Itâs been three years since I put together this little ficlit together. But every year, I pull it out and add to it. Who knows, maybe someday Iâll have a complete story.
Life has changed a lot for many of us since OUAT ended. While Iâve not been writing (or really even reading) fanfics, I havenât said goodbye to writing, though. Iâve been writing small town mystery romance. My books are available in all Estores. You can check them out here.  Swan Harbor BooksÂ
Some of my friends that I met through our love for CS @imagnifika  @duathadun @lfh1226-linda and Maggie for hanging with me through it all.Â
My hope is for 2023 to bring peace and happiness to all. Remember - without hope, there would be no happy endings.Â
This ficlet follows canon from my Season 7 Canon divergent -- A Happy Ending Begins with Hope. It can be found on AO3, FF, and tumblr with gifs.Â
Summary: Hope has a date. How will her family react?
Hopeâs New Yearâs Date
Words ~ 1500
During Hope Jonesâ young life, Storybrooke had gone through many changes, and none more so than around the holidays. They had town Easter Egg hunts, fireworks and picnics in July, bonfires for Halloween, family feasts at Thanksgiving, and caroling at Christmas.Â
Hope had memories of each one of them. However, there was one event that she had been looking forward to for years, and that was the Snowflake Ball.Â
Held every New Yearâs Eve, the Snowflake Ball was only for those who were sixteen and above. Everyone brought out their formal clothes and danced until midnight. And, if she was lucky, the man she was crushing on would ask her to go with him.Â
Gideon Gold was ahead of her in school and so dreamy, he made her head spin. Plus, when he looked at her with his chocolate brown eyes, her heart raced, and her breath stuck in her throat.Â
Sheâd been crushing on him for years, but it had only been in the last six months that heâd given her the time of day. Did that mean that he was seeing her as more than a girl? If so, was it possible sheâd finally get to spend the evening with him â as his date?Â
Two weeks before the New Yearâs Eve Ball, Hope was at Grannyâs with her best friends, Melanie and Robyn, bemoaning the fact that Gideon still hadnât done as she wished. Her only saving grace was that heâd not asked anyone else either â of that, she was sure. So far, sheâd tried everything she could think of to let him know she was available. At the speed he was moving, though âŠ.Â
âEarth to Hope.â Melanie snapped her fingers several times. âEarth to Hope.âÂ
âIâm sitting right here, Melanie,â Hope grumbled. âWhatâs the problem?âÂ
âYou were staring off into space again,â Robyn replied. âWere you dreaming about Gideon?âÂ
âShush,â Hope hissed. âHeâs sitting right over there!âÂ
âHe canât hear us,â Melanie assured her.Â
Hope glanced over her shoulder toward where Gideon was sitting with her uncle, Neal, and had to agree with Melanie. There was no way they could be heard from that far away.Â
âYou should have told your uncle to tell Gideon to ask you out,â Robyn suggested. âIt would have saved a lot of circling around each other.âÂ
âDonât you know circling around each other is part of the fun?â Hope grinned. âOr at least thatâs what my mother says.âÂ
âYou donât believe her, though. Do you?â Melanie followed up.Â
Hope glanced up from where sheâd been pleating and unpleating her napkin. âWhy would you say that?âÂ
Melanie nodded down at the table. âBecause youâre nervous. If you were having fun, you wouldnât be nervous.âÂ
Did she agree with her friends? She wasnât so sure. Yes, she enjoyed flirting with Gideon. But it would be so much easier to enjoy flirting with him, if she knew what he thought of her.Â
âYou could ask him, you know?â Robyn offered pragmatically. âThis is the twenty-first century, after all.âÂ
âI know,â Hope sighed. âBut âŠâ Again, her gaze was drawn over her shoulder to the table where Gideon and Neal were still involved in a deep conversation. Robyn was right. She could ask him.Â
âGo on,â Melanie encouraged. âBut what?âÂ
Hope shrugged. âMy father is a little old-fashioned and well âŠâÂ
Robyn frowned. âBut didnât I see in the book that your mother asked your father out first?âÂ
âThat was different,â Hope murmured. âMy father didnât think he was good enough for my mother.âÂ
âAnd you donât think thatâs an issue with Gideon?â Melanie asked. âAfter all, his father and your father have a history.âÂ
âWhich Iâm fully aware of,â Hope snapped. âBut I want him to ask me. Do you think Iâm expecting too much?âÂ
âI would say âhave hope,ââ Melanie grinned. âBut something tells me you donât need it.âÂ
âWhy?âÂ
âBecause,â Robyn tipped her chin slightly in Gideonâs direction, â heâs headed this way.âÂ
âHeâs what?â Hope squeaked.Â
âOn his way over,â Melanie whispered.Â
Hope glanced over her shoulder, and when her gaze briefly met Gideonâs, her heart dropped into her stomach.Â
Oh my! Oh my! Oh my! She leaned on the table. âHow do I look?âÂ
Melanie rolled her eyes. âYou look fine. Stop worrying.âÂ
âHope,â Gideonâs aftershave titillated her senses, âcan I speak with you for a moment?â Â
Hopeâs gaze slowly lifted until her blue eyes clashed with his dark ones. âSure.â She wanted to roll her eyes at just how breathy she sounded. âCan I help you with something?âÂ
Gideonâs gaze touched on Melanie and Robyn, then back to Hope. âCan we speak alone? Would that be alright?âÂ
âOh, Okay. That would be fine.â Then she wanted to roll her eyes at how ridiculous she sounded.Â
âCan we talk now?â Gideon asked again.Â
âGo on,â Melanie mouthed.Â
Hope took a nervous breath and slid out of the booth. The butterflies in her stomach took off at once. It forced her to focus on putting one foot in front of the other as she followed Gideon across the floor.Â
He led her around the building to a secluded corner and crowded her, pushing her to back up against the wall. Being close to him was everything sheâd ever wanted, but now that it was happening, her heart was racing, and the urge to giggle was strong. Â
âIs this okay?â Gideon asked hesitantly. âI noticed thatââ
ââEveryone was staring at us?â Hope muttered.Â
âYes.â Gideon smiled. âAre you okay with that?âÂ
âWhy wouldnât I be?âÂ
âWell,â he went on. âOur fathers âŠâÂ
âWill never be best friends,â Hope replied. âWhy?â She hesitated for a beat. âAre you scared of my dad?â Then she wanted to smack herself in the head that those words had fallen from her mouth.
âScared?â Gideon laid his hand on his chest. âMe?âÂ
âThereâs no one else out here.âÂ
âIâm not scared.â Gideon propped one hand on the building next to her head and leaned in a little closer. âShould I be?âÂ
âIt depends.âÂ
âOn?âÂ
âWhy you brought me out here?âÂ
Gideonâs gaze dropped to her mouth, then right back up. It caused her lips to tingle and made her wonder what it would feel like if she just went for it.Â
âHope.â He brushed her hair behind her shoulder and took a half step closer. His dark eyes mesmerized her, and his heat reached out. âI was wondering if you would go to the Snowflake Ball with me?âÂ
Her breath caught, and the words Be cool! Be cool! were on repeat inside her head. But having Gideon ask her to go to the dance had been her dream for longer than she could remember. âYes!â She fought to keep from squealing. âYes, Iâll go to the dance with you.âÂ
A slow smile crawled across Gideonâs mouth. âYou will?âÂ
âI will.âÂ
His eyes twinkled, and before he even opened his mouth, somehow, she knew what he was going to say. âAnd youâll protect me from your father? If itâs necessary, that is.âÂ
Hope giggled. âIâll protect you.âÂ
âGood,â he replied in a husky voice. âIâll pick you up at 8:00 p.m.â Â
âIâll be waiting.â Â
Gideon brushed his knuckles down her cheek. âWeâll have fun.âÂ
Her breath hitched, and she fought to push the lump in her throat down. âWe will.âÂ
âShall we?â He inclined his head toward the diner door.Â
In a daze, Hope followed him back inside and slid into her booth seat. âWell,â Melanie and Robyn cried simultaneously. âWhat happened?âÂ
âWhat happened?â Hope asked absently.Â
âDid he ask you to the dance?â Melanie pushed.Â
âDid you say yes?â Robyn followed up.Â
âWhat are you going to tell you parents?â Melanie questioned.Â
Hope glanced from one friend to the other. âWhat do you mean?âÂ
âYou know the history between your fathers,â Robyn stated. âWill there be bloodshed?âÂ
âBloodshed?â Hope giggled. âArenât you the one who said this is the twenty-first century?âÂ
âTrue,â Robyn sighed. âBut that had nothing to do with the possibility of a duel.âÂ
Hope rolled her eyes. âThereâs not going to be a duel. Everything will be fine.âÂ
âGood luck with that.â Melanie smiled sympathetically. âIâm glad Iâm not you.â Â
âGee, thanks.â Hope glanced over her shoulder in Gideonâs direction again, and their gazes clashed. âI told him Iâd protect him if I needed to.âÂ
Robyn waggled her eyebrows. âBut whoâs going to protect you from Gideon?âÂ
âDo you think I need to be protected from Gideon?â Hope murmured. âIâm not so sure.âÂ
âI guess it depends on what you want,â Melanie replied. âWhat do you want?âÂ
Once again, Hopeâs gaze clashed with Gideonâs. What did she want from him? The memory of how heâd made her lips tingle when heâd looked at them had her turning back to her friends. âWhat do I want?âÂ
âYes, Hope,â Robyn nodded. âWhat do you want?âÂ
âA kiss,â Hope sighed. âI just want a kiss.âÂ
***
Fin ... at least for now.Â
Will she get it? Should the story be finished?Â
Happy 2023! May all your dreams come true. Â
Tagged a few people who were on the initial one.
@sailormew4 @annaamell @emmateo26 @bethacaciakay @ultraluckycatnd @effulgent-mind @ilovemesomekillianjones @kat2609 @brooke-to-broch @missgymgirl @galadriel26 @the-lady-of-misthavenâ @charmingturkeysandwichâ @jennjenn615â @kimmy46â @snowbellewellsâ @iamanneenigmaâ @daxx04â @nickillianâ @in-spirationalâ @gillieâ  @britishguysloverâ @ginnyjinxedandhanshotritafirstâ @kmomof4â  @linda8084â @golfgirldâ @captain-swan-coffeeâ @searchingwardrobesâ @hollyethecuriousâ @laughswaytoomuchâ  @allyourdarlingswansâ  @winterbaby89â @facesiousbutton82â @therooksshiningknightâ, @lfh1226-lindaâ @tiganasummertreeâ  @jrob64 @jonesfandomfanatic   @everything-person @girl-in-a-tiny-box @resident-of-storybrooke @qualitycoffeethings @sherifffjones  @countrybroadwayprincess   @tiganasummertree  @hufflepuffinstorybrooke  @kristi555   @nikkiemms @gingerchangeling @marcella2727   @idontdothatveryoften @lady-bell
A/N: So I asked @wholockgal to hit me with a fluffy prompt cause I couldn't take reliving all the angst from last night on my dash. So, have some CS Future Fluff. This is set some time after 5B. (Sorry it's not behind a cut. I'm on mobile right now but ill fix it later. And this hasn't been through my beta so all mistakes/errors are mine.) __________________________________________ Emma was not really a fan of surprises. When one lives in a town full of fairytale characters, a surprise generally means some new villain has come to wreak havoc on everyone, and they had just gotten back from Hell. Emma was still trying to process everything that had happened there, and she was not ready for a new crisis. But Henry and Killian assured her everything was fine. Nevertheless, she was still skeptical when she pulled the bug up to the blue victorian mansion and saw them waiting for her on the front porch. She hadnât been in the house since before making the decision to go after Killian in the Underworld. It just didnât feel like a home. And despite now sharing a heart, she and Killian had had some things to work through once they returned. So sheâd been staying at her parents loft again, and he on his ship. But, now that they were getting...er, close again they had discussed moving back into the house together, they just hadnât made the leap yet. Climbing out of the car, she made her way through the gate in the white picket fence and up the front steps. âI got your message,â she said, sliding her phone in the back pocket of her jeans. âWhatâs going on?â âWe have a surprise for you, mom,â Henry declared with a grin. âAye,â Killian nodded, giving her a smile. âThe lad and I have been working on it for a few days now. Well,â he shrugged, âwith a bit of help from your father as well. We hope you like it.â Emma raised an eyebrow at them. âOkay, so, what is it?â She asked cautiously. âClose your eyes,â Henry told her. Emma just looked at them, still unsure about this but when Killian reached out his hand for hers, she took it, and closed her eyes. âAlright, there closed,â she assured them. âNow what?â âJust let us guide you, love,â Killian said from beside her, and she heard the front door being opened. Henry took her other hand, and she allowed them to tug her inside. She heard the front door close behind them, and know the layout of the house, she could tell they were moving through the entrance way, past the living room and towards the stairs. âTake a step up, love,â Killian told her, and feeling for the steps with the toe of her boot, Emma let me them guide her upstairs. âThis would be safer if I could see what I was doing,â she told them. âTrust us, mom,â Henry said, âwe wonât let you fall.â âI trust you, kid,â Emma assured him. Her curiosity was definitely growing. What surprise could they have for her in the house that they couldnât show her downstairs? This seemed like an awful lot of trouble, but she trusted them, so she just tried to go with the flow. Finally, they reached the top landing, and they guided her down the hall to the master bedroom. She heard the door open, and they lead her inside, stopping near the middle. âOpen your eyes, love,â Killian said softly. Emma did, and she could hardly believe what she was seeing. In the middle of the room was the largest four poster bed she had ever seen, complete with a canopy overhead and sheer bed curtains. They must have brought that thing up in pieces because no way would they have gotten it up the stairs. But, on top of the bed, as she glanced around the room she saw furniture that had been in her room at her parentâs apartment, as well as Killianâs desk and hope chest from the Jolly Roger. Their clothes were hung up neatly together in the closet and there were even a few nautical themed pictures hanging on the walls. As she glanced around, Emma felt her eyes being to water she fought to hold back tears. âHow-â She began, but the words werenât coming out. âWhen-â âWhile youâve been at work at the Sheriffâ station,â Henry explained. âGrandpa helped too when he wasnât working, and so did Robin. It took the longest getting the stuff off the Jolly Roger.â âI can imagine,â she replied, still in awe that they had done all this for her. For them. âMy roomâs all set up too,â he told her, âso I can stay over sometimes. I even have the Xbox hooked up.â âOf course,â Emma rolled her eyes, but smiled, âwouldnât want to be without that.â âWhat do you think, love?â Killian asked. Emma turned to face him. âI-I think itâs great,â she answered, smiling wider. âBut, I thought we were talking it slow. Are you sure this is what you want?â âIâve never been more sure of anything,â he told her, giving her hand a squeeze. âI know we still have somethings to work through, but I thought maybe it would easier if we were living in the same house.â She just nodded, the lump forming in her throat as she fought back tears keeping her from being able to speak. âBesides,â he said, pulling her into him and wrapping his arms around her, âOperation Light Swan wouldnât be finished if we didnât get our happy ending. And The Savior would never let so important a mission go unfinished.â âYeah,â Emma nodded, finally finding her voice as tears of joy ran down her cheeks. She reached up and gave him a soft kiss. âThank you,â she whispered. âIf you guys want to be alone-â Henry said, and started to back out of the room. âNot so fast,â Emma said, stopping him. She moved out of Killianâs arms and moved to her son. âI owe you a thank you, too.â She opened her arms and hugged him when he stepped into her. âThanks, kid.â âYouâre welcome, mom,â Henry replied, hugging her back. âYou two deserve it.â She broke from the hug and ruffled Henryâs hair for good measure. âI think this is calls for a celebration. Why we donât we head downstairs and Iâll cook something? And by cook something, I mean call Grannyâs and place a takeout order.â âYes!â Henry exclaimed. âIâll do it. Grilled cheese and onion rings coming up.â He raced down the stairs to the kitchen where she kept a menu from Grannyâs on the fridge. She turned back to Killian and wound her arms around his neck. âHave I mentioned how much I love you?â She asked. âOh, perhaps once or twice,â he replied with a grin, his arms coming around her waist. âBut you can show me just how much later. After all, we do need to test the new bed.â He wiggled his eyebrows at her. âOh of course,â she said with a roll of her eyes. âBut really, thank you,â she smiled. âI love it.â âIâm glad,â he smiled. âAnd I canât wait to start our future together.â He leaned to give her a kiss and they didnât part till Henry yelled from downstairs that their order was ready at Grannyâs. As they headed downstairs hand in hand, Emma felt lighter than she had even weeks, and she knew that everything was finally going to be okay. (What she didnât know was everyone was waiting for them at Grannyâs, and that Killian had a ring his pocket, ready to ask her to take one step further towards their future together.)
"If you steal the blanket, I'll put my cold feet on you."((pure evil))
Sebastian rolled his eyes and returned the blankets back to Jim, and then wrapped the smaller man in his arms and nipped at his neck. âWe both know that doesnât bother me, /kitten/.â He then kissed the criminalâs hair.
thank you for playing! Hereâs some Post-5B fluff for yah
Their warm jackets bit off the freezing air and the warmth oftheir palms sent tingles down both of their bodies. They were walking to  Grannyâs the night returning from theunderworld, the couple snuffed up with fluff and bliss in their occurrence oftrue loves kiss being accomplished. Killian knew they were going to Grannyâs;but he did not know anything in which Emma did.
She smiled under her scarf as they walked up to the dinerâsdoorway, ready for the awaited excitement set inside. She looked up at killian,who had his hiding furrow thatâs lingered since they returned that early morning.She understood it, though; he had to say goodbye to so many people he loved fora second time down therein that blasted place.
She  took her freehand and twisted the door knob and mentally prepared herseâ
âSURPRISE!â She smiled even wider to all the work they didthat ha came out well. Her gaze shot up to Killian, her pirate, who looked betweenawestruck and surprised to say the least. She watched his eyes rom to the balloons,to the welcome home sign, the cake, and to the whole group of people in frontof him that seemed to care for him as much as their smiles.
âYou did this all for me?â he murmured between breaths.
âWelcome Home, Captain.â
END
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