#cssns 2019

It would be a massive understatement to say Misthaven was different from the life Emma used to know in the Land Without Magic–even she’d begun using the local terminology for her previous home–and yet Emma had never felt more at peace or more fulfilled than she did while she was here with her husband, her son, her family and her heritage.

That wasn’t to say it had been a month free of any pain or hardships.  There was bound to be a great deal of trauma that needed to be worked through for all of them after everything they’d been through.  There was an elf in Misthaven named Archie who fulfilled the role that in the Land Without Magic might have been called a shrink.  Emma, Killian and Henry had all been to see him multiple times–sometimes alone, and sometimes together as a family.

After a few days of settling in and adjusting to their new life, Emma and Killian had discussed what they would do moving forward.  Did they want to remain in Misthaven or return to the Land Without Magic?  They settled on a combination of the two.  They would like to make their primary residence in Misthaven but make the occasional trip back to their previous home.

Of course all of that was merely theoretical at this point.  With Excalibur destroyed, there was no known way to travel between realms, although there had been rumors of a distant land where portal-opening magic beans were being grown and harvested, so it was possible one day realm travel would again be possible.

Emma thought about her old life.  What would Cleo and their friends think?  One day the entire Jones family had simply vanished from the face of the earth without a trace.  Emma knew Cleo would have all her best private investigators looking into the disappearance, but of course she had no hope of discovering the truth.

Thinking back over her (admittedly few) unsolved cases, Emma wondered if it was possible something similar had happened.  Was it possible the skips she found NO trace of had crossed realms and literally disappeared from the face of the earth?

Beside her, Killian stirred, and Emma smiled, loving the way he burrowed his nose into her neck and held her that little bit tighter early in the morning as he started to wake up.

“Morning already, Love?” he murmured sleepily.

“This place doesn’t exactly have a lot of clocks,” Emma answered, turning over to face him and give him a quick, smacking kiss, “but judging by how dark it still is outside, I’d say no.”

“Everything alright?” he asked with concern.  “The little one isn’t giving you trouble is she?”

Emma smiled, stroking his beloved face.  Emma had only begun to suspect she was pregnant again the day before yesterday.  At this point, it was merely a suspicion, especially given the fact that there were no pregnancy tests in this land, but from the moment she’d told Killian, he’d been ecstatic, thoroughly convinced that not only was there another little Jones on the way, but that this time they’d be having a little daughter.

She hoped her suspicions were correct; she really did.  Not just because of Killian’s excitement at the prospect of fatherhood for a second time, but because she realized she really and truly wanted this too.  She hadn’t known how much until she’d missed her period and started to feel the typical nausea and fatigue of early pregnancy.

“She–or he–is fine,” Emma assured him.  “And I’m fine too.  I just…woke up.”

“Another nightmare?” he asked sympathetically.

“Yeah,” she admitted, resting her head on his chest.  “Same one as always.  I fail to stop the Dark One and he makes me watch him kill you and Henry before he kills me.”

“Want to talk about it?” Killian asked.

She shook her head. “It wasn’t real, and that dream no longer has any hold over me.  No, after I was awake, I started thinking about all we have yet to do in the next day or two, and wondering how early my mom would be knocking on our door in the morning.”

As soon as the dust had settled from the dramatic events of last month, Snow had decided Emma and Killian needed a proper Misthaven wedding.  She had, as she put it, missed out on nearly every milestone in her daughter’s life, and she would not miss out on this one–regardless of the fact that Emma and Killian were already married and any future ceremony would be more akin to a renewal of the vows.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Emma,” Snow had said, brushing off her objections.  “The vows you and Killian took were til death do you part.  Death parted you, so clearly you need to wed again.”

Emma doubted that was truly how it worked–although she would guess there was no legal or religious, or whatever, precedent for a wife who dies and then comes back from the dead–and she’d never been one for a big fuss, but her mother was so excited, and there was something so utterly heart-warming about having a family who cared so much, that she put up no more than a token protest to all her mother’s planning.

(Although Killian had very definitely put up a protest that one morning Snow had barged in, wedding planning binder in hand, just as they were about to engage in some activities they very definitely did not wish her mother to be present for.  Luckily, Snow had taken the hint and very pointedly knocked before entering their chambers since that day.)

“I’d wager we still have a few hours, love,” Killian laughed, wiggling his eyebrows outrageously.  “I can think of a few ways to get your mind completely off of both nightmares and wedding planning.”

Emma laughed at his antics, but quickly stopped when he surged forward and claimed her lips in a seering, passionate kiss.  Her laughter turned to a moan of pure want as the banked fire between them flared to life again as it always did.

Their kisses turned longer, drugging them, making them feel a kind of ecstatic bliss that was always present when they were together as husband and wife.  Killian reached for the hem of her nightdress, and then–

“Mom?  Dad?” came the small, subdued voice from the doorway.  “I had another bad dream.”

Killian groaned softly, as Emma smiled commiseratingly up at him before he returned to his side of the bed.  Emma loved her son beyond anything else in this realm or any other, but his timing could certainly be better.

Killian sat up and beckoned Henry forward.  The lad ran forward, scampering onto the bed, and burying himself in his father’s arms.  Emma reached over and rubbed soothing circles over her son’s back.

“It was just a dream, kid,” she said genty.  “Remember what Archie said.  It’s over.  The Dark One can’t hurt you anymore.”

“I know,” Henry said with a slightly wobbly voice.  “But this time it wasn’t about me.  I dreamed that after the bad man hurt you until you died, you didn’t come back.  I dreamed I never got to see you again.”

Beside her, Emma saw Killian stiffen and take in a quick, deep breath before holding his son even closer.

“But she did return to us, Lad,” Killian said after a moment in a gentle voice.  “We are all here, and we are all well, and there’s nothing left to fear.”

“Your father’s right,” Emma said. “I came back to you, and I always will.  We’re a family, and that means we will always find each other.”

“Can…can I sleep with you guys?” Henry asked in a small voice.

“Of course you can,” Emma said, settling him in between her and Killian and stroking the hair off his forehead until his breathing evened into sleep.

“Do you think he’ll ever fully recover from all that happened, love?” Killian asked, settling in and wrapping his arm around his little family.

“Of course he will,” Emma reassured.  “We all will.”

Killian yawned.  “Perhaps we’d best get sleep while we can, Swan.  As you said, your mother will be eager to get back to last minute wedding planning before we know it.”

About that, Emma knew her husband was 100% correct.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two Days later, Misthaven

Heart full to bursting, Killian dipped his bride, kissing her exuberantly to the cheers of their wedding attendees.  Pulling back, he whispered  “You did it, Swan.  You got your happy ending.”

“That’s not what this is,” she said, tilting her head and smiling blissfully up at him.  “It’s something else.”

“What then?” he asked, holding her, gazing besottedly into her eyes.

“A happy beginning,” she answered.  “Tomorrow is uncertain; who knows what it will bring?”

“But one thing is for sure Love,” he said, swaying with her, his forehead pressed to hers.. “With you, I have everything.  A happily ever after is the way these stories go.”

The rest of the forest clearing seemed to fade away for him.  The queen would likely be displeased with them.  She’d worked to script every moment of this wedding extravaganza, and by rights, he should be walking his bride back down the snow-bell strewn aisle.  In this moment, though, nothing existed for him but this woman and the love he shared with her.

“Used to think that’s what I wanted, “ she replied, “but now I finally know.  There’s no storm we can’t outrun.”

“We will always find the sun,” he agreed.

“Leave the past and all its scars.”

“A happy beginning now is ours.”

A throat cleared from somewhere in the congregation.  If Killian didn’t miss his guess, that was the former Evil Queen’s way of (not so subtly) reminding them that there were, in fact, other people in the world.

Killian grinned, finally stepping back, offering Emma his arm, and escorting her down the aisle.

Killian knew that in all his days, he’d never forget the moment he got his first glimpse of his bride walking down the aisle on her father’s arm toward him.  She was radiant, angelic in her long, white dress, with its long belled sleeves, her hair curled and falling down her back in a golden wave, a circlet of snowbells and greenery atop in lieu of a veil.

If it were possible to die of happiness, he knew he’d expire right on the spot.

“Mom looks pretty, doesn’t she?” Henry asked from beside him.  

Killian smilled patting his son–and best man–on the back.  “Absolutely gorgeous, my lad.”

Their ceremony had been short and simple, a concession Queen Snow had begrudgingly made given Emma’s unfamiliarity with the customs of Misthaven and her natural tendency to avoid pomp and circumstance.  Within the span of a mere quarter of an hour, they’d renewed their vows and promised to love and honor each other through all eternity.

“You are happy, aren’t you, Killian?” Emma asked as they slowly made their way down the remainder of the aisle and headed toward the tent beyond where their wedding feast had been carefully laid out.

“Of course, Swan. Never more so.”

It was the truth; he was so happy here with her that he could scarcely contain it, but still there was a small pang deep in his heart.

He thought back to the other morning, when Henry had come to them after his nightmare.  Yes, it was true, they’d defeated the Dark One, restored peace, and ushered in a new age of prosperity for their kingdom.  There was little doubt they’d live many long, happy years together, surrounded by their children and grandchildren.

But in the end–whether it be five minutes from now or five decades from now–Swan would die; it was the fate of all mortals, and Killian would be left alone.  Having already experienced her death once, he didn’t know how he would bear it again.  

“Are you sure?” she asked, turning him toward her as they took their seat at the center of the head table.  “You seem, I don’t know, almost sad.”

Killian shoved aside his musings.  There would be plenty of time to mourn for her when their final separation happened.  For now, for today, they were celebrating.  He offered her a sincere smile, cupping her head and giving her a soft kiss (to the sound of a wolf whistle from Ruby, if he didn’t miss his guess).  “I am quite certain, my love.”

What followed had been a joyful celebration of life, of victory and of love.  The cook of Misthaven Castle had truly outdone himself, providing a repast of unparalleled grandeur, and then the dancing and revelry had begun.

As night fell, Johanna had ushered Henry to bed, and then the wedding attendees had begun dispersing little by little until finally only the king and queen and Emma and Killian themselves had remained.

Killian was on the point of suggesting–with an overabundance of innuendo and meaning–that it was high time he and Swan adjourned to the bridal chamber, when suddenly there was a bright flash of light.  He got to his feet, reaching in vain for the sword he’d neglected to don with his wedding attire.  If someone dared to mar their wedding, they’d live to regret it!

But when their eyes adjusted to the light, they found themselves facing not a foe, but–

“Merlin” Emma breathed, eyes gone wide.  “How…how are you here?”

“Technically speaking, I am not,” Merlin said with his customary secretive smile.  As though to demonstrate, he walked through a nearby tree.  “I am more of what you might call a ghost.”

“So it seems,” King Charming said, “but why are you here? (Not that you’re unwelcome at our celebration.)”

Merlin smiled again, stepping toward Emma and Killian.  “I have been authorized to present one last wedding gift to the happy couple.”

He raised his incorporeal hands and placed them on Emma’s head.  Light poured from them, surrounding and enveloping her.  For a moment she glowed brightly, and then the light faded away.  Merlin stepped back, smiling.

“What was that?” Emma asked.  “I feel…different, somehow, I don’t know, more than I was before.”

“And so you are,” Merlin said before turning toward Killian.  “Lieutenant Killian Jones, Prince Consort of Misthaven, Zeus has heard your longings and has seen fit, given the invaluable service you and your wife have provided to all the realms, to offer you your heart’s desire.  Emma has been restored to her Elven heritage.  As her ancestors before her, she is now imbued with the gift of immortality.  You both will, indeed, be together for all eternity.”

Killian felt the tears gather and spill over as he turned to Emma, seeing her love and incredible joy reflected back at him.  Now, indeed, they both had achieved perfect happiness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

David sighed contentedly as his wife settled into his arms later that night in their bed.  He was exhausted after the long day they’d had, but it was the happiest kind of exhaustion.

It had been a wonderful day.

“I think it all went well today, don’t you?” Snow asked sleepily as she softly stroked his chest.

He smiled, bending to place a quick kiss on the top of her head.  “It went perfectly,” he agreed.  “You really outdid yourself.”

“You don’t think it was too much, do you?” Snow asked, raising up on one elbow to look down at him with concern.  “You don’t think I scared Emma off with all my fussing over her wedding?”

David chuckled, shaking his head.  “Snow, if our daughter can face down the Dark One himself and even find the courage to die for her kingdom, I hardly think a little maternal fussing is going to scare her off.”

She gave him a look.

“No,” he said, pulling her head back to his chest.  “I think Emma’s unused to mattering to anyone other than Killian and Henry, but I don’t think she was displeased with your wedding preparations.  She seemed so exquisitely happy today.”

“Can you believe it?” Snow asked, the joy back in her voice.  “Our daughter married to her true love and returned to her elven heritage all in one day!  It’s like a dream come true.  Do you remember the night she was born?  Do you remember how heartbroken and hopeless we felt?  I’ll always regret missing so much of Emma’s life, but now all is finally right.  Now we have the rest of our lives together.”

David felt the tears spring to his eyes.  It had been decades of strife, of pain, of forgetfulness.  Decades where it felt like evil was too big and all-pervasive to overcome, but they had done it.  They had fought for their happy ending, and they had won.

He looked up through the skylight in their bedroom to the clear, brilliant night sky up above.  “Indeed,” David answered, yawning as the fatigue fully caught up to him.  “At long last, the stars are all alight.”

 The end The Happy Beginning!

 Notes:

–Well, there you have it.  After 3+ years, this epic tale is finally at an end!  Thank you to all of you who have stuck with it throughout all the long pauses between chapters!  Your support has helped me persevere through the times my muse abandoned me.  I am absolutely terrible about responding to comments, but know that I have appreciated each and every one!

–I would like to give a big thank you, once again to my beta, @blackwidownat2814​ and to my artist, @clockadile​, for  all their work and help on this project.  Isn’t the wedding portrait @clockadile​ painted for Emma and Killian stunning?

Two days ago…

“Since you are representing yourself, Mr. Jones, you are charged with desertion, how do you plead?” the judge questioned.

“Not guilty,” Killian Jones stated definitively.

“You deserted during war time, is this not true?”

“Semantics.”

“Your honor he deserted the Confederacy in May of 1861,” the prosecuting lawyer argued. 

“Your Honor, if I may?” Killian asked.

The judge nodded his head in Killian’s direction, allowing him his defense. 

“I merely recognized I was fighting for the wrong side.” Killian smiled his most brilliant smile as if this one statement had won his case. 

“Come again, son?”

“You’re required to be impartial, yes, Your Honor?” 

The judge nodded curtly.

“I was involuntarily drafted into this war by the Confederacy. Being a former slave myself, sold into it by my father, I would never support such an agenda.” Years of practicing a cool and collected demeanor were working in Killian’s favor as he maintained the facade that hid his disgust for the Confederacy and all it stood for. “Therefore, I did not desert in time of war, I simply... switched sides,” he declared with a flourish of his hand. 

“Then you are an enemy of the Confederacy,” the judge amended.

“I beg to differ,” Killian said cheekily, “how can I be an enemy of something that does not exist?”

A low buzz broke out across the courtroom as discourse ran rampant among the lot of Confederate diehards. Killian wondered if they even knew the war was over, and they’d lost.  

“All good points you bring up, Mr. Jones. Unfortunately, I am not here for good points, I am here to uphold the law to the best of my ability. As such, I hereby by find you guilty of the charge of desertion during war time. In addition, I am adding and find you guilty of the crime of treason and as such, I sentence you to be hanged tomorrow at noon.”

Before Killian could react to what was happening he was roughly being hauled away by the bailiff and thrown into the shitty cell he’d been sitting in for the last three weeks.  His jaw clenched as he lay on the ground where he’d been tossed. 

One moment he’d been enjoying rum, riches, and wealth via his stellar poker playing skills and the next he’d been dragged from his bar of choice, carted hundreds of miles, and hauled into this cell. Where had he gone wrong? Perhaps he never should’ve left England with his father and brother, after his mother’s death. Then he never would have been sold into slavery, subsequently landing here in the south. 

“On your feet, soldier,” the guard on duty barked.

“For what?” Killian spat.

“For your superior officer,” a familiar, grating voice said.

Killian’s eyes rolled so far back in his head he was sure they might get stuck there. There was nothing superior about this man, nothing. “Captain Cassidy, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Just came to settle a debt, Jones.”

“Ah, I guess my trial was over before it started, makes sense now.”

“You killed my father, you traitorous son of a bitch.” 

“He deserved it, Neal,” Killian gritted out, jumping to his feet to meet his former friend against the bars of the cell.  “He killed women and children in the name of being victorious for a losing side.”

Neal shrugged his shoulders. “You should have left well enough alone instead of coming back.”

“I didn’t have a choice, it was me or him! I didn’t seek him out, we were engaged in combat.”

Neal reached through the bars and grabbed Killian by the shirt. “Semantics. Isn’t that what you always said? You say didn’t have a choice, I say murdered in cold blood.” He threw Killian back as he seethed the last words. “You’ll never see that noose tomorrow, but you’ll wish you were hanged by the time I’m done with you.”

乂❤乂❤乂

“Wake up! Come back to me.”

Killian smiled as the feminine voice washed over him, adding to the weightlessness he felt. It made all movement a little cumbersome, but he felt healthier than he had during the past month, and he was blessedly pain free for the moment. That is until a stinging slap collided with his cheek. His brow furrowed and a grimace replaced the easy smile that had graced his lips. He struggled to open his eyes to see just who was attached to the voice that currently worried over him. 

“Don’t die,” the voice repeated, “it’s the only thing I can’t fix.”

A doctor! he thought as relief washed over him. But when he was finally able to command the muscles of his eyelids, he was greeted by an angel. She was dressed in all white and a halo of blonde tresses cascaded over her shoulders, which positively emitted a golden glow around her being. He thought to himself, if he was dead then there were two things he was grateful for. One, he’d made it into heaven and two, the angelic being before him.

“Hey beautiful,” he rasped out before attempting to throw her his most devilish smolder. 

“Oh! Are you in pain?” she asked.

“Not at the moment, which is more than I can say for the last forty-eight hours. Why?”

“You just made a face, I thought maybe your wounds were causing you pain. It would be quite odd if you were experiencing any pain, though. So maybe that’s your normal face?”

So, not a devilish smolder that he’d made then. “If it’s devilishly handsome, it’s my normal face. If not, you are not getting the full effect.”  

“Whatever you say,” she said noncommittally. 

Do angels really roll their eyes and scoff? Killian wondered. 

“You sure are arrogant for a man who passed out after being on the losing end of some sort of fight.”

It was Killian’s turn to scoff. “I do not lose.” He had passed out though, he thought as he reached up sheepishly to scratch behind his ear. “Bloody Hell!” he yelled as something pierced said spot. 

“Careful,” the angel chastised as she pulled his arm away from his head. “That thing is a weapon now.”

Killian looked at his left hand, or what should be his left hand. “What the devil have you done to my hand?” Killian looked around in a panic as the events of the past several weeks came flooding back to him. “Where am I? Who are you? Who do you work for?” He was yelling as he realized he was in an unfamiliar room, laid up in a bed that wasn’t his. 

“Hey! You showed up here without your hand!” she exclaimed, jumping up from the side of the bed. She backed away from him, anguish washing over her face. “I- I didn’t do anything but try to help you.” She shook her hands as if to cleanse the aura in the room. 

Killian gasped as pain seared through him. His wrist burned as if it had been jammed into salt, and his arm felt as though it was going to explode. His throat was parched, and suddenly he was gasping for air. He curled in on himself trying to shut out the pain. “Please! Stop! Please, you’re hurting me.” He pleaded for the blond haired angel turned demon to stop whatever it was she was doing.

“I’m not doing anything to you! You… you distracted me!”

“I’m sorry I yelled,” he rasped.    

Inhaling deeply, the woman sat back down next to him and brushed the hair from his forehead. Closing her eyes she shook her hands out once more before sitting in concentrated silence. 

Killian’s whole body relaxed as a soothing ambiance floated through him, and after a few moments the pain began to recede. “Thank you, love.”

“I’m not your love,” she scolded, opening her eyes. 

“Pity.”

“If you’re going to flirt so outlandishly shouldn’t I at least know your name?”

“Apologies, lass, Killian Jones at your service,” he greeted, extending his right, and now only hand. A smooth flow of positive energy flowed through him when she took his hand. “And you might be?”

“Emma Swan.”

“Lovely to meet you, Emma Swan. Are you my guardian angel? Did you draw me here, in my time of need with your powers of guardianship? Or did I just happen to stumble upon a random angel?”

Emma laughed out loud, an angelic sound if you asked Killian, which is what made her next words even more difficult to fathom.

“I’m no angel,” she chuckled. “But since you are obviously a believer in otherworldly beings, perhaps I can tell you what I am. And if I can’t trust you with my secret, I can always cast a memory spell on you.”

“A memory spell?” Killian enunciated as he tried to grasp the words. 

“Just who are you, Swan?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“I do believe I asked.”

“I’m a witch.”

It was Killian’s turn to laugh aloud. “There is no way you are a witch, darling-”

“Em-ma,” she corrected.

“Where is your broomstick and black pointy hat, Emma? And your laugh, that was most definitely not a cackle.” 

“It is not a prerequisite of a witch to own a broomstick, or black pointy hat, Jones. Nor do we all own cats and have warts. Though I suppose if that’s your biggest concern with me being a witch, we’re in a pretty good place.”

“If you want to join me here on the bed, we could get to an even better place.” He ran his tongue along his lower lip before biting it and cocking an eyebrow at her.

“In your dreams,” she laughed. 

“I do hope so.”

“I just told you I’m a witch, and your response is to flirt more?”

“Perhaps you’ve bewitched me with your beauty and grace?”

“Do you ever stop?” Emma asked as a lovely blush colored her cheeks. 

“Do you want me to?” Killian asked softly. A crack of a smile curved Emma’s lips and he hoped she could feel his sincerity, he would stop if she asked him to. He wasn’t quite sure why, but he felt like he’d do anything she asked of him. 

“Get some rest Jones, and when you wake we will eat and you can tell me what happened to you.”

Killian yawned heartily as a wave of exhaustion rolled over him. “But I don’t want to sleep.”

“But you need your rest,” Emma insisted. 

“Do you have magic,” he asked as he became increasingly tired. The last thing Killian saw was Emma flicking her wrist as a dragon came to rest on her shoulders. A dragon? he thought, then he drifted out of consciousness and into dreamland. 

乂❤乂❤乂

“I think we were meant for each other,” Emma whispered into his ear, causing a shiver to course through his body. His eyes were closed and his body was light, yet responsive to her every word and touch.

In his heart he knew she was right. He could feel the connection, mind, body, and soul. “I am yours, love.”

“And I am yours,” she promised as she pressed against his entire body. 

Killian shivered again as she gently raked her fingers through his hair and fisted her other hand into the hair on his chest. Her lips hovered just above his as she told him she was going to kiss him now. He eagerly awaited the press of her soft lips as he attempted to wrap his arms around her. Damn, how he wished to hold her. 

“Killian.”

What was she waiting for? Where was his kiss? Why couldn’t he reach out to embrace her?

“Killian?”

“What are you waiting for, Swan? It’s bad form to tell a man you’re going to kiss him and then tease him so.”

Her soft chuckle had him opening his eyes. “What’s so funny?” he asked playfully. As the room came into focus, she was no longer laying next to him, but standing at the small table by the kitchen. “And why aren’t you laying with me anymore?”

“I think someone was dreaming,” Emma whispered, giggling again. 

“Bollocks,” Killian muttered as he dropped his head back down to the pillow. It had seemed so real, not just her physical presence, but the love. He’d felt her love.

“I’m not going to ask him that,” she scolded. “It’s none of our business what he dreams about!”

Killian tensed as he realized there was someone else in her home. Of course there was. Someone as beautiful and benevolent as this woman was sure to have a significant other. 

Attempting to stand up, which was not nearly as fluid as his normal movement, he cleared his throat. He settled for sitting up in bed for the moment. “Apologies, it appears I have overstayed my welcome, I should be on my way.” 

Emma cocked her head, looking at him with a perplexed expression. “You don’t have to go.”

“I wouldn’t want to impose on you and…” Killian looked around the room, searching for the person she’d been talking to. “Uh… wasn’t there someone else here just a moment ago?”

Emma blushed profusely as she looked toward the corner of the kitchen. “Not exactly someone.”

“Were you talking to yourself then?”

“No,” she answered indignantly. “I was talking to Henry.”

So there was a man in Emma’s life. “Ah, I see.” He really didn’t, since he couldn’t see this Henry fellow. “Best take my leave now. Any chance I can have my shirt back?” Looking around the small cabin, Killian spotted his boots by the front door. 

“Sure,” she said quietly.

He watched as she slowly walked to the basin and picked up his shirt. Great, it was still dripping wet, at least all the blood stains were gone. That would make it a little easier to blend in when he moved on to the next town. 

“We can’t force him to stay,” she hissed.

Killian quirked an eyebrow as he watched her argue with a spot on the wall. 

When she turned her eyes back to him, he averted his, not wishing to embarrass her. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but something was definitely a little strange. Unable to look away any longer he chanced a glance back at her. She was still staring at him, almost longingly, he thought. He jumped when with a small flick of her hand the shirt was not only dry, but also back on his body. He was jarred back to right before he’d dozed off, he’d asked if she had magic. Unless he’d lost more than just his hand, oh yeah, that, he was pretty sure she did have magic. 

“I made dinner if you want to eat before you go?” 

Killian wondered why she sounded so defeated, seemed almost sad at the prospect of either dinner or him leaving. “I don’t wish to impose on you and Henry.”

“We don’t mind,” she rushed out. 

“Okaaaay… and you’re sure Henry won’t mind?”

“Of course not,” she said excitedly. “Tell him, Henry.”

Killian’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he realized she must have an imaginary friend. Who was he to judge, though? It must get lonely in these woods where most wouldn’t dare venture. She must not know many others of her type. Killian was pulled from his musing when a bird suddenly swooped from above and circled his head. “What the devil? How did a bird get in here?” Waving his hand in the air, he attempted to shoo the bird away.

“That’s Henry,” Emma laughed.

“Henry’s a bird?” he asked. 

“No,” Emma said, walking toward him. “Settle down, Henry.”

The little guy landed on Killian’s shoulder and he was overcome with a sense of being welcomed. “How did he do that?”

“Do what?” she asked.

“Invite me to dinner.”

“I invited you to dinner.”

“You told him to tell me it was okay, and now he is sitting on my shoulder and somehow he has communicated to me that it’s okay to stay for dinner. He let me know you both want me to stay for dinner. Does he have magic, like you?”

Emma’s eyes widened. “He did?”

Killian gave a small nod as she seemed to contemplate something.

“Well, since you didn’t balk when I told you I was a witch, I guess I can tell you about Henry.”

“You can tell me anything,” Killian said as he sat forward. He wanted to hear anything and everything Emma Swan wanted to tell him. That feeling of absolute love was back, and although he couldn’t fathom the idea of loving someone so soon after meeting them, he also couldn’t deny the feeling. 

“Henry is what you might call a power animal or a spirit animal. He’s my power animal.”

“Power animal?” Killian repeated.

“Power animals are supernatural creatures that convey influence. They can also give a person the powerful traits and characteristics of the animal. They walk through life with certain people, teaching and guiding them, and sometimes protecting them.”

“Do I have a power animal?”

“Everyone has a power animal. They usually only reveal themselves when you need them. Or when…”

“When what?” Killian asked with rapt fascination.

“Dinner’s ready,” Emma said, changing the subject abruptly. “Oh, and Henry is not a bird. He’s a dragon.”

Killian tensed up as he slowly turned his head to try and see the small dragon sitting on his shoulder. He wasn’t so sure allowing a dragon to sit on one’s shoulder was a good idea. As soon as he thought the idea, Henry was communicating to him that he was perfectly safe. 

“That is so weird,” Killian murmured. 

I know, Henry seemed to say.

“You get used to it,” Emma said with the sweetest smile on her face. “Henry, can you help him over to the table?”

Without too much effort, Killian was up and moving toward the table. He couldn’t believe how… normal he felt. As if he hadn’t had the crap beaten out of him and his hand lopped off. Oh yeah, that. “So, what’s with the hook?” he asked as he sat down at the table to a hearty looking stew and bread. 

“I uhh… I don’t know, I just thought it would be utilitarian.” 

“A hook?”

Henry landed on Emma’s shoulder and chirped loudly at her. “It is not a lie,” she snapped back. Henry seemed to cock his head in disbelief, and Killian just chuckled at their interaction. 

“Sure, you can use it to scratch, stab, eat-”

“Like a pirate?” he asked, just a little outraged at the barbarism she was implying he might employ. 

She just laughed at his reaction before continuing, “It would also serve you well in the thick woods, and it’s easier to hold than a hand.” Emma reached across the table to grasp the hook as if trying to prove her statement.

Although it was an inanimate object, Killian could swear he felt that same unconditional love through her firm grasp.  “I guess it has its perks,” he said, somewhat lovestruck.

They ate in comfortable silence for a few moments before Emma spoke again. “Can I ask you a question, Killian?”

“Anything.”

“What were you dreaming about?”

A blush crept up his cheeks as he contemplated his answer. He debated brushing it off, or making something up, but then Henry landed on his shoulder and he felt an esoteric need to tell her. “I dreamt we were in love, I don’t know how, I don’t know why, I just know we were truly in love... and you were going to kiss me.”

“Really?”

“Aye, love. I wouldn’t make that up. Sadly I was woken before the kiss.”

“What a shame,” Emma teased. “I’m sorry Henry and I woke you.”

“You could make it up to me, you know.”

“A healed arm, no pain, dinner, and a roof over your head not enough, Jones?”

Killian roared with laughter. “Well, when you put it like that, I guess I do sound like a greedy bastard.”

Emma stood up from the table and began to clear away the dishes. Killian grabbed his bowl and took it to the basin. “If you have magic, why do you continue mundane tasks like dishes?”

“I try not to use magic for every little thing. It helps me to pretend I’m normal.”

“Why would you want to be normal when you have super powers?”

“That’s a story for another time,” Emma murmured. She pointed to Henry, who was still propped on Killian’s shoulder. “And don’t you dare, mister, no compelling me to spill all my secrets.” 

Killian gave Henry a conspiratorial look, maybe later, he tried to tell the mini dragon.  Too say he was shocked was an understatement when Henry actually winked at him. 

“And no ganging up on me!” Emma ordered.

“If Henry is your power animal, why can he communicate with me?” Killian asked. 

Emma narrowed her eyes, giving Henry a dirty look. “Did you tell him to ask me that?”

Henry ruffled his wings as if offended by the accusation. “Why would he tell me to ask that?” Killian’s curiosity was definitely piqued now.

“Never you mind,” Emma said walking away from the basin. With small flicks of her wrist she lit several oil lamps and went to sit on the settee. 

Henry urged Killian to join her, so he did. He wasn’t quite sure why Emma was clamming up when it came to elaborating about Henry and power animals, but he decided to leave it be. “May I ask why you live out here in these haunted woods?”

Emma snorted in a decisively unladylike manner as she repeated the word with disdain. “Haunted. They’re not haunted, I just don’t want anyone bothering me. So I may wreak a little havoc when people get too close.”

“Doesn’t it get lonely?”

“I’ve never really noticed. I have Henry and I can go to town when I wish.”

Killian looked around the small cabin, it was quite homey and comforting. He supposed that’s all some people required. 

“How about you? Did you live alone before you found yourself at my doorstep?”

“I haven’t lived anywhere for a very long time.” A bit of melancholy worked its way into his voice as he answered truthfully. He looked back to Emma and the inquisitive expression she wore. “I suppose that answer was a bit cryptic, but just as you said earlier, that is a story for another time.”

Emma smiled graciously, letting Killian know she wouldn’t push.

Over the next several hours they chatted easily, including Killian telling her the story of how he’d come to lose his hand. Henry had long since taken up residence between her shoulder and hair and was quietly snoring. Killian only became slightly alarmed when Henry emitted several smoke filled exhales.

“Is he going to ignite?”

“No,” Emma giggled. “He is a fire breathing dragon, though, and sometimes when he dreams he gets a little heated.” She yawned, covering her mouth and apologizing. “It’s almost three in the morning!” 

Not realizing how late it had gotten, Killian told her, “You take the bed. I’ll sleep here, on the sofa.”

“Absolutely not! You’re not healed yet.”

“I am mending just fine. Besides, a gentleman would never make a lady sleep anywhere else when a bed is available.”

Emma stood up and offered her hand to him. “Gentleman?” she laughed.

“I’m always a gentleman, Swan.”

“Come on, we can both fit.”

Killian shook his head, and slid his hand behind his back. “That’s not necessary.”

“What? Are you afraid you won’t be able to resist my feminine wiles?”

Something like that, Killian thought. 

“Stop being a baby.” Before he could stop her, she grabbed his hook and dragged him to a standing position. She led him over to the bed and with a flick of her wrist he was wearing sleeping clothes he’d never seen before. “Now get in the bed, before Henry has to make you.”

Killian held up hand and hook in surrender before climbing into the comfortable bed. “What are you doing?” he gasped as he looked over to see her lifting her skirts.

“I’m changing into my nightie,” she replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.  

“Do you suppose for propriety’s sake, or at least my sanity, you might just poof yourself into some night clothes like you did me?”

“Poof?” Emma snickered.

“Yes, you know, magic them onto yourself.”

“You could just look away.”

He knew he could, he just didn’t want to make himself. Her creamy thighs were delectable, and it had been a score. Well, that was an overestimation, but it’d been a long while since he’d looked upon a gorgeous woman. He could feel himself stiffening and had to adjust himself in the thin pants he was wearing. Where was Henry to douse his damnable lust! 

“Yes, I could,” he lamented, looking around the cabin, anywhere but in her direction.  Still, knowing she was blissfully uncovered had him stirring further. He spotted Henry across the room, curled up on the settee, head under his wing and tail wrapped around himself protectively. Killian guessed he’d have to persuade himself to calm down.  

“There, see. All done, and no worse for the wear,” she stated as she climbed into the bed next to him. 

Killian’s tight pants begged to differ. Scrubbing a hand over his face he rolled over to face away from her. “Good night, Emma.”

“Good night, Killian.”

乂❤乂❤乂

“You are meant for each other,” the dragon stated matter-of-factly. “You’ve been destined to meet since the moment she was born. She was born many years before you, but was cursed by a jealous witch to walk the world alone..” 

“How long ago?”

“Several lifetimes.”

“Why can you talk to me?”

“Because this is a dream.”

“Even when I’m not dreaming, we understand each other.”

Henry grinned at him knowingly. “That is because I am your power animal as well.”

“What? How can that be? How can two people share a power animal?”

“If those two people-

“Henry!”

Killian sat bolt upright in bed as reality came back in on the wings of a dragon who was chirping, angrily if Killian was not mistaken, at Emma.

“It’s my secret to tell!” She was dressed with a flick of her wrist, wearing another flowy white dress, and out the door before Killian could ask what happened.

Standing up to stretch, he was suddenly hit with a wave of pain. The same pain from the day before sliced through his wrist and forearm. Sweat broke out across his forehead and he struggled for air. Collapsing back on the bed black spots infiltrated his vision as he bordered the lines of consciousness. Henry was there on his chest momentarily, and Killian watched as the mini dragon closed his eyes. He was immediately flooded with a cooling sensation and the pain subsided quickly. 

“Thank you, Henry.” 

Once he’d caught his breath he asked the dragon where to find Emma. Henry let him know he would lead him there. Looking at the clock he couldn’t believe it was already past noon; they had been up late the night before, so he supposed oversleeping was excusable this once. Rummaging around the cupboards he grabbed a canteen, some biscuits, and fruit and put them into a basket from the counter. “Henry, where is my uniform?” he called out as he grabbed his boots.

Henry chirped to him from the bed. When Killian walked over he saw the dragon was sitting upon a fresh pair of pants and a pressed shirt. “Where did this come from?” He certainly did not wish to wear someone else’s clothes. If dragons could roll their eyes, Killian was certain Henry just had. “Well, how was I supposed to know you also have magic?”

“Yes, you’re right, you are a mystical, fire breathing creature, I guess it’s not too far of a stretch for you to have magic.” Killian chuckled as he remembered how odd it’d looked when Emma appeared to be talking to herself yesterday, and now here he was doing the same thing. “Wait! I dreamt you told me you are my power animal as well as Emma’s!” Killian exclaimed as his dream came back to him. 

Killian was greeted with utter silence. “Oh, now you’re going to clam up, mate?”

Henry simply shrugged his wings. “Okay, here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to find Emma and then you are going to make yourself scarce.” 

Henry nodded.

Killian wasn’t sure how, but they had a story. He didn’t know what it was, but this woman he barely knew had captured his heart. A fierce determination coursed through his veins with each beat of his heart, and Killian intended to find out just how he fit into this tale. “Wait,” he looked to Henry, “are you making me feel this bravado?”

Henry shook his head adamantly. He also conveyed to Killian that he was done interfering and overstepping. 

“You don’t like when Emma’s cross with you, do you pal?”

The dragon hung his head, Killian had hit the nail on the head. “Well never fear,” he said holding his hand- uh... hook up in the air, “Captain Killian Jones is here. I will fix this.”

“No! You may not call me Captain Hook.” He stared daggers at the dragon as the jibe came through. “Yes, it is fitting, I just don’t like it.”

“Okay, fine. It is rather lethal sounding,” Killian acquiesced as Henry continued to emote reasons why this name would be perfect. “But only you can call me that. Don’t go spreading the word.”

The two left the cabin in search of Emma. It wasn’t a far walk, she’d be near the water, Henry had assured him. And the little guy was right, the trees of the forest broke to a small bank along the shore of a glassy blue lake. Emma sat at the edge, her dress pulled up so she could dip her feet in the icy water as she leaned against a large fallen tree. 

“I thought you might be hungry,” Killian spoke softly as he walked up behind her. 

“Is the traitor with you?”

A smile broke across his face as he realized both he and Henry were being wrongfully accused of being traitors. He was sure Henry’s sentence would be much lighter, just a cold shoulder and grudge from this beautiful angel. He contemplated if it might be worse than a death sentence to have Emma Swan angry with you. 

“He’s not-”

“Good.”

“You didn’t let me finish, love. He’s not a traitor.”

Emma whipped around where she sat and scrutinized Killian. “So you’re taking his side?”

Was he really being accused of being a traitor… again. Sitting down next to her, he offered her the basket. “There is no side to take, you two are a team.” An errant thought of wanting to be part of that team flitted through his mind and a small, shy smile graced his lips as he looked down at the ground.  

“I think he wants to be on your team,” Emma huffed.

“Maybe he wants us to all be a team?” Killian couldn’t resist the perfect opportunity to speak those words aloud.  He was floored as emotion after emotion crossed her face while she seemed to study him. He imagined she was gauging the legitimacy of his words. “I’m not sure how, but I know there is something between you and I, something real, and deep. And I want to figure it out with you, without the influence of Henry… because when I win your heart, Emma - and I will win it, it won’t be because of any trickery. It will be because you want me.”

Before he could read her reaction, he was being pulled by the lapels of his magicked shirt and he was positive she was about to kiss him. Just before her lips could touch his, a loud chirping sounded within the small haven they’d created around themselves.     

“Henry, we talked about this. No interfering, right?” Killian asked with a trace of irritation in his voice. 

“Shhh! There’s someone here,” Emma hissed. “Henry, how far are they?” 

Killian looked between the two of them, the panicked look on Emma’s face and the haphazard flapping of Henry’s wings, and he knew treachery was afoot. “Who is it,” he whispered.

Soldiers, Henry projected, two.

“Emma, you and Henry go back to the cabin. I have to take care of this, I won’t risk either of you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re not handling anything in your condition! If I leave, you’ll be writhing around on the ground like a snake in pain.”

Killian rolled his eyes. “It’s not that bad.”

Emma raised an eyebrow at him and Killian could tell the moment she lifted some of the effects of whatever dampening spell she was masking his pain with. “Fine, but stay hidden.” He watched as Emma and Henry shared a look and knew right away that his request was not going to be met. 

“You keep him out of pain, and I will fight with him,” Emma said to Henry who gave a nod to confirm her idea of the plan. “Stay in the trees, I don’t want them to see you. And I’m sorry I got mad at you.” Henry flew over to Emma’s shoulder and nuzzled her cheek with his nose. “Yes, you did overstep. But I overreacted, too.”

Despite the danger lurking, Killian was inexplicably relieved that Emma and Henry had made up. As Henry took to the trees, Emma and Killian braced for the intruders. 

“Killian Jones, war criminal and traitor, surrender yourself and no one gets hurt,” a man shouted from beyond their scope of sight.

“What do you want from him?” Emma shouted, grasping Killian’s hook.

“Going to let the little lady speak for you?” 

“I’ll be speaking for myself,” Killian gritted out as Cassidy showed himself at the treeline. 

“You’re a convicted traitor and deserter,” the other man added, “you’re to be hanged. I hereby place you under arrest. If you come willingly, no one will get hurt.”

“You’ve got the wrong man,” Emma argued. “Killian is a good man, he would never do those things.”

“He deserted the Confederacy in order to fight for the Union. If that’s not a traitor, I don’t know what is, little lady.”

“Stop calling me little lady,” Emma spat. “And if you’d told me he deserted the Confederacy the first time you spoke, I’d have applauded.”

“Oh, did he tell you his sob story of being a slave? Did he brainwash you into believing the North is superior?”

Emma glanced at Killian as if sizing up the affect Cassidy’s words were having on him. “He’s told me nothing. I just know which side I’d choose. Every once in a while, there is an underdog no one can root for.”

Killian wished he had the ability to communicate to Emma silently right now. She was unaware of how easily Neal could be rattled, and right now she was shaking the cage quite hard. “I’m not going with you, Neal. I’m not a criminal, all is fair in love and war.”

“Where’d you get that shit, all those fancy books you like to read?”

“As a matter of fact, yes. Yes, I did.” Killian’s smug grin turned into a gulp as both men drew their rifles. Apparently he was also unaware of how easily Neal was rattled.

“Hands up, Jones. I’m taking you in. Shackle him, Felix,” Neal commanded the other man. 

“I told you I’m not going with you,” Killian repeated. “You’ll have to shoot me, but let her go first.”

“No!” Emma shouted.

“No,” Neal answered, “I don’t think I will. I think I’ll take her as a prize.”

Neal set down his rifle, while signaling for Felix to keep his trained on Killian and Emma. He approached her with a sickening leer upon his face. “Yeah, I think I will take her right here. I’ll let you watch, Jones.”

“Over my dead body,” Killian spat as he moved to stand in front of Emma.

“That can be arranged,” Neal nodded at Felix, “shoot him.”

In the time it took Felix to cock his rifle, Emma shot her hand out toward Felix, and as he pulled the trigger a spark flared and it misfired, blasting hot gun powder into his face. Dropping the weapon, he shrieked in pain as he ran toward the water.

“What did you do to him?” Neal screamed as he charged toward Emma. 

“It was a misfire,” Killian yelled pushing Neal back. “Not so tough without your gun, are you?” Killian taunted as Neal reached for his gun, obviously forgetting he’d left it back by Felix. “Let’s settle this like men. You and me, fisticuffs.”

“You want to lose your other hand?”

“In what world would you take my hand without weapons?” 

“Who said no weapons?” Neal asked as he drew a boot knife and lunged toward Killian. Slashing out wildly, Neal connected with Killian’s face, slicing him. “You’ve got a fucking hook for a hand.”   

Oh yeah, that. Killian jumped back as Neal made another pass with the knife. When Neal advanced again, Killian shot his left hand in front of him and deflected the blade, causing a clank of metal against metal to ring out. 

The two grappled back and forth, punch for punch, knife and hook competing for the upper hand. Both men panted heavily as they fought on. Felix was still down at the lake dousing his eyes and face in the water, while Emma made sure he stayed put and kept an eye on Killian. She could, no doubt, end this thing with a flick of her magical wrist, but perhaps for Killian’s pride, she wasn’t interceding. 

Blood dripped down Killian’s face where Neal had cut a gash across his right cheek, his left eye was swollen almost shut, and his ribs were burning. Neal had two swollen eyes, a puncture wound to his right forearm, and a sprained ankle from where he’d tripped over a log as Killian lunged at him. 

“I don’t wish to kill you, Neal,” Killian appealed to Neal where he lay on the ground after tripping. He knelt above the man, fist still cocked and hook at his neck. “If you have another solution as to how you and your lackey can return home and I can stay here, tell me now.” 

“You’ll have to kill me,” Neal growled. He grasped Killian’s forearm trying to push the hook away from his neck, but it was no use as Killian threw his weight into pinning the man down.

“There is another solution,” Emma spoke quietly from where she’d perched herself on the same fallen log which had foiled Neal. 

“And what’s that, love?” Killian asked.

“I could make them forget.”

“Make them forget…”

“Anything. Everything.” She stood from the log and walked up to Killian’s side. “I could make them forget that they found you or I could make them forget that it is their mission to find you. I could make them forget who they are. It just depends on what level you want to take it to.”  

“I knew she did something to Felix. Is she a witch?”

“Well, since it seems we will be erasing your memory soon enough, yes, she is a witch.” 

Neal withdrew his hands from Killian’s forearm and formed a cross, apparently trying to ward her and her evil off. 

Emma laughed loudly at his antics. “I’m not the devil, that cross won’t do you any good today.” With a flick of her wrist Neal and Felix were both shackled and sitting with their mouths gagged. “How about instead of erasing their memories completely, I give them false memories?”

“What do you have in mind, Swan?”

“For starters, they are going to remember that they found the remains of Killian Jones, that there was no prisoner to bring back to their commanding officer. They will feel that their mission is complete, and they’ll have no recollection of this place or me. Any ideas on where they found you?”

“Hmmm,” Killian thought as he wrapped an arm around Emma. “I think they discovered my remains way up North, they should have a grand time in these fine Confederate uniforms.”

Neal tried to yell through the gag, but only mumbled nonsense could be heard. 

“That’s just mean, Killian Jones.”

“He tried to kill us,” Killian argued.

“True,” Emma agreed. “North it is. Heart of Boston? ”

Felix shook his head vigorously, “Uh-uh,” he pleaded through the gag.

“Now who’s being mean?”

“That is a little harsh,” she cackled. “Okay, I will put them on the outskirts of the North, where they might have a fighting chance,” she paused to look both men in the eyes, “if they get their shit together real quick.” She kissed Killian on the cheek quickly before telling him to back up. 

Killian watched in awe, from a safe distance, as Emma rubbed her hands together and focused in on her craft. She glowed with magic and the wind swept up around them, she was positively mystical as her hair flew wildly. She was murmuring quietly, her eyes closed when suddenly a brightly colored vortex opened up in the middle of the ground. 

Henry landed on Killian’s shoulder at that moment and sent calming vibes through him just as he started to experience small prickles of fear, not fear of Emma, but of the situation.  As abruptly as the vortex had appeared, it swallowed Neal and Felix whole and disappeared. “Swan! You were bloody brilliant, amazing!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Emma crumpled to the ground in a limp heap. “Emma!” He ran to her side kneeling next to her and sweeping her into her arms. “Emma, come back to me.”

“I’m okay,” Emma whispered faintly. 

Killian smiled as she regained consciousness, albeit a tenuous hold on it. “I don’t mean to upset you, Emma, but I think we make quite the team.”

“Why would that upset me?”

“You passed out when I told you you’re brilliant. I wasn’t sure how you’d handle me saying we are brilliant together,” he teased.

She giggled, that shy tinkling giggle before once again losing consciousness. 

He caressed her cheek with his good hand and felt the flush of her overheated skin. “Henry, what’s wrong with her, is she ill?”

Too much magic, Henry broadcast. She will be okay.

“How do you know?” Killian asked desperately. Killian listened as Henry transmitted that this had happened before, any time she used a significant amount of magic.

Gently lifting her, despite the injuries he’d sustained today as well as his previous ones, he carried her over to the lake’s edge, where she’d been sitting when he’d arrived. Sitting down, he leaned against the log and held her. He marveled at how well he felt, the magic used to keep him pain free must be very powerful. It damn sure beat morphine. 

“Emma, wake up darling.” He dipped his hand in the chilly water and brushed it across her forehead. 

“Hmmm,” she hummed. Stretching her body while still in his arms, Emma curled into his embrace.

Deciding it was probably best to rest he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “Henry, keep watch?”

Aye aye, Captain Hook. 

Killian cracked an eye open to look at Henry as he chuckled. “Yeah, I suppose it does have a ring to it.”

乂❤乂❤乂

The next time Killian opened his eyes, Emma was gone. He startled as he realized she wasn’t in his arms. A quick glance around showed she was in the lake. All that was visible was her water slicked hair and bare shoulders. “Isn’t that cold?”

Emma turned around to face him and he thanked the heavens that the most delectable parts of her body were fully submerged. “It’s wonderful once you get in.” She brought her hands up to her hair to ring it out and tie it in a knot. “Join me?”

Killian would’ve been certain his eyes had fallen out of his head except he could still see. 

“Come on, you’re all bloody. Let’s get you cleaned up here instead of my basin.”

Still deep in thought over the repercussions of bathing nude with her, Killian stood up and took off his shirt. He proceeded to walk to the water but stopped when Emma asked what he was doing. “I thought you wanted me to join you.”

“I do,” she laughed, “but not with your pants on. You’ll be soaked for hours.”

Killian knew she could just dry them, but maybe that was selfish after all the energy she’d exerted today. He fumbled with the fastening of his trousers as he stalled, trying to think of anything to keep his ardor under control. 

“Don’t be shy,” she teased, “I’ll turn around.” 

The moment she’d turned, he expeditiously stripped down and barreled into the water. “It’s fucking f-f-freezing!” he stammered. 

“Give it a minute, Jones. And you gotta get in deeper.”

Oh, how he wished to get in deeper. He internally rolled his eyes at his lewd mind. Walking in further, he noticed it did seem to warm up, in fact, the closer he got to Emma the more comfortable the water became. He dared not get too close, he was quite certain he wouldn’t be able to handle it. 

“Come here,” she said impatiently. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” 

Killian looked down at himself, he did have quite a bit of blood across his chest. He rubbed at the dried stains as he continued toward her. “Better?”

Emma pointed at her face and made a circular motion. “You’ve got a little something… well all over.” 

“Ah, yes, I suppose he knocked the handsome out of me.” He’d forgotten about the pummeling he’d both given and taken earlier. Cupping water in his hand, he splashed it over his face and scrubbed.

“No one’s that powerful,” she whispered.

Killian jumped when he realized Emma was but a hair's breadth away from him. He’d felt her breath as she whispered those last words. When her hand brushed the hair away from his forehead and then cupped his cheek, he couldn’t help but lean into her palm. 

As Emma wiped away the last traces of blood, Killian was lost to the depths of her bright green eyes. She didn’t look away as she worked, and he swore he could feel love simmering between them. He didn’t miss the way she glanced to his lips several times, or when her tongue lightly traced her own lower lip. That pressure deep down in his abdomen came to life, he wanted her, and not just in the carnal sense either, he wanted everything.

“You have me spellbound, Emma Swan.”

“Is that supposed to be a witch joke?”

“Not in the slightest. I am taken aback, smitten, a fan of every part of you.”

She smiled and a blush colored her pale cheeks as she looked up to him through long lashes. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

“I’ve dreamt this!” Killian exclaimed. His exuberance caused Emma to startle. “Sorry, love, I mean, this was my dream yesterday. Exactly like this.” Just as in his dream, it almost seemed like she was warning him about the kiss, or preparing him for something. Only this time, hopefully he wouldn’t be rudely awoken before getting to taste her delectable lips.

“Whaaaaa-” Emma screamed as she jumped and then unceremoniously splashed down into the water. 

Confused and just a bit alarmed, Killian dove down below the surface to see what was happening. Despite the beautiful blue of the laketop, it was quite murky below and he couldn’t see much. Breaking the surface once more, he was relieved to see Emma hightailing it to the shore. He watched as she emerged, water running in rivulets from her hair and glistening as it trailed down her back. Just as her pert backside broke the surface she snapped her fingers and was fully clothed. 

Killian growled as he made his way to the bank. “What happened?”

Emma snapped her fingers once more and Killian was dressed too. “A fish happened,” she shuddered. “I don’t know about you, but a slimy fish swimming across my backside doesn’t work for me.”

Killian laughed, he had to agree with her there. At least it was nothing serious this time. “So why are you snapping your fingers now, instead of…” he mimicked her wrist flicking.

“I don’t know,” Emma said, “I really don’t need to do either. It is more a physical manifestation showing I am doing something magical. A courtesy, if you will.” 

“So all you need to do is think it, and it will happen?”

“Prove it,” he challenged as Emma nodded nonchalantly. He should not have been surprised that challenging her skill would only end with him being naked. “Cute,” he grumbled, quickly covering himself with his hands. 

“Yes, it is.”

Killian’s eyes bugged hilariously before narrowing to mere slits. “Is that supposed to be a size joke, because I assure you, there is no truth to your statement.”

“Prove it,” she snickered.

Just as Killian lifted his hands away to let her look her fill, he found himself clothed once more. 

“Hey!” Emma whined. “You’re such a killjoy, Henry.”

Henry chirped and squawked as if to say he wanted no part of this whole situation. 

“Henry, my boy! Good looking out.”

“What is this, a boys only club now?”

“Oh, not at all, Swan,” Killian consoled. “Come, sit, let’s eat. I brought some things this morning.”

Sitting down along the bank, Killian passed her the canteen and set out the fruit and biscuits. They talked at great length about nothing in particular. It was more relaxed than either could remember being, and once more Killian found himself marveling at the unique sense of belonging together. 

“May I ask you something,” Killian asked.  

“Sure.” He noticed her hesitation, as if she was weighing the pros and cons of letting him ask her a question.

“Where are you from, how did you and Henry find each other, and how did you come to be alone?” 

A nervous sounding chuckle broke from between her lips. “That’s a lot.”

Killian scooted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her. “I guess that was more than just one thing, but I’d love to know more about your beginnings, Emma.”

“You do?”

“Yes, I want to know everything.”

“Let’s get home first,” she suggested. Something about the way she said home was so endearing to Killian, as if it was his home, too. He understood her desire to have familiarity amidst if she was going to tell him her life’s story. 

After packing up the basket they started the trek to the cabin. Emma reached out and grabbed his hook as if it were the most natural action in the world. He was still in awe of how easily she accepted his missing appendage. 

It was already late into the evening by the time they arrived. Cleaning up and changing into sleeping clothes once more, they laid down in the darkness. 

Tonight though, Killian didn’t face away from her. They lay facing each other, heads on their pillows with just the glow of the moon lighting the room softly. He stayed quiet, knowing that Emma would start when she was ready. 

“Do you want the long story or the short story?”

“I want the whole story,” Killian answered, running his hand through her hair. “I want to know everything about you, love.”

A small smile sat upon her lips as she began. “I was born in  Massachusetts in 1688 and I’m from a place called the Enchanted Forest.”

“I’ve never heard of it,” Killian interrupted.

“That’s because it isn’t part of this realm.”

Before he could interrupt her to find out what that meant, she placed a finger to his lips. He smiled against them and took the cue to shut up.

“When my mother was pregnant, a prophecy was told that I would become the most powerful witch of the realm. My mother’s stepmother was enraged, she’d been the ruler of the Enchanted Forest for centuries. She threatened my mother, telling her that she would kill her, my father, and me if she didn’t get rid of me.”

Killian’s heart clenched at the thought of a mother abandoning her child. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm, hoping to provide comfort.

“Of course she refused, and so my wicked step-grandmother ordered our deaths. My parents crossed over to this realm and fled to the town of Salem where they planned to live like commoners. Five years later we were living peacefully and safely, but…”

Killian pulled her closer when he sensed her distress. 

“I couldn’t always control my magic. It was little things, but soon, none of the other kids wanted to be around me. They were afraid of me. My mother tried to work with me on how to control it, but I was so powerful even then, and she didn’t have the means to train me. After several of the other girls went too far in mocking me, by pretending to be possessed, they accused my mother and her best friend of being witches.” Tear tracks streamed down her nose and cheek as she remembered the anguish as strongly as if it were yesterday.

“The Salem Witch trials?” Killian asked in astonishment. 

Emma nodded her head. “So many women, innocent women and a few men were wrongfully hung because of me. All because I really was afflicted. My parents had no choice but to return to the Enchanted Forest. They begged Regina, my step-grandmother for shelter. She refused, and this time she didn’t let us go. She crushed my father’s heart as a warning to my mother.”

“She killed your father?” Killian was outraged, he wanted to slay this beast who’d hurt Emma.

“No, there is a way to live without your heart in my world. If you are true love, you can share a heart. After Regina crushed his heart, my mother split her own heart in half. They live even now by sharing two halves of the same heart. 

She ordered me banished, and cursed me to walk the earth alone. She also made it so my parents couldn’t leave the realm without losing all of their memories. The night before I was to be sent away, my mother pleaded to every deity to send my power animal to guide me safely back to this realm and watch over me.” She looked over to the settee and smiled fondly at Henry. “That’s how Henry and I met, we’ve been together ever since.” 

Hearing his name, Henry sleepily stirred, and as though summoned, he flew over to the bed and nestled between them. Emma gently stroked a finger over his tiny head and he seemed to absolutely purr. 

“Have you ever been back? To try and defeat this evil witch?”

“I can’t risk it. My parents share one heart now, if anything were to happen to one of them, they would both die.”

“But the prophecy said you would be the most powerful witch. That has to count for something.”

“The prophecy also said I’d meet my true love in the form of a…”

“Of a what?” Killian asked when she didn’t continue. 

“The point is, the prophecy foretold many things and after almost three hundred years, not one of them have come true.”

“What else did the prophecy say?”

Emma pulled away from Killian’s embrace and he could detect a trace of discomfort. “What aren’t you telling me, Emma?”

Henry stirred again when he sensed the discourse. Looking to Emma, he tilted his head as if asking her a question.

“I’m not scared,” she told Henry. “But what if the prophecy was wrong?” she asked him as tears welled in her eyes. “No, no you won’t. I’ll tell him.”

Killian sat up in bed and leaned against his pillows and the wall. “You’ve nothing to fear, love. You can tell me anything. Can I tell you about my dream from this morning?” He held his arms out to her, wordlessly asking her to allow him to hold her. 

Sitting up alongside Killian, Emma scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. She nodded her head, “Tell me what you dreamed.”

“I was having a conversation with Henry. An actual conversation, he was speaking.”

Emma chuckled. “What did he sound like?”

“He had the voice of a spirited boy, and he had some pretty hopeful and positive things to tell me.”

“Like what?”

“He said some heavy things, love. Are you sure you’re ready to hear them?” He could feel the tense of her body. And he knew she knew what he was going to say, but still he waited for her answer.

“Mmhmm.”

“Henry told me we are meant for each other. He said we’ve been destined to meet since you were born. And he also says he is my power animal, too. I don’t know about you, but I believe him, I think he was communicating with me while I slept. And I think that’s why you were upset with him this morning.”

“You seem pretty sure of yourself.”

“You’re something of an open book, love.”

She looked up at him seemingly daring him to ask the question that was on the tip of his tongue. “How can two people share a power animal, Emma?”

“Why don’t you ask Henry since he seems to have all the answers?”

“Because I want you to tell me.”

“The only way for two people to share the same power animal is if they are true love.” The words fell from her lips so softly that Killian almost didn’t believe his ears. 

“True love,” he tried the words out. He’d surely felt a connection from the moment they’d met, and he didn’t consider it out of the realm of possibility that this woman could be his true love. “Do you believe it?”

“It doesn’t matter what I believe, Killian. I want to be loved because someone loves me for who I am, exactly how I am, not because of some stupid prophecy.” She hopped up from the bed and paced the room.

Killian felt bereft as soon as she left his arms. He needed to lay it all on the line. He knew he wasn’t wrong, his heart wasn’t wrong. “What if I told you I’ve felt a connection to you since the moment I opened my eyes and you were there.”

“I’d tell you it’s because I’ve been casting a dampening spell for your pain.”

“Not this morning when you stormed out of the cabin, and not today at the lake when Cassidy showed up. Henry was keeping watch over me then. And the connection I feel to you wasn’t broken for a single second, in fact, it only strengthened in those moments.”

Jumping out of bed he walked over to her and placed hand and hook on her arms. “Tell me you feel it too, Emma?”

“Part of the prophecy said that my true love would seek me out and would come to me in the form of a man who wasn’t whole.”

Killian held up his hook, waving it in her face. How could the prophecy possible get more accurate, he wondered, but she continued on. 

“I met a man some eighty or ninety years ago, he said he had no heart, he said he wasn’t a whole man. He swore an evil witch had stolen it. Graham was so gentle and sincere. I convinced myself that he was the man from the prophecy. Despite everything that happened, I still believe we shared some form of love. It just wasn’t true love.”

“What happened?”

“He was sent to kill me, by Regina. She held his heart hostage and even had some control over his actions. In the end she killed him when he didn’t fulfill her command to end my life. He died in my arms.”

“Emma, I’m so sorry.” How could she still be the beautiful soul she was after almost three hundred years of a lonely and loveless life? He understood now how she might doubt the prophecy after semantics played a part in her heart break. Still, he didn’t see the harm in trying, he was no hired gun, and he sure wasn’t missing his heart, unless you counted the fact that Emma owned it. “Why would you deny yourself the happiness I know we could share?”

“I’ve dreamed for centuries of blue eyes and a hook, that’s the real reason I chose to give you a hook. The real reason Henry called me a liar at dinner last night. What if I am projecting my hopes, what if we try and I’m wrong again?”

“I know what I feel, Emma. I know you’re it for me, prophecy or not. And if you’ll have me, I’m in this for the long haul.”

“Killian,” she whispered, “I… I feel like I’ve known you my whole life. I feel like I’ve been waiting for you my whole life. From the moment I found you passed out on my front porch I have felt a connection to you that I’ve never felt with anyone. I can’t explain it, but I’m afraid to hope for it.”

“I knew you felt it, too,” he murmured as he wrapped his hooked arm around her waist and brought a hand to her heart. 

“I do,” she admitted. “But sometimes when things are too good to be true, they aren’t true.”

“Emma, we feel the same connection, we share a power animal, I am literally missing a hand, making me technically not whole. How much closer could we be to the prophecy? What are you so afraid of?”

“The last part of the prophecy said if I find my true love, all evil would be vanquished from the Enchanted Forest.”

“Doesn’t that mean you could go home?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what it means.” Tears welled in her eyes once more. 

“What’s wrong with that?” Killian had a sinking feeling in his stomach that perhaps he wouldn’t be able to go with her. He would never make her choose between himself and her parents, but still the thought of losing her rocked him and a sadness so great overwhelmed him that his own eyes filled with tears. 

“No, it’s not that,” she told him. “You could come too.”

“Did I say that out loud?” Killian asked in confusion.

Killian’s eyes widened comically and Emma beamed at him as it dawned on both of them that they’d just communicated telepathically. 

“Wait, if I could come too, what has you so down?”

“I am so afraid to hope, Killian. So afraid. What if we aren’t true love? That would mean I met a man I love, but evil won’t be conquered in my realm. I wouldn’t be able to go home. And even worse, what if one day my true love did arrive. What would we do then?”

“You love me?” he breathed.

Emma rolled her eyes, “Of course that’s all you picked up from that entire-”

“Aye, that is all I am hearing, because the rest is horseshit. I don’t know how we prove this true love thing, but I believe, Emma, I can feel it.” He  picked her up and spun them around in a circle. “I love you, Emma Swan, with all my heart.”

“I’m going to kiss you now,” she murmured.

“Why do you keep telling me? Why don’t you just do-” His words were cut off as her supple lips collided into his, just as their two worlds had collided. A mix of soft and sweet with dangerous and arcane. Killian only took a second to catch up, opening his mouth to hers. His hand slid into her hair grasping gently at the base of her neck, and he relished the feel of her hands as one caressed his chest and the other played with his hair. 

Suddenly the air around them stilled, and it wasn’t that he couldn’t breathe, but that he didn’t need breath. Time seemed to freeze. In his mind’s eye, a flash of every memory he’d ever had, some good, most bad, flooded him. In that moment, he knew that every atrocity that had befallen him, from his mother’s early demise, his father’s treacherous betrayal and abandonment, the years of slavery, the devastating loss of his brother’s life as they fought for the Confederacy, to the loss of his hand, had all happened for a reason. He’d been set on a path by destiny itself to meet this woman, his one true love.

As soon as the thought was born, time exploded back to life as a gust of wind and light burst forth from where their lips were joined. “What was that?” Killian asked as he tightened his grip on Emma.

“That’s true love,” she gasped. “Killian! That was true love’s kiss.” She assaulted him with kisses as she laughed and cried tears of joy. 

He kissed her thoroughly before taking a moment to say, “I told you so.”

“Oh my gosh, you sound like Henry,” she laughed. 

Killian laughed heartily before planting another kiss on his true love’s lips. “When do we leave?”

“You’ll come with us?”

“What kind of question is that? Obviously, I am going with you.”

“I just wasn’t sure if you had anything here in this realm to stay for.”

“I have you, Swan. Everyone else dear to me is deceased.”

“I know,” she whispered as she stroked his cheek. “I saw everything,” she confessed, “when we were kissing, I saw all your memories.”

He knew it wasn’t pity he saw in her eyes, but perhaps understanding, because when they’d kissed, her past, also filled with experiences no one should have to endure, had been revealed to him. “That was certainly easier than having to tell every sad detail of my past,” he joked. He knew that Emma recognized the deflection with humor charade, and he loved her a little bit more for letting him get away with it. 

“You have me and Henry now. And once we get home, you’ll have more family than you’ll know what to do with.” 

Killian smiled at the idea of family. He hadn’t had one of those in a very long time. Not as long as Emma, but he was a mere mortal, his lifetime wouldn’t last nearly as long as hers. 

Yes it will, Henry pushed into Killian’s mind.

“How so?”

“Hmm?” Emma asked as she broke from the embrace and led Killian back into the bed. 

“Sorry love, I was speaking to Henry.”

“Alright mister, I see we are going to have to set some rules eventually.” He watched her pick Henry up off the bed and place him on a pillow that seemed to be just for him, on a nearby table.

Henry huffed in annoyance before conveying his train of thought to her so she could continue the discussion with Killian.

Emma laid back down in bed next to Killian so they could face each other again as she began to explain what Henry was trying to communicate. “My mother was a bit of a rebel in her younger days, she liked to sneak into the mortal world to see how the other half lived. I think she just had a stronger need for adventure than most. My father is a mortal, just like you. She met him when they were both out wandering the woods bordering our Enchanted Forest. He says it was love at first sight. She says it was punch first, ask questions later. Anyhow, my point is, my father ages the same as my mother now. A witch’s mate, if they’re true love, will inherit the same life span.” 

“So, I’m not going to age? I’m going to be this devilishly handsome for centuries?” Killian grinned salaciously and waggled his eyebrows, causing Emma to roll with laughter.

“You are so full of yourself.”

“I’ll have you know I prefer self confident. And I will still pale in comparison to your beauty,” he exalted.

“Are you trying to charm me?” Emma asked as she edged closer into Killian’s space.

“It depends, is it working?” 

“Even though I know you do not need your ego stroked even a little bit,” Emma paused to lick her lips, “I find your self confidence very attractive.”

Killian inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself, for his mind was still stuck on the word stroke. He definitely had something she could stroke, and goddammit why was his mind going there right now. Here they were, in the midst of a life altering evening, and he was having obscene thoughts. “Then in that case, yes, I am definitely trying to charm you.”

“Good,” she whispered. “I think I want you just as much as you want me, and I have since you got here.” 

He could feel her body heat radiating off her in waves, and good God was she trying to kill him? Yes, she may want him, but he was quite sure she didn’t want exactly what he wanted right at this moment. Clearing his throat gruffly and attempting to inconspicuously back his groin area away from hers, he asked again, “So when would you like to leave?”

Emma blinked several times, confusion evident on her face as she processed his change of direction. “Well that depends on a couple things. I can open a portal, which would be the quickest way, or we could travel by land or by sea. If we use a portal we can leave anytime. If we go by land or sea, we have to procure horses or passage on a ship. How quickly do you want to leave?”

“As soon as you want to, darling. You haven’t seen your parents in centuries, the sooner the better, right?” 

“I want to leave tomorrow, and I want to open a portal but…”

“But what?” he asked. He could sense concern in her tone, perhaps she was nervous after her reaction to the last time she’d opened a portal. Or maybe she was nervous about bringing him home to her parents? “Are you scared?”

“Not scared, but there is one thing we would have to do first.”

“Your heart’s desire, that’s all I want.” Killian caressed her cheek in his palm and leaned in to seal his words with a kiss.

“You can’t travel through a portal in your condition. The minute I rescind the dampening spell, you will be in pain. We can wait for you to heal on your own, which could take weeks, or I can heal you.”

“That’s easy enough, heal me, and we shall depart at your whim.”

“Okay,” she answered, almost inaudibly.

Killian couldn’t figure out why she seemed so unsure. “What is it, Emma? Are you unsure of your ability to heal me? Because I have faith in you, I have yet to see you fail.”

Emma beamed under his praise. “No, it’s not that, it’s just, well, healing is an extremely… physical process.” 

Even in the dim moonlight he could see a hint of blush upon the apple of her cheek. “Physical how, like painful?”

“Touch, I would heal you through touch. It won’t be too painful, but it might be more invasive than you want.”

“I assure you, be as invasive as you like, my body is at your disposal.” He really meant it too, even though he was also trying to make her more comfortable.

“Are you sure?” Emma asked, propping her head up on her hand. “Because a second ago I told you I want you and you completely changed the subject.” 

It was Killian’s turn to blush as he chuckled lightly. “I needed a moment to settle my… well I was slightly overstimulated and I don’t wish to offend you.”

“Offend me? When a woman tells you she wants you, isn’t stimulation a good thing?”

“I didn’t realize you were talking in those certain terms, a mere misunderstanding, I promise.” He pulled her close, so close he rested his forehead to hers. “I want you in every way, Emma.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he whispered before kissing her. Threading his hand into her hair he sought a deeper kiss, licking her lower lip and nibbling at it softly.

Her lips were pliant to his request as she opened to him and allowed his tongue to stroke hers. He felt lit up, invincible as their mouths moved together. Rolling her to her back, he slipped his hooked arm under her pillow so he wouldn’t hurt her, and placed his other hand upon her hip. Killian kissed down the column of her neck, pausing when she’d emit a particularly wanton moan, making sure to pay attention to her body’s communication. 

“Wait,” she panted. Her hands, which were buried in his thick hair, pulled his head up so he could see her flushed face. “Let me heal you first. If I have to concentrate on keeping you pain free, I won’t be able to fully enjoy you.”

“We can’t have that, Swan.” He acquiesced to her lead as she pushed against him, urging him to roll onto his back.

With a flick of her wrist, his shirt was gone. He gave her a cocky grin and asked if it was altogether necessary to be shirtless, to which she rolled her eyes. He wasn’t sure if that was a yes or a no, but it didn’t really matter either. “Focus on my touch,” she whispered.

When she straddled his stomach, Killian was almost positive it was not necessary, but he’d be a fool to question this woman’s reason for being astride him. Placing each of her hands to his temples, she rubbed delicately, and Killian couldn’t help but close his eyes. The feeling was absolutely serene, his mind felt clear, and the pressure behind his swollen eye dissipated. As her thumbs rolled over his cheeks, the sting of the gash on his right cheek dulled until it was no more. 

“You have three broken ribs,” she stated, “and no matter how powerful my magic is, it’s going to hurt when I reset them.”

“That’s okay, I can handle it.”

“I know you can,” she said with a sweet smile. She leaned down to kiss him deeply, a little roughly even, and Killian had to wonder if this whole healing process wasn’t an aphrodisiac for her, it certainly had him worked up. 

She slithered down his body, pausing when her core hovered above his fully hardened cock. Fuck, how he wished she would rub herself against him. “Emma,” he whined.

“Shhh, I’ve got you.” She fisted his hair in one hand and placed the other flat against his rib cage. When she set to work, he thought he might be split between heaven and hell. She placed her lips to his once more, then pulled at his hair and ground her hips tantalizingly against his while at the same moment she summoned the bones of his rib cage back together. 

The whimper that left his mouth was a mixture between excessive titillation and sheer agony. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to come or cry, or both. 

“That,” she said, with another yank of his hair, “was the art of distraction.”

His breathing was heavy as he struggled to gain some composure. A wicked grin cut his mouth as he realized Emma Swan was a bit of a minx, and she was definitely enjoying this healing process. “Come here,” he growled, pulling her down on top of him and kissing her breathless. “That was incredible.”

“I thought so,” she smirked with a buck of her hips. She sat up and grabbed his hook, “Last part.”

Killian gave a nod of his head. 

“What would you like?” she asked, placing a kiss to the curve of the shiny metal.

Killian furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Uhhh, I’d like to be healed so I can make love to you.”

Emma giggled and blushed as she told him she wanted that too. “But what do you want for your… appendage? I can give you something that resembles a real hand, it wouldn’t be yours though, unless you happen to have it, or know where it is?”

Killian’s face soured at the thought of reattaching his rotting hand, wherever it may be. “That is quite macabre, and I don’t have it anyhow.”

“I could leave it severed, but healed?”

“Why can’t I have the hook?”

“You can,” she said excitedly. “I wasn’t sure if you would want it.”

“I’ve grown quite attached to it, actually. And Henry…” Speaking of Henry, Killian glanced around and realized the little hellion was nowhere to be seen. Considerate little guy, he thought. “Henry has given me a most colorful moniker to go with it.” 

Emma cocked an eyebrow, as if unimpressed. “And what would that be?”

“Why, Captain Hook, of course.”

A loud laugh burst from Emma as she slapped his chest playfully “You boys are so funny.”

“I quite like the name, it’s ominous.”

“Oh yes, so ominous,” she teased. “Am I going to have to call you that in bed?”

“If the hook brings you any pleasure, you must!”

Emma covered her face with both hands and Killian knew then and there that she’d already considered the act. “You little coquette!” Killian sat up and leaned against the pillows with Emma still straddling his lap as he waited for her to regain her composure. She was absolutely adorable. 

“Are you ready,” she asked, removing his hook. When he nodded, she took Killian’s forearm in her hands and smoothed her hands over the damaged flesh. Killian watched a golden glow radiate from her palms as she massaged from his elbow down to his wrist. It wasn’t going to be pretty, but it would be healthy. 

She kissed the blunted end of his arm and cradled it to her cheek. “How does that feel?” she asked with a tilt of her head.

Killian’s eyes were a little misty at the tenderness she exuded. He rubbed his arm, squeezed up and down the healed area testing for any sign of distress. “Good as new,” he whispered hoarsely. He couldn’t help but pull her into a fierce hug. As they locked in an embrace, love and understanding flowed between them, and despite his missing hand, Killian couldn’t remember a time he’d felt more complete, and he could sense Emma was feeling the same thing. 

She acted first as their combined emotions spilled over into need. Killian didn’t hesitate when her lips assaulted his, in fact he pounced back with as much fervor, sucking her tongue between his lips and massaging it with his own. Breaking the kiss, he rucked up her nightie and pulled it over her head, thankful that she’d let him do that the old fashioned way. 

Passion filled Killian’s eyes as he looked his fill of Emma Swan. Her breasts were full and tightened at her rosy nipples. He was mesmerized as he scanned her lissome frame down to the apex of her thighs which cradled his still clothed cock. “So gorgeous,” he muttered. He ran a finger between her breasts and down her stomach to her belly button, she was so soft and warm. A shiver coursed through her and covered her skin as he continued to touch her, hand and blunted wrist familiarizing themselves with the feel of her body.   

Leaning down, Killian wrapped his left arm around her and sucked a nipple into his mouth, working her gently before switching to the other one. He jumped when he felt her hand wrap around his shaft, he’d been so caught up in acquainting himself with her breasts he hadn’t even noticed she’d magically divested him of his pants. He looked up to see Emma greedily staring as she languidly stroked his cock. 

“See something you like?”

“Mmmhmm,” she hummed, never looking away from her ministrations. 

Killian ducked his head and surged to her mouth once more, kissing her passionately. He could feel her rubbing herself against his thighs as she continued to work him. Halting her movements, he slid his hand between her thighs and he could feel her heat before even touching her. When he slid his middle finger into her, she broke the kiss to cry out his name. It was the most glorious thing he’d ever heard.

Killian’s cock twitched in her still moving hand as his digit explored her soaking core. His mind raced as he imagined what she’d feel like once he was buried inside her. He added another finger and Emma threw her head back for just a moment before focusing back. He smirked as he realized she really did like what she saw, she liked to watch, her pupils dilated as she stared at his fingers pumping in and out of her. Picking up the pace, he marveled at the way she thrust down upon his fingers, taking what she wanted, and as her soft moans became more needy he grazed his thumb over her clit once. 

“Yes,” she panted. “Do it again.”

Killian complied, making the same pass over and over. When she grabbed her breasts to tweak her nipples he almost spilled himself, his saving grace was that she’d had to release his cock to touch herself. It took her but several more pumps of his fingers before she was calling out his name like a praise. Her whole body tensed, and she squeezed his fingers so tightly his cock actually felt jealous. 

Before she’d even come down, Emma got to her knees and pulled him in for a kiss. “If your fingers are that good, I can’t wait for the real thing,” she panted between still ragged breaths. 

Killian groaned as she grabbed him once more, only this time she slid her coated folds up and down his shaft instead of her hand. It drove him mad as she whispered in his ear before sucking his lobe into her mouth. He quickly flipped them so that she was on her back, and he studied her face for any sign of hesitation. When all he saw was love and desire, he thrust into her in one fluid stroke. 

He had no words, he couldn’t even emote how she felt around him because a choice enough description was beyond his scope of thought. He didn’t want it to end, and so he stayed buried, enjoying the pulsing of her post orgasmic walls. When she squeezed his butt and gave a small thrust of her hips, he knew she needed more. Propping himself up on his blunted arm, he looked down at her as he pulled out and then slowly filled her back up. The wet slide of heated flesh against his swollen cock was unimaginable, and he struggled to keep his eyes open. He wanted to see her face though, wanted to watch her pleasure while taking his. 

Emma wrapped her legs around his back, and her hands around his neck, and he knew she wanted him close. Placing more of his weight on her, their slick bodies rubbed together as he thrust into her over and again. Killian placed his forehead to hers as he neared the edge, wanting to be connected. When her body tensed up once more, signaling her release, he let all finesse go and pumped into her erratically. As her walls began that pleasurable flutter and clamped around his cock he came harder and more blissfully than he’d thought possible.   

Killian sighed out her name while holding her close. “That was…”

“I know,” she whispered.

And he knew she did, there were no words to convey, only feelings. Unconditional love, absolute trust, bliss to name a few. They luxuriated in the peaceful embrace that seemed to permeate the entire dwelling. 

“Let me get a cloth to clean us,” Killian said; but before he could even move, Emma had them bathed and spooning under the covers. 

“Sleep,” she murmured, “we will have a long day tomorrow.”

“Are you excited?”

“I’m so excited, Killian, and nervous,” she gushed. “I can’t wait to see my parents, my home. And I can’t wait for them to meet you.”

Killian’s heart squeezed a little when he picked up on the pride in her voice as she expressed her wish for her parents to meet him. “I cannot wait either, my love.” Tightening his arm around her waist, he pulled Emma closer into the cradle of his body, and wishes of good night, and I love yous passed silently between them as they drifted off to sleep. 

乂❤乂❤乂

“Bugger off,” Killian grumbled, as an incessant knock pounded at the door. Whoever it was, was rather insistent, and it was grating on his last good nerve. He rolled over to see Emma still blissfully passed out. They had been up quite late indulging in more enjoyable activities than simply sleeping.

Answer it, Henry projected.

It’s still dark outside, mate. 

Answer it! This time Henry added a persistent chirp.

Fine! Killian projected back as he stumbled out of bed and pulled his pajama pants back on. He ignored Henry’s warning to put on more clothes as he sleepily walked to the door. 

“Bloody Hell, give it a rest,” he hollered as he reached the door and pulled it open. “What is so important that has you banging on my door before sunrise,” Killian asked crossly as he stared down the young couple.

“No!” the woman cried out. 

Killian studied the short brunette as she clutched at a small crocheted blanket. She looked between him and the blonde man standing next to her. 

“But…”

“Shhh,” the man murmured into her hair as he pulled her into his arms. “Sorry to have woken you,” he said to Killian.

Killian stood there watching the couple and his heart squeezed as he witnessed the anguish between them. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but he wasn’t sure that was proper. “Have you traveled far? Would you like to come in and rest?”

“I used the locator spell, David. How could it be wrong?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. But we will find her.” 

Dawning hit Killian the moment he heard the word spell. His heart soared a little as he realized Emma might get to see some of her family sooner than she’d even hoped. 

“Killian, come back to bed,” Emma called to him, “and you better still be naked,” she added in a sultry tone. A blush broke out from his abdomen, where his pants were still hanging low, all the way up to his ears. Dammit, why hadn’t he listened to Henry when he’d told him to put on more clothes. 

“Pardon me,” he grinned sheepishly, “just for a moment.”

The couple stared at him with puzzlement across their faces as he closed the door over. 

“Emma!” he hissed as he double-timed it over to their bed. “Emma! Get up.”

“Why,” she whined. “Come back to bed.” 

Killian jumped as she cupped his cock, doing her best to entice him back to the comfort of their bed. “Love,” he implored, “please get up, poof us dressed, and-”

“I’m sorry, but did you say, Emma?” the brunette called from the entryway. 

Killian’s head whipped around to see that the couple was now standing right inside the doorway peering in their direction. He lightly smacked Emma’s hand away from his crotch before broadcasting as loudly as he could to her that they had company. 

“Oh, shit,” Emma muttered as she pulled the blanket up to her neck. As Killian had requested a moment ago she poofed them dressed and then exited the bed. Who is it? she silently asked him.

Take a look for yourself, Swan. I think you may be able to tell me who it is.

Emma peered around his shoulder to take a better look. “Is this a dream?” she asked as her eyes welled up with tears.

“No, love,” he whispered with a smile. 

“Mom? Dad?” Emma asked hesitantly.

“Emma!” the woman exclaimed. “It did work!”

Emma pulled Killian by his hook as she ran to her parent’s embrace. He watched as the three broke into tears, the woman talking a mile a minute and the man simply cradling Emma’s head to his shoulder. 

“How did you find me? How did you even know to find me?”

“We felt it,” her mother said. “There was no doubt the moment you and your true love broke the curse. And once the curse was broken, we found you using this,” she held up the white crochet blanket, “and a simple locator spell.”

“What is that?” Emma asked, reaching out to touch the fabric.

“It was your baby blanket,” her father answered, reverently unveiling the part where her name was crocheted in a pretty purple yarn.  

  After introductions were made, the two couples sat down at the small dining table and Henry perched on Killian’s shoulder, offering a sense of unity, in light of Emma’s parents showing up. 

Snow and David explained how Regina had been stripped of all her power and the Enchanted Forest had been immediately restored to its former glory. The people were rejoicing and had already reestablished Snow and David as their Queen and King. Their intent was to take back Castle Misthaven, and the only thing left was to bring back the long absent Princess of the Enchanted Forest.

Emma in turn told her parents how she and Killian had already planned to travel to the Enchanted Forest by portal. Within the hour everyone was ready to depart. Emma packed up the shockingly sparse amount of belongings she’d acquired over the centuries, where Killian had nothing but the clothes on his back, and his mother’s and brother’s rings.

Killian looked around and wondered how different his new home would be, would this new realm be earthly? Or would he be out of his element?

“You’ll be right at home,” Emma whispered, “and I’ll be right by your side.” 

Killian leaned into her and placed a chaste kiss to her lips. I love you.

And I love you.

Which is how they wind up here, with all the furniture moved to the edges of the living room and Emma and Regina sitting in the middle of the empty floor, Emma with her eyes squeezed shut and her hands held out in front of her, concentrating harder than she ever thought possible. Though she cannot see it, a warm orange glow surrounds her hands and her forearms, fading away after her elbows.  Regina is both watching her intently and emitting her own hazy red glow from her hands, though she requires much less concentration to do so. 

“Can you feel him? Have you found him?” she asks after a few moments, intently watching her face for any movement. 

Even though her eyes are shut, Killian recognizes the look that passes over her face, even if he cannot see the widening of her eyes that almost always comes with it. 

Surprise. 

And when she nods, he notices from his seat on the other side of the room that Regina’s face twists into a similar expression. 

“Yes?” she asks, still trying to take in every detail of Emma’s face, even as she nods. “You can feel him?” 

Emma nods again, then slightly tilts her head to the side. “Yeah, I do, I — I can feel him. But he’s — shit, he’s close.”

“What does that mean?” Regina asks, but Killian is afraid that he knows the answer, assuming that the strong chill the he feels rolling down his spine is because she also feels one rolling down her own. 

Their connection has grown stronger over the past few weeks, and he’s really hoping that it’s because she he started coming to terms with what has been brewing between them. He’s noticed her smiling at him more, choosing to spend more time with him, even coming to visit some nights at the bar after her shifts at the hospital, even staying later into the night after close while he helps clean up. Recently, he has found that he doesn’t always have to be touching her to feel what she is feeling, like right now. All he has to do now is concentrate, the same way she is currently concentrating on her magic. So, while she puts all of her energy into trying to find Neal, he is focusing on trying to figure out how she is feeling, what she is feeling. And this connection between them just proves to him (though he would never tell her) that their True Love is a big deal. He can’t quite explain just how he can tell that Neal is not just in England, but actually close by. So close by that he almost moves to say something, but before he can, the silence in the room is broken by a strong knock on the door, which causes both Emma and Regina to jump, Emma losing her concentration as they all turn their attention towards the apartment door. 

After a few moments, there is another knock, this one a little louder, but still none of them move to get it. 

But someone has to, so Killian leaves them where they are on the carpet and crosses over the apartment to open it. He is pleading with the universe, begging for his feeling to be incorrect, though when he opens the door, he’s never been more upset to be correct in his whole life. 

“Uh, hi?” Neal says from the other side of the door, and even through the blood boiling within his body that begins to hum in his ears, it is not loud enough to drown out the holy shit that escapes Emma’s lips when she sees who is on the other side of the door. 

It takes Neal a moment to recognize him since their altercation at the bar was almost a month ago, but Killian can tell the exact moment it happens because the expression written all over his face changes from confusion to rage, joined by an angry “You,” spat out through gritted teeth. “What the fuck are you doing here?” 

“I live here,” he answers, as if it is the most obvious thing in the world. 

Behind him, Emma’s eyes are still wide, her breath caught in her throat but her lungs weighing close to a million pounds. 

Until she formulates a plan, pushing herself up off the floor and rushing to Killian’s side, just as Neal asks, “And what about Emma? I was told this was her apartment.” 

“Yeah, she lives here, too, she’s my—” 

Emma’s hand placed on his arm, gently pulling him back to let her stand beside him in the doorway, stops the roommate from falling from his lips. 

“Hello, Neal,” she says, her voice completely lacking enthusiasm, which doesn’t surprise Killian; however, when she adds, “I heard you’ve met Killian, my boyfriend,” he finds himself much more surprised. Killian tries his hardest to stop the surprise from showing on his face, and when she slides her hand behind his back, curling her pointer finger through one of his belt loops, he slips his around her shoulders, trying his best to play along without giving anything away. 

Yes, their connection has grown stronger over the past few weeks, but that doesn’t stop her from continuing to surprise him every once in a while. 

Emma almost laughs at the way Neal’s jaw ticks with this new information. 

“How can we help you, mate?” Killian asks, not hesitating before stepping into his new role, tightening his arm around her shoulder and realizing that he has started to play with the soft ends of her ponytail.

 “Well, I was hoping to apologize for everything I’ve done, to tell her —” he realizes that he’s still talking to Killian, so he turns his attention instead to Emma. “To tell you that I was a complete and total idiot and that, if you would still have me, I still love you and want to be with you.” It takes everything in her not to roll her eyes, but she no longer tries to stop it when he adds, “But it seems you’ve packed up and moved on, so—” 

Killian opens his mouth to speak, but Emma beats him to it: “I moved on? Neal, you moved on before we even broke up. You were cheating on me, so if you’re a little hurt about the fact that I’ve found someone that actually seems to care about me and makes me happy and who I’m already more in love with than I ever was with you, I’m definitely not sorry.” 

She doesn’t realize exactly what she’s said until she feels Killian’s body tense up at it — but at the same time, she’s not sure why it surprises her as much as it does. It’s completely obvious, the fact that Neal’s feelings towards her can’t hold a candle to Killian’s, that Killian both cares about her and loves her far more than Neal ever did — and that she loves him back. Of course she loves him back. Sure, she wishes with everything in her that she discovered it another way, that she realized it at a moment when Neal wasn’t standing by their apartment door, but she can’t even deny it anymore. 

She knows that she should turn to Killian, tell him somehow that she really meant it, wasn’t just saying things to make Neal go away, but she can’t bring herself to; so instead, she tightens her grip on his hip and thinks it — though she has no idea if it even works.   

Neal, however, isn’t nearly as thrown off by this as both of them are; he just scoffs. “God, Ems, you don’t have to be such a bitch about it.” 

Here, quite a few things happen simultaneously. The most obvious of them is that  Killian, filled with newfound rage towards the man in front of him, unwraps his arm from around Emma’s shoulder and takes a step towards him, pushing him to the other side of the threshold while he snarls “I think it’s time for you to leave, mate,” through gritted teeth. 

He also reaches out to grab the collar of Neal’s shirt in his fist, but before he can make contact, the second thing happens: Emma, with her eyes squeezed shut once more, holds both of her palms up towards Neal, emitting a soft white glow from her hands, which sends him into the wall behind him, not quite far enough to knock him off his feet, but enough to catch him off guard. It only takes him a moment to regain himself, and when he does, he is even angrier — though when he moves to step back into the place Emma pushed him from, he finds he cannot, finds that he is unable to come any closer to the apartment. 

Because of the third thing that happened, the protection spell that Regina cast over the threshold the moment Emma pushed him out of the way. Only Emma can hex him away completely, but Regina at least managed to make it so that he could not come any closer to the apartment, and will find himself unable to re-enter the building once he leaves.

“Leave.” It’s all Emma needs to say, and when she reaches down to wrap her hand around Killian’s this time, it has nothing to do with Neal. 

For the longest beat, he doesn't move, his eyes narrowing towards her. She can see the tense of his jaw, the flaring of his nostrils when he breathes out, but he doesn't move to leave, not right away. And then, without another word, he turns on his heel and stalks back down the hallway. Once the elevator doors close behind him, Emma finally steps back into the apartment and closes the door behind them, eyes wide as they find Regina, still sitting exactly where she was on the floor of the apartment.  

"Show me how you did that," she whispers, once again kneeling beside her on the floor.

Regina smiles and takes her hands. "Close your eyes."

She begins to focus on him again, easier to concentrate now that he has pissed her off more recently. She finds him almost immediately, barely out of the building.

"Have you found him again?"

She nods, trying her hardest to focus on him and not the loud, excited hum of her magic — and she definitely tries to ignore the fact that it only gets louder when Killian sits down beside her, his hand resting gently on her knee, outrightly ignoring Regina's order to stay across the room.

(Regina doesn't seem to care as much when she realizes it makes Emma's magic stronger, either.)

"Focus on him, on all the anger you have towards him, and draw a circle around yourself with that energy. Make it as big as you want, as big as you can, and once you have your circle, once you can feel your circle, release all that energy, and it will protect you."

Slowly, she sucks in a deep breath, and then does just that: releases her anger towards him out into the world, into the largest circle she can muster in her imaginary bird's-eye view of Berkshire, of England, of Europe, just as she also releases her breath.

She doesn't feel any different, she realizes, slowly opening her eyes. Both Regina and Killian are watching her intently, but she is not sure what to do, what to say. She feels exactly the same.

Okay, that's not exactly true. She can still feel the screaming surge of her magic running through her, more obvious in this moment than it has ever been. She feels like maybe she can do anything with it, a thought that still startles her a bit because of her unfamiliarity with it — but if she just did that, then maybe she really is capable of anything. 

And then, just as the surging begins to slow, begins to quiet, she feels her energy fade away, suddenly both lightheaded and exhausted, and she is thankful for Killian sitting so closely beside her, since it allows her to lean into him instead of holding herself up. 

“Am I supposed to feel this tired?” she asks, not even meaning to pair the question with the yawn that immediately follows it. 

A soft smile passes over Regina’s face, but it doesn’t stay there long, gone even before she starts to push herself up off the floor. “Yes, that’s normal until you get used to using your magic on a regular basis, especially since you really exerted yourself today. But you should be proud of yourself and the progress you made today.” 

Emma nods, not sure that she can find the strength to put what she is feeling into words, grateful for Killian as he thanks her for both of them before she leaves. 

But when she leaves behind an unsettling silence in the apartment, half-formed thoughts that Emma’s mind is too tired to put in the right order, but things that she knows Killian needs to hear. 

When she turns to him, he is already watching her, scanning her features for some sort of answer. “Killian,” she whispers, but it’s all she can say before he shakes his head at her, reaching up to tuck a piece of hair that has fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear before curling his arm around her back. 

“I know you’ll say what you need to say when you’re ready. For now, we should get you to bed.” 

“Thank you,” she manages as he pulls her up off the floor, tucking his arm around her waist so she can lean on him as he leads her into her bedroom, and she is asleep before he finishes pulling the blankets up to cover her. But even in her sleep, she feels the soft kiss he presses against her temple before he turns away, and it brings a soft smile to her face that doesn’t disappear until long after he shuts the door behind him. 

 ▫️▪️▫️▪️⭐▪️▫️▪️▫️

 It takes Emma exactly twenty-four days to get her thoughts together. She almost breaks down before that, but every time she tries to put her words together, her fear comes creeping back, slithering between her bones until it is all she can feel. 

True Love. Absolute bullshit. They have to be together — why? Because the universe decided, four hundred years ago, that she was going to be Killian Jones’ True Love. How does that even make sense? Did the universe know that she was going to exist? How? What if she had never been born? What if her life had gone differently — if her parents had wanted her, if Neal hadn’t been an absolute jackass, if she had fallen in love with someone else? Would he have remained a statue forever? Would he have had a different True Love, if Emma’s life hadn’t brought her to Berkshire? And even with everything that’s happened, what if one day he decides that what the universe wanted isn’t good enough for him — that she isn’t good enough for him? 

She’s afraid. Terribly afraid that one day, Killian will no longer want to be with her, but thus far, it hasn’t been a fear that she has been able to voice. 

But tonight — Christmas Eve, for Christ’s sake — the thought that hasn’t left her mind for two months now is proving to be the least of her worries. Because, as she looks at the clock over the stove for the millionth time since she got home an hour ago, she’s terrified for a whole different reason. 

He’s supposed to be here. He told her the night before that the bar was closing at 2, and that he would be home around three. 

But the clock now reads a quarter to six, and the only reason she hasn’t lost the (very few) contents of her stomach is because she’s taught herself to steady her breath and fight to keep it down since med school. Her heart pounds in her throat, her head, her stomach. Her calming breath is not just to stop her stomach from turning, but also in hopes of keeping her mind off the worst-case scenarios, because in her mind, he’s either dead or decided to leave and never come back. 

There has to be some sort of psychoanalytic bullshit that explains that, something about her being abandoned as a child and always needing to keep herself protected from going through that kind of hurt again. 

Mary Margaret would know. Her degree is in psychology. All Emma has ever done was write some sort of paper about the formation of the Ego, but Mary Margaret practically minored in Freud. 

That’s beside the point, though. She’s just trying to keep her mind away from the picture of Killian dead in a gutter somewhere. 

Because she’s in love with him. She wants to know that he’s safe, wants him to come… home.  

Worrying her thumbnail against her front teeth, she thinks about that, thinks about home. When was the last time she had a real home? Because it certainly wasn’t during her childhood, any of the foster homes and foster families. And it wasn’t with Neal. Could it have even been in college, in the dorms and apartments she shared with Belle, Ruby and Mary Margaret? None of those places have ever felt like a home. But this? This feels like a home. 

Killian feels like a home. 

She is pulled out of her own mind by a key in the lock of the door, and it takes all she has to stay in her seat instead of running towards him, especially once he actually comes through the door. He’s absolutely drenched, head to toe, in what she assumes is a half-melted version of the slush that has been falling from the sky all day. 

Absolutely drenched, but with a bouquet of roses clutched in his hand, smiling at her even as he shakes some of the slush out of his hair. She recognizes the silver cellophane wrapped around the bouquet as the personalized one from the stand she passes on her way home from the hospital, the one she told Killian a few weeks’ back always has the most beautiful looking flowers. 

The one that’s out of his way home from work, but that she has never seen closed, even when she worked on Thanksgiving or was walking home after midnight. 

“Hello, love,” he says, closing the door behind her. “Sorry I’m so late, Will wanted my help decorating the bar for Christmas for the party he’s holding tomorrow, I realized I should have texted you, but I forgot to charge my phone last night, and I—” 

She holds up her hands, smiling warmly at him. “Killian, really, it’s okay.” 

“I didn’t mean to cause you any fear, I just—” 

At this, she pushes herself off the chair and crosses the living room, wrapping her arms around his middle and resting her cheek against his shoulder, not even caring how wet his henley makes her cheek. 

He’s home. He’s safe. 

And — holy shit — she absolutely wants to kiss him. She wants to take the bouquet out of his hand so he can hold her and press her lips against his. 

But for all of the epiphanies she’s had recently, all of the personal conclusions she has come to, this, for some reason, is the hardest to deal with. She feels the smile fade from her face, useless against the ever-growing dread weighing down her chest.

Two seconds. That's how long she can stand to look at him for, by her count — both of which he spends smiling sweetly down at her, probably thinking about how much he loves her — before it's all too much for her.  

She takes one step back, and then another, softly mumbling, "I'm glad you're home safe," before turning away from him and walking into her bedroom without another word. 

But that doesn't stop him from coming after her, knocking softly on her bedroom door after a few moments. "Emma, love, are you alright?" 

She hates that. The term of endearment is enough, isn't it? But when he pairs of with her name, it makes the smallest shiver creep down her spine. Because he doesn't just do it when he wants something from her, or when he did something he regrets — like Neal. The only time Neal ever called her anything other than her name was when he did something wrong. 

But Killian? Killian calls her 'love' on a regular basis. Okay, sure, he calls everyone love, it's just part of the way he talks. But for as long as she's known him (which really isn't that long, all things considered, but she still thinks she has a pretty good handle on the type of person he is), she is the only person that he has referred to with both their name and the endearment, and sometimes at the oddest times: trying to get her attention, looking for the remote, wondering what she wants for dinner. 

When she's upset. 

It never fails to bring a smile to her face, even now, as she stands on the other side of her bedroom door having a crisis. 

Maybe she doesn’t hate it. Maybe she loves it. Maybe she loves him —  and yet, every time she thinks about voicing her feelings, feelings that she knows he will reciprocate, that same fear comes creeping up her entire soul, the fear that one day, Killian will leave her just like everyone else has. 

It’s not until he does it again — “Emma, love, please talk to me” — that she is pulled back to the reality of her situation, of Killian on the other side of the door, of the tears streaming down her cheeks without her permission. 

She’s an idiot. A god damn fucking idiot. It’s Christmas Eve, for Christ’s sake, and she’s locked herself in her room. 

This isn’t the first time. She remembers the first Christmas she “celebrated” with her first foster family that kept her for more than a few weeks, the Millers, which was possibly one of the worst times of her life. But she promised herself that night that she would never put as much faith in anyone as she did in the Millers. And that she would never get that upset over trivial things — because you can’t be let down if your expectations are already incredibly low. 

She lived with that mindset for years. She even still sometimes reminded herself of it when she was with Neal — because when it came to low expectations, Neal was the lowest. 

But Killian? Killian went beyond even the expectations she dreamed of having, and even through everything he has done to prove himself worthy of her trust, there was always that nagging feeling in the back of her mind that he would just be another person to let her down. 

“Emma, I can tell you’re upset about something, and I may not be able to make you talk to me, but I can stay right here until you decide you’re ready.” She hears him move on the other side of the door: the shuffling of his feet against the carpet, the soft shushing of his shirt against the door as she assumes he slowly drops to the ground, and the dull thud of his head falling back against the surface behind him. 

Not for the first time, she’s amazed by just incredible he is. How sweet he is. She doesn’t believe that anyone can be perfect, but he certainly has the fewest flaws of anyone she has ever met — and her best friend since high school is practically an angel walking on earth. Most of the flaws he does have come from being cursed and turned into a statue for four hundred years, though, so she can’t really be mad at him for them. 

None of this helps the fact that she has no idea what to say to him. 

So they sit in silence for a while, almost calmed by the presence of the other. For every good part of their relationship that she can think of, there is also a bone-chilling fear that comes to her mind right behind it, knocking her back and forth in her own mind until she is sure that she is falling to her death. 

And then her phone rings, and it’s Mary Margaret. 

“Fuck,” she whispers, and she can practically feel the way Killian’s whole body pricks up at the sound of her voice. She can’t not answer it — it is Christmas Eve, Mary Margaret’s favorite day of the year, plus she’s due at the beginning of February, so there is the slightest chance it’s not just her best friend calling to see how her holiday is going. “Hey, Margs,” she says, trying to put some semblance of happiness into her voice, though it all seems to have been drained out of her. She figures the least she can do is share the conversation with the man sitting on the other side of her door, so she puts it on speakerphone. 

“Merry Christmas, Emma!” she yells, and Killian smiles. If anyone can help Emma through the crisis she is currently drowning in, it has to be Mary Margaret. “You’re off work, right? You said you should be home by 4 at the latest, and that was a few hours ago, right? You’re 5 hours ahead of us, and it’s 1 here, so you’re—” 

Emma stops her before the time change math makes her head explode. “Yeah, you’re right, I’m home.” 

“Okay, great! Great! So what are you doing for Christmas? Are you and Killian celebrating anywhere? I’m so glad you’re able to be home and not at the hospital tonight.” The rushed speed of her words isn’t completely abnormal, but there is something about it paired with the chipper tone in her voice that worries Emma. 

“Yeah, it’s great, you know how much I love Christmas,” she says dryly, but before Mary Margaret can respond on the other end of the line, Emma changes the subject: “Is everything alright there, Margs? You seem a little more spastic than normal.” 

She can hear the breath sucked in on the other end of the line. “No, no, I’m fine, it’s just—” she groans, a sound that makes Emma believe that it’s not all fine. “Just some Braxton-Hicks, you know? They’re just a little stronger than last time, and David suggested I do something to get my mind off of them while he gets ready to go to his mom’s tonight, so I — ugh, shoot — I called you a little earlier than I expected to just to see how things were going and if there was any new news that you wanted to divulge to your best friend.” 

“Nothing that I haven’t told you already,” she says, trying to hold back the roll of her eyes. It doesn’t work very well. She’s going to leave it at that, but she has another idea, instead: she knows she’s talking to Mary Margaret, and that nothing she can say will be news to her oldest friend, and even though she might not be able to say everything she wants to Killian, she can say it to Mary Margaret. Killian listening to her through the door is just a bonus. 

“So nothing new, then?” 

Slowly, she breathes in through her nose and holds it for a few moments before releasing it. “Come on, you know how it is for me. I mean, I know how I feel, this whole True Love bullshit be damned, because there’s no way to deny the connection between us, but, like, it’s all almost a little too much. Everyone else in my life has decided that I’m not enough, that I’m not worth the effort of keeping around. You’re the exception, of course, but what if — I mean, I know that I want him to be an exception, but what if he’s not? What if we enter into this relationship and I think things are going really well until one day he decides that I’m not enough? That he doesn’t love me enough?” 

On the other side of the door, Killian is fairly sure he feels his heart stop beating. Is that really what she thinks? After everything that he has done for her, is that really what she thinks he’s going to do? He knows it has practically nothing to do with him, that she’s been let down and hurt in the past, but he still doesn’t understand how she thinks he could do that. 

But it’s not about him. It’s about her, about her fears and the hope that she will one day be able to overcome them. 

He doesn’t see through the fact that she is saying all of this when she knows that he can hear her. She may not be saying this to his face, but it’s basically the next best thing. 

“Have you tried telling him this? I know you think he’s going to hurt you, but what if he doesn’t?” 

At this, Killian smiles, but he hears Emma’s head fall back against the door. 

A few moments of silence pass between them all, and Mary Margaret is the one to break it. “It’s Christmas, Emma. Have a little faith. True Love is a big deal, nothing to shy away from.” 

“I’d put more faith in Tinkerbell than I ever would in Christmas, you should know that.” 

“Not every family is the Millers, and I can assure you that Killian is nothing like Neal. If you’re going to put your faith in anything, put your faith in him."

At this, Emma finally smiles. She feels much better, perhaps even enough to open the door to Killian and her relationship, both physically and literally. 

Mary Margaret groans, the first one in a while, and she suddenly remembers the reason her friend called her in the first place. “How are you feeling, Margs?” 

The laugh on the other end of the line is incredibly pained, but there is nothing she can do about it. “A little bit better, I guess.” 

“Honey, are you almost ready?” she hears David call from another room. 

“It’s time to go, Em. Think about what I said, alright? You deserve to be happy, and I think Killian wants to be the one to make you happy.” 

Emma hears Killian let out a soft chuckle on the other side of the door, because they both know that she’s right. 

“Merry Christmas,” Emma says, and when she releases her breath, she actually feels as if a weight was lifted from her shoulders. 

“Merry Christmas. Talk to you soon, okay?” 

“Yeah, of course. Bye.” 

When she hangs up the phone, she is overwhelmed by the silence that surrounds her, picking out every little noise that the apartment makes: the creaking of the walls, the wind against the windows, every movement Killian makes against the door. 

He’s still not sure what to say. If he should even say anything. Emma just revealed all of that, not quite to him, but she didn’t hide it from him, either. 

When she does start speaking, her voice is so soft that he almost cannot hear it through the door, and it almost startles him, but definitely confuses him, because it seems to make no sense. 

“When I was eight years old, I was adopted by Tim and Mary Miller, who had two biological children of their own, a three and a five year old. They adopted me in January, and another boy, a seven-year-old named Matthew, in April. Even before Matt joined us, they were the family that I stayed with the longest, for more than just a few weeks, and the year I spent with them was the longest I spent anywhere until I aged out of the system, the only family I celebrated a birthday with. I was really happy with them, even though they paid a lot more attention to their biological kids than they did to me and Matt. 

“And as the oldest, I was expected not just to receive presents, but also to wrap the presents for the other three children. Every other Christmas I celebrated was at the group home, so I’d never really had a family, and I definitely never gotten more than the two or three presents that the group home could afford for each of us, but I had always heard stories of parents who spoil their children on Christmas. By the time I had spent a few months with the Millers, I thought that maybe I finally found a home, a family that loved me enough to buy me presents for Christmas. 

“But when I snuck into the basement to start wrapping the presents without my other siblings knowing, I found two large boxes filled with presents for the two youngest — the biological children — and two presents each for me Matt. It took everything in me not to cry that night, and I distracted myself with wrapping, but the upset manifested itself on Christmas Eve, when other family members showed up with presents — for the two youngest children, but not for me and Matt. I spent the rest of the night in my room crying, and was back in the group home by New Year’s Eve.” 

Somehow, he can tell that this is not the end of what she wants to say to him. 

“I’d been hurt before, sent back to the group homes before, but for some reason, this hurt more than any of them. Getting sent back became something I got used to, but I think getting let down by the Millers hurt so much because I’d put my faith in them. So I told myself that I would never put that much faith in someone ever again, a promise that I kept until I found Neal, until I thought I found something different with him, and then — well, you saw where that got me.” 

“Emma,” he starts, but she still cuts him off. 

“Wait, please, I’m almost done.” 

He snaps his mouth shut. 

“I’m so afraid, Killian. I’m so afraid of so many things, but more than anything else, I’m afraid that someday, you’re going to wake up in the middle of the happy little life we can build together and realize that maybe you don’t love me as much as you thought you did, that maybe I’m no longer worth the effort you have to put into being with me, and you’ll just walk out the door, leave me behind for something better.” 

She stops again, and he’s pretty sure that this is his chance to speak what he’s been wanting to for weeks — but at the same time, he doesn’t want to speak over her again. When she remains silent for a few more moments, he practically whispers, “Can I say something now?” 

He can tell by the way she laughs that she is crying, but she’s done with what she was trying to say. “Yeah, sure, go ahead.” 

“I love you, Emma. Even if the universe didn’t bring us together as True Loves, I would love you. I knew that we were meant to be together from that very first breath I took, but I have spent every day since then learning about you, learning who you are, the type of person you are, and it’s only made me more sure that you are the only person I would ever be able to love as much as I love you. You’re the reason I’m here, and I owe everything to you, literally owe you my life. I can never feel the same way about another than I do about you.” 

This time, when she feels the tears rolling down her cheek, they’re no longer because of the sadness that she has felt deep in her bones since that terrible Christmas. Instead, flowing through her, unhindered by fear or pain or dread, is hope. 

Is love. 

She stands up, much more awkwardly and making much more noise than she expected, and when she pulls open the door, Killian almost loses his balance from where he is still sitting when she pulls the door open. How didn’t he hear her get up? 

“Sorry,” she mumbles, reaching down to help him back to his feet, but for as embarrassed as she feels, he just smiles at her. 

“No worries, darling, I’m just glad you’ve come out from hiding.” 

She has not let go of his hand, but has also not yet raised her eyes to meet his. She just bared her whole heart, her whole soul, to him, and she knows that as soon as she locks eyes with him, she is going to get lost in the vast oceans that she finds within them, and that he will continue to be the most understanding person she has ever met. She’s still not quite sure how to feel about that.

“Did you — did you mean all that?” she asks, even though she already knows the answer. 

He lets go of her hand, and for the briefest moment, she expects him to take it all back, to admit that this whole thing was fake —  to do just as everyone else has done, and she feels her heart begin to rise into her throat, the beginnings of her stomach turning. 

But instead, she feels the soft touch of his index finger under her chin, gently pulling her head up and forcing her eyes to meet his. 

Just as she expected, they have never been bluer, back to their regular brightness, and she feels herself beginning to get lost in them for just a moment until he speaks. 

“Of course I meant it all, Emma. I love you, you have to know that’s true by now.” 

She tries to nod, a slightly awkward movement with his finger still tucked under her chin, and she wipes the tears out of her eyes with the palms of her hands. 

“I do. I — I’ve known for a while, and I just…” She pulls her bottom lip up between her teeth, worrying it for a moment. Killian’s eyes never leave her face. “It’s nothing now, and I’m sorry it took me so long to see that.” 

He presses his lips against her forehead. He’s warm and soft and he loves her. “No apologies, love. I promised you that I would wait as long as I needed to for you to reciprocate how I knew I felt from the first moment I saw you, so I’m just happy that I don’t have to wait anymore.” 

Emma surprises herself. She smiles. She sets her hand against his cheek, feeling the soft yet prickly stubble that he has started to leave there. And then she kisses him. 

He seems just as surprised by it as she is, though at least one of them probably should have seen it coming. It’s soft, at first, as soft as his lips were against her forehead, until it quickly becomes more, weeks’ worth of passion and emotion no longer bottled up, but rising to the surface all at once. Lips, tongue, teeth, and hands all coming together as they learn the smallest details about the other. 

It almost surprises her how much she enjoys kissing Killian Jones. Almost. But what does surprise her is how kissing him — that giving in to what the universe has built between them — makes her feel. And not in the way that her heart pounds in her chest, how his hand pressed against her cheek sends shockwaves against her skin. No, what gets her attention is the way her magic screams within her when his lips meet hers, the way she feels it not only in every inch of her body, but even beyond that, how she somehow feels it spread out from inside her and throughout the room. 

Because she loves him. It may have taken her this long to realize it, but there’s no going back on it now, no way she would ever want to. Because, more than anything else, her magic reacts to him, to his hand in her hair and his arm wrapped around her waist and his tongue as it presses deeper into her mouth. She feels like she’s floating, lighter than she has ever been — and then he lifts her up, her legs wrapping around his waist, and she really is floating. 

Because she’s happy — they’re happy. Happy, together, and in love. And that’s all that matters. 

▫️▪️▫️▪️⭐▪️▫️▪️▫️ ▫️▪️▫️▪️⭐▪️▫️▪️▫️ ▫️▪️▫️▪️⭐▪️▫️▪️▫️

Here is a link to the entire collection of fics on ao3.

@welllpthisishappening opened us up this year with her first fic for the event, All the Subliminal Things. Rated T with four chapters. COMPLETE. Artwork by @resident-of-storybrooke.

Emma Swan does not believe in soulmates.

Or so she says. Because if her soulmate did, actually, exist, he should have shown up by now. So, she must be a fluke, a broken cog in a system that really doesn't make much sense anyway. It is, she figures, why she agrees to meet David's friend before Regina and Robin's wedding. This guy doesn't believe in soulmates either.

She's intrigued.

Until she hears him talk. And everything flips after that.

At the end of June, Laura posted All Was Golden In the Sky. Rated M and we have five chapters left. Artwork by @resident-of-storybrooke, extra artwork by @distant-rose and @optomisticgirl can be found on Laura’s chapter blog posts.

Magic is dying.

Emma knows it. She can feel it, the emptiness rattling around in her, like it’s trying to make sure she disappears as well. What she doesn’t know is what to do about it, because, suddenly, there is a man in Storybrooke claiming she’s the Savior and a seeress certain a prophecy promises the same and the last thing she expects is for her minimal amount of lingering power to pull her away.

To New York City.

And another oddly familiar man with blue eyes and a smile that sinks under her skin and makes magic bloom in the air around her. Things are about to get interesting.

@darkcolinodonorgasm posted One Day, a LadyHawke AU with artwork by @sherlockianwhovian. Rated T and we are two chapters in. 

By day, Emma is the beautiful swan gliding over the waters of Misthaven's pond, but when night falls, the voice of the wolf the people living in the little town hear is Killian's cry. The curse was meant to be forever, to keep them always together yet eternally apart. No force in Heaven would be able to break such spell, nor any force on Earth. Or so Emma and Killian thought.

Towards the end of June Sara posted Hidden Paths Between the Moon and Sun, the sequel to her Hades and Persephone AU, Until the Stars Are All Alight. Artwork by @sherlockianwhovian. Rated M with one of six chapters so far.

The King of the Underworld has never taken a vacation before, not a proper one and not one that lasted more than a few months. Now that his firstborn is capable enough to take the throne ad interim, Killian can finally show his beloved Queen the world, giving her the honeymoon they never had the chance to have. But the King’s plan doesn’t stop quite there.

@allons-y-to-hogwarts-713 posted original art Killian Falls for Siren Emma

Come all you pretty fair maids, whoever you may be

Who love a jolly sailor bold that ploughs the raging sea,

My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold, There is nothing can console me but my jolly sailor bold.

and Paranormal Photographers/Reporters.

When you hear the knell of a requiem bell Weird glows gleam where spirits dwell Restless bones etherealize Rise as spooks of every size

@donteattheappleshook posted Just Human Vol2, the sequel to her submission last year, Just, Human. Artwork by 1 2 by @djlbg. Rated M with five chapters. COMPLETE.

A continuation of last years CSSNS story Just Human. Now that Killian is a ghost and Mary Margaret knows everything, what does life have in store for a group of supernatural misfits? With the threat of Gold gone, Emma learns that sometimes just being human is the most complicated challenge of all.

@thislassishooked posted Wake Me Up Inside. Rated M with three chapters so far. Artwork by @tennant-the-tigger.

Killian Jones has lived longer than any man has a right to live. Most would argue that what he was doing was not living, but merely existing. The day he lost the love of his life was the day he lost the will to live, but instead of ending his life he inadvertently became the strongest being on earth and unfortunately indestructible. His mortal enemy followed him into immortality and craves the power only Killian possesses. With his brother by his side and the help of a quirky, blonde hematologist, who makes him question whether he is ready for death after all, he will fight against evil, but more importantly, for the cure.

@let-it-raines posted Not Your (Soul)Mate. Rated M with sixteen chapters. COMPLETE. Artwork 1 2 3 4 5 6 by @captainsjedi. 

Killian Jones doesn’t like the idea of soulmates. He sees how happy his friends are with theirs, but he still doesn’t like the idea, not when he’s found love and lost it time and time again only to still not know his sign. He has no markings on his skin, no voices in his head, but then one day he meets Emma Swan and everything changes. Because, well, he may not have ink on his skin to tell him who to love, but the very first time that he hears Emma’s voice he knows that she’s the one for him. Then again, that could simply be his desire talking. After all, for every word she speaks, he becomes aroused.

It’s not the worst thing in the world to be incredibly attracted to a beautiful woman, but things aren’t that simple when she doesn’t have any interest in being his soulmate.

He’s screwed. And not in the good way.

@shireness-says posted A Drowning Soul Will Clutch at Any Straw. Rated T one shot. Artwork by @hollyethecurious.

Though this is far from Killian Jones' first encounter with a mermaid, he's never met any quite like this blonde siren. Together, can they break a cruel curse?

@snowbellewells posted her first fic for the event, Face to Face in the Broad Daylight, her sequel to last years Run to Me (In the Dead of Night) in early July. Rated T with five chapters so far. Artwork by @branlovestowrite.

Here we have a sequel to my werewolf, alternate season two and beyond fic from last year’s CSSNS. You probably want to read that story "Run to Me (in the Dead of Night)" first, or it might be a bit confusing in places. This second story in the same universe partially exists just because I wanted to revisit these couples and enjoy a bit more of their fluffy happily ever afters. However, we may also see them get into some new surprises and challenges, and of course we need to see if Rumplestiltskin is still under control or back to his usual scheming and plotting. I hope you will enjoy. 

Marta also posted at the end of July A Story Told at Last. Rated T with three chapters. COMPLETE. Artwork by @branlovestowrite.

Historical Literature Professor Henry Mills has the chance of a lifetime before him. He might finally uncover the truth of a folktale that has intrigued him for years. But, when the whole story comes to light, will he be able to accept the story that needs to be told?

@thejollyroger-writer posted her first fic of three for the event, Love After Death: The Afterlife Hotel. Rated T one shot with artwork by @captainsjedi. 

Emma Swan has spent sixty years in the afterlife believing she was never going to meet her real soulmate, after believing in the wrong name tattooed on her wrist. But when she keeps seeing the same new guest of the Afterlife Hotel around, might she be able to learn how to love again?

Megan’s second fic for the event was What Happened in Berkshire. Rated G with two of three chapters posted. Artwork by @captainsjedi.

When Emma’s boyfriend leaves her for the woman he’s been cheating with, she accepts an offer from her hospital to move to England. While she is out celebrating her thirtieth birthday with her friends before they head back to America, she drunkenly kisses the statue of Captain Hook in front of Eton College, and he comes to life. Together, he and Emma try to figure out what this curse means for them by searching for the witch that cursed him in the first place — are they really True Love, as he wants to believe they are, or did Emma’s magic go awry?

Megan’s third fic for the event was Falling Paws Over Heels. Rated T one shot. Artwork by @captainsjedi.

Captain Killian Jones -- the notorious Captain Hook -- has heard all kinds of stories during his travels around all of the realms. But the story that has always interested him the most is that of the enchanting sorceress of Storybrooke, a small town in the Enchanted Forest's Misthaven, the sorceress who takes men to her bed, but will only give her heart to the man who befriends her cat. Will Killian be the one who finally has what it takes?

@gingerchangeling posted Luck of the Irish. Rated M with one chapter of seven so far. Artwork by @resident-of-storybrooke.

Emma needs parent volunteer hours. So she offers to chaperon Henry's upcoming field trip to the museum. Its just a pack of prepubescent angst ridden children, an exhibit about dead people, and a rock used in blood sacrifices with a curse carved into it. What's the worst that could happen?

@jarienn972 posted A Simple Spell. Rated T with six chapters so far. Artwork by @cocohook38. 

This story is my entry into the 2019 Captain Swan Supernatural Summer event and is my first venture into AU territory. Storybrooke remains our setting but I've switched up some of the characters and familial relations to better suit this tale of prodigal witch Emma who returns to her birthplace to learn lots of secrets about herself and cast a spell that could change everything.

@profdanglaisstuff posted The Very Witching Time. Rated M with six chapters. COMPLETE. Artwork by @gingerchangeling. Extra artwork by @mariakov81 can be found on Saira’s chapter posts on her blog.

Emma Swan is a hereditary witch, last in a long line of wise women who for centuries have guarded the coast of Maine and the small village of Storybrooke with their homemade cures and their ancient magic. She holds the delicate balance between magic and mundane, but now that balance is threatened by a new foe, one capable of bringing an end to everything Emma is and everything she loves. To defeat it she will need all her power, help from her friends and neighbours, and the loyalty of a very unusual dog who answers to the name of Killian.

@searchingwardrobes gave us the first of two fics for the event, An Education in Southern Gothic. Rated T with two chapters. COMPLETE. Artwork by @hollyethecurious.

Fact: there’s a graveyard between the football field and the science building. Debatable: a ghost haunts the halls of Misthaven Hills High. Emma Swan is about to get an education. Killian Jones is about to get a whole lot more.

Melanie’s second fic was titled Until the Day Breaks and the Shadows Flee. Rated M with eight chapters. COMPLETE. Artwork by @hollyethecurious.

Every night, she traces the contours of his body as Killian whispers words of love against her skin. But can Princess Emma ever be fully happy with a husband who only comes to her in utter darkness? A Captain Swan AU of the Roman myth of Cupid and Psyche.

@spartanguard posted Sick of Love. Rated M with three chapters. COMPLETE. Artwork by @sherlockianwhovian.

If Emma’s not careful, she just might bump into her soulmate. Physically. And while she might like the idea of what comes with that—an almost psychic connection whenever they make skin contact—she’d rather not deal with the awful withdrawal sickness that can come when they inevitably leave her; she’s got a son, so she doesn’t have time for that. So she keeps herself covered and thinks she’ll be okay. Until she meets Killian, who does the same thing. Will their barriers protect them, or just hurt them more?

@snidgetsafan posted Whom the Gods Love Die Young. Rated G (for the moment) with one chapter so far. Artwork by @tennant-the-tigger.

The bride bit into the shiny red apple as everyone cheered around her, the wedding ceremony ending with this ritual gesture. The clapping and hurrahs soon turned to screams of horror as Snow dropped the apple, choking and clutching her throat as she fell in her groom’s arms, a last I love you leaving her lips before she died, David’s screams the loudest of all.

David and Emma travel to the Underworld to claim back Snow after her untimely death. In order to do so, they're going to have to face the dark and mysterious God of the Underworld and complete his challenges.

Seems simple enough until you add magic, divine quarrels, and the worst thing of all: feelings.

@eastwesthomeisbest posted original artwork, The Love of the Samodiva Pts1 and 2.

In Bulgarian folklore Samodiva is an ethereal female wood nymph. She is unearthly beautiful and eternally young. Her hair is blond and long, her waist is thin and petite, her eyes can bewitch and dazzle or even kill. Any man who lays eyes on her instantly falls in love. Samodivas’ attire consists of long white gowns and shirts and a rainbow-coloured or green belt. They have a white mantel, also called a shadow, in which their power lies. They like to ride deer, using twisted snakes for reins and often carry with them bows and arrows.

If a huntsman accidentally kills a samodiva’s deer, she will make him blind or give him a disease which will inevitably lead to his death.

The wood nymphs live in dark forests, in big old trees, caves or forgotten huts which are near water sources, wells or rivers.

Samodivas can be spotted from spring to autumn. In winter they live in the mythical village Zmeykovo, which is located at the edge of the world and is a home to many mythical creatures. When they are on earth they are active at night and disappear immediately when the sun comes out, because they fear it.

At twilight, the samodivas go to fresh water sources, strip naked, wash themselves and their clothes which they lay out to dry in the moonlight. They keep a watchful eye on their drying clothes, because if a man steals their mantle, where their power lies, they turn into normal women and have to obey the man. After washing themselves and their clothes, the samodivas gather around and start singing and dancing. It is known that the samodiva’s songs are the most beautiful and their dances are the most graceful. If a late traveller sees the samodivas’ dance, he is enticed to join them and dances with them from midnight to dawn. When the sun’s rays appear, the nymphs disappear in haste and leave the traveller to die from exhaustion. The samodivas love music and often kidnap shepherds, so that they can play kaval (shepherd’s pipe) for them while they dance.

Samodivas are not always harmful. Sometimes they appear like normal working women and help with the harvest. They would especially help women with children. If a man does something good for a samodiva, she becomes his patron or a sworn sister. Sometimes, a samodiva can fall in love with a human and bear him children, who grow up to be great heroes.

Samodivas are forest creatures and therefore knowledgeable about herbs and cures. However, they never share their secrets willingly. The only way to obtain their knowledge is to eavesdrop on one of their gatherings.

@courtorderedcake posted two fics for this years event. Hallow rated E with eight chapters so far with accompanying artwork 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11.

"The Goblin King was prepared to host the Darkness, stealing Fae women away to their corrupted lands underneath the ground as concubines. The Darkness chose another in his stead, but not before this selected vessel enacted a devastating attack in its vengeance, revealing its hatred & rage. The battle was a lesson the old kings had forgotten; never underestimate an opponent. Many more lives were lost as they razed over any who dared defy The Goblin King's will. Only the pure love of our rulers united in matrimony, breaking the Vorpal Dagger, sealed the darkness and the Goblin menace away. The light flourished under their fair rule, and the queen bore a child as pure as moon beams, swan feathers, and starlight. They lived happily ever after, and shall be written in history as Heroes for All Time."

This is the history Princess Emma memorizes from the day she is born, paraded about and presented only with the highest protection. The palace is a cage she wishes to escape, desperately. Not careful what wishes she made, Emma discovers history is written by the victors - The Dark One has an entirely different version of the events that took place.

Roses, rated E with two of four chapters so far. Artwork by @eastwesthomeisbest.

A CS retelling of Tam Lin, the classic fairytale. Liberties taken. Magic and Fae BS in play.

@pirateherokillian posted Wanderer Redeemed. Rated T with just the prologue so far. Artwork coming soon from @tennant-the-tigger.

Emma, Goddess of Hope and Happy endings, finds herself in need and her only real chance of ever getting what she desires comes in the form of Killian Jones, a shunned outcast of their kind. A Modern-Day Gods Captain Swan AU written for CSSNS.

@ilovemesomekillianjones posted The Soldier, the Witch, and the Dragon. Rated M one shot with artwork 1 2 by @spartanguard.

When soldier Killian Jones shows up on witch Emma Swan's doorstep, two worlds will collide. He will learn of worlds and wonders he never imagined possible and she will learn that true love might just be in the cards for her. Witches, Dragons and Magic, Oh My! A CS story for the 2019 Captain Swan Supernatural Summer event.

@whimsicallyenchantedrose posted Until the Stars Are All Alight. Rated T with two chapters of twenty so far. Artwork by @clockadile.

CS LOTR au: When Emma Swan steals a yellow Volkswagen Beetle, she has no idea it will lead her toward an adventure filled with danger and intrigue, sacrifice and a love stronger than anything she could imagine. Tasked with bringing the Savior home, the elf, Killian Jones of Misthaven travels to the Land Without Magic. Can he convince Emma to fulfill her destiny before the Dark One regains power and takes over all of the Enchanted Forest?

And last but certainly not least, @teamhook posted Rionnag Dorcha Gorm (Dark Blue Star). Unrated with two chapters so far. Artwork by @hollyethecurious

It is said that evil is not born but made. This is how an act of kindness is twisted into a story about revenge. Emma and Killian are childhood friends until a tragedy separates them will another reunite them.

Snow let her tears go then, clasping her daughter in a desperate embrace. David enveloped both his girls, his hand coming up to cup the back of his daughter’s head. It seemed only yesterday he was rocking her to sleep after a midnight feeding. He kissed the top of her forehead before releasing her with a trembling smile, his eyes awash with tears.

Emma clasped the pure white fabric of her gown in both fists. “You know what the oracle said. You must leave me here alone.”

Snow practically collapsed in her husband’s arms as he led her away. Emma watched both royal carriages rumble back down the hill, her courage fleeing with them. Once they were out of sight completely, she fell in a heap upon the ground. She was surprised, however, when tears didn’t come. She supposed she’d had time to accept her fate.

The mist turned to a thick fog, and she wondered if she would die quickly before seeing the monster approach. She closed her eyes and awaited her “groom.” A virginal sacrifice to sate the hunger of a beast and save a kingdom. It was an old story, wasn’t it?

***************************************************

Emma had imagined many gruesome scenarios since she learned that she was destined to be the “bride” of a hideous creature. Yet in none of those tableaus had she imagined that she would get bored waiting for the damn thing to show up. Yet here she was, going out of her mind wondering how much time had passed. She curled up on the ground, using the long train of her dress as a makeshift pillow. She didn’t expect to sleep, but suddenly she was jolted awake by the hot sun on her face.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes, amazed to see the green hill, dotted with the most beautiful roses she had ever seen, and the sky bright and blue above her. The fog was rolling away, revealing such amazing beauty as it went. Then the fog revealed something even more unbelievable, and Emma’s jaw dropped.

Right before her was a huge, glittering castle. It was of white stone, with angels on every buttress and turret instead of gargoyles. Every bit of filigree and trim around its windows and doors was done in gold. Emma scrambled to her feet, in complete awe. As if the castle itself knew she was awake, its gates swung open. Emma hesitated for a moment, part of her wondering if she were still sleeping, and another part worrying that it was a trick, but a tug in her core seemed to pull her towards the castle.

She went through the open gates, marveling further at the beauty that surrounded her. A path of white marble cut through a garden filled with flowers of every hue. They seemed more vibrant than any Emma had ever seen, and butterflies and hummingbirds flitted around them by the dozens.

Just like the gates, the doors of the castle swung open of their own accord. Emma made her way up steps also of pure white marble. The marble extended into the foyer of the castle, yet as the door gently closed behind her, the feeling enveloping her was one of warmth. Despite the cool stone beneath her feet, the wooden banister of the spiral staircase was a comforting mahogany, and the plush furnishings made her long to curl up and take a nap.

“Hello?” she called out tentatively.

In response, Emma heard giggling and childlike chatter.

“You were supposed to greet her at the door!”

“Well, you were supposed to be watching from the second floor balcony.”

“Hush, both of you, you’ll scare her!”

At first, Emma couldn’t figure out where the voices were coming from. Then she noticed glittering balls of colored light bouncing and floating all around her. If the accompanying voices hadn’t sounded so delightful, she might have been frightened.

The orbs began to grow and lengthen, and Emma could make out three distinct colors: green, purple, and red. Then she was able to see wings, then the tiny creatures attached to them.

“Fairies!” Emma exclaimed with a smile.

The orbs faded, and then three young women were delicately landing upon the marble floor in front of her. The first had blonde hair like Emma’s, pulled into a loose bun on the top of her head. Her dress looked as if it were made of green leaves.

“I’m Tinkerbell,” she said with a curtsy, “and I take care of the flowers in the garden and will also be your cook.”

The second fairy had long dark hair plaited in two braids, an olive colored complexion, and large brown eyes. Her dress was made of soft deerskin dyed with indigo and decorated with intricate beading.

“I’m Tiger Lily, and we all take care of the flowers, Tink.”

Emma bit her lip to keep from laughing at the dark haired fairy’s obvious irritation with the blonde.

The red-head giggled fondly at her fellow fairies, then addressed Emma. “I am Ariel, and I am to be your chambermaid.” Then she gasped and lowered into a deep curtsy. “I mean, your majesty.”

Emma’s mouth dropped open in surprise as the other two fairies curtsied as well. “I, I don’t understand -”

“We are here to wait upon you,” Tiger Lily explained, “at our master’s command.”

“Your . . . master?”

“Of course!” Tink exclaimed, clapping her hands merrily, “You are his bride, after all.”

Dread flooded through Emma’s veins. Being sacrificed to a monster was one thing, actually being married to one was quite another. She swallowed the bile rising in her throat.

“And . . . who is your master?”

Ariel giggled, and Emma was suddenly weary of the blonde and redhead’s exuberance. At least Tiger Lily seemed more sedate.

“We can’t tell you that!” Ariel exclaimed, as if it were a silly question.

Tiger Lily reached out and grasped Emma’s hands. “You are home now, m’lady, that is all you need know. All will be provided for you; anything and everything your heart desires.”

“But,” she bit upon her lower lip, “when will I meet my . . . husband?” She tried not to choke on the word.

For the first time, Tink looked solemn. “You won’t see him much, I’m afraid. He has many responsibilities. He is away from the castle now, and he gave no word of when he would be back.”

Emma frowned and pulled her hands out of Tiger Lily’s grip. “What kind of being is he? A cyclops? A chimera? What?”

All three fairies burst into giggles - apparently Tiger Lily could be silly too - and without answering, they transformed back into pixies. They dipped and swirled as they darted around Emma’s head in a most annoying fashion.

“Whatever you wish to eat will be served in the dining hall,” Tink’s voice called out.

Emma sighed as the fairies disappeared. She hugged her middle and did a cautious turn, taking in her ornate, exquisitely lovely surroundings. Well, she was hungry, and pork chops with gravy and roasted potatoes would really hit the spot . . .

Scarcely were the thoughts formed when she smelled something delicious down the hallway at the east end of the castle. She followed it, easily finding the dining hall, spread with a feast of all her favorite foods. She wondered for a moment if it could be poisoned, but her growling stomach won out in the end and she sat down to pile her plate high.

Even captive Princesses forced into marriages with beasts had to eat, after all.

************************************************************************

Ariel chattered excitedly as she showed Emma around her new chambers. They were gorgeous, Emma had to admit, with a large, ornate bed surrounded by exquisite tapestries. Emma longed to draw them around her and sink into the inviting bed piled high with soft pillows.

“Now this,” Ariel said, flitting across the room, “is the master’s favorite part.”

She flung open the French doors that lead out onto a spacious balcony, but Emma latched onto a single word. Her heart plummeted, and the last thing she cared about was a balcony with a view.

“The master’s? This . . . these are his chambers?”

Ariel turned to face her, head tilted innocently. “Of course. I mean . . . they are yours now, too. Yours and his. The . . . marital suite?”

The fairy was wringing her hands now, her face slightly pale. She turned to shut the French doors and pulled yet another tapestry across it. Avoiding Emma’s gaze, she went about the room lighting several candelabra. Then she opened the wardrobe, pulled out a long satin gown and laid it out on the bed.

“So the master will be sleeping here as well? That’s what you’re saying?” Emma demanded, stepping close to Ariel.

Her maid turned slowly to face her. “Yes. I mean, he is your husband after all.”

Emma clasped her hands together as they began to shake and took in a deep breath. She would not succumb to fear now, not when her kingdom was in danger. She released the air in her lungs and tried to force her pulse to slow.

“And when shall he return?”

Ariel shook her head, a look of apology upon her face. “I’m sorry, but one can never tell.” She bit her lip for a moment, then smiled encouragingly at Emma as she grasped her hands. “You have nothing to fear, Princess, I promise you.”

Easy for a fairy to say, Emma thought dryly. She wasn’t sharing a bed with . . . whatever the master was.

“Is there anything else I can get you?” Ariel asked.

“No. I just wish to be alone.”

As soon as Ariel’s footsteps faded out into the hallway, Emma sank onto the bed, finding it just as soft and inviting as she had imagined. She lay sideways, curled in on herself, eyeing the satin gown disdainfully. The cloth looked light as air and far more comfortable than the wedding gown she still wore, yet it had thin ribbons for straps and a plunging neckline, clearly a garment meant for seduction. She simply wouldn’t wear it.

Try as she might, however, she couldn’t get comfortable in her cumbersome gown. Frustrated, she leapt up and stomped over to the wardrobe. Inside, she found a collection of beautiful gowns, and in the back, a collection of nightgowns. She grumbled when she found that they were all in the same style, simply in different colors. Black, red, and pink didn’t seem any better than white, so she returned to the bed and began removing her dress. As she struggled with the corset, she wished she had asked Ariel for her help after all, but eventually she was slipping the simple satin garment over her head. It slid against her bare skin deliciously, and Emma sighed in contentment. She crossed over to the vanity and removed the crown of flowers pinned in her hair, running her fingers through her long locks.

A shiver ran down her spine as she crawled into the giant bed, pulling three of the four tapestries closed. On the open side, she kept the last candelabra burning, the encroaching darkness causing panic to crawl across her skin. She slipped beneath the covers, hoping against hope that the master wouldn’t be returning for their “wedding night.”

He didn’t even bother to see me in my wedding dress, Emma thought sarcastically to herself. She started to laugh bitterly, but then an image rose in her brain of being chased through the halls of the castle by a lust-enraged dragon or minotaur, and it turned into a hysterical half-sob.Then the blood froze in her veins at a creaking sound on the other side of the closed tapestries. Did someone just enter through the balcony doors?

The lights in the candelabra by her bed burned lower in an unnatural way, and Emma’s pulse quickened. She scrambled to the head of the bed, fisting the sheets and blankets at her chin. Was this when the monster would come? Had he been toying with her all this time?

A rush of air blew through the room, extinguishing all the light. The tapestries around the bed, which had seemed so luxurious when she first entered the chamber, now felt like heavy walls trapping her in. She held her breath, straining to hear, but it was useless against the pounding of her heart. She sensed his presence more than anything when he reached the bed, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Not that it made a difference in the pitch-black room.

“I won’t lay a hand on you.” His voice was deep, yet gentle.

Emma opened her eyes but still didn’t relax her posture. “I find that difficult to believe considering this,” she swallowed around the lump in her throat, “is our wedding night.”

She felt the bed dip and pulled her feet up hastily.

“Believe it or not, I speak the truth. You can trust me.”

Emma squinted in the darkness, trying to see his face.

“You won’t be able to see me,” he told her calmly.

“Then how can you expect me to trust you?” she shot back, unable to keep the frustration from her voice.

He surprised her by chuckling in a low, warm tone.

She licked her dry lips. “What kind of monster are you?”

“I’m not a monster,” he answered simply.

She eased forward hesitantly. “Then you’re human?”

“I . . . didn’t say that either.” She heard him pull in a deep breath. “Listen, all you need know is that you are safe and the plague that was ravishing your kingdom is over.”

Emma bit her lower lip. “But you expect something in return?”

“The only thing I ask is what you are willing to give.”

Emma fell back on her pillows in exasperation. “You speak in riddles just like the oracle!”

There was that chuckle again. “They do like to be mysterious, don’t they?”

Now that she was lounging upon her pillows, Emma released the sheets from her grip as well. “So what are we doing, exactly? You say you won’t touch me, so why are you here?”

“You are still my bride, that much is true, and like any groom, I wish to get to know you.”

“Most grooms do that before the wedding.”

He laughed again, and the sound was actually becoming relaxing. She wriggled down beneath the covers and attempted to stifle a yawn.

“You’ve had a long day,” he said gently. “How about tomorrow night you tell me a bit about yourself?”

Emma hesitated, her body tensing involuntarily. As if he could see her reaction, he hastily spoke again.

“Rest assured, I will not touch you without your consent. Ever.”

Emma swallowed, wanting to believe him, but unsure if she should. “Okay, I suppose tomorrow night we can talk. On one condition?”

He hesitated, and it sounded as if he were clearing his throat. “Within reason. That’s all I can promise you.”

“Tell me your name.”

She could literally hear his body sag in relief. And was it possible to hear someone smile?

“That is easy, love. Please call me Killian.”

“Killian,” she repeated, almost testing it on her tongue. “I like it.”

“I rather fancy it myself.” Yes, he was definitely smiling.

The first time he'd woken up in a room that wasn't his own, where he wasn't greeted by a bright yellow ceiling, Henry had panicked. It'd taken him a few minutes to calm down and recall what had happened.

While he knew about magic, what with him being surrounded by it and having powers himself, Henry had never seen a curse, not until Regina cast hers.

Nobody, save for the Mayor herself and one other person, knew what the curse would do the citizens of Storybrooke.

Even with the cloud of smoke enveloping him, Henry had still managed to see what happened to his parents, magically poofed somewhere by Regina’s magic, the unmistakable  shade of deep purple could only mean she was the one separating them. Only after a while, when he  discovered the consequences of Regina’s selfishness, Henry understood that his parents weren't in Storybrooke anymore.

He'll always be grateful that he didn't run downstairs yelling for his mother and father, otherwise… He didn't want to think about that, not when he sometimes felt as if he was forgetting. Oh, how he missed his mother, how she'd run her fingers through his hair and play silly games with him and how she would sneak a Pop-Tart to him when his father wasn't looking - as if he didn't know about their habit.

He missed the many nights when his father would be the one tucking him into bed and would then lie next to him to tell him a story. Henry loved his father's imagination, how he’d come up with a different, awesome story every night. He loved it - him - so much that he even started writing his own stories so they would have another thing in common. He missed the family trips on the boat, the barbecues at his grandpa’s, his uncle’s teasing ways to which they all would respond by teasing him about the lass he was clearly yearning for from afar. Henry missed his two grandmothers, too, both providing him with so many baked goods Henry thought he'd explode. Not that this stopped him from eating them all.

Closing his eyes once again, Henry relaxed into the bed, far from comfortable and definitely not ready to start another day of lies and heartbreak. Yet, as much as he hated being outside and facing the people he loved but who didn't remember him or their connection to him, Henry hated staying in that house even more.

He was about to drift off when the smell of apple pie reached him. He felt the need to retch.

In five minutes time tops, Regina would come bursting into his bedroom, not bothering to knock or wake him gently, all chirpy as if she was the wrong version of Snow White.

Henry still remembered how his mother would knock on his door a first time, calling for him, giving him five minutes to get out of the cocoon of blankets he'd buried himself beneath, and then proceed to come into his room, gently poking at him, tickling his feet or sides until he jumped out of the bed, squealing in delight and running downstairs where his father was making breakfast.

A lone tear slid down the side of his face; he rushed to dry it with the back of his hand.

Not wanting to see Regina more than he needed to, Henry got up, so not ready to face day 722 in that hell.

Downstairs, Regina waited for him with a smile plastered on her face, hair perfectly combed and a slice of apple pie next to a glass filled to the brim with apple juice. No more Pop-Tarts, no more pancakes, no more hot cocoa with cinnamon. Simply, no more happy moments at the breakfast table.

«Good morning, Henry,» Regina greeted him, dark red lips stretched in that sugary smile he hated.

«Good morning,» he gritted through his teeth, knowing she would scowl at him if he only grunted in response or ignored her completely. He'd learned that on day one.

He had learned so much on day one but, as much as he thought he would never feel worse in the beginning, day one hadn't been the worst day. There still were very bad days in which he just couldn't take it anymore, days in which he would go where his house, his home had once been, crying over everything that had been ripped away from him. Regina hadn't left him any sanctuary where he could seek refuge.

Like every morning, Regina would drink her coffee reading the newspaper her lackey Sidney Glass wrote for, blabbering gibberish about some stuff only to get his paycheck; he didn't even care about grammar most of the time. Before him, the editor in chief had been Isaac, not one of the best people out there, but at least he didn't make common grammar mistakes. Though very unusual for a newspaper, Isaac had created a section dedicated to stories, kids stories, a section Henry had started to contribute to, even, anonymously sharing his own stories, a modern twist on famous fairytales.

There was no writing after the curse, no freedom to do so; the only thing he had been allowed to keep, Henry had discovered on the fourth day, was his love for comics, but different ones, not the ones he loved to read. Writing, however, was out of the question, he feared Regina would find his notes and discover he'd been lying all along and that she would make him forget, for real this time.

Going to school was both a relief and a torture, since his teacher was his grandmother, and said grandmother didn't remember him at all.

She still dressed in pastel colors, flat shoes on her feet and her hair was still pitch black with just a few strands of silver adorning it like starlight.

As per usual, save for the days in which she had "early morning meetings", Regina escorted him to school. Henry knew who she would be meeting thinking she got away with it every single time. Although he didn’t know what exactly they did together, Henry was certain the man in question was coerced into it.

After all, Regina did have his heart. Poor Graham didn't deserve any of that. Nobody in Storybrooke deserved what had happened to them.

«Not even a kiss?»

Henry felt his own heart break even more.

One thing Regina was strict about was physical contact. It looked like she was trying to make up for missed years of no affection at all, constantly touching him or demanding a kiss. He didn't quite know whether she realized every kiss he planted on her cheek was full of hate and resentment or if she just was happy with herself because she finally had what Emma Nolan and Killian Jones had: their son's love. How could she understand why he acted a certain way, though, or realize every gesture was fake and held no love when she didn't even know what love was?

Not for the first time, as he turned to face her, Henry plastered a smile on his face, one he’d had to perfect in a very short time, unwilling to discover the consequences if Regina ever found out his memories were never gone.

More than once, Henry had wished he'd forgotten his life, more than once he'd wished not to remember anything. It was selfish, but his young heart could only bear so much.

Every touch, every kind word, albeit fake, seemed to him a betrayal, and every day the memory of his parents was fainter.

The intoxicating smell of apples invaded his nostrils as he pecked Regina's cheek, pulling away as swiftly as he could without arousing her suspicion.

No, Regina Mills couldn't tell the difference between what was real and what was fake. Probably it was because she was fake herself.

Although sad, Henry couldn't bring himself to have pity on her. For one, he wasn't his grandmother Mary Margaret, he could see the good in people, even bad ones, even in "villains", but this villain had taken it a step too far.

He waved his hand as he turned around, forcing himself to think more lovely thoughts, like the way his parents used to lift him in the air by holding his hands as they walked him to school, or how his mother would kiss his forehead and his father would ruffle his hair. Those were simple gestures of love, true love, which didn't need to be asked for or given as a bargaining chip for his affection.

One thing Regina couldn't change, however, was the way he would stay - or become once more - friends with the same kids, for they may have had their memories wiped away, but not their sensations about Henry.

It was some kind of tricky loophole, in a way: the people he shared his blood with and his friends didn't remember how it was before or that he was family, yet they seemed to just know. Henry just hoped he wasn't assuming things for the sake of his own feelings.

He fistbumped Nick, Ava and Grace in the garden. They were the only ones in all Storybrooke, aside from his parents and family, to know he was the boy behind the children’s stories signed with the moniker “The Author”. Regina hadn't left him even that. No, Regina had left him nothing of his life, taking everything from him so she would become his everything.

This was the very reason why Henry was glad his memories were still there, because, despite the pain, he was still himself.

Being Mary Margaret Nolan's student was strange. Rationally, Henry knew he would end up in her class, given how small Storybrooke was and its lack of teachers, but he'd always thought it would happen when she still remembered him.

Of course he knew his grandmother would stay professional, but it was also true that she cared for every child in her class, treating them with love and respect. Perhaps that was the reason why it hurt so much; Henry felt like he was as normal as everyone else to her eyes, and not at all like the grandson she’d knitted a baby blanket for or sneaked hot cocoa with cinnamon late at night knowing he would be on a sugar rush and not get to bed early.

Sitting through the lessons as she watched and talked to him as if he was a stranger at best had become less unbearable as time passed. Still, the pain never wavered, it was always there, keeping him company like a parasite.

Once upon a time, his routine had been either being walked home by his grandmother or picked up by either his parents or someone of the family. Amongst them all, aside from Emma and Killian, he had a particular preference for his uncle.

Liam Jones had always been a man of honour, deciding to put his magical abilities in service of the Navy.

For years, when Henry was still quite young, Liam was mostly shipped off somewhere in Europe, never seeing him as much as they both wanted. Only the last year before the curse Liam had communicated he'd decided to keep a more steady position on land after he'd been honourably discharged.

His uncle's new job consisted of ordering people around in Storybrooke, too - Killian's words, mind you - since he'd taken over the role of harbourmaster.

Much like almost everyone else, Liam had kept his job, but his life was still miserable. He didn't remember the little brother he'd helped his mother raise nor the sister-in-law he loved indeed like a little sister nor his nephew.

Now that nobody came to pick him up, Henry walked to Regina's house taking his time, not caring about the homework he had to do too much - he was a fast learner and quite smart for his age, but that wasn't it. Regina didn't care much about his homework either, she cared more about having him make her look like a good mother. She would never be, no matter how much she tried.

That walk towards what had become his prison was Henry's own way of seeing how his family was doing now that they were all strangers.

Ah, yes, the other effect of the curse: destroying the Jones trio wasn't enough; Regina had to crush the Nolans and the Joneses completely.

His paternal grandmother, Alice Jones, was still the owner of the nice bakery next to the Dark Star Pharmacy, but not only didn’t she remember Henry or Killian, she didn't remember her other son either.

Liam may have kept his position as harbormaster, but he thought of himself as an orphan, one who lost his mother very young and failed his little brother. In fact, as Henry had gathered once as he investigated everyone's cursed memories, his family had all been separated from one another. Mary Margaret didn't remember her Prince Charming at all, believing she had never experienced love at all; Liam believed he was a failure and one too many nights he found himself stumbling out the front door of The Rabbit Hole; Alice Jones thought her husband took her children away from her when they were little and mourned them still. And David Nolan, you ask? David Nolan lay in a hospital bed in a coma.

Henry didn't know the specifics, he had no memory of his grandpa being hurt and he didn't know why Regina would feel threatened by him enough to lock him up in a hospital. What was worse, given he had no ties to David in this life, Henry couldn't visit him at all.

The only reason he'd found out about his grandpa's condition was the school trip to the hospital Mary Margaret had organized around month three. Up until then, Henry had been unable to ask anyone about David Nolan as he’d had no real reason to. Oh, had he known who everyone believed David was, he probably would have, but how could Henry know his grandpa’s cursed persona was the Sheriff of Storybrooke, wounded while in service by someone who had never been found?

He'd known better than to ask Regina about the accident, one he was probably supposed to remember and, if he wasn't, she would just tell him it wasn't something to concern himself with.

His family was destroyed, and he had no idea how to break the curse. Whatever power he had, Henry couldn't summon it; Storybrooke was now just an ordinary little town. But though he couldn't feel his own magic, Henry could feel Regina's and his grandmother's and uncle's, along with everyone else's. No one used magic in Storybrooke anymore. No one but Regina.

That was why he couldn't risk revealing he remembered: Regina still had the power to wipe his memories away. If he lost them, there would be no hope left.

Just like all the magic had vanished, all the spellbooks had, too.

As he slowly walked past Granny's, Henry cast a sorrowful glance at the library, its clock broken and the hands hovering over the quadrant indicating it was still 8:15.

It had been 8:15 when Henry was born.

It had been 8:15 when the curse hit.

Whether it was a coincidence or not, Henry didn’t know. All he knew was that it only added to the pain he felt inside.

Not only did the clock remind him of the curse, the library itself was heartbreaking. All Henry wanted to do was go back in time, spend time with his parents as they taught him how to control his magic, how not to bring the characters whose stories he wrote to life. Fortunately for them all, Henry hadn’t been able to conjure more than a bluebird and not armies of ogres.

The library had always been a safe place, a sanctuary of sorts, whether it was to devour books after school or to study magic along with his parents.

Now, instead, it was void of all that once made it special, all the warmth and light within. Not even Belle, the librarian dear to his father was the same, more concerned about her looks and not as much about the books as she had once been.

With a long sigh, Henry kicked a tiny rock away from his path as he resumed walking. Just like every day, when he walked along Main Street, Henry felt his body get somehow heavier, unwilling to proceed farther.

Henry wouldn’t say he was lucky, merely that Regina’s control over him wasn’t as tight as she believed. Since she was under the illusion that he was her precious son, Regina never understood Henry knew everything about her schedule, which lies were written in her agenda so she could sneak off and see Graham whenever she claimed she had a business meeting. She didn't know how he'd studied her habits so he could stay as far away from her as possible.

Today was one of those days, and he could wander around Storybrooke or stay with his friends if he wanted to, or be completely alone with his thoughts, but he had to be back before seven. It wasn't freedom at all, but it was the only small liberty he'd known for the past 722 days.

Panic started to creep up on him, as fast as a car racing at high speed down a road.

Instinctively, Henry whipped his head around, aware of the sudden darkness approaching. There, sat in her shiny black car, was Regina, more focused on checking her lipstick than she was on driving.

For a moment, Henry stayed paralyzed on the sidewalk, breath itching in his throat and heart beating so furiously he seriously worried it would break his sternum.

There was nowhere to hide.

Henry had found himself needing to escape many a time, it was a constant thought in his mind, but the impossibility of going anywhere always stopped him this close to actually crossing the town line. He would have if he'd known which consequences he would face or if he were able to actually do that. In all honesty, Henry doubted it: no one had come to Storybrooke in nearly two years. Or left it.

Now, however, Henry found himself trapped, lost, about to lose the few hours of freedom he looked forward to every day.

He found himself backed up against a wall, and as his heart beat frantically in his throat, his eyes were drawn to the insignia above his head.

Mr. Gold. Pawnbroker and antiquities dealer.

If possible his heartbeat quickened.

Henry knew who Mr. Gold was, it was impossible not to when he owned half the town. But that wasn't all what Henry knew of him.

Robert Gold was - or had been - a very powerful and very old sorcerer, his power so dark many kept away from his path just to be sure they wouldn't be turned into toads or puppets. He dealt, as his insignia said, in antiquities, some magical and some not, offering mostly deals instead of asking for money directly.

Most of all, Henry knew Gold was the one who created the curse Regina cast.

For 722 days, the young lad had avoided the pawnshop like the plague, worried Gold would understand he still had his memories intact and wipe them away or worse, involve Regina.

Ironically enough, he was now Henry’s sole chance to temporarily escape the evil witch.

Without looking back, Henry sprinted to the door and wrenched it open, the bell above his head jingling so loudly he believed it would break and fall on the parquet at his feet. Not that he cared much about it, not when he could feel Regina’s magic closer and closer as she passed by the shop and continued on her way.

Though the trace of dark magic didn’t disappear, Henry could feel when hers did and he could finally consider himself safe.

With his still stiff back pressed against the door, he exhaled in relief, lungs burning as his breathing returned to normal.

Alas, he’d been so focused on his own sensations that he’d failed to notice the man behind the counter, a man who was staring at him with keen interest.

Henry gulped, his tongue suddenly thick and dry in his mouth.

«Good afternoon, lad,» the man, Gold, greeted him, resuming his work. He was carefully polishing a white teacup with bright blue hand-painted decorations, careful of its chipped rim.

«G-good afternoon, Mr. Gold,» Henry breathed, eyes wide as pain shot through his heart: only the Joneses had ever called him “lad”. Now, neither his uncle or grandmother addressed him that way.

Squaring his shoulders, Henry stepped away from the door, genuinely curious about which sorts of artifacts he would find in the glass display cases and cabinets. Was there an artifact to destroy all magic in the world? Selfishly, were that his only solution, Henry knew he would use it to bring his parents back to him, consequences be damned.

As he suspected, the pawnshop hosted so many interesting objects oozing magic off of them. It wasn’t just the peculiarity of some of them, but also the fact that many Henry knew belonged to his friends and family.

Sprawled over one of the cases as some kind of tablecloth was Ruby’s crimson cloak that served to keep her wolf under control when the full moon hung high in the sky; his uncle’s sextant was nestled in a cocoon of deep sea blue velvet; what looked like a blue magic wand was on display in a wooden case with engravings of words written only for fairies to read.

Everywhere he looked, Henry could see something belonging to people he’d known his entire life. Propped up against an old writing machine was the stuffed rabbit Grace’s father had stitched for her and Henry knew could come to life only per Grace’s wish.

What caught the boy’s attention, however, was the deep red leather jacket hanging in a dark corner of the shop.

Without caring for the man who was undoubtedly following his every movement, Henry strode towards where the jacket was, not feeling any kind of power or scent coming from it, but he had no doubt at all: that was his mother’s jacket.

He reached out with a trembling hand, feeling the buttery leather beneath his fingertips. His father and himself always joked about they had to clear out a good space in their wardrobe to fit all their leather jackets and how Emma owned lots of them in every shade of red rather than in other colours - Killian couldn’t quite be the one to talk given all his jackets were black.

A choked laugh escaped his lips at the memory.

«Interesting choice,» came Gold’s voice behind him, «I seem to always forget it’s there.»

Out of nowhere - no, out of the place he’d buried his feelings inside for the past two years, rage made Henry’s vision go red.

He had to talk himself out of screaming at Gold so he wouldn’t expose himself, but that didn’t stop the words from leaving his mouth.

«It belonged to my mo- to a woman named Emma.»

Oh, how painful it was to pronounce her name after all this time. Henry bit back sobs and tears as his shoulders started to tremble.

Behind him, a loud clattering sound filled the air.

«Emma?» Gold breathed, the strange tone in his voice helping Henry to break out of the pain threatening to drag him down like an iron ball. «What a lovely name.»

Hurriedly drying the tears streaking his cheeks, Henry took several deep breaths before turning around, suspiciously looking at the man, a frown on his young face.

Gold cast a quick glance at the pendulum clock. He hummed. «It’s still quite early,» he mused, limping then from behind the counter to where Henry stood next to a curtain he noticed just now, «Why don’t you join me for a cup of tea?»

The sly smile Gold sent Henry made the boy shiver, eyes wide as the older man brought up the hand that wasn’t holding his cane and pushed the curtain aside. He only took half a step towards the back of the shop, half his body and face covered by the fabric so to give him a more sinister appearance.