come find me. Until then, just stay away.” Killian watched gobsmacked as she headed out the bedroom door. Feeling defeated but finally rested for the first time in who knows how long, he turns toward the bathroom to get ready for work. Standing in the shower he noticed that he had hair growing in places it had never sprouted from. It is not like he was hairless but he certainly didn’t have hair to this extent. He tried to trim what he could and on top of everything his beard was thicker than normal as well. He shook his head. I’ve become the president of the hair club for men overnight. Finally ready, Killian left for work.

As he walked into the dreaded building, he could hear everyone’s conversations. His ears perked up but he shook his head trying to ignore it and continued to his office. Once there, he was met by his assistant Smee, who seemed to be upset with something.

“Good morning Smee,” Killian greeted the man. Noticing his frown, he inquired, “Is everything all right?”

Smee startled as he looked up at his boss. “Oh, yes sir. I mean, no sir. Good morning sir. I’m so sorry sir, I heard the news,” the man stammered, his face as red as the beanie Killian knew he kept in his desk.

“Wait,” Killian looked around, “was Robert in here?” He asked. The voice that had been silent for days as he slept, started to make itself known again. If that bastard shows his face in my office...

Smee was taken aback at the look in his boss’s eye. It was murderous. “He was sir, but that was earlier. He is the one that gave me the news. How did you know?” He asked, confusion coloring his voice. He followed Killian as he entered his office and sat down.

“It matters not.” He looked down and started editing the manuscript he had pending on his desk as Smee stood awkwardly wringing his hands. He looked back up at his assistant with a perturbed look on his face. “Was there something else, Smee?”

“No, sir. Sorry, sir… I just...”

“What is it now Smee?” Killian sighed, put down his pen, and sat back in his chair.

“Did you finally get contacts?” he blurted out.

“Contacts?” Killian noticed he was not wearing his reading glasses. “Uh, no. I d-didn’t… get contacts…” he trailed off.

“Sir, are you sure you are alright?”

Killian sighed. “I am. You may go now.” He watched as the chubby man left his office. He looked down at all the work he had accomplished in just a few minutes. Normally that amount of work would have taken the entire day, but it was amazing how fast he was going through it and without his glasses too. The area where the bite should be caught his eye he had forgotten all about it. He still could not believe that it had healed completely. Not even a scratch left behind.

He got up and went to the hall and bumped into one of his coworkers.

“Oy sorry mate. Didn’t see you there.”

“It is alright. Scarlett, isn’t it a bit early for rum?”

The other man turned red. “For your information, it is coffee with a dash of rum but how did you know?”

“I could smell it a mile away.” Scarlett walked away obviously upset at Killian’s words.

Killian stood there and finally truly listened. He heard small conversations amongst his coworkers. Some work related and others not so much. The distance between him and them didn’t matter. Their talks were crystal clear.

He returned to his office. “Smee get me Will Scarlett on the phone.”

“Yes, sir.”

Killian was in his office waiting for Smee to get Scarlett on the bloody phone for him. Sure Scarlett enjoyed his liquor a little too much but he was amazing at his job.

“Sir I have Mr. Scarlett on line one for you.” Smee had quickly followed his order.

“Hello Will, could you find me a respectable author that specializes in animal possession.”

“Sorry mate do you mean manuals on how to own a pet or animals?”

“Of course not Scarlett, animal possession or the possession of the spirit by an animal.”

“Okay, I have something for you. Anita Lucas.”

“Is she the top one?”

“Yes, she is the most respectable. She wrote The Beast Inside.”

“Good give Smee the information. And Scarlett I'd advise you to not tell people that you had a drop of rum with your coffee because we both know you didn’t have any coffee.” With that Killian hung up.

Will Scarlett looked around his office trying to find a bug or any sort of listening device. How had Jones known about his conversation and that he, in fact, had had some rum minus the coffee?

Finally, the day had come to an end. He went home and still no sign of his friend.

Killian arrived home and found a note from Milah saying she had a last minute business trip.

Leftovers for him it was then. He noticed he had an unheard voicemail on his phone and played it. “Hey, I have an emergency at work. So I have to go out of town for a few days. There are some leftovers in the fridge. See you soon.”

He ate his dinner and promptly put away some clothes that were lying around. He loved Milah but she could be such a slob. Then a scent caught his attention. It was all over her clothes and it was not her scent but another he knew all too well.

He was angry, to say the least. Soon he was out the door and headed out into the darkness of the night. He ran all the way to his friend’s home and didn’t even break a sweat.

He arrived at the large apartment complex and eagerly rang the doorbell assigned to his friend’s living quarters. “Who is it?” Said the voice on the intercom.

“It’s Killian.”

“I’m coming down. I’ll be there in a second.” Interesting his friend didn’t simply buzz him in. Killian pondered the possible reasons for the lack of hospitality. Deep inside he knew why.

A few minutes passed by and then in front of him there stood his best friend. At least that is who he thought it was but he needed to make sure first.

“Killian, what are you doing here at this hour?” Robert held his hand blocking Killian’s way. “Killian is there a problem?” still blocking his way. Then on instinct alone Killian snarled and bit him as he pushed him out of his way. He rushed up the stairs and took five steps at a time in what looked like an animalistic way,n all fours using his legs for more power, and soon he arrived at the apartment door. The door opened and there stood his wife in nothing but his friend’s opened shirt.

“Killian, what are you doing here?” he didn’t respond to her only glaring at her and suddenly turned and left.

“Milah, I’m sorry I tried to stop him.”

“Robert, I better get dressed and go home.”

“No wait, I need to know when are you going to leave Killian?”

“Robert I told you it’s complicated. I can’t just leave him.”

“Milah when we started this you said you were going to leave him and now it has been a year. I’m tired of this going back and forth.”

Milah walked away and headed to the bedroom to get dressed. She quickly dressed and rushed home only to find it empty.

Every trace of Killian was gone except for his wedding band and the watch she had purchased for their anniversary with the inscription: RG Our Time Is Now. She had given him the wrong box.

The next day Killian entered his office as usual.

“Good morning Mr. Smee please update my personal information. I’m staying at The Cygnus.”

“Yes, sir for how long?”

“Permanently.”

“Is there anything else you need sir?”

“Actually there is.” He smiled wickedly at his assistant, “call legal and find out if the deal with Spencer has been finalized. Then get me the entire list of author’s I have worked with over the years and the ones that worked with Arthur before he left. Then call Spencer and make me an appointment with him.”

“Gladly sir, why now sir?”

“The answer is simple Mr. Smee. A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets. Recently I was made aware I had fallen victim to conformity and I trusted the wrong people. I will not be making the same mistake again.”

“Yes, sir. I’m on it.”

A few minutes later Smee informed Killian about his progress.

“Sir Mr. Spencer will see you at the Estate at noon. Here is the list of Mr. King’s authors and this one is yours.”

“Fast work Mr. Smee I’m impressed. Now take Arthur’s list and call the author’s and ask them if they would be interested in partnering with us in a publishing house of our own because once Spencer takes over he only wants to push and promote what sells and to bury the rest. Tell them we’ve got investors lined up for the startup. Oh, and Mr. Smee call Ella De Vil first.”

“Is any of this true?”

“Not yet. I’m off then.” He winked at his assistant.

Smee was in awe of his boss’ sudden alpha displays. He wasn’t a pushover but after Mr. King retired he had noticed his boss fall into a sort of submission.

In the last days, he had a twinkle in his eye as if he were commandeering a massive vessel. Captaining his own ship and by the craftiness of the requests, it indicated it was a pirate ship.

…

Killian arrived at the gate of the Spencer Estate. The security guard announced him and soon he was at the front door of the immense mansion and knocked.

Not long after he arrived he was guided to the owner’s office.

“Mr. Spencer, good afternoon. I just wanted to inform you that I will be passing on Eastern Europe.”

“I figured you would.” George Spencer scrutinized the younger man. “I believe there is more to your visit. You are not here just to decline the job offer.”

“Nice seeing you again sir.” And he walked out much to Spencer’s surprise.

Killian was roaming the grounds subconsciously. Someone caught his attention, a fragrance, one to be specific. There she was, his savior riding a horse at a slow pace.

The horse spotted him long before she did and started to get upset. He was jerking back and forth in an attempt to get away from him.

“Whoa sweet buttercup, calm down shh shh everything is alright.” She tried to calm the horse with her soothing voice. The horse made a sudden move spooked by Killian’s presence and Emma fell down.

Killian rushed to her aid. “Are you alright lass?”

“Are you crazy!?” Emma asked in disbelief as she pushed his hand away. “Isn’t it obvious animals are afraid of you? You couldn’t have forgotten about the other day so soon.”

“I didn’t think it was me they were frightened of,” Killian answered chastised.

“Really? How did you miss it before?” she rolled her eyes “Animals are in fact disturbed by your presence and now I have a bruised butt as proof.”

“I’m sorry I just wanted to say hello but since it is my fault your arse is bruised I wouldn’t object to rubbing ointment on it to make it feel better.” He raised an eyebrow suggestively.

“That is what you are going with? What happened to your wife? I’m sure she would love to know her husband is being inappropriate with some other woman.”

“I’m sorry for my inappropriate behavior and for spooking your horse and subsequently making you fall on your bum. I honestly just wanted to say hello and my behavior was crude and I honestly don’t know where it came from. As for my wife that is a different kind of problem.”  He hung his head in shame it is true he was behaving unlike himself and he had no excuse.

Emma noticed he was being honest. “It’s alright. Were you visiting George?”

“I just wanted to inform him I wouldn’t be accepting the Eastern Europe offer.”

“Did you get a better offer?”

“Not yet but I will.”

She looked at him closely and noticed a slight change in him. She couldn’t put her finger on it but something was different. Interesting she thought and then she was unable to stop herself from wanting to get to know him better. “How about a lunch offer?”

“I’m sorry I shouldn’t impose.”

“Come on you are not imposing and besides you owe me for the bruised bum.”

He smiled and nodded. “Lead the way lass.”

They arrived at Emma’s cottage. Killian vaguely remembered it from the other night. He heard her slamming cabinets and making a ruckus.

“Hey about lunch I’m going to have to ask for a rain check? I only have some pop tarts and a carton of milk.”

“I love pop tarts.” He responded quickly. In reality, he hated the sweet pastries but something deep within him was telling him to stay. To get to know her, to bond with her.

“Listen I just want to make one thing clear, nothing like that will be happening between us. I know you are trying to bond with me but I’m not interested. I know we’ve exchanged words and I try to be a better host than dear old grandpa but that is not an invitation to my bed.” She knew she invited him to lunch and for a moment she felt a pull to him that for a brief second she didn’t want to fight but now she was resisting it.

He approached her slowly. “All I expect is some small measure of civility from my hostess. Nothing inappropriate in that is there?”

They sat in her little kitchen table enjoying the pastries and milk.

Killian maintained eye contact with her and added “so tell me about you. What do you do?”

She quickly went on the defense. “What does it matter to you what I do?”

“Lass I was just making small talk but you are not used to men being truly interested in you. Are you? They either gravitate to you because of your family’s wealth or because of your beauty but never for you.”

Emma laughed at his analysis. “Oh so now you are going to psychoanalyze me? I didn’t know you were a psychiatrist.”

“You are an open book to me. I understand you. Yes, you’re beautiful and due to some experiences, you think men are only interested in you because of your looks or for the money. The problem with that is that you want them to be interested in you because you're you and not because of the way you look or because you are wealthy so you create walls around your heart to protect yourself from heartache. The problem with that is that because you close yourself off and you become rude, hostile, sullen and withdrawn. You are your own problem because those walls you create to protect your heart also keep love out. The gist is that you want someone to look past all those flaws and see the real person underneath. But the only reason that anyone would bother to look past all that is because you're beautiful. Bit ironic, isn't it?”

“Wow, that keen insight into my character isn’t a turn on. I’m not suddenly challenged by you and falling at your feet.”

“I never expected you to.” He answered honestly as he toyed with the pop tart he was currently munching on.

Emma smiled at him and finished hers. She finished drinking her milk as she studied him as he gulped down his milk and his mustache turned white.

“So what are you going to do? When we first met you didn’t sound keen on the idea of being unemployed.” She tilted her head as she waited for an answer.

He grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth erasing the milk mustache. He leaned back and stared at her. “That is a story for another time.”

“A story for another time? I don’t remember inviting you over for another meal.”

He smiled and started to get on his feet. He suddenly stumbled down and failed to gain his balance and with him, he took her family portrait.

She rushed to her feet to help him but he was knocked out. She kneeled next to him and slowly raised his head to see if he had any cuts. Once she was sure there was no damage she got up and rushed to get him a water bottle. Biting her lower lip she looked at his features. Her hand subconsciously traced his jaw and the little scar on his cheek.

He was beautiful and she knew he was right about his deductions about her. She slowly unbuttoned his shirt to make his breathing easier, revealing some chest hair.

Killian started stirring and then he opened his bright blue eyes. They stared at each other. Emma asked “hey how are you feeling? You gave me quite the scare.”

“I’m okay” he slowly sat up as she held out her hand to stabilize him. She grabbed the water bottle and handed it to him. “Drink this slowly.”

He grabbed the bottle and took a few sips. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Mr. Jones I’m starting to think I enjoy nursing you back to health.” She was smiling fondly at him.

“I believe you do enjoy it, lass. You do it so well. If I could inconvenience you once more and help me get on my feet?” He tilted his head as he reached out to her.

“Okay, up we go. Slowly take your time and if you need to lean on me.”

He did as he was told and soon they were both on their feet. “Hey, do you think some fresh air might help?” She asked.

“I would rather not risk losing consciousness outside.”

“Alright, I have a spare bedroom how about you get off your feet.” She grabbed his arm and put it around her shoulders and guided him to the room.

She helped him get into bed and as she started tucking him in he started speaking. “Would you believe that earlier this week I was bitten by a wolf and the weird thing is that I haven’t felt as full of life as I do now?”

“A wolf bit you? But they are not common in this area are you sure it was a wolf and not a big dog or something?”

“It was a wolf I don’t understand why no one believes me. I know the difference between a dog and a wolf. I was the one staring at it.”

“Okay calm down I believe you. I’m curious if this was the runt of the litter? I only ask because earlier you passed out and when we first met you were having an anxiety attack. This time it does seem different.”

He attempted to give her a toothy grin as he considered his answer. “I have no explanation for that. All I know is that I feel like somehow that wolf passed something to me with the bite. My senses are heightened-” he stammered as he noticed the intense way she paid attention to him. The woman ran hot and then freezing cold. He felt drawn to her in a way he couldn’t explain.

“You say that you feel better than you have in a long time. My advice is to accept it as a gift. Hey, you should rest and tomorrow I will make you breakfast.” She smiled as she noticed he was fighting to keep his eyes open.

“Aye, I’m just afraid there will be a steep price to pay for such gift. I hope it’s more than pop tarts I wouldn’t object to some bacon.” He closed his eyes for a brief second.

“I’ll have you know that I can, in fact, acquire bacon. Just rest.” Her concern for him was evident.

Before he finally fell asleep he looked deep into her bright green eyes and said, “please don’t take this the wrong way but you are truly beautiful Emma Nolan and I mean not just on the outside but your light shines through even when you attempt to hide it.” He smiled and was lost to sleep.

The moonlight entered through the large glass door. It slowly roused Kilian from the bed; beckoning him to her side. His eyes opened, the normally deep blue eyes were amber and his jaw adjusted to cater to the canine teeth slowly becoming fangs, the fingernails once trimmed were long and sharp. He eagerly answered the call of his pale mistress and went out into the woods that surrounded the backyard of the large estate.

He ran until he could hear a small creek with the water flowing. He suddenly stopped as something else caught his attention. He sniffed to get a better scent.

…

Liam Jones was at the helm of the Titan feeling the spray of the sea water as the ship sailed through the bluest waters he’d ever seen. The only way the experience would’ve been better would be if Killian, his little brother, were at his side as his lieutenant.

His dream had become a reality; he was finally captaining a royal ship on a quest for the King. His hope now was to soon be reunited with his brother.

Liam looked at the clear skies ahead; they should be approaching the White Waters Triangle. According to the records, all the known shipwrecks had happened close to their current location.

Liam was brought out of his thoughts as a sudden pulse of energy hit the ship.

He hears a panicked voice coming from the crow’s nest, “Captain, captain!” A tidal wave was coming and it was big, almost reaching the sky. “Sir, it came out of nowhere,” the young sailor exclaimed as he hurried down into his position. Even an experienced crew stood no chance of survival, but they had to try.

Should they attempt to ride it out or turn around and outrun it? Liam didn’t have time to ponder the question and tried to turn the ship, but it was too late. The wave was already upon them. The ship started to croak and the wooden hull splintered, unable to resist the pressure of the blue water. It happened so fast, the water rushed in and the depth of sea was engulfing the ship along with its occupants.

The only indications of the existence of the majestic ship that once stood there were the wooden beams that were once bonded into the craft and now floated, torn apart on the clear water. Other than that, there was no proof of a destructive tidal wave taking another ship to Davy Jones’ locker. The waters were calm once more.

…

Days turned into a week and weeks turned into months, but there was still no word from Liam. The feeling of abandonment resurfaced. He hated that feeling; it was the same exact way he felt upon his father’s desertion.

The ship that carried the younger Jones had made port in a small town close to the Enchanted Forest just outside the Maritime Kingdom.

Killian Jones had opted to distract himself from that old feeling. He had been reading over some Greek books on the mythology of the elusive island the King was eager to reach. The bunk was filled with all the books on navigation he could get. He needed to keep his mind occupied while they waited for news from Liam.

There was a small knock on the door of his quarters, and hee eagerly rushed over to it.

“Captain wants to see you in his quarters.”

“Thank you, Johnson.” Killian followed the deckhand to the Captain’s quarters. He didn’t believe he would be hearing good news. He was quite perceptive after all.

Yet, he still hoped he was wrong.

They arrived and promptly found out. They were met with a gruff voice that told them to enter.

“Captain Peterson, you called for me?” Killian shifted as he reached to scratch behind his ear.

“Jones I’m afraid I have a bit of bad news.” There was not one ounce of sincerity.

Killian had once overheard the man say it was not fair that two measly orphans got such quick promotions, and on top of that a ship every sailor in the Royal Navy longed for.

“Sir, was there word from my brother?”

“I’m afraid the lack of it is enough to consider the mission as unsuccessful.”

“Sir, I would like to be part of the search party.”

“Jones, there is never anything to retrieve aside from some pieces of wood.”

“My brother is out there! We cannot just let him perish!”

“Your brother is most likely in Davy’s Locker.” He shrugged. “You are dismissed.”

Killian stormed out and went to his bunk, pacing back and forth. He was alone and tired of losing people he loved. His mum died, his father didn’t love him enough to stay and now his only family was left for dead because of some Royal’s quest.

He was livid. They weren’t even going to search for the crew. They were expendable. He knew they were inexperienced sailors; Liam was the one with the most experience on the ship.

Killian walked aimlessly without direction and ended up in the ship’s galley with one of the few crew members he was friendly with. Out of frustration, he slammed his closed fist onto the table.

“Mr. Lewis.” Killian sniffled and tried to walk past the man.

“Killian, I heard about your brother. I’m sorry.”

“Are you, Mr. Lewis, because no one on this ship seems to care?”

“The crew cares. Weren’t they in the Academy with you and your brother?”

“Aye, and my brother’s crew too.” All gone too soon, thanks to an impossible journey.

A few days had passed when they received notice from the King to return. There was an announcement to be made.

Killian and the crew set sail back to King Fergus’ kingdom for the big proclamation.

Seven days later, they arrived. Killian fulfilled his duty, but he couldn’t get over the anger that still brewed within him.

He had kept mostly to himself.

The moment they docked, they noticed the commotion. The docks were at capacity with people. All came from the surrounding towns within the kingdom. The local Inns were full, therefore forcing most of the crews to sleep on their respective ships.

One ship stood out above all the fine ships at the port; it had no crew but was highly guarded.

Early the next day, the whole town gathered at the docks. King Fergus stood at the gangplank of the beautiful ship. Next, to him, a younger man stood with an obvious resemblance to the King.

He soon announced to the whole town that his nephew Roderick, son of his beloved sister Rowena, would be the Captain of The Jewel of the Realm.

Some of the people in the crowd quickly made comments about the fact that the nephew had no experience. He didn’t even serve in the royal navy, but somehow found himself the captain of the prized ship of the kingdom.

Killian overheard the comments, and with the loss of his brother so recent, his anger rose.

Looking on from afar, a cloaked figure stood and watched with excitement as his plans unfolded.  

The town soon returned to their daily and Killian promptly made his way to his bunk.

There was an urgent knocking at his door, followed by his name. “Killian Jones, are you in there?” It was the deckhand. “Captain is requesting your presence at his quarters.”

Killian opened the door, annoyed that he couldn’t even take a moment to try to mourn his brother’s death. “Lead the way, mate.”

In the captain’s quarters, he was met with the king and his captain.

“Killian Jones, your captain has boasted of your great performance on this ship, leading me to decide to honor the deal I had made with your brother. You will be lieutenant aboard the Jewel of the Realm.”

Killian looked at the two men. He knew this was what Liam wanted for him but he couldn’t help but feel bitter. Kilian had some thoughts to ponder over. Why must they pledge their lives to a King who sees them as worthless? They carry out their duty, only to die while the Royals get wealthier and stay safe in their castles. “It would be an honor, your highness,” he vowed to the king.

“Grab your belongings and you can board the Jewel. My nephew is aware you will be joining the crew. You will be sailing to fulfill some diplomatic duties.” The king nodded and left the room without offering his condolences.  

Killian did as he was told and went to grab his things to go board the new ship and report to his new captain.

The next day the Jewel of the Realm set sail.

After a couple of weeks at sea, Killian had developed camaraderie with the crew. They were all simple men who wanted a better chance than their former life had dealt them. It didn’t take long to convince them to take the ship.  

On a calm day, as the ship sailed the beautiful clear waters, the Captain was giving orders without knowledge of what was to come. The scuffle was fast and before he could react, Captain Roderick found himself at the end of his lieutenant’s cutlass.

Killian wasn’t a cold-blooded killer, but soon they were dueling for the ship. Sadly, Killian was faster and somehow more experienced. Within seconds the other man was disarmed.

Killian stood tall in front of the crew as he spoke to them. “We have sworn an oath to serve the King and the realm. Never again shall we take orders from a corrupt immoral monarchy…”

The crew answered enthusiastically, “Yes! Here, here!”

Throughout his speech, Killian shouted, “Serving this King, fighting his wars? No more! That is the way of dishonor! And anyone who disagrees can flee now or walk the bloody plank! Those who stay will be free men, and I will your Captain.”

They answered unanimously with “Aye!”

Captain Killian Jones continued, “We’ll sail under the crimson flag and we’ll give our enemies no quarter. We’ll take what we please!”

“Yes!”

“And we’ll live by our own rules, for that is the best form of all!”

“Yeah!”

“They’ve taken so much from us - my brother - and now I’m going to take everything they’ve got!”

“Yes!”

“Starting with this ship! Bring the paint from below! It’s time we rename this vessel. We no longer sail as the Jewel of the Realm. We now sail as the Jolly Roger.”

“Yes! - Yeah!”

“So when they come for us, I want them to know exactly what we are - pirates! For at least among thieves, there is honor!”

Liam and Killian had endured years of servitude under Captain Silver. The abandonment of their father had broken Killian. Liam, on the other hand, had to grow up fast and attempt to be the father they both should have had.

Eventually, they had become deckhands on the ship and started earning wages for their work. “Killian with our wages we can enlist in the king’s navy. We can become men of honor. I know mother would have wanted that for us.”

“I don’t remember mum. I wish I did.”

“I barely remember her too but I know she loved us and would have never left us given the choice.”

“You mean unlike father,” Killian responds with a raised eyebrow.

“I never want him to be mentioned. He doesn’t deserve it.”

“Liam, about the Navy - I know you will be a fine sailor. I’m afraid I’m not like you, brother.”

“Killian, you are a good man and we will both join the Navy and become Captains of our own ship someday.”

Killian finally relented and they shared a hug.

“All we need to do is buy our freedom and then we will be able to enlist in the King’s Navy.”

It sounded so simple when his brother said the words. He would gladly follow in his brother’s steps.

Only a few more months at sea serving the dishonorable Captain Silver and they would reach their goal. He had taken advantage of the young boys for far too long. Once Liam was able to keep track of the debt, Captain Silver knew their time would run out and with it, the crew’s entertainment.

Liam had to keep an eye on Killian because they enjoyed getting him drunk and having their laughs at his expense.

“Killian, one more day, brother and we will be joining the Navy,” Liam reminded him as Killian finished up his chores for the day.

“I know brother, I’m finished here, I just need to throw away the dirty water and we can leave.”

Killian was about to reach for the bucket when Captain Silver kicked it.

Killian was ready to take a swing at the Captain, and the crew had gathered around to watch the show. Liam grabbed Killian’s arm before he could make contact.

“Killian, please don’t do this. Don’t let him get to you. You are better than this.”

Captain Silver laughed and mocked Killian. “Listen to your brother, boy, and soon you will be in the King’s Navy. Be men of honor.” The crew joined in as the Captain continued laughing.

Killian’s lip pursed as he looked at his brother’s pleading face and picked up the bucket and the rag to clean the spilled water on the deck. “I’ll take care of this and I’ll be here waiting for your return. Now go, brother.”

“Killian, I will be back soon. I will go collect our wages and I’ll return with the documents needed to enlist.” Liam locked eyes with his brother in an attempt to ensure he could convince his brother to not let the crew torment him.

Killian watched his brother leave and he could feel all eyes on him as he went back to finish his task.

Captain Silver took out his flask from the pocket as he approached Killian and raised his hands up in surrender once the younger man saw the Captain getting closer. “How would you like a swig of my rum to celebrate your upcoming freedom?”

Killian raised his brow questioning his Captain’s honesty.

“Killian we will soon be parting ways, and the crew and I would love to enjoy some libations with you. It is not often one of my crew joins the Royal Navy.”

Killian threw the rag into the bucket and considered the offer. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. I don’t drink.”

“Ah, I see. Liam is not here to tell you what to do or not to do. Come have one drink to say goodbye to your old crew.”

Killian finally accepted and joined the crew as they all gathered on deck to share some rum. Soon Killian was falling to the floor as he reached for the rum to take another sip.

Captain Silver quickly moved the bottle away and taunted Killian, swishing the amber liquid in the bottle. “Oh my, do you really think you have what it takes to be in the Royal Navy? You are nothing but an orphan. Why would the Navy want you? Your father didn’t. To him, you weren’t worth more than half a rowboat.” The crew cheered the Captain on as Killian got on his knees trying to find balance and rise to his feet.

“What’s going on here?” Liam asked, seeing his brother struggle to get on his feet. He approached and helped him up. “Brother, I have the papers here.” He showed them to Killian.

“I’m afraid your brother enjoyed his drink a bit and gambled away his money. He’ll be staying exactly where he is. But you can leave. Why do you insist on coddling him? He is only dead weight.”

“He is my brother and I will never leave him behind.” Liam folded the documents and grabbed Killian, walking him to their bunk.

After he left Killian, allowing him to sleep off the rum, he headed to the Captain’s cabin and knocked when he arrived.

“Enter.”

“Captain, I’ve come to make a deal with you.”

“A deal? Is this about your worthless brother’s extended stay?”

“My brother is not worthless, Sir. I have some information that may ease his debt. I heard that The Eye of the Storm is within the Southern Isles. The officers are on route to meet up with the Royal ship that recovered from the wreckage and was transporting the rare jewel. I know the name of that ship and I will provide it to you in exchange for our freedom.”

“Interesting information you’ve come into. How do I know I can trust you?”

“I, unlike you, am a man of honor and my word is true.” Liam stood tall in front of his longtime tormentor.

The other man stared at him incredulously and agreed. He knew Liam was a self-righteous man and his heart’s desire was simple - freedom for him and his brother. The Eye of the Storm would fetch him a good bounty. It was worth more than keeping the Jones’ brothers on board.

“You have a deal, Jones. I will expect your silence. You will not rat us out to the Crown or grow a conscience. Liam, what is the name of the ship?”

“The name of the ship is Poseidon’s Trident.”

“You should go fetch your brother and get off my ship. We are to set sail and be richly rewarded for our efforts.”

“I will do so gladly.” Liam left the Captain’s cabin. He hated that he’d sold that information to his former Captain. Silver was ruthless, but his loyalty was with his brother.

He entered their bunk and woke a very drunk Killian. “Brother, wake up. We need to get off the ship; they are about to set sail and we still have to fill out the paperwork to join the Navy.”

Killian slowly opened his eyes. “Liam, my head hurts.”

“How much rum did you have, Killian? You know it’s bad form to drink. I thought I had raised you better than that.”

“Brother I’m sorry. I don’t know it was so easy losing track. I swear brother I will never take a sip again,” he swore with bloodshot eyes and wobbly steps.

“Alright, hurry up and we can finally go enlist.” Killian and Liam gathered their possessions and finally parted ways with Captain Silver and his crew.

They walked to an Inn for lodging in silence. Liam was deep in thought, hoping his brother would never find out what cost they had paid to gain their freedom from the dastardly Captain Silver.

Killian felt shame for his part - for his weak behavior. He knew how Liam felt about drinking, especially considering their father’s actions.

The following morning they enlisted in the Kings Navy and went through comprehensive training alongside thirty recruits. They had an advantage over them, having lived on a ship for half of their life.

After two years of training at the Royal Navy Academy, both the brothers Jones graduated at the top of their class.

Killian can still remember the moment his life went to hell. At Graduation, King Fergus had made a speech, saying he would change Killian’s life and brother’s.

It was simple. The King was looking for someone to Captain and expedition. Not one of his decorated Captains had volunteered. According to the whispers being told, the mission was a death sentence.

“Brother, I have volunteered for the special mission.”

“Liam, are you daft? Didn’t you hear the murmurs? No one wanted to undertake it because everyone who has gone has failed to return. Shipwrecks are all that is left,” Killian pointed out, pacing back and forth.

“Killian, this could be good for us. The Admiral said if I succeed we could serve together and have the King’s most prized ship, The Jewel of the Realm.”

“Liam, I just want us to stay together. You are the only family I have left. I don’t want to lose you because of some Royal’s greed.”

“You heard the King. He is looking for this Island because they have waters that can heal anything. We would be heroes.”

Defeated, Killian agreed, “When do we leave?”

“Little brother, I’m going alone. You will be assigned to a different ship, The Siren Song for the time being. Once I return, you will be sent for and we can be together again.”

“You are leaving alone? I thought this would make us heroes? Liam, I have a bad feeling. Please don’t go. I think there is more to this.”

“I’m going alone because that was the arrangement, and we will both be heroes because once we sail the Jewel, we will have his Majesty’s favor. Killian, the King wouldn’t lie to us. And don’t let anyone hear you question him.”

“I know you don’t believe me brother, but I’m more perceptive than you give me credit for.”