Fluffy Fridays--Chapter 178: Because of the Werewolves
Summary: A series of unrelated, fluffy one shots featuring Killian Jones and Emma Swan and the relationship that makes us all swoon. Will contain both canon and AU stories. My contribution to Operation Rainbow Kisses and Unicorn Stickers (aka, my attempt to drown out the season 4 finale angst with ridiculous levels of fluff.)
Other Chapters: (from the beginning) (previous chapter)
Tagging a few people who may be interested (Let me know if you want to be added or taken off the list): @sailormew4 @annaamell @flslp87 @emmateo26 @bethacaciakay
Emma looked up from her mug of hot cocoa and rolled her eyes at Leroy’s announcement from the door of Granny’s. The day had started so normal. She and Killian had hit the snooze button a few too many times to simply enjoy cuddling in bed before starting the day.
“Shouldn’t we be rising, Swan?” he’d ask, sleepily caressing her back as he held her.
She’d cuddled deeper into the covers and closer to him and then shook her head. “Why? Hope probably won’t be up for another hour or so, and ever since we broke the curse and the realms were united and everything, our job has been a piece of cake. I’m sure Graham can handle it for a few more minutes.”
He hadn’t objected. He rarely did, when her suggestions involved more time together–especially more time together in bed.
It had been a good ten years since Henry had found her in New York. By this point, she should have known better than to tempt fate by calling her job a piece of cake.
She was just about to ask Leroy to elaborate, when Leroy turned tail and ran back outside.
“Looks like duty calls,” she said with another roll of her eyes and a quick kiss to her husband’s lips and her baby’s head before heading in the direction of the sheriff’s station.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Can you put out a town notice?” Ruby was asking as Emma stepped into the sheriff’s station, her family behind her.
“What about?” Graham asked, taking a sip of his coffee.
“That setting fires is still not the way to stop werewolves,” she said. “Also, while you’re at it, remind them that we werewolves didn’t do…whatever it is they’re accusing us of doing now.”
Graham sighed. “How many acres was it this time?”
“Forty!” Ruby said. “Do you have any idea how much of a pain in the ass forty acres worth of forest fire is for wolves and their sensitive noses? It’s annoying!”
“Come again?” Killian asked, draping his coat on the coat rack and sitting near his wife. “The recent wildfires are due to WHAT?”
Graham, pinched the bridge of his nose. “I blame Nottingham. He’s the one that started all of this with his drunken ramblings.”
“Yeah, there was that one time he barged into Doc’s allergy clinic waiting room, ranting and raving about how the wildfires were because of werewolves,” Ruby said with an annoyed huff. “Said something about how fire was the only way to destroy us. You’d think they’d have learned by now it’s silver that’s our Kryptonite.” After a moments' thought, she amended, “Actually, scrap that. The silver thing is something they totally don’t need to know.”
“Looks like as United Realms Forest Ranger, this falls under your jurisdiction, Graham,” Emma grinned. “I’ve retired as Savior. Idiotic forest werewolf hunts are no longer my problem.”
Graham reached for his cell phone and punched in the mayor’s number. “I’d hoped when Queen Regina and her ‘evil’ twin turned back time and reversed my murder, bringing me back to a post-Happy Beginning world, that I would finally have a nice, peaceful existence, but it looks like that was too much to ask.”
Killian grinned, clapping him on the shoulder. “Whatever would give you that idea, mate? Do you even remember where you live?”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Notes: Hi there! Remember me? I know it’s been 84 years, but I am, in fact, still alive.
–The smoke from the recent Canadian wildfires has made air quality in the upper Midwest really bad. My lungs do not recommend. It reminded me of going to the allergist once during a similar Canadian wildfire, and an old man coming in and telling the waiting room that clearly the fires are the fault of werewolves. Everyone knows the only way to kill them is by fire, so obviously the wildfires are due to hunters killing them. It was so ridiculous I’ve already written one fanfic about it–but I needed a new one.
–Also, this story is short and ridiculous and doesn’t really go anywhere, but given the fact I think I’ve written a grand total of one sentence worth of fanfic all year, I needed to do SOMETHING to wake the muse up, at least a little!
–Obviously, this is a “future fic”, and I wanted Graham to be alive because….well, just because, so I brought him back. I made a small effort to explain how it’s possible, but the real reasons? 1. Because….magic. 2. His death was stupid and I refuse to acknowledge its existence in canon.
CS one-shot set in the future. Hope is three and Emma and Killian are still very much in the throws of a happily ever after, but Killian wants to do something special for Emma for Christmas. With the help of their family and the town, he manages to fulfill a Christmas wish for his wife in exactly the kind of over-the-top fluffy and sweet way you’d expect from me. Includes holiday surprises, Christmas cheer, and a healthy dash of true love. Rated T. Available on FF Here and AO3 Here.
A/N: Hey all! I really did not know if I was going to be able to get this drabble done, but I am so happy to say that I did and to share it with you all tonight. I know that this Christmas is going to be so different for so many of us, and that it has been a hard year of uncertainty and stress. My gift to our little fandom is this story, focused on Emma and Killian a few years after we got to see them in the show. It’s inspired by the spirit of Christmas, the cheesiness that only Hallmark movies can provide, and the song ‘No Problem’ by Dylan Schneider. I love the idea that Killian cannot deny Emma anything, and that at Christmas he has to make Emma’s wishes come true. I hate to spoil any more of this, but I will just say thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!
“I don’t know how the hell you pulled this off, mate, but I got to hand it to you, this is really something special.”
The words David uttered from the bottom of the ladder were high praise, despite the dig at Killian’s favorite endearment. Tonight though, Killian would let the jab slide. He simply didn’t have the time or energy to pretend to argue with Emma’s father. Instead he hustled down the rungs and back to solid ground beside his friend. He took stock of the room once more, running his hand through his hair and tracing each corner of the barn with his gaze. There was very little about the place that was recognizable. It had been sufficiently transformed, from an old, dusty tomb of farm equipment, to a space fit for the evening ahead.
“It pays to be a good guy in the end,” Killian joked. Playing up the early days of their knowing each other when Killian was anything but a hero. “Turns out I’ve helped quite a lot of people these past few years. They were eager to return the favor.”
“That’s true enough, but I think the fact that you did this all for Emma plays a big part too.”
There was no doubt about that, and the mere reminder of his wife brought a smile to his lips. She was going to be surprised by this, and there was nothing that he loved more than surprising his Swan. Killian could hardly wait for the look of excitement that would spread across her face, and the light that would appear in her jade colored eyes. Her cheeks would flush from realization, and her hands would move unbiddenly, as if she couldn’t quite contain the excitement or suspense. Emma was always the most beautiful of women, and a miracle to be sure, but when treated to a gift that was truly worthy of her, she was transcendent, his own personal star and tempting taste of heaven.
“Any word from Snow?” Killian asked, checking his watch and seeing they had made good time, despite the hecticness of the day. He had enough time to catch a shower and prepare himself, but he needed to be sure that Emma and Hope were sufficiently occupied in the meantime.
“Better – she sent a video while you were hanging the last of the garland.”
David offered his phone and Killian laughed at the sight. Snow and Emma had taken Neal and Hope out of town to a nearby ski resort that was hosting all sorts of winter activities for kids. In the video Emma, Hope, and Neal were all making snow angels, until Neal gave the signal and he and Hope pivoted to throwing snowballs at Emma. The only problem was Hope was far too little and bundled up in snow gear to be effective. She was having the time of her life though, and at the end of the video, Emma scooped their daughter up and nuzzled her close, bestowing a kiss on her curly brown hair, which had escaped its winter cap. Hope was a dazzling blend of him and Emma, but her goodness and ability to inspire love was totally her mother’s doing.
“Perfect. You good here for the time being?” David nodded, pivoting from his assistant role to commander in chief with the quickness of one-time prince. Content that his tasks were in good hands, Killian headed out, eager to put the next parts of his plan in place.
Things moved quickly from there. He showered and readied himself for the kind of night his Emma had imagined, ignoring the strangeness of his reflection as he did. He would never feel quite right in these damn tuxedos, but Emma’s wish was specific and it included the blasted suit. It also included a number of gifts for Emma and for Hope, which he pulled from the one place in the house Emma never ventured to – the garage. From the back of the storage space there, he grabbed a number of boxes that he’d stuffed away last week, and brought them all inside. After checking the contents were free from any water or dirt, he was convinced things were as they should be, and he left the gifts underneath the Christmas tree.
The only thing left to craft was the note for Emma that would set her surprise in motion. He hadn’t dared to write it out before, wanting to save it for this moment. It felt right to speak from the heart and to put in words exactly how he felt tonight. Still, it took time to get the letter exactly right, and he must admit he grew a bit sentimental when crafting it. A time or two he fell into recent and more distant memories of their lives together, feeling the warmth in his soul that could only ever come from the truest love. Luckily, he had enough of his wits about him and time was on his side. Soon he heard the sound of a car pulling up the drive just as he closed the envelope with Emma’s name and placed it on the tree, and with the stealth accrued in his past life, he slipped out the back door just before his girls came in.
“Mama, look! Santa came early,” he heard Hope say as he quietly rounded the side of the house. For a moment he was truly tempted to steal a look and watch this scene play out, but he reminded himself that there was still more to be done, and instead headed down the street to where a not so patiently waiting Snow was parked.
“Killian, thank God! I thought you’d never get here!” she exclaimed as he opened the door, but before he could reply, young Neal let his own thoughts be known.
“Mom, it’s been like sixty seconds. Literally. Look, I timed it on the stopwatch Henry gave me. 63 seconds.
“No, has it only been a minute? I’m so excited I can’t tell. It feels like forever. I was waiting for this all day. It was so hard not to spill the beans.”
“But you didn’t, right?” Killian checked, pivoting to Neal for the truth. When the boy gave him a thumbs up, he let out a breath. “Good. But it all might be for not if we don’t get a move on.”
“Oh, right. We’ve got to go. We’ve got a Christmas miracle to deliver.” Neal groaned at the words and Killian remained quiet prompting Snow to ask the question, “Sorry, too cheesy?”
“For tonight? No, strangely it’s just right.”
And with that, they pulled away from the curb, headed back towards the barn and the long-awaited surprise.
……………….
“Mama, look! Santa came! Santa came!”
At first Emma didn’t understand the words from her daughter. She was just trying to get her bearings after peeling the snow clothes off of Hope and discarding her own jacket on the hook by the door. Her boots were barely off and her scarf was still wound around her neck. She couldn’t imagine how Hope still had so much energy, but then she remembered – three year olds were like comic book characters, with a super power of endless energy.
“Christmas Eve is tomorrow, honey,” Emma said, righting her clothes and letting go of a big breath, before walking towards the living room. “Two more sleeps until Santa.”
“But look, Mama, pwesents!”
Emma followed her daughters pointing finger across the way, and low and behold there were gifts under the tree that had not been there this morning. Her curiosity was peaked, but when she saw the white envelope secured in the branches of their evergreen tree, she had an inkling of what was happening.
“Killian,” she murmured walking forward, and running her fingertips across the delicate paper.
“Daddy?” Hope asked excitedly, and Emma nodded as she opened the envelope, only to fight off tears of love when she read the letter.
My Dearest Emma,
There are no gifts that I could ever give you that compare to all you’ve given me. I know and accept that, but this time of year is different. It’s a season predicated on love, light, and yes, even a bit of magic. So I had to try, for your sake and for mine.
Christmas is about showing the people you love what they mean to you. It’s about giving love and feeling love, and knowing that even in the dark of a winter night, there is hope and light ahead. It’s about reminding loved ones that you care, that you’re rooting for them, and that their dreams are your dreams too. You taught me that, you and Hope and Henry, and I swear to you that all I could ever want is to make you happy, and to grant the wishes you carry in your heart.
“Ooo, pwetty,” Hope said, dragging Emma’s eyes down to where her daughter had already begun opening the parcels below. Inside the white garment box was a gorgeous crimson colored dress, breathtaking in its elegant design. The satin and the beading were exquisite, and the color was to die for, and like something from a dream. Hope offered the box to her, knowing even at age three that it wasn’t the right size for her. “For you, Mama.”
“Thank you, princess,” Emma said, taking the box in hand, wanting to look at it in full, but knowing the letter was still more important.
You are everything to me, Emma. Everything and so much more. You and our children hold my whole universe in your hands. Tonight, I hope to take your hand in mine, and remind you that in life, all you really need is the perfect partner.
“He didn’t,” Emma whispered, looking down from the letter which had been signed with love by her pirate. Then she looked at the other presents Hope was opening. A beautiful pair of heels, a white fur muff, and a necklace that sparkled, along with all the same things for Hope that were more their daughter’s style and perfect for her size. The last gift was another envelope, with a card. On the top in cursive script it read ‘Selected Suitors for Emma Jones’ and the only name was Killian’s. “Oh my god, he did. It’s a dance. He planned a Christmas dance for me.”
“Dance?” Hope asked and Emma crouched down to help her daughter really open her own garment box, where a beautiful princess-style dress was waiting for her. As soon as she saw it Hope let out a sound of pure delight, clapping her hands together at a hastened clip. At that moment, the front door opened, and Emma looked, expecting to see Killian but instead seeing her son, dressed up in a tuxedo and looking downright dashing. It would have been a shock either way, but this year, when she’d been bracing herself for her son being away for the holiday, it felt like an even greater gift.
“Henry?” she asked, as Hope bolted for her brother. Instinctively, Henry scooped her up, accepting all her hugs and kisses before turning his eyes back to Emma.
“Surprise! Well, part of it anyway. But we’ve got to get a move on, or we’ll be late.”
“Where are we going?” Hope asked. Henry responded by whispering in her ear, low enough that Emma couldn’t hear. Whatever he said made Hope gasp. “Really? We’re going there?”
“Sure are. But we have to get ready. Don’t worry, Mom, I’ve got Hope. You do what you need to do.”
Emma was spurred into motion, grabbing the gifts marked for her and heading upstairs. In thirty minutes, she and Hope were both ready for whatever awaited them, and though Emma had her suspicions, she was in no way prepared when they arrived at the old McDonald farm. Pulling around back to the barn, there were dozens of people milling around. Everyone in town was here tonight, dressed up and partaking in merriment, but when they left the car and walked inside, Emma was truly stunned.
“It’s beautiful,” she said aloud, taking in the gorgeous decorations. The space was totally transformed, a perfect blend of rustic refinement. The colors were vivid and vibrant, the air was warm and filled with the scent of cinnamon and honey, and the joy here was palpable. There was a buzzing electricity that crackled in the air. This was what all those Christmas movies strove to recreate but could never quite capture, and Emma took it all in knowing that her husband had made this just for her.
Scanning the room for him, Emma was first greeted with the sight of her Mom and Dad and brother. They came forward immediately, hugging her and Hope and Henry and extending their thoughts.
“Oh, honey, you look spectacular!” her mother exclaimed with tears in her eyes, holding her hands and looking at her red dress. It was a truly wonderous design, that hugged every one of Emma’s curves just right while still feeling of the season. It was classic and timeless and more than a little sexy, but it was appropriate for the night, when everyone was dressed to the nines.
“So do you guys,” Emma said honestly, taking in her mom’s sapphire ball gown, and her Dad and brother’s tuxes.
“I’m a princess, Grandpa,” Hope said happily and Emma’s father immediately agreed as the band began to play a slower melody.
“There’s no denying that. Care to dance with me, Princess Hope?” He asked, bowing to her daughter. Hope giggled but took Emma’s hand instinctively, looking at her for permission and clarity.
“What about you, Mama?”
“Don’t worry, sprout,” Henry said nodding across the room and using his favorite nickname for his sister. “Dad’s got her taken care of.”
Emma’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of Killian, as if this was a first date and not years into their marriage. She couldn’t help the butterflies swarming within her, and then, like magic the crowd of people parted, and there, across the room was her man. It should have come as no surprise how handsome he would look. Emma was well versed in how roguishly hot her pirate could be, but in a tux it was a whole other story. Maybe it was the rarity of seeing him like this, or maybe Killian was just one of those men who was born to wear a tux, but either way she was struck by him. Everything seemed to stop around her, and all she could sense was the man who completely owned her heart.
A few moments later they were together again. Emma hadn’t even realize she’d been walking towards him, and him to her, but when he took her hand she felt her blood hum in anticipation. She was caught in his eyes, sensing the mixture of love and desire that was so intoxicating, and waiting for him to speak, because words in this moment truly failed her.
“You look stunning, Swan,” he said to her, the gravel of his tone washing over her and sending a shiver down her spine in that delicious kind of way. “The fantasies I’d conjured in my mind’s eye could never do you justice.”
“So you were fantasizing about this, huh?” she asked, her voice thready as she turned, purposefully taunting him with a view of all her best angles. This time he let out a low growl that spiked her desire to tease him. God damn, there were people around! How could she be this hot and bothered? Oh right, she was married to a sinfully attractive and impossibly romantic man. This was par for the course.
“Aye, love, and I promise those musings will prove more than satisfactory when we get home.” His voice dipped low and she swallowed hard, trying to tamp down her own building need. Then something shifted in his eyes, and she knew before he said a word that something immensely thoughtful was about to be shared. “I hope it’s everything that you wanted, love. Those blasted ‘Hallmark towns’ have a lot more built-in Christmas cheer than Storybrooke, but all it took was a hint that this was what you wanted, and everyone came together.”
It dawned on her that the wish he was referring to was one that she’d made a few weekends ago when they were laying in bed watching TV. She usually skipped the Hallmark Christmas extravaganza, but this year she was feeling sentimental. Maybe it was the fact that Hope was finally hitting an age where she was starting to understand the season, or more likely it was the pregnancy hormones from their little one on the way. She was only twelve weeks along, and wasn’t even showing yet, but her self-coined pregnancy induced crazy brain was in full swing, and had been from the start. The only thing getting her through most days was Killian, and then he went and did something like this… it was too much for her, she couldn’t take it.
“I love you,” she confessed, blurting it out like it was some big secret instead of established fact. “Like a lot. A lot a lot.”
“A lot a lot,” Killian parroted with a grin, pulling her with him out to the dance floor before taking her in his arms. She melded into his muscled physique, trying not to swoon as the melody carried them away.
“You know I’m not as good at the whole poetic declarations thing as you are.”
“Few can be, love,” he joked. She raised her brow at him in quiet consternation, and he only laughed before turning her into a low dip on the dance floor and reminding her that he was in total control of himself out here. “But where words might fail you, action is your strong suit. You show me every day how much you love me, Emma. And every day I thank my lucky stars to have that love.”
He made a fair point. Emma was, after all, a woman of action, and so she decided to take some now. Though they were dancing, she stalled their moment to pull him in for a kiss, giving them both a taste of what was to come when the night drew to a close. The sparks between them ignited instantly, and without looking, Emma knew some of her magic was radiating from within. When they pulled apart she was almost dizzy from the delight, but Killian was even more effected. He had that boyish grin of his in full display, and that tiny hint of bashfulness that came when he’d done something really well. Only when she heard the oohing and aahing of the people around them did she realize their magic had created stars along the ceiling of the barn, making it appear that they were all dancing under an inky black sky bursting with constellations.
From a distance, Emma heard her daughter ask if it was ‘magic time’ now, but before she and Killian needed to step in, Regina told her ‘Not tonight, kid,’ and Henry whisked her off for her another dance. This gave Emma and Killian time, time to enjoy the fruits of all he’d done, and to revel in this moment for as long as they could.
“Merry Christmas, Killian. You’ve made it so perfect, I never want it to end.”
“What is it they say in those movies, love? Oh right – every day is Christmas when we’re together.”
And even though it was horribly corny, and she should have rolled her eyes at such a lame joke, Emma found that she couldn’t. She was simply too happy and grateful to feign otherwise. Instead she savored every moment of their Christmas dance, and the night they shared thereafter, knowing this would be one of the best days she’d ever had, and that somehow, some way, her pirate would find other means of making the future just as bright.
……………………
Girl I got a no problem
Yeah, it's a bad habit, the way I gotta have it
With or without you around
All ya gotta do is call me, and tell me that you're lonely
You're always stringing me out
Yeah, they say the first step to quitting it
Is admitting it, so here it is
Girl, I think I got a no problem
On my hands, 'cause I can't say no to you
Once you start you know I can't stop it
Even if I wanted to
Yeah, I get tongue tied every time I try
To do what I oughta do
Girl, I got a no problem
Yeah, 'cause I can't say no to you
Girl, I should know better, yeah, I should know never
To let you in just to leave
If it's just two letters, then why can't I ever
Find a way to piece 'em together
Let's say the first step to quitting it
Is admitting it, I'm admitting it, here it is
Girl, I think I got a no problem
On my hands, 'cause I can't say no to you
Once you start you know I can't stop it
Even if I wanted to
Yeah, I get tongue tied every time I try
To do what I oughta do
Girl, I got a no problem
Yeah, 'cause I can't say no to you
Those smokey blue eyes staring back at me
Yeah, you already know if you're asking me
What the answer's always gonna be
It's gonna be, yeah
Girl, I think I got a no problem
On my hands, 'cause I can't say no to you
Once you start you know I can't stop it
Even if I wanted to
Yeah, I get tongue tied every time I try
To do what I oughta do
Girl, I got a no problem
Yeah, 'cause I can't say no to you
Those smokey blue eyes staring back at me
Can't say no to you
Yeah, you already know if you're asking me
Girl, I got a no problem
That the answer's always gonna be
'Cause I can't say no to you
Girl, I got a no problem
'Cause I can't say no to you
Post-Note: So, what did you think? Hopefully you enjoyed this little dose of holiday cuteness and none of this is offensive in any way or to any story line. Most of you know I never watched the last season of the show, so I don’t know what they say happened to Henry and everybody. I only knew Emma and Killian did eventually have a baby girl named Hope. Anyway, I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and healthy holiday season. I am grateful for you all, from the ride or die readers who comment on every post, to the people passing by who just wanted a little bit of Christmas cheer. You are such a force for good in my world, whoever you are, and I thank you for your light and kindness in these trying time. I wish you all the best this Christmas and in the New Year, and more than anything I wish you love! Sending my best vibes your way now and always, xE.
The Captain Swan Mixtape oneshot series:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9,Part 10,Part 11, Part 12,Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24,Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31,Part 32, Part 33, Part 34, Part 35, Part 36, Part 37, Part 38,Part 39,Part 40, Part 41, Part 42, Part 43, Part 44, Part 45,Part 46,Part 47, Part 48, Part 49, Part 50, Part 51, Part 52, Part 53,Part 54,Part 55, Part 56, Part 57, Part 58, Part 59, Part 60,Part 61,Part 62, Part 63, Part 64, Part 65, Part 66, Part 67, Part 68,Part 69,Part 70, Part 71, Part 72, Part 73, Part 74, Part 75,Part 76,Part 77, Part 78, Part 79, Part 80, Part 81, Part 82, Part 83,Part 84,Part 85, Part 86, Part 87, Part 88, Part 89, Part 90,Part 91,Part 92, Part 93, Part 94, Part 95, Part 96, Part 97, Part 98,Part 99,Part 100, Part 101, Part 102, Part 103,Part 104, Part 105,Part 106, Part 107,Part 108, Part 109, Part 110,Part 111, Part 112,Part 113, Part 114, Part 115,Part 116, Part 117, Part 118,Part 119,Part 120, Part 121, Part 122, Part 123,Part 124, Part 125,Part 126, Part 127, Part 128,Part 129,Part 130, Part 131,Part 132,Part 133, Part 134, Part 135, Part 136, Part 137, Part 138,Part 139,Part 140, Part 141, Part 142, Part 143, Part 144, Part 145,Part 146, Part 147, Part 148,Part 149, Part 150, Part 151,Part 152, Part 153, Part 154, Part 155, Part 156, Part 157, Part 158,Part 159, Part 160, Part 161, Part 162, Part 163, Part 164,Part 165, Part 166, Part 167, Part 168, Part 169, Part 170,Part 171,Part 172, Part 173, Part 174, Part 175, Part 176,Part 177, Part 178, Part 179 , Part 180, Part 181, Part 182, Part 183, Part 184, Part 185, Part 186, Part 187, Part 188, Part 189, Part 190, Part 191, Part 192, Part 193, Part 194, Part 195
Happy belated birthday, @courtorderedcake ! I am so sorry this gift is late! It’s been a week, we’ll just say that, and I wanted your gift to be good. I know you have been through SO much difficulty, my dear, and I wanted to write a fic focusing on Emma’s tough past and her strength because I know you identify with her so deeply. This turned out going in a much different direction than I anticipated, especially with the Daddy!Charming at the end. Nevertheless, I hope you like it! I based this on the song of the same name by Pearl Jam, and the two lines I used at the end made me think of you, Court, as well as Emma: “She holds the hand that holds her down/ She will rise above.”
This fic doesn’t follow the season seven timeline simply because it makes my head hurt and it was just easier to ignore it. I also needed Emma’s past in the Land Without Magic to touch her in the present, and the whole “all the realms are in Maine” wouldn’t really work here. Therefore, this is three years after the season six finale. Henry is sixteen Neal Nolan is three, and baby Hope is two months old.
Summary: The past collides with the present when Emma gets an upsetting phone call. But she isn’t a lost girl anymore.
Rating: T for brief discussions of child neglect, emotional abuse, and alcoholism
Words: 3,500 and some change
Also on Ao3 and part of my Fandom Birthday Playlist
Neither Emma nor Killian would say that their pasts were a faded, distant memory. Trauma just wasn’t that easy to get over. They would say, however, that this life they’d built in Storybrooke made the memories easier to handle. They had legit, “I’d go to hell and back for you”, family and friends. They had the home of their dreams where they could give Henry and Hope all the things they never had. They no longer felt the pang of hunger or the bite of cold.
Most of all, they had each other. Having each other meant sharing the burden of those memories for the first time. It was like peeling an onion, and Emma didn’t mean that metaphor in the usual sense. She meant the layers stung like hell, so they could only handle tiny bits at a time. It was okay, though, Killian told her. They had a lifetime together.
Taking the pain a tiny piece at a time was why the phone call came as such a shock for both of them. It wasn’t that Emma forgot about Hank, it’s just she’d never heard anyone speak of him aloud in almost thirty years.
Killian watched her face go pale, saw her arm go limp even though he could still hear a tiny voice coming through the speaker of her phone.
“Emma? Is everything okay?”
She dropped the phone without ending the call, and it hit one of the throw pillows and slid to the edge of the couch. Without saying a word, she headed upstairs, and Killian snatched the phone up and pressed it to his ear. The person on the other end was saying “hello? Ms. Swan, are you there?”
“This is Mr. - this is her husband,” Killian said. Though Storybrooke was no longer isolated from the outside world, Killian still essentially didn’t exist outside of its borders. Their marriage, though real in every way that mattered, wasn’t legally official outside of their little hamlet of fairy tale characters.
“Oh,” the woman on the line said, “well, could you just let her know that visiting hours end at nine pm?”
Killian’s brow furrowed. “Visiting hours?”
“Yes, if she’d like to come visit Hank Gregory. Her foster father?”
Killian sank to the edge of the couch. “Could you fill me in, please? My wife was a little - overwhelmed by your call.”
“Well, Mr. Gregory was admitted to Maine Medical Center here in Portland about two days ago with complications from both liver disease and diabetes. We’ve done all we can for him, but he’s been admitted into the ICU.” The woman took a deep breath, as if gathering her strength to get the next words out.
“I told your wife this already, but he doesn’t have a lot of time. We asked if he had any next of kin he’d like us to contact, and your wife’s name and number was all he gave us. He said she was his foster daughter?”
Killian rubbed the curve of his hook against his chin. No wonder the nurse phrased it as a question - this call likely wasn’t going the way she had envisioned. Across the room, Henry had discarded his video game controller and was watching Killian with a question furrowing his brow. Killian wished he weren’t so worried himself because it’s one thing for the man to have Emma’s name. It was quite another for him to have her cell phone number.
“Let me jot down those visitation hours,” he finally told the nurse, motioning to Henry to get a pad of paper and a pen. The lad dashed to the kitchen and fished them out of the junk drawer. Killian repeated the information from the nurse as Henry scribbled it down. After ending the call, Henry regarded him intensely.
“What was that all about? Mom seemed really upset.”
Killian sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not one hundred percent sure yet, Henry.”
“Are you’re absolutely positive that you want to do this, love?”
Emma was clutching the steering wheel with a white-knuckled grip, but she nodded at Killian anyway. They were twenty minutes outside of Storybrooke, and she’d been completely silent the entire time.
“I need answers. The man treated me like shit for two years, and now, 24 years later, he calls out of the blue?”
Killian really wasn’t sure what to say, so he merely rubbed Emma’s arm with the curve of his hook. She smiled at the gesture, and her body relaxed. One of her hands released the steering wheel, and she reached over to grasp his. He lifted it to his lips and brushed a kiss across her knuckles.
“The bastard isn’t going to die without me getting a thing or two off my chest, either,” she added with a bitter chuckle.
There was a time a few years ago that the anger radiating from her and the harshness of her words would have him worried. His mind would have gone immediately to his own bitterness towards his father and the darkness that kind of path leads to. But now he knew better. Emma had faced the darkness and risen above it. He also knew she had to face her demons on her own terms.
“I’m right beside you, Swan, you know that.”
Her face relaxed and she turned her palm to lace their fingers together. She lifted their hands and pressed her lips to the back of his before letting go so she could put two hands back on the wheel. She bore right and soon the Bug was heading down 295 to Portland.
Maine Medical Center was enormous, comprised of several different buildings. To make matters worse, parts of it were being renovated and construction zones were everywhere. They finally found the correct building, finally found a parking deck, and then walked what felt like a million miles to the ICU. Killian had never been anywhere but Storybrooke General, but this massive place had the same sterile smell and chilly air. He noticed Emma shivering and put his arm around her as they walked. She leaned into him, clasping his prosthetic hand in hers, his hook not exactly appropriate for the setting.
“Thank you for coming here with me,” she whispered.
“It’s what a husband does,” he replied, pressing a kiss to her temple.
His quip at least elicited a tiny chuckle from her. They approached the nurses station for the ICU, and Emma told them who she was and that she was here to see Hank Gregory. A smiling woman in her sixties whose spectacles reminded him of Granny Lucas led them to the correct room, which looked more to Killian like a glass prison. She eased the door open and called to the patient in the bed with a voice only slightly above a whisper.
“Mr. Gregory, you have visitors.”
The man’s eyes blinked open, and he turned his head towards the open door. He was covered in wires and tubes, and things blinked and beeped all around him. The nurse pressed a gentle hand to Emma’s arm.
“I’ll let you visit.”
Emma simply nodded, and Killian could tell she would rather flee. But she let out a long, slow breath and then took a step closer towards the man in the bed. His skin was pale and looked as thin as paper, littered in bruises. His eyes were sunken, his cheeks sallow, and there was a yellowish pallor to his face. He was mostly bald with only a few wisps of dingy gray hair. Killian glanced at Emma. She dropped her arms to her sides, and her hands were balled into tight fists.
“Emma,” the man said on a struggled breath, “you came.”
“How the hell did you find me?” she bit back.
The man’s eyes blinked, moist with tears. He looked sad, resigned, but not angry or defensive. “I’ve been keeping an eye on you over the years. Trying to, anyway. You can be a hard girl to find.”
“Yeah, I kinda pride myself on it.”
He ignored her jab, and smiled at Killian. “And who is your young man here?”
“I’m not ten anymore, Hank. This isn’t my young man, he’s my husband.”
“Killian Jones.” Killian gave the man a slight nod, unsure if he should attempt to shake his hand or not. He glanced nervously at Emma, wondering if she was offended by his polite greeting, but her gaze hadn’t left the man in the hospital bed.
“Nice to meet you, son.”
“He’s not your anything.” Emma propped her hands on her hips. “How. Did. You. Find me?”
He sighed, his head sinking even farther into his pillow. “I saw you in the papers a few years back. Emma Swan Always Gets Her Man, that was the headline. I’ve done some, well . . . work with computers, so I -”
“You obtained my personal information illegally, right? Did you know I’m a sheriff now?”
Hank tilted his head. “No, actually, I didn’t. Funny thing, I was following your career in New York, even found out about your son -”
“You stay the hell away from Henry!”
Hank ignored her “-but then the two of you just . . . disappeared. I held onto your number, though. When I gave it to the nurse, I wasn’t sure if it would even work. I was even less sure that you would come.”
Emma’s chin was tilted, and Killian knew what that meant. “Why me?”
“You’re all I’ve got left, Emma. You were my daughter, for God’s sake!”
“Don’t call me that. I’m not your daughter. I never was.”
“Maybe not by blood, but I loved you like my own -”
“You don’t know what love even is!” Emma was shouting now, and Killian glanced nervously at the door. He wasn’t going to stop her, though. Obviously, whatever was pouring out of her had been bottled up for years. Hank was obviously not long for this world, and he knew better than anyone that his wife needed to say everything that had been left unsaid.
Hank was crying now, tears catching in the wrinkles that marred his face. “I didn’t treat you right, I know that, but I did love you, Emma. I did.”
Emma shook her head. “Really? You loved me so much you spent all of the money on liquor while I starved? Loved me so much you spent every waking moment in that damn recliner with the tv on? Do you know how many times I had to clean you up after you’d puked all over yourself? How many times I had to haul trash bags full of empty bottles out to the curb?”
“I know, I know!” Hank was sobbing now, his voice breaking as he struggled to speak. “When Denine and I took you in, we were gonna do it together. We were so excited to give you a home. But then she died, and I . . . she was my life, Emma. I was grieving so badly that I lost myself in the drinking, and -”
“I was grieving too!” Emma shouted. “And I was only ten!”
An awkward silence fell then, the sounds of the hospital machines louder within it. Hank’s gaze trailed to the ceiling, and his hands picked nervously at the thin hospital blanket. He let out a shaky sigh before finally speaking again.
“I’m dying, Emma. My liver’s useless, my kidneys are failing.” Groaning, he struggled to sit up in the bed, his right hand shaking violently as he reached for the blanket across his lap. When he yanked it aside, Killian’s eyes widened in surprise to see legs that ended in blunted stumps where feet should have been. Emma, however, didn’t react at all.
“Look at me,” Hank choked out. “I hated myself so much, I literally killed myself. Didn’t give a shit about my diabetes, so I lost my feet.”
“Serves you right,” Emma replied coldly.
“You’re right, it does,” Hank agreed, awkwardly covering himself back up and collapsing against his pillows. “Denine would be devastated if she saw me now.”
“She was good to me,” Emma whispered, hugging her arms around herself.
Hank nodded, tears gathering in his eyes once again. “I just wanted to tell you how sorry I was before it’s too late. I hoped that maybe we could -”
“Fine,” Emma interrupted him, “you got to apologize, but if you think that means I’ll forgive you, then I guess you’re gonna die disappointed.”
Emma completely ignored the broken man as he sobbed in the hospital bed, turning instead for the door and striding from the room. Killian followed her, but he couldn’t help glancing back at Hank Gregory with sympathy.
Emma felt physically drained, yet a buzz of righteous anger still tingled along her skin. Killian, however, had fallen into a melancholy she couldn’t understand. They had decided to get lunch in the hospital cafeteria rather than drive around trying to find a place to eat. They had found a spot to sit next to a window looking out at a courtyard, and Killian seemed far more interested in watching the people walking past than the food in front of him.
“Hey,” Emma said softly, reaching out to grasp his hand, “what’s wrong?”
He gave her that smile that never fooled her because it didn’t reach his eyes. “Nothing, love, really.”
As if to try and prove it to her, he picked up his fork and speared a piece of broccoli. Not very convincing, however, when it never reached his mouth. Emma sighed and put down her grilled cheese.
“Yeah right, nothing.” She regarded his brooding nervously, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. “Do you think I’m an awful person? To yell at a dying man like that?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. As difficult as it was, it had to be said.”
If anything, Killian’s words only made him look more depressed. Emma frowned. “But you think I should go back and forgive him?”
Killian shrugged. “I can’t tell you what to do in a situation like this. I confess, I wish you would, but . . . “
“But what?”
He finally met her eyes, dropping the fork with the uneaten broccoli. “Can’t you see it, Swan?”
Her brow furrowed. “See what?”
“Is there really that much difference between me and Hank Gregory?”
Emma couldn’t help it, a short laugh escaped her lips. “You can’t be serious.”
“A one-handed pirate with a drinking problem,” he grumbled.
“What?”
Killian rubbed his forehead, unable to look at her. “It’s what Pan said in Neverland when I told him you were finally seeing me for who I really am.”
Emma rolled her eyes, though she knew Killian was serious. “And you’re going to believe that psychopath?”
“Well, he wasn’t wrong. And here you are, refusing to forgive . . . an alcoholic with no feet.”
Emma’s eyes widened as his words sank in, then her face softened and tears moistened her eyes. “Oh babe,” she told him softly, grasping his hand again and rubbing his knuckles with her thumb, “you’re nothing like him. I’ve seen you drink too much, sure, but you’re not an alcoholic. You’ve never neglected me or Henry or Hope. You’ve done nothing but put us first.” She let out a long, slow breath, relieved when she saw a tiny glimmer spark in her husband’s eyes. “Hank ignored me, neglected me, yelled at me and called me names for two long, excruciating years.”
“Oh Swan,” he told her in a choked voice, “I’m not sure I was much better after losing Milah.”
“No, stop it,” she said firmly, grasping his prosthetic and his hand firmly in both of hers. “That may be true, but I know you, better than anyone. I have no doubt in my mind that if a child needed you, you would have been there. As a matter of fact, you did just that, for Neal - I mean Bae.”
“And then I mucked it all up like I always -”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Jones.”
He gave a small laugh, and ducked his head. Since she didn’t seem to be getting through to him, she got up, plopped right down in his lap and cupped his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her.
“Forget the past, remember? Isn’t that what we said on our wedding day?”
“Yes, but -”
“No buts. Hank Gregory was never a father to me. He sucked, okay? You, however, are the best father I could ever dream of for Henry and Hope.” She punctuated her words with a searing kiss, not giving a damn that they were in the middle of crowded, bustling Maine Medical Center.
Emma rubbed her palms on her jeans nervously as she watched the dying man through the glass of his room in the ICU. Killian put his arm around her and pulled her close.
“You sure about this?” he asked.
Emma nodded. “Yes. You were right, I did need to say those harsh words.” She turned to him and shrugged. “But they weren’t the only words. I guess I have too much of my parents in me.”
He smiled and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be waiting right here for you.”
With a steadying breath, she stepped away from her husband and opened the door. She had thought Hank was sleeping, but she had been wrong. He turned towards the door and smiled when he saw her.
“I didn’t think I would see you again.”
“Yeah, well . . . “ Emma shrugged as she approached his bed. She stepped to the foot of it and grasped the edge with both hands. “I was talking to my husband, and he reminded me that people can change.”
Hank’s eyes brightened with hopefulness. “I have changed, Emma, and I was hoping maybe I could get to know my daughter again.”
Emma lifted her hand. “Please don’t call me that, Hank. I found my real parents, and they’re wonderful people. My dad and I especially are close. He and I -” she chuckled, surprised when tears rose up in her eyes thinking of David. “Well, we’re a lot alike. My mom definitely says so about a hundred times a day.”
Tears rolled freely down Hank’s cheeks. “Oh, Emma, I’m so happy to hear that. Knowing that, I really think I can leave this world in peace.”
Emma blinked, startled. “What?”
“I was such a horrible parent to you, Emma, and you were so innocent. I never forgave myself, and I tortured myself after children’s services took you away wondering what happened to you. Wondering if you ever found a family to love you the way you always deserved.”
Emma nodded, the tears flowing freely on her own face. “I have. I really have.”
“Anyone else besides Henry, your parents, and that handsome husband of yours?”
“Yes,” Emma said, pulling her cell phone out of her jacket pocket as she came around to the side of the bed, “my baby girl Hope. Here she is on the day she was born.”
Hank’s trembling hand came out to bring the screen closer. “She’s beautiful.”
“She is, isn’t she?”
An awkward silence fell as Emma pocketed her phone. She shifted her feet awkwardly, wondering if she could really spit the words out she had come here to say.
“You don’t have to forgive me,” Hank finally said.
Emma’s face softened as she held his gaze. “Yes, I do. Not for you, but for me.” She took another deep breath and reached out to grasp Hank’s hand. “Hank, I forgive you.”
The man let out a long, shuddering breath, his eyes closing as he whispered, “thank you.” He must have been saving that breath for Emma’s words because as soon as it fell from his lips, every machine in the room started beeping. Emma was shoved out of the way as doctors and nurses rushed in to attend to the dying man. She found herself back in Killian’s arms, weeping against his shoulder.
The drive home was a bit surreal with nothing but silence their companion back to Storybrooke. Emma didn’t think the feeling was grief - she’d known that, and God, she’d never forget it. Yet she did feel emotionally spent, and wrung out of all coherent thought. Killian didn’t seem concerned by her silence, content to watch the scenery go by and hum along with the radio. Occasionally, he would take her hand in his and give her a reassuring smile.
Emma was surprised when she saw the Welcome to Storybrooke sign - it was like she had driven home on autopilot. When they parked outside of their house, her heart flipped to see her dad’s truck. David came out on the porch before they had even exited the vehicle, Hope cradled in his arms.
“Snow needed to take Neal to t-ball practice so I -” David’s words were cut off when Emma launched herself into his arms. His free arm came up to cup his daughter’s head, and he was shocked to hear her crying against him. He looked to Killian with a startled expression and was relieved when his son-in-law gave him a small smile and a tiny nod that Emma was fine. Killian gently took Hope from him, grinning as the two month old squealed in delight. His arms free, David held Emma tighter.
“Sweetheart, are you okay?” he finally asked her.
Emma pulled back, a smile lighting her face despite the tears. “Yeah, I am. Better than okay. I just . . . I love you, Dad.”
David swallowed back the lump in his throat. “I love you, too.”
She holds the hand that holds her down / She will rise above.
when you have had an exhausting day and you check your e-mail and there’s a crazy notification from @optomisticgirl because she updated “To the Ends of The World”...
@optomisticgirl you have made my day!! what a lovely surprise. Suddenly I’m not that tired
Killian thought as he looked at Emma. He knew her as much as he knew himself, and sometimes he could swear he knew her better.
Killian narrowed his eyes and sighed softly as he rested his arms on the kitchen counter.
Should he go with her, or leave her alone?
When Emma had returned shakily to the loft he had cursed himself for letting her go alone. And although the words had come out clear and determined from her mouth as she told them what had happened with the damned crocodile, he could still see the havoc that had caused in her, not counting the reddened skin that surrounded her eyes.
Emma had remained silent and had sat on her parents' bed while her gaze focused on nothingness. He breathed heavily and, deciding that he had given her enough time to be alone and reprimand herself for whatever was going on in her head, he approached her.
Snow looked at him as he entered the room, without saying anything she got up from the bed, and giving a weak smile to Killian, she left the room to leave them alone.
"Love,-" she looked at him absent-mindedly, "Tell me what's wrong. I know there is something that is bothering you, I can see it." Emma kept silent and Killian swallowed. "What did he say to you?" This time, his voice was a bit tenser.
He just could not help but feel a fit of anger every time he thought about the man that many years ago, too many to continue counting, had destroyed his life, and now he did it again. A damn selfish man who never did anything more than see for himself.
And again, those feelings of revenge that he thought were forgotten, returned. Returned each time he remembered his daughter's face, every time he didn't see her eyes, every time he looked his wife in the eye and saw the loss that was reflected in them.
But those same eyes were the ones that stopped him from doing any madness. Those eyes that Emma shared with Livie.
He was miles away from the man he had once been and didn't plan to take a step back, but no doubt, when he found his daughter and caught that old crocodile, his fists would find their way straight into the old man's face.
Emma sighed heavily and looked down at the floor, annoying that Gold's words had affected her. "Gold asked me if I remembered when I was a kid."
Killian nodded slowly but didn't say anything else, he just moved and sat next to her, intertwining his fingers with Emma's. He knew that even after all those years, even after having found her parents, that was a difficult issue.
"And I do." She whispered, her green eyes looking directly at his. "I remember being scared at night wishing I had a mother and father to hold me until I could go back to sleep. I remember seeing the other children leaving with their new families and the only thing I wanted was for someone to choose me. But that never happened. "
"Emma," Killian said softly, feeling compassion for that little girl.
"No, it's okay," she shook her shoulders dismissing the importance. "I grew up and I just stopped thinking about that, but... I never stopped wondering why my parents had abandoned me, why they had not loved me enough, and-" A tear slipped capriciously down her cheek. "-and I don't want Livie to go through that, I don't want our daughter to think we abandoned her."
Killian squeezed her hand a little more. "She would never think that."
"How do you know?."
"Because she knows us. Livie knows how we are, she knows that we love her and that we would never leave her. "
"But even if she knows, right now she's out there somewhere that is not Sotrybrooke, alone. And we can't protect her and I'm not just referring to Gold, I'm saying it for everything."
"Emma, we can not trust what Rumplestiskin is saying, he's just playing with us, he knows that would hurt you. It's all part of his twisted game. "
"And what happens if it's real?" She said exasperatedly. "What will happen when someone asks her about her family and she tells them that her father is Captain Hook, her mother is the daughter of snow white and the prince charming, and Pinocchio's daughter is her best friend. Everyone will think she's crazy. "
"And Livie will know she is not." He answered slowly. "Maybe she's never been out of Storybrook, but if this is real, she knows there are cities without magic, you taught her and told her stories about all these places, just like Henry did every time he returned home. She knows that there are cities where the people she knows are only fairytale characters, cities where we don't exist, neither magic. She knows."
"And that doesn't make me feel better." Emma squeezed Killian's hands tightly that he had to contain a moan. "The only reason Gold took her was because of me, it's his way of forcing me to do what he wants. And I can't do anything because my hands are tied. If I help him everything we know could change, our history could change and not just our history. If we change the past, the history of many people could be different and we don't know in what way. If I help him to change the past even Livie's life could be in danger, but if I don't, we lose our daughter." She exhaled heavily. "In both cases, we lose."
"No, we don't." And really he needed to believe that. "Do you know what is the best part of our daughter, Swan? That she is exactly like you." Emma looked at him silently. "She is strong, intelligent, fighter and never gives up, no matter how difficult things may be. She learned all that from her mother, from you. And I'm sure wherever our daughter is, she'll be waiting for you, because you're her hero, Swan. Like mine. "
"In this moment I don't feel like a hero. I don't feel like a savior, I just feel like a mother who lost her daughter." Her voice broke at the end.
Killian's chest contracted painfully as he heard her words. There was nothing he could say to make her feel better, so he swallowed and wrapped his arm around her, tightly. Emma rested her head on his shoulder and Killian breathed the scent of her hair as he placed soft kisses on her forehead. She felt the cold leather from his jacket on her cheek, as well as the warmth of his hand on her waist. "That's what we are, love." He whispered. "Parents who lost their daughter and did not rest until they found her because we will. Together."
They both remained silent until Emma's voice regained strength to speak.
"Maybe... If I make a deal with Gold, he-"
"No." Killian responded quickly.
Emma could feel his body tense before he separated from her.
"We're not going to make any deal with the bloody crocodile."
"It's the only way" She grabbed his arm before he could get out of bed.
"There must be another way-"
"Which?" Emma looked him in the eyes and Killian cursed under his breath when he didn't find an answer.
"We have already tried with every spell that Regina has given us, our options are running out and time is passing." Emma put her hand on his cheek. "It's our only chance, maybe if I make a deal with him, he tells us something about Livie, enough to start looking somewhere."
"He can fool us, that coward has been a liar for years and I doubt he has changed. What if he tells us something just to put us a proof?."
"We've tried everything," Emma repeated.
"Almost everything," Both, Emma and Killian turned around just as they saw Regina walking towards them and Snow a few steps back.
Regina smiled and raised her hand to show them the small vial she held between her fingers.
Killian frowned. "What is that?"
"This," she said proudly. "It's what will help us find your daughter."
Regina saw the surprise in their faces, their eyes widened and their mouths fall and, as if it were a dream they were both having, she saw them approaching slowly, their eyes focused on such a small object that at that moment felt giant between her fingers.
"You-you found a way," Emma said, not sure if that had been a question or an affirmation, and she honestly didn't care.
Regina put the vial on Emma's hand and again, she smiled triumphantly. "It's time to kick Rumple in the ass."
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
He could not stop seeing her.
He was not sure how long he had been in that same position but he knew he could not stop doing it. It was as if his eyes simply could not move away from the small body of the girl he had on his legs.
And even when the little girl was doing something as simple as playing with a few sheets of paper, that action seemed surprising to him.
And when those little green eyes looked at him with total adoration, the words flew from his mind, and it was not that he was surprised, he thought to himself, taking into account that Emma took away his speech every time he saw her, he didn't expect something different from their daughter.
That mere thought made him choke and felt an itch in the pit of his stomach, he had never imagined having a daughter, much less that daughter was with Emma Swan.
Bloody hell, He had not even imagined that those words were someday in the same sentence.
And for the first time in the last half hour, Killian turned his gaze away from the girl just to focus on the woman in front of him.
He saw Emma pacing back and forth while whispering something to the cell phone, then she stopped and he could hear the soft echo of her laughter as her lips curved into the most genuine smile. She turned her head and in that moment their eyes met.
Green against Blue.
Emma moved uncomfortably in her place and, breaking the eye contact, she took a few steps farther as if that would prevent him from continuing to see her. That could have made him smile if it had not been for the fact that at that very moment he felt a small twinge of jealousy.
He knew that Emma was talking to Henry, of course, he was not jealous of the boy, but for a small moment, he wished that Emma's smile was for him. That woman was so stubborn that even when they both knew that she, in fact, felt something towards him, even something as simple as attraction, she tried hard to deny it.
He looked back at the girl. That girl who was the proof of the future that awaited them together, the proof that that kiss would not be a 'one-time-thing', the proof that one day he would have a family, but above all, was the proof that one day he would be able to conquer Emma's heart.
Someday he would be in charge of protecting and loving Emma's heart.
"Daddy, are you going to put your hand again?." Suddenly, Livie's voice sounds.
Killian blinked several times leaving his thoughts aside and, raising his eyebrows, he looked at the girl. "Don't you like the hook, little love?" He asked.
Livie looked at her father confused as a small wrinkle appeared on her forehead and her small eyes opened in surprise. "Of course I like the hook, silly daddy." She laughed as if her father's question was the most ridiculous thing in the world. "I love the hook as much as mommy love it, but you said you love more your hand because you can hold mommy and me at the same time."
Killian swallowed and, carried by the force of an impulse, he kissed the girl's forehead. "That's right, little love." He said completely overwhelmed and cleared his throat. Livie's smile was so kind that he didn't think he deserved that unconditional love.
Slowly, he stroked her hair and passed it behind her ear and although that impulse was something new for him, the little blonde seemed completely accustomed to that caress of his father. "But I think I'll keep the hook a little bit longer because I really miss it. That's okay with you?" He asked.
Livie looked at the hook for a moment and Killian found himself nervous about the answer a 5-year-old could give him.
He saw Livie's small eyes weigh the situation while that little wrinkle she had inherited from Emma appeared on her forehead. Then, she looked up and slowly her lips curved into a completely disinterested half smile.
"Aye." Livie answered with the simplicity of a child and focused again on the storybook in front of her.
Killian didn't know how much he wanted that answer until he felt how his lungs released the air they had been holding. And only when he had thought that the girl could not do anything to make him feel any more relieved, she put her little hand on the hook and held it tightly.
That gesture took him off guard and held back a sigh. The girl didn't even know the effect she had on him and even so, she had him between her fingers.
He was still surprised at how that affection had been born quickly in his guts, even before Emma had finished explaining who the girl was, Livie had captivated him with her eyes.
The mere thought made him smile and he shook his head slightly. Bloody hell! Emma had captivated him in the same way when he met her in the enchanted forest.
"Besides, I think mommy also misses it sometimes," Livie said casually.
Killian frowned and looked at Livie curiously. "Why do you say it, love?"
And as if it were a secret, Livie made a quick glance at her mother who was still on the cell phone, put her little hands around her mouth and Killian approached her ear. "Because the other night I saw mommy," she whispered. "I was supposed to be asleep, but I wasn't, so I went with mommy to see if she was still awake to tell me a bedtime story, but she didn't see me. Mommy had the hook in her hands,-" Livie's little hands rested on her chest following the movement she had seen her mother do a few nights before. "-then she smiles and put it on her chest before putting it in the coffer." Killian's heart stopped and an inexplicable, but completely overwhelming sensation ran through his body.
His gaze quickly searched for Emma. "She do that?" He swallows.
"Uh-hu," Livie nodded. "That's why I think Mommy is going to be very happy when you tell her to keep your hook longer."
And before he could finish processing and understanding that wave of sensations that he was feeling inside his chest, Emma approached.
"Okay, kid. Better not see more chocolate in that mouth of yours or I'll have to-" Emma interrupted herself when she saw the surprised looks of Killian and Livie. She put her cell phone in her trouser bag and narrowed her eyes "What's going on here?"
"Nothing, love." Emma arched her eyebrows in disbelief "Pirates things, rigth Livie?"
The girl nodded quickly. "Yeah, mommy. Pirates things. "
Maybe she was new on being Livie's mother, but she was definitely not new on being a mother, and that look on the girl's face was the same as Henry's when he hid something from her. She narrowed her eyes and stared at them, from Killian to Livie and vice versa.
"So, how was the boy?" Killian asked, making her change the subject.
"He's okay. He will stay with Regina while we solve all this." Emma exhaled. Even though she knew that Livie was no a threat, she wanted to keep Henry out of all this madness.
Killian nodded.
"Thanks for staying with her." Emma said after a moment
He smiled slightly and caressed the girl's hair. "It was a pleasure to do it, Swan."
They both remained silent, none of them sure of the ground they were standing on.
Both feeling awkward in front of each other.
"Well, I uh, I think it's time for me to leave," Killian said as he put Livie on the floor and got up from the chair.
"Yeah, rigth." Emma replied awkwardly taking a step back.
"Are we going home now?" Livie asked looking to her father.
Killian looked at Emma not sure what he had to answer to the girl.
"Not yet, Livie," Emma said softly as she leaned on her knees. "We're still going to stay here with grandma and grandpa."
"Uhm, uh. No, I mean, I'm gonna do a lot of boring things, it's better if you stay here with mommy, you'll find more fun with her."
Livie's mouth pouted in childish dislike. "I don't want you to go, daddy. Why can you not stay here more time?"
"it's only for a while, you will not even notice." He said trying to comfort the girl.
"I will notice because I will miss you." Livie crossed her little arms over her chest. "Don't you miss mommy and me?"
"Of course I miss you and mommy." The words just came out of his mouth without thinking twice. And he was not lying, he missed Emma frequently and he was sure he would miss the girl even more.
He saw Emma's look on him, but he didn't care. He swallowed, facing what he had just said.
"Stay, daddy. Please!" Livie begged looking at him with puppy eyes. "Mommy, tell daddy to stay. I don't want him to leave."
"Kill-daddy really has to leave, kiddo." She started. Livie's green eyes looked at her pleadingly. All her hopes placed on her mother. Emma swallowed and she knew she could not do it. So she sighs. "But if he wants, he can stay longer with you so you can show him all those drawings you made him. "
Livie smiled happily. "And can I also show him my new storybook?"
"Of course." Emma smiled
LIvie turned her little body excited towards Killian. "Stay, daddy! Mommy said. "
Killian looked at Emma confused, but she said nothing, she was just waiting for his answer as much as the little girl in front of her. So he looked at his daughter again and smiled uncertainly. "Well, a gentleman should never refuse at the pleas of a beautiful lady."
Livie's smile seemed to divide her face and she gave little jumps of joy. "I'm going to show you all the drawings I made you, the ones I made to grandma, to grandpa, and mommy. And also my new storybook that grandma bought me."
"That sounds like a lot of fun, little love"
"Uh-huh!" she nodded excitedly. "Come on, daddy"
Livie grabbed her hook and pulled him toward the stairs. "You know what, lass? Why do not you go first and in a moment I go with you? I need to talk with mommy."
"But you're not going?"
"You have my word, love"
"Pinky promise?" Livie raised her little finger and Killian frowned.
"Pinky what?"
Emma snorted. He was so old fashion. "Daddy will not go anywhere. I promise, kid. So go upstairs and find all your drawings. Come on!"
Livie nodded and ran off as fast as her small legs allowed. Both parents smiled and Killian saw Emma's gazee following the girl to the second floor.
"Emma," He swallowed. "Are you sure it does not bother you that I stay longer? I can go and talk to Livie."
"It's okay. I mean, If that makes the girl happy, it's okay with me." She smiled slightly but she frowned when she saw the look in Killian's eyes. "What?"
"When you-" Killian paused and rolled her eyes as he shrugged to minimize importance. "Forget it, Swan. It's silly, I'll just stay a moment and then I'll go."
And before he could turn his back to her, Emma took his arm and stopped him. "Killian, what is it?"
He lowered his gaze to the point where Emma's hand touched his arm and sighed heavily. That woman had the ability to make him speak even if he didn't want to. "I don't want to bother you or impose my presence, Emma. I know this is not what you wanted. "
"What do you mean?"
"I saw your face," Killian explained. He looked at his hand that played nervously with his hook. "I saw your face when you told Neal that you thought he was the father."
And even when he had not said anything else, Emma did not need it, she knew what all this was about. She could remember the look in Killian's eyes, a look she had not understood until then.
She tilt her head and exhales. Killian was hurt and part of her understood it completely.
Emma opened her mouth to say something, but Killian spoke.
"I know you're disappointed. I was the last person on this world ... or any other, with whom you would have imagined a family. Neal and you... Well, You already had a story together, it was obvious that he had more opportunities than me." He shook his head and laughed sadly. "I suppose you expected the knight in shining armor and not the pirate. I get it."
"I-I'm not disappointed." Emma frowned. Maybe she was still not sure what she was feeling, but when she heard him speak, she realized how wrong he was. "I'm surprised, overwhelmed and completely confused with all that, I mean, that girl is like a spoiler alert."
"What thats means?"
"Spoiler alert," she repeated, but Killian shook his head, complete loss of what she was trying to say. Emma rolled her eyes. "She is too much. It's been 24 hours since I found her in the back seat of my car and she has already told me everything that will happen in my life in the next ten years. It is not easy to assimilate a whole life that I had not even imagined. And that's driving me crazy, and it scares me, but I'm not disappointed about you being her father.
"You're not?"
“No, I mean, it could have been worse."
They both smiled and Killian nodded. "Right."
"Look, Killian," Emma took a step forward and bit her lip nerviously. "At this moment I don't even know how I feel about all this, or us, and I'm not sure about being able to discover it, but if I'm sure of something, it's that I'm not disappointed. I don't know what could have happened in the future for us to end up together, but I know that something good came out of all that. "
"Yeah." It was the only thing Killian answered as the corner of his lips curved into a small smile just like Emma's. They both remained silent. It was as if their looks had much more to say than what they could express with their words.
And even when they were not doing such a thing as kissing, that moment seemed as private, at least it was what Snow had thought when she had entered the loft.
"Emma, do you want me t- Oh, sorry." She blushed. "I didn't know Hook was still here. I can come back later or,"
"It's okay, mom. We were just talking." Emma took a step back and pressed her lips together. Her eyes still looking at Killian's.
"I have to go with the child" He said and Emma nodded
"Yeah, you should."
And as soon as Killian started up the stairs, Snow shot a glance at her daughter while a mischievous smile showed on her lips. Emma snorted and rolled her eyes "Do not say anything" she shot her mother before turning around.
But still, she can hear the brunette's laugh. "Your father is going to be so mad" She smiled amusedly.
Saturday, January 20, 2018
It was time.
Emma's hands froze when she felt the sudden pain that started in her belly and continued down her entire spine.
It was time.
She thought again. Were the only words that crossed her head over and over again as her breathing accelerated. She straightened slowly in the divan, and when the pain pressed on her belly again, she rested her hands protectively on her stomach.
Her baby was coming to the world. A small smile of happiness, and nerves, drew on her face before turning into a grimace of pain.
"Killian," she said in a choked voice.
He was sitting in the opposite chair while his gaze focused on the book in his lap. "Yeah, love?" He said distractedly. And when he didn't hear her answer back, he looked up.
And as soon as he saw his wife's face, his eyes widened as the book in his hands fell to the floor in an instant.
Emma was sure that she could have laughed at the poor man's reaction if it had not been because at that moment a wave of pain ran down her spine again.
"It's time? Is she coming? Are you sure?" He got up hurriedly and ran towards her putting his hand on her belly. "- Are you okay, is she okay?" His body was sweating like water taps and unable to keep his body still he started walking from one place to another making an imaginary list of all the things that Snow had told him were necessary to carry for the day of the birth. But the truth was that he could not remember anything. "Should I call your mother? Can you walk? Does it hurt a lot, love?"
Emma laughed with a small bit of pain on her face. She took a deep breath. "Well, I'm pretty sure your baby is coming now, but I can answer all your other questions on the way to the hospital because definitely, I do not want to have this baby in our living room."
Killian helped her get up and put on her coat before leaving the house. Each of his movements was slow and controlled because he didn't want to make her feel even worse. And each time a contraction hit Emma's body, he willingly held out her hand so she could squeeze it as hard as she needed it, even though his fingers hurt to hell.
He put on his seatbelt and after turning on the car, he turned his head to look at her.
"She's really here," he said slowly, unable to believe what was happening.
"Yeah, she is." Emma whispered as a smile full of joy appeared on her face, as well as Killian's.
They had waited months for this and finally, the moment arrived.
He took her hand and kissed her knuckles before turning his eyes to the front and starting a new adventure.
Emma screamed so loudly that she felt her throat break into a thousand pieces as her aching body struggled once more. The lights in the room flashed again, just as it had happened many years ago at Henry's birth.
She could hear Whale's voice asking her to push one last time, but she shook her head. She was so tired that she didn't think her body could take it, and only when fear and exhaustion began to take hold of her, she felt Killian's hand tighten hers even stronger.
"You can do it, Emma. Just one more time, I'm here with you." He whispered as he caressed her forehead and brushed her hair back from her face.
"I'm not sure I can do it." Emma said exhausted.
"Yes you can, love. I know you can. Only one last time and we can meet our girl."
"That's easy to say. Do you want to try it next time?" Killian snorted and Emma was about to laugh when a sharp pain went through her body again and she moaned loudly. "Oh my god!"
"Push, Emma!" Whale said. "I need you to push as hard as you can. Now!" But he had not even finished saying it when a deafening scream came from Emma's mouth.
Her face was painted completely red while she leaned forward and pushed, one of her hands was held tightly from the bed, while the other squeezed Killian's hand.
Killian could feel his fingers clenching, but he didn't care.
"She is here!" Whale announced by taking the baby in his arms at the same time that Emma was dropped on the bed exhausted. Killian kissed her on the forehead and then on the lips.
"I told you you could do it, Swan," he said against her lips and Emma laughed.
She took a deep breath and straightened slowly on the bed. "Whale, how is she?" Emma asked happily.
But he didn't respond.
None of the people who were around their baby responded. They simply walked from one side to the other.
An alarm sounded in Emma's head and she instinctively squeezed her husband's hand.
"Whale?" Killian called him.
Slowly his smile started to get a little tense when he started seeing more medical personnel enter the room. Nobody said anything, they just looked at them and returned their attention to the baby again.
Killian and Emma shared a confused look and fear began to grow inside them.
"Whale, what's wrong? Why she isn't crying?" Emma asked with her heart in her throat.
Her eyes looked from one place to another following the confusion that had suddenly formed in the room. Everyone moved in a fast camera, but at the same time, it seemed that everything was in slow motion.
Killian's heart was beating so fast that he felt it would come out of his chest. He wanted to move, run to where his baby was and take her in his arms, but his legs were completely frozen. Frozen of fear.
He looked at Emma and could see how those green eyes trembled with fear as she stared at the place where their daughter was.
"WHALE!" He screams.
"She is not breathing." It was the only thing the doctor said before turning his back and concentrating on their daughter again.
Killian took a step back as if that words had been a direct blow to the stomach. His blue eyes suddenly stood out because of the red around them. Emma let out a moan and tears fell frantically on her cheeks.
Killian let go of Emma's hand only to surround her with both arms and squeeze her in his chest. Emma covered her mouth with one hand, while the other clung to Killian's shirt. Both remained petrified, their eyes focused on a single point.
For a few seconds everything had been frantic. Nurses who came and went, numbers, names, medical terms that neither Emma, or Killian, could understand, and suddenly, only a few seconds later, everything had stopped when the echo of a cry crossed the entire room.
The baby cried again, so loud it looked like her little lungs would burst.
"She is okay, she is completely okay." A completely excited Whale screamed.
"Oh my god!" Was the only thing that Killian managed to say at the same time that a euphoric laugh came out of Emma's mouth when she heard again another scream from their daughter. Both hugged tightly while fear made way for happiness, and tears of happiness replaced those of sadness.
An overwhelming wave of love crossed their bodies, while a smile appeared on their faces that made their cheeks ache.
"You have a beautiful baby girl." One of the nurses told Emma, and she simply nodded as her gaze focused on the small human body that Whale had in his arms. She could see her little nose, her arms that moved incessantly as she cried and that mop of blond hair that shone with the light.
Emma extended her arms to hold her baby, and as soon as her daughter recognized her mother's smell the crying stopped.
For the first time Emma felt her daughter's hand tighten one of her fingers, she could see how the girl's chest rose and fell, how her legs moved incessantly and suddenly, a pair of green eyes looked at her.
"She is perfect." Emma said in wonder as her baby tried to keep her little eyes open.
"Absolutely perfect." Killian smiled and caressed her daughter's cheek as if it were made of glass. "Thank you, Emma." He kissed her forehead and Emma smiled, resting her head on Killian's shoulder. "Hi there, little love." he said and the baby slid her gaze following the sound of the voice that also she recognized.
Whale smiled and, giving them the privacy they needed, ordered the medical staff to leave the room. "I'll go and give the good news to everyone." He said softly.
Emma nodded her thanks and Killian stood up offering him a hand. "Thank you, mate. For everything. "
Whale nodded and shook his hand. "It's my job." As he left the room.
Killian returned his attention to his wife and daughter, who at that moment was about to fall asleep in the arms of her mother. Gently, he sat on the bed and Emma leaned back against his chest while rhythmically caressing her baby's back.
"She is so tinny," Emma whispered in amazement.
"Yeah," Killian replied softly. "And beautiful. She looks like you."
Emma laughs "Nah, she is more beautiful."
Both stayed admiring and enjoying their baby. Her little chest rose and fell and they could not thanks more for that.
"What are we gonna call her?" Killian asked after a few minutes.
Emma touched her daughter's cheek and denied softly. "I can't imagine a name that goes well with her, there are too many."
"Well, we can start with your mother's name and after that, we have a handful of many more"
Emma huffed. "As much as I love my mother, I can not imagine calling our daughter Snow White or Cinderella in the park. It would be strange." She frowned. "I don't want her to take any name from a storybook, it has to be something for her. Something unique."
Killian thought for a moment and then took her daughter's small hand in his. "You know, the other time I was reading one of those books that your mother gave us where a list of names came from, and there was one that caught my attention. Olivia." He said softly. "In the book said it was a name with an admirable balance between strength and femininity. Just like our daughter."
Emma looked at her daughter, who rested comfortably on her chest. "Olivia," she repeated the name slowly and smiled. "Welcome to the world, Olivia," Emma whispered gently.
Saturday, January 21, 2023
Emma stopped before entering the vault of Regina remembering that day with total clarity. She could still smell the scent of the hospital, she could feel her body tremble after each contraction and she could remember the relief she felt when her baby had let out her first scream. She could remember how small Livie's body had been when Whale had put her in her arms.
How small and helpless Livie was, and that had not changed.
All the memories crowded in her head and she realized that she could not imagine a world where her daughter didn't exist, she could not even believe that almost six years ago her baby didn't even exist. It was crazy, she thought, but even more was to think that she had had her, only to lose her again.
She could remember the bitter taste she had felt in her mouth when she thought she had lost her before she could even know her. That feeling had torn her apart for a few seconds, but then it had disappeared and she had never felt it again, not until that moment.
"I hope this works." She hears Killian say as he approaches her with Quack in his hands.
"Regina said we only had to bring in some item that belonged to Livie and the potion would show us the place where she was."
"Well," Killian handed the stuffed duck to Emma. "I hope the potion does not hurt him too much or Livie will be really sad when she sees it."
Emma fixed her eyes on the stuffed duck and squeezed it tightly in her hands. "Do you remember the day you gave it to her?" She smiled.
And in effect, he did it. "Aye." He smiled with joy, clearly recalling that day. "God! She carried that duck everywhere. "
"At least that served to make him stop insisting on a bow-woow." They chuckled. Then, Emma sighed. "It's been two days, she may miss it."
Killian took her hand. "She will not miss it for much longer."
Emma nodded and they both went down to the vault.
As soon as they arrived, both, Regina and Snow turned around. "You brought it?" Regina asked as she approached Emma.
Emma extended her hand and handed her the stuffed duck. "Yeah, what's next?"
"Now, let's have this little friend help us find your daughter." Regina took the stuffed animal and before spraying the contents, she turned around. "Remember that the potion will only last a few seconds and will only show us where Livie is, but just as can show us where she was today, can show us where she was yesterday, or where she were a year ago." Emma nodded and Regina continued. She sprayed the contents of the jar on the duck and everyone waited, each one with their eyes on the stuffed animal.
After a few seconds, Killian moved nervously and impatiently. "Will not you say some magic words or something?" While taking Emma's hand.
"Don't wait to hear me say bibbidi bobbidi boo, I'm not the fairy godmother." Regina heard David's laughter before being silenced by Snow's elbow. And when Killian rolled his eyes amused, a mist began to form around the toy.
"There!" Emma said as the mist grew thicker and denser. She squeezed Killian's hand as small dots of light and colors began to form in the center.
The colors were combined and, as if it were a blurring of a camera, slowly the image began to clear up. Emma felt her heart clench when at last Livie's face began to take shape.
She was laughing, it was her first thought.
"Mommy, can i wear my princess dress?. Where's daddy? You still mommy. I missed you so much, daddy. My mommy is Emma Swan."
Livie's voice was heard as a distant echo and the phrases were combined, it was as if the potion was choosing the moment it would show them. Killian and Emma took a step forward and when their lips began to curve into a smile, they both looked at each other confused when the image finally cleared.
It was the loft.
Emma frowned and Killian sighed in defeat when he saw that it had not worked.
Livie was sitting on the kitchen counter laughing with her grandmother. Emma saw herself rolling her eyes amusingly as she caught her daughter trying to eat the cake.
"Daddy, are you coming?" They had heard again the echo of their daughter's voice
"I hope you like chocolate, Captain." Emma recognized her voice.
Killian saw himself taking the plate of cake that Emma offered him. He whispered something to the girl that made her laugh out loud and, without warning, Livie jumped into his arms. Killian had dropped the plate of food so he could hold the girl's body while quickly moved the hook to not hurt her.
Then, the image suddenly went out of focus again and in the blink of an eye, the fog had disappeared as well as the image of their daughter.
Emma's heart skipped a beat and she felt Killian's surprised look on her.
The initial smile on Regina's face disappeared and she swallowed hard. "I really thought that this would work." She mumbled turning to look at both, Emma and Killian, in apology.
"We'll keep looking for a way to find her." This time it was Snow's voice.
"Yes, maybe I can find a way to make the spell work better or-" Regina dropped her arms as she exhaling frustrated. And frowning at the blonde's face, she said "Are you okay?" Passing her gaze from Emma to Killian.
"It worked," Emma said in a barely audible whisper, her eyes wide open. She looked at Killian hoping he had seen it too.
He nodded, looking at her with the same bewilderment as she did.
"That's can't be- he..." Killian opened her mouth and closed it again when none of the phrases he said ended.
"Emma?" Snow looked at them confused, waiting for her daughter to explain what the others could not understand.
Emma broke eye contact with Killian and turned her head "It worked." She repeated it again loudly.
Regina frowned. "It worked? The only thing we saw was both of you with Livie. That does not tell us anything "
"No, the only thing we saw was our past versions with Livie." Emma explained.
And finally, after several hours, she felt the pressure of her chest decreased while Regina blinked in surprise, at the same time that Snow and David straightened.
"Is she in the past?" David asked.
"Aye, surely the crocodile did it to force us to make the time travel."
"But how are you so sure?"
Emma looked at Snow and then, with her eyes, she pointed toward Killian's hand.
"The hook." She answered simply.
"After Livie's birth, it was when I asked Emma to put my hand back."
"Yeah, we remember," David said.
"Well, the Killian of that image still had the hook." Killian held his hand and looked at it carefully. "I never put it back on, less with Livie close by."
"That explains why none of the spells worked." Regina approached. "She was not even in this time."
"We would never have found her, that's why Gold was so confident," Snow said reproachfully, thinking in the only man who could have such a twisted mind to do something like that.
"But now we know where she is." David took her hand. "And there's no better place for Livie than her parents," David looked at Emma and Killian and smiled softly "no matter what year they are."
They smiled back and for the first time in days, he could see how her daughter's body relaxed a bit.
"What now?" Snow asked.
"Now," Emma looked at Killian. "It's time to go for the person that caused all this."
He nodded with the same determined look in his eyes. "Aye."
A/N: I'm such an asshole! i know, SORRY! Life happens.
As usual: My first language is not English so I apologize for my grammatical mistakes. Hopes there are not many, but corrections are completely welcome, (btw, I want to thank all those who have offered to help me with that. I have not contacted you because I don't want to bother you guys! LOL).
Anyways, thank you so much! And tell me what you think! I hope not to disappoint you with this chapter. Originally this chapter would be a bit shorter, but I thought it was fair and that you deserved it to be longer. The bad, the longest chapter, wait longer, LOL! Soooorry!
Summary: Killian and Emma, in a moment of downtime, take a moment to discuss name possibilities for their soon-to-be-born.
Rating: G (might be one or two tiny swears)
A/N: This is something I’ve been kicking around since I found out that WH’s daughter would be Alice, and why she was named as such. I constantly wish we’d gotten cute moments like this, but it’s purely self-gratification that led me to write it - not an actual desire to see a scene like this on my screen. I hope you’ll enjoy this overload of fluff, with a title specifically crafted to annoy Phira for reasons she already knows. *cackles*
Thanks as always to @captainstudmuffin for giving this a read-through to make sure I didn’t do anything dumb. And of course for also being the driving force behind why I manage to finish anything.
Let this also serve as a statement that, although the show may be ending, this is one of something like 20 fics I had in my WIPs. I’m not planning on going anywhere anytime soon. So if you like my writing, I’ll be here. <3
“What about James?”
“James, as in the name of your father’s evil twin?”
“I mean, he did go by James when he met my mother.”
“Ah, yes. When he was pretending to be his evil twin.”
Emma groans, throwing her arms up in exasperation. They’re squished on the couch this morning, her head resting on the arm and Killian somewhere down by her stomach with his face resting against her very pregnant middle. Her due date is still weeks away but they’re struggling to agree on a name for their child. Despite all her cajoling about modern medicine and gender reveals, Killian insisted they not find out. So it’s to be a surprise, and maybe they’ll have a name by the time the baby is born.
“We can call him Jim or Jimmy,” she adds, her hand absentmindedly trailing down to sift through his hair, scratching her nails lightly against his scalp. He hums, but it’s not the usual sound of contentment she’s used to hearing from the motion. Instead, it sounds like he’s perturbed by this development with the name.
“You’ve just made the baby sound like a weird pet. Too close to our friend, the cricket.”
She’s this close to kicking him off the couch at this point.
“Fine, message received. No Jim, Jimmy, or James. Any suggestions? How about a girl’s name?”
He sighs heavily, otherwise remaining quiet while he props up on his empty wrist, his hand warm on her stomach. She loves to see him relaxed like this, and no amount of years will change that. In the mornings, there’s only a slice of time where she gets him dressed down in sleep pants, his slippers discarded by the coffee table so he can fold his legs over the other arm of the couch. He leaves his brace and hook hanging on the bathroom door knob until after he’s gotten dressed for the day.
Seeing him like this makes it sometimes very difficult to imagine that Killian is much older than he appears, that he used to be a ruthless pirate captain, that he was the Captain Hook when she met him (after he stopped pretending to be a blacksmith). He just looks like her husband, her true love, loving step-father to her son and soon-to-be father of his own child with her.
She places her hand over his, letting her eyes slip shut while the peace of the day washes over them, because this is the life they lead now. This is how they can spend their days if they wish. No realm jumping or fighting bad guys, no need to be the Savior every single minute of every single day. With the silence stretching longer, and when he doesn’t have an answer, Emma lets herself ask a question she’s been wondering for a while.
“What do you think his daughter’s name is?”
“Hmm?”
She opens her eyes to see that his are closed, his fingers linked with hers and his body almost entirely relaxed if not for the way he’s propped up.
“Whose daughter?” he asks, finally peeking his eyes open and looking up the length of her torso to meet her gaze.
“That other Hook’s. The other you - from the wish realm. He told you about his daughter, said that he was trying to find the way to save her. You’re...him. Somehow. What do you think he named his daughter?”
He’s quiet again for a moment, his face pensive and wondering. “I suppose, if it were me - I think I’d name her after my mother, Alice.”
“Alice,” Emma says, trying it out. It’s been ages since he told her about his mother, so the name feels new on her tongue, but so right for a daughter that some other Killian has somewhere. She tries imagining what a daughter with Killian’s features would look like. It’s rather difficult to do when she doesn’t know who the mother is.
Soon, her thoughts drift into what their child will look like. One half her, and one half Killian. Whose eyes? Whose hair color? Will he or she be a fighter or a pirate, or both?
“Where’s your mind gone, Swan?”
A sublime smile spreads across her lips, her thoughts happy and hopeful and ready.
“I’m just excited to meet our baby,” she says, tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. “And I hope Henry is having adventures with that other version of you. Is it weird to know there’s another you running around out there?”
“So bloody weird,” Killian confirms, chuckling as he says it. “About the name…”
“Yeah?” Her voice holds just a tiny bit of trepidation, only because this conversation has taken place over weeks or days, and not all of them have been as calm as this one.
“Well, I see it like this. If it’s anything like opening my eyes after you kissed the bloody hell out of me in Neverland, we’ll just know it when we meet our child.”
She recalls slinking away, remembers trying to get as far away from his lips as she could, because she knew if she kissed him again there was very little chance she’d stop. So yeah, she can see him being right about that. “You already knew?”
“Aye. Told you so in the Echo Cave. I knew you’d be my next great adventure, even if you fought me every step along the way.”
She takes care to cup his cheek fully, smiling at the way he tilts into the embrace. “It was all worth the wait.”
“And so is she.”
“She?”
“It’s a hunch I have,” he says with a shrug, his fingers dancing over her middle again.
“Uh huh, and how much do you have riding against Granny for that bet?”
He doesn’t answer, instead lithely lifting himself off the couch and leaning down to kiss her solidly on the lips before he shuffles back into his slippers. “How about pancakes this morning, my Swan?”
The baby kicks and shifts, which Emma takes as a good sign. “Baby says yes. And so do I.” She takes her time lifting herself off the couch in order to follow him to the kitchen.
A name will come to them, just like he said, and until then, they’ve got time and each other.
Summary: Emma and Killian experience important moments in her pregnancy together. (Includes some missing scenes from 7x02.)
Rating: G
Note: Well, I am mourning CS and I wasn’t all that happy with their last episode. I was especially disappointed that we never got to see any important moments in her pregnancy and didn’t get to see them with their baby. I was hoping we’d at least get a few little snippets. So that’s what fanfics are for and that’s why I wrote this one. I hope you enjoy it! ~Steph
...This is Us: Part 1/1…
Emma smiled as she finished lighting the last candle on the dining room table. She glanced at her watch. Killian would be home any minute now. She wanted everything to be perfect when she told him he was going to be a father.
They had been trying to conceive for a long time. Emma was starting to worry that they wouldn’t be able to conceive naturally and would have to explore alternatives. There had been a couple of false alarms. Emma was late, but when she took the pregnancy tests they were negative. Her doctor attributed her late periods to stress.
There was a part of Emma that feared she might never be able to have a child with Killian. She worried that maybe she was being punished for giving Henry up all of those years ago. But Killian, always understanding, had soothed her fears, assuring her that when the time was right, they would conceive a child of their own. She wanted nothing more than to raise a child with her husband, her true love, right from the start of its life.
About a week ago, she realized that her period was a couple of days late again. She wanted to tell Killian, but he had been so disappointed after the last two false alarms. This time, she wanted to be sure before she got his hopes up. So she took a pregnancy test and it came back positive. Two more confirmed it. Still, Emma wanted to be absolutely sure, so she had confirmed it with her doctor this afternoon. The joy she felt at knowing she was carrying Killian’s child was indescribable. She wanted to run and tell him, but she resisted. They had waited this long and she wanted it to be special when he found out he was going to be a father.
Emma heard the front door open and then slam closed.
“Emma, I’m home,” Killian called.
Emma smiled at the sound of her husband’s voice. Even after years of marriage, his voice still made her heart race.
“In the dining room,” she replied.
Killian appeared a moment later, a smile on his lips at the romantic dinner before him and his wife in the dress she’d worn on their first date.
“What’s all this?” he asked, placing a kiss on her cheek. “Did I forget a holiday of this realm?”
Emma shook her head and took his hand. She led him to his seat.
“I wanted tonight to be special,” she said, as he sat down.
Killian cocked an eyebrow and looked up at his wife. “And why is that?”
Emma moved to the hutch on the wall behind him and picked up a bottle of rum. She came to stand in front of him and placed the bottle on his plate.
“This should answer all of your questions.”
Killian looked down at the bottle of rum. A label had been printed and affixed to it that read:
DRINK THIS FOR ME.
I’LL JOIN YOU IN ABOUT 9 MONTHS.
BABY SWAN-JONES ARRIVES IN FEBRUARY.
Killian stared at the bottle, his mouth dropping open in shock. Emma scanned his face, trying to gauge his reaction.
His gaze finally lifted to hers. “Are you…You’re...We’re having a baby?”
Emma felt tears fill her eyes as she nodded her head. “Yes, Killian, you’re going to be a father.”
“And you’re sure?” he asked.
Emma nodded. “Three pregnancy tests and my doctor confirmed it.”
A huge smile swept across his lips as realization finally dawned on him. “I’m going to be a father. We’re going to have a baby!”
Emma laughed, as he grabbed her hand and pulled her down onto his lap. She looped her arms around his neck, as Killian’s lips met hers. They pulled back a moment later, their foreheads still touching.
“I can hardly believe this is finally happening,” he breathed.
“It was the right time, just like you said,” she replied with a smile.
Killian placed his hand on his wife’s belly. Emma covered his hand with hers. “Turns out, you were right. I do have a little pirate in me.”
Killian laughed and then kissed his wife again. “Or princess,” he whispered.
...
Killian always woke up before his wife. Life spent on the sea makes you an early riser. And in those moments before she woke, he would admire her. Admire the curve of her mouth and the softness of her skin. He’d marvel at the fact that she was his. That she had chosen him. And, now, as she neared the end of the first trimester of her pregnancy, he would stare awestruck at the tiny bump that had risen up from her flat stomach.
She always moved a lot when she slept, so it wasn’t unusual to find her camisole hiked halfway up her torso, resting just below her breasts. He’d smile at the little bump, amazed that their love had created life, that in mere months they would be meeting their child. Eventually, his hand would slide over his wife’s bare skin and come to rest on their unborn child. This morning was no different.
He whispered. “I can hardly wait to meet you, little one. Your mother and I already love you so much.”
And then he scooted closer to her and propped his chin up on her hip.
“If I’m being completely forthright, your mother and I are a bit nervous at your impending arrival. We’ve never cared for an infant before. But I don’t want you to worry. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that we make quite the team, always have, and we can do anything together.”
Suddenly, he felt his wife’s fingers thread through his hair.
“That’s right, we do,” Emma said softly.
Killian moved his eyes up to meet hers. “Good morning, love.”
“Morning. Giving our baby its morning pep talk?”
“That’s right,” he said, pressing a kiss to her belly.
Emma laughed as her husband’s scruff tickled her skin. He moved upwards, trailing kisses all the way up her torso until he met her lips. He cut off her laugh with his mouth and then pulled back, dropping onto the pillow beside her.
They stared at each other for a long moment until Emma broke the silence.
“We can do this, Killian. When I found out I was pregnant while I was a teenager in prison, I was so scared. I knew that I couldn’t raise a child. I was all alone and so broken. But things are different now. I have you. We have each other. And, yes, I am still scared, but in an entirely different way. Because this time I know I can raise our child and I have the comfort of knowing I will face any challenges with my husband.”
Killian smiled, as she reached out and caressed his cheek. “Aye, love. I’m frightened as well. There was a long time when I believed I had no business being a father. And for a long time, it was true. I wasn’t a man who deserved to raise another human being. But you changed all of that. You helped me find the good in me again. You made me believe I could be better and now I have everything I could have ever wanted. I know this won’t be easy. We will face many challenges, just like we always do, but we will face them together.”
Emma smiled. “I love you so much. There isn’t anyone else I’d rather go on this journey with.”
“I love you too, Swan.”
Emma found his hand and linked their fingers together. She placed their joined hands over her belly.
“My doctor said we can find out if it’s a boy or girl at my next appointment. And soon our baby will be kicking.”
“I’ve been on the other end of your kicks, Emma. If our child has your leg strength, then I certainly don’t envy you,” he said with a chuckle.
Emma laughed, as their hands remained joined on her belly. Her laugh slowly subsided and her expression grew serious. Killian knew that look.
“Everything’s perfect except for one thing, right?” he asked.
Emma nodded. “I miss Henry. I want him to know he’s going to be a big brother. I want to share this time with him. But, more than anything, I need to know he’s okay.”
“Your son is strong and smart, love. I am sure he is fine.”
As if on cue, the bottle that they always kept on their nightstand came to life. Their eyes widened as a familiar voice came from the bottle.
“Help, I’ve been captured by Lady Tremaine. Send Emma, Regina, and Captain Hook.”
Emma scooted up in bed, alarm written across her face, as she took the bottle in her hands.
“Henry!”
“He can’t hear you, Swan. It doesn’t work like that.”
Suddenly, a portal appeared at the foot of their bed.
“Henry needs our help. We need to get to him,” Emma said, fear swimming in her eyes.
Killian placed his hand back on her belly as she began to move out of bed.
“Emma, you need to rest. You can’t go traipsing off to some unknown realm. It could be dangerous for you and the baby,” he said.
“Killian, I am not an invalid. My son needs me. I am not going to sit here and let him fend for himself.”
“Regina and I will go.”
“Killian-...”
“If Henry knew that you were expecting his brother or sister, he would never want you to put yourself in harm’s way. He wouldn’t have called for you.”
Emma felt tears fill her eyes. “But he did. I wasn’t there for him when he needed me for the first ten years of his life, Killian. After he found me, I swore I would never allow that to happen again. I would be there for him no matter what.”
Killian brought his hand to his wife’s cheek and wiped away a tear with his thumb. “How about a compromise? Give us an hour. If we’re not back by then, you can come. Just say my name into the bottle and the portal will reappear.”
Emma slowly let out a resigned sigh. Her husband had been so overprotective since learning she was pregnant and was constantly worrying about them. They had waited so long for this baby and they would both be devastated if anything happened to it.
“Fine. One hour,” she reluctantly agreed.
Killian smiled in relief and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Thank you.”
Emma stroked his cheek and whispered, “Be careful.”
“Always,” he replied softly, as he got out of bed.
...
Hours later, Emma and Killian appeared back in their bedroom. Emma turned to her husband, but didn’t have to say a word.
“I know, love,” he said, gathering her in his arms.
Emma squeezed her eyes closed, as she nuzzled her face into the crook of her husband’s neck. After a few minutes of allowing his warmth to comfort her, she pulled back and met his eyes.
“I’m scared for him, Killian,” she said. “There’s so much danger in those realms and he’s not from there. He’s already made an enemy out of Lady Tremaine. And he doesn’t possess any magic.”
“But Regina does. She will watch out for him.”
“And so will you. Well, that version of you at least.”
“Aye. There’s no version of me that would ever allow anything to happen to your boy.”
Emma stepped forward and snaked her arms around her husband’s neck. “It does make me feel better knowing that some part of you is watching out for him.”
Killian smiled. “And you, love, get to have the original.”
Emma smiled and kissed him. “Nothing compares to the original.”
Her smile faded and she brought her hand to her stomach. “I just wish we could be the complete family I’ve always wanted. I know I should be happy with what I have. I went from having no one to having parents, a brother, a husband, a son, and another child on the way. Maybe I’m just being selfish and greedy wanting us all to be together.”
“That’s neither selfish nor greedy. It’s completely normal to want the people you love altogether, especially after everything you’ve been through. And, one day, I believe you will have that, Swan. But, right now, Henry needs to find his own story. He needs to find his own true love. Imagine if someone or something had prevented us from meeting. Imagine how different things would be.”
Emma shook her head. “I don’t want to imagine that. I can’t imagine my life without you, Killian.”
“Nor I you. And that’s my point. If Henry’s true love is out there, be it Cinderella or someone else entirely, then he owes it to himself to find out. And when he’s ready, he will come back to us.”
“I hope so,” she said softly.
Killian pulled her back into his arms. “I know it.”
…
Emma and Killian sat in the waiting room of her doctor’s office. Killian was doing a Highlights magazine to pass the time.
“Bloody hell!” he groaned, as he tapped the page with his hook. “I can’t find the fifth hidden bunny.”
Emma laughed. “You do know that’s for kids, right?”
“You know I enjoy a good hunt, love.”
“Spends centuries finding hidden treasure, but can’t locate a hidden bunny in a children’s magazine,” she said with a chuckle.
Killian frowned. “This is utterly impossible. They must have made an error. There are only four hidden bunnies.”
Just then, a three year old girl walked over to him. She looked down at the magazine on his lap and pointed at the page.
“Bunny!” she said with a smile.
Killian’s jaw tightened as the little girl easily found the missing bunny. Emma had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.
“I was just about to circle that,” he muttered.
“Emma Swan-Jones,” the nurse called from the doorway.
Emma pulled the magazine away from Killian and handed it to the little girl. They stood and joined hands as the nurse led the way inside.
Emma lay on the table and Killian stood by her side, still holding her hand. Dr. Nora Johnston pulled her shirt up and placed the transducer on her stomach. Soon, the monitor sprung to life and their baby appeared on the screen. Emma and Killian’s faces lit up. It would never get old seeing the little miracle they created. Or hearing the sound of their child’s heartbeat fill the room.
Killian squeezed Emma’s hand and placed a kiss to her forehead. “So beautiful,” he whispered.
“Everything looks great,” the doctor said. “So, Mommy and Daddy, would you like to know if you’re having a little pirate or princess?”
Emma and Killian exchanged a look. They had discussed it and decided they wanted to know the sex of the baby. Meeting their child for the first time would be an amazing enough gift. They didn’t need to be surprised by its gender.
“Yes,” Emma said with a nod.
“Aye,” Killian replied.
“Hoping for one in particular?” the doctor asked.
Killian shook his head. “All we want is a healthy baby,” he said.
The doctor nodded and then pointed to the screen. Well, Mommy and Daddy, meet your little princess.”
Their mouths dropped open as their gazes met. Emma felt tears fill her eyes, as Killian placed a kiss on her lips.
“A little girl,” he whispered, as he pulled back, but kept his forehead touching his wife’s.
“A daughter,” she said softly.
All that mattered was that the baby was healthy, but Emma would be lying if she said she wasn’t excited about having a son and a daughter. And the mere thought of Killian with their little girl made her heart melt.
Killian stroked her cheek. “I am sure she is going to be as beautiful and as strong as her mother.”
Emma smiled, as he brought her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on it.
The doctor grinned at them. “Congratulations.”
…
One month later, Emma and Killian were curled up on the couch together, watching a movie. Emma’s head lay on his shoulder and his arm was wrapped tightly around her. Killian’s hand rested on her growing bump.
Suddenly, his eyes widened and he nearly jumped up off the couch. His hand pulled away and he stared at his wife.
“Bloody hell!”
Emma’s lips turned into a huge smile. Up until then, she had only felt the baby flutter. “That was the baby’s first kick. And you felt it.”
Killian’s shock gave way to awe. Emma pulled his hand back to her belly and laughed as the baby kicked again.
“Amazing,” he said softly.
“Yeah, it is. Can you believe we created this little thing?”
He bobbed his head with a grin. “Well, I can certainly believe she has your genes. I knew she would have quite a kick.”
Emma smiled and reached up to stroke her husband’s jaw. “Don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll inherit a great right hook from you.”
Killian smiled and placed a kiss to his wife’s lips.
…
“Emma?” Killian called, as he knocked on the bathroom door. “Are you alright, love? You’ve been in there for quite some time. We’re going to be late for Granny’s birthday party.”
“I’m not going!” she yelled through the door.
Killian’s brow furrowed with worry. “Why? Are you feeling ill? Open the door, Swan.”
Emma threw the door open a moment later and stood before her husband. She gestured to her belly.
“I’m not going because nothing fits me. I just started my third trimester and I’m a human blimp!”
Killian shook his head. “Emma, you’re exaggerating. You have a perfectly normal size baby bump for a woman beginning her third trimester. You look beautiful.”
She scoffed. “I don’t feel beautiful. I have to pee every five minutes, I have acne in weird places, my ankles are swollen to the size of watermelons, I’m starting to waddle, and your daughter is playing my uterus like it’s a set of bongos.”
Killian bit his lip to keep from laughing. Emma swatted his arm.
“It’s not funny!”
“I know, love,” he said, taking her hand in his and leading her to the full length mirror.
He stood behind her and took their joined hands and placed it on her belly.
“I wish you could see what I see every time I look at you,” he whispered in her ear.
“A beached whale?”
“My beautiful wife, who is protecting our daughter and providing a home for her while she grows everyday. You, love, are making sure she grows big and strong by giving her the nourishment she requires. This lovely belly of yours is proof of what an amazing mother you already are to our child.”
Emma’s face softened and she squeezed his hand in hers. She lifted her other hand and cupped the back of his head, as she brought her lips to meet his.
When they parted, she smiled up at him. “You always know the right thing to say to make me feel better. I don’t know how you do it.”
Killian shrugged. “Well, if I’m being completely honest, when your father learned of your pregnancy he warned me this day would come, so I’ve been prepared with that speech for quite some time.”
Emma laughed and shook her head, as Killian kissed her neck.
…
At 36 weeks, Emma was placed on bedrest. Her blood pressure was high and she was at risk for preeclampsia. Her doctor didn’t want to take any risks.
Of course, bedrest for someone as active as Emma was proving to be a challenge. She had ceased working in the field when she began her third trimester, but she was still able to assist at the station. Now, she was stuck in bed with nothing to do. It had only been a week and she was going stir crazy. Killian had insisted on waiting on her hand and foot. He hadn’t left her side, but his overprotectiveness was beginning to drive her a bit nuts.
Emma moved to get out of bed. Killian, who was sitting in a chair by the bed, whipped his head in her direction.
“Where the devil do you think you’re going? You’re supposed to be on bedrest.”
“The bathroom. Do you mind?”
He waved his hand. “Proceed.”
Emma returned a few minutes later. “You know, you don’t need to stay by my side every minute of everyday. I’m not an invalid.”
Killian nodded. “I’m well aware, love. I also know you far too well. And if I leave you to your own devices then you will surely do as you please.”
“I’m not going to do anything to endanger our daughter.”
“I know, but you don’t believe that you should be on bedrest.”
“Because I’m fine.”
“So, therefore, I must make sure you follow doctor’s orders.”
“Okay, fine, but I’m going crazy with boredom. I’m tired of reading and watching TV. And I can only surf online for so many hours.”
Killian picked up the baby book of names. “Perhaps we should use our time wisely and revisit potential baby names.”
Emma groaned. “Really? It didn’t go so well last time. We couldn’t agree on any names. And your choices were...questionable.”
“I think Smee is a perfectly suitable name for a lass.”
Emma laughed and shook her head. “You’re crazy.”
“As is Roger and Jolly.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “Roger is a boy’s name and Jolly is something you name a pet.”
“Tell that to Happy,” he muttered.
“He’s a dwarf. He doesn’t count,” she replied.
Killian sighed and crawled into bed beside her. He placed his hand on his wife’s belly. “Well, I do have another suggestion, but since you already think me mad, perhaps I should keep it to myself.”
Emma lifted her hand and ran it through her husband’s thick locks. “Tell me.”
Killian met Emma’s gaze. “Leia.”
Emma felt a smile pull at her lips. “Leia. Hmm.”
“Would you like to know why?”
“Because Henry turned you onto Star Wars and you’re proud you can actually understand and use some pop culture references now?”
Killian shook his head. “No, love. Because Leia was the name you used during our trip back in time when we attended the ball together. Things changed for us that night, Emma. We shared our first dance together and when I held you in my arms and looked into your eyes, I knew you saw me as more than a pirate. For the first time, I believed I could have a future with you. Before, it had just been wishful thinking with a healthy dose of hope. But now I could actually see you loving me.”
Emma smiled as she stroked his cheek. “I was falling hard and fast. Probably already had fallen, but I couldn’t admit it to myself yet. I did see you differently. I could see that good man that had been hidden away for so long. I could see a future with you and it scared me.”
Killian nodded. “Aye, and we still had a long way to go, but it was a turning point for us. It was the beginning of our future. And everytime I look at our daughter and say her name, I want to remember how it all began. I want to remember what made all of this possible.”
Emma felt Leia kick and Killian’s eyes widened as his hand jumped off his wife’s belly.
She smiled as she met her husband’s gaze. “I think she approves. Leia it is.”
Killian grinned, as his lips met Emma’s.
…
Three weeks later, Emma screamed from their bed. “Killian!”
He came rushing in from the hallway. “What is it, love? Are you okay?”
“My water broke,” she said, as she felt a contraction course through her body.
Killian breathed a sigh of relief. “Not to worry, Emma. I’ll simply get you another glass of water.”
Emma gritted her teeth together and lifted the comforter. “Not that water!”
Killian’s eyes widened at the wet spot that was below his wife. “Bloody hell!”
“My contractions have started.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, don’t panic, love.”
“I’m not panicking. We need to get to the hospital though.”
“I’ll call 911 for an ambulance.” He glanced around the bedroom frantically. “Where is my talking phone?!”
“Killian,” Emma began calmly. “The hospital is only a few minutes away. It will take longer to wait for an ambulance.”
“You shouldn’t drive in your condition.”
She spoke through gritted teeth. “You need to drive!”
“Well, Swan, it’s true you taught me how to operate those metal contraptions and I do possess a license, but I’ve yet to use it. I’m not sure right now is-...”
“Ahhh!” she screamed, her face growing red, as another contraction ripped through her.
“Okay, love, I’ll drive,” he said.
He helped his wife out of bed. Killian grabbed Emma’s bag out of the closet and then helped her down the stairs. He tucked her into the passenger seat of their new SUV. For safety’s sake, Killian had insisted on getting it after they found out they were having a baby. Of course, Emma still wouldn’t part with her VW bug.
Killian got into the driver’s seat and took a deep breath. Emma winced, as her nails dug into the armrest.
“The key goes in this hole,” he mumbled, as he stuck the key in the ignition. “And then you turn it.”
Killian smiled as the SUV roared to life. He stared at the steering wheel for a moment and then pushed up a lever.
“Those are the windshield wipers,” Emma grimaced.
“Of course,” he said pushing the lever back down.
Emma groaned and reached over, putting the car into drive.
“Go!” she bellowed, as another contraction ripped through her body. “The contractions are coming really close together!”
Killian kept his foot on the brake. “Love, perhaps you could just poof us to the hospital. It would be faster and, I’d wager, safer.”
Emma shook her head, as she took deep breaths. “I don’t think I can control my magic right now. Who knows where we would end up.”
“Fair enough, but-...”
“If you don’t start driving, I am going to have this baby on our front lawn and you’re going to have to deliver it!”
Killian shrugged. “Well, I actually have birthed a baby before. I helped a wench give birth right on the deck of my ship. It was a challenge with my hook, but you know how resourceful I can be and I am quite handy-...”
“DRIVE!!!!” she screamed.
Killian pressed the gas and proceeded to drive haltingly, stopping every few feet and never going above 5 mph.
“Killian Jones, if you don’t start driving for real, I am going to jam that hook of yours-...”
Killian nodded, cutting her off. “Aye, Swan, say no more. I’ll drive.”
He then proceeded to floor it to 15 mph.
…
The nurse helped Emma get into bed, as Killian stood by her side. He held her hand and brushed her hair back, as another contraction tore through her.
“You’re doing brilliant, love.”
Emma’s doctor came in and smiled at them. She performed an exam and then nodded. “It won’t be long now. You’re almost fully dilated already.”
Emma squeezed Killian’s hand so hard he thought she would break it, but he simply smiled and whispered comforting words in her ear.
Before long, it was time to push. Emma screamed, as she surged forward and Killian supported her back. She lay back, panting, her hair plastered to her forehead. Killian brushed it aside and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“You’re so amazing, Emma,” he said. “I am so proud of you.”
She pushed again, gritting her teeth together and squeezing Killian’s hook. A few more pushes and then a scream pierced the air.
A moment later, the doctor held up their baby girl, as Emma and Killian looked on in awe.
“She’s here,” Emma whispered, as tears rolled down her face.
“And she is stunning, just like her mother,” Killian said softly.
Killian cut the umbilical cord and then they placed the baby in Emma’s arms. Emma smiled at their daughter, as Killian wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders and placed his finger in their little girl’s tiny hand.
“Welcome to the world, Leia Swan-Jones,” Emma said.
“Your mother and I love you so much,” Killian added.
Emma looked up at her husband, her true love, and she felt like her heart would burst. Killian pressed his lips to his wife’s.
“You were incredible, Emma. I love you.”
“I love you too,” she said, as he swiped away a tear from her cheek with his thumb. “We’re a family,” she whispered.
Killian smiled, as he placed a kiss to his wife’s temple. “Aye, love, that we are.”
In that moment, Emma marveled at how the lost little girl and boy, who had been abandoned and broken, had somehow found each other and were now surrounded by family, their lives overflowing with love. She knew in her heart that one day soon they would all be together again and their family would only grow with time.
...THE END...
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I’d love to know what you thought. ~Steph
This is kind of a mess but it’s been sitting in my drafts for over a week while I try to kick my writing habits back in gear, so here you go. CS pregnancy/daddy Killian tooth-rotting fluff, because we all know that’s the best kind.
Word count: 1,060 | spoilers for 7x02
He wakes to an empty bed and the sight of Emma standing in front of the mirror beside their closet, her shirt- his shirt- pulled up above her midsection as she examines her reflection.
“What exactly are you doin’ there, love?” he asks, voice thick with sleep as he rubs his eyes to get a better look at his wife.
“Trying to figure out if it’s starting to look like there’s actually a baby, or if I just ate too many cookies at Mom and Dad’s last night.” Although people they hadn’t yet shared their news with likely wouldn’t notice, there was indeed a subtle curve to her thin frame that wasn’t there a few weeks ago.
She rubs her stomach with one hand and smiles at herself in the mirror. It makes Killian smile, too. When they had first began discussing the idea of trying for a baby, Emma confessed she was worried about how she might handle pregnancy a second time considering her circumstances when Henry was born. He’d tried to comfort her and reminded her that things were different now, and she would never be alone again as long as he had any say in the matter. While her fears still crept up from time to time, his efforts obviously paid off in one way or another- she had been beaming with excitement the day she came to find him at the station, clutching the plastic stick in her hand that would change their lives forever.
“I dunno, Swan. I think the little one is beginning to make their presence known.”
Emma hums in agreement as she readjusts her shirt and comes back to bed. He opens his arms to her when she lays down and she scoots over to curl up against his bare chest. “How are we this morning? Are you feeling alright?” He was surprised to see her up and acting like herself after the awful bout of morning sickness (which, he’d learned, was not at all reserved to mornings) she’d dealt with for the majority of her first trimester so far.
“I’m okay. I’m still nauseous but I haven’t actually been sick, and it feels like I have a bit of energy back for once.” The exhaustion had almost been harder for her to deal with than the morning sickness; there had been more than one instance when he’d found her asleep at her work desk before lunchtime.
“I’m glad to hear it. The books say most of the sickness and fatigue changes after the first trimester; for your sake, I hope they’re accurate.”
Since her first doctor’s appointment, Killian had made an effort to comb through every pregnancy book and website he could find. Of course, he knew some of the basic facts, but learning more about pregnancy and seeing it play out firsthand through his wife was a different story he never knew he’d be a part of. He was trying to learn as much as possible to make things go smoothly for her sake as she was already doing more than necessary.
“Me, too. And at this rate, your kid could be kicking the daylights out of me in no time.”
He can’t help but chuckle at the mental image. “Perhaps the wee lass wants us to be prepared for what’s to come.”
Emma rolls her eyes and swats at his chest with the back of her hand. “Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: already as stubborn as their mom. And do I need to remind you yet again that we won’t know for at least another month if it’s even a girl?”
“Pirates intuition, love. Don’t question it.”
“I’m not doubting your intuition. I just don’t want to think you’ll be disappointed if we have a boy.”
Killian can sense by the hesitation in her voice this has been something she’s thought about since he’d absentmindedly been referring to the baby as “she” or “her.” “Emma, my wife is carrying my child. As long as you and the babe, whether it be a he or she, continue to be in good health, there’s nothing I could possibly be disappointed by.” He presses a kiss to the top of her head and rubs her small bump, hoping she believes him.
“I believe you,” she tells him, as if she knew what he was thinking. “You know hormones get the best of me and I still tend to forget things aren’t the way they were last time, even though you try so hard to help me remember that they’re different now.” She hasn’t said as much, but he knows this must be related to telling Henry goodbye just a few weeks ago. “I want to make sure our kid doesn’t have the same kind of childhood we did, y’know?”
“Aye. They won’t, Swan. Our child already has a home and two parents that love them, not to mention the rest of the family.”
“You’re right.” She pauses for a moment and then begins to laugh. “If it is a girl, can you imagine just how over protected she’ll be between you and my dad? I kind of feel sorry for her already.”
He laughs too, and Emma yelps as he rolls her onto her back and scoots down the bed until he’s at eye level with her midsection. “Apologies, but I’ll have nothing but the best for you, princess,” he says, more so to the bump than to Emma. “And no suitors until you’re thirty; I’m sure grandpa Dave will agree with me there.” He pulls up the hem of her shirt just enough so he can press his lips to her stomach while she runs her fingers through his hair. The idea of being a father has managed to change him so much in mere weeks; he can only imagine what it will be like when he’s finally able to hold in his arms what he and Emma have created together. “I love you so bloody much.”
He feels a tug on his arm as Emma pulls him back up to her and kisses him softly. “We love you. You’re gonna be such a good dad, Killian. You already are.”
That’s a lot of faith she’s putting in him, and it’s not for the first time.
“I’m going to try my best, love. My absolute best.”
