CS Secret Santa 2022: Gift Fic “Let Nothing You Dismay”
Hello, it’s your running late Secret Santa at last!! This fic is my gift for @zaharadessert , my giftee in the @cssecretsanta2020 event. I apologize that I am so close to the deadline for getting it posted on the 26th, but I have truly enjoyed being your Santa this year. I love your writing and CS fics, and I wanted this to be something you would enjoy in return. (I hope I’ve managed that to some degree!) I wanted a bit of one of them taking care of the other when they couldn’t, several of the side characters you mentioned enjoying, and a bit of post-s6 every day life in Storybrooke we could have seen for CS after their wedding. I also couldn’t resist trying to work in multiple Christmas tress in some way after you shared about that tradition from your real life. I can’t really fuss with it anymore though, so I’m going to put it in your hands and hope it will make you smile.
Merry (day after) Christmas @zaharadessert and I’m glad I got to be your Secret Santa!
by: @snowbellewells
Summary: A quick check on the town’s power lines turns into a frightening emergency for Emma and Killian, but their family and friends prove neither of them are lost or forgotten anymore. And that’s not the only surprise this holiday season has in store...
Shivering and futilely trying to keep her teeth from clacking together as they chattered, Emma Swan blew out a worried, frustrated breath and crouched closer before the silent, empty fireplace. It shouldn’t be anything for her to kindle flames within using her magic, but as she stretched her trembling hands stinging with cold - and she feared oncoming frostbite - out toward the hearth once more, not even a fitful spark showed for her efforts.
Her head falling forward, chin resting on her chest, Emma cursed under her breath, feeling her desperation rising, but not wanting to alert her husband to her growing sense of panic. Instead, she gathered a deep, cleansing breath and tried to refocus her energy. Just as Killian often playfully reminded her of himself, they were both survivors, and they would get through this.
A low, pained groan caught her ear, just as Emma had managed to still her racing thoughts, and her breath hitched in her chest, worry clenching her heart once more. Stupid, ridiculous, dashing, selfless pirate, she berated internally as she watched his head toss back and forth on the pillow where it lay. He wasn’t fully conscious, and if she’d had any doubt of that, his moan of discomfort had silenced it; he was too stubborn and tough to have let such a sound escape and concern her if he were fully aware.
Quickly, Emma stood and moved to his side of the rickety bed, where they had managed to perch his wounded and chilled form, before he had eventually sprawled insensibly, at last unable to keep up the appearance that he was fine. Biting her lower lip, which was becoming increasingly chapped and sensitive from the worried action, Emma reached out to brush what she hoped were soothing fingers over his brow, and nearly recoiled with a gasp from the heat now radiating off Killian’s skin. The dark hair that fell over his forehead was damp with perspiration as she brushed the strands back from his brow, and she felt her pulse kick up at the tremor she could feel running through him.
She was no nurse, but she knew that the dangers of a fever running too high, unchecked, for too long could be too awful to contemplate. Once more, she reached deep inside herself for her magic hoping to curb the fever that seemed to grip her husband, or at least to ease his pain or mend the ankle she feared might be badly broken. As before, however, she could feel the power and warmth begin to gather, start the tingle down her arms to her waiting fingers, then fizzle out uselessly. She wanted to cry or scream, angry at herself for her inability to use magic now when they needed it more than ever, when her True Love needed her so badly. Why was now the time that her power seemed unable to offer any comfort?!?
To think that they were in such dire straits, essentially stranded in the empty hunter’s cabin in which her parents had once weathered a storm as well, Killian unable to go further, the wind howling and snow flying and a winter storm predicted to be coming in, and it had happened through plain bad luck and natural bad weather, not some malevolent villain or fairytale creature or curse. She and her devoted deputy spouse had ridden out to the town line to make sure that all seemed well and that the large power line which had gone down before and put the town in a blackout was sturdy and working normally before any more winter weather came rolling in.
Though all had appeared well out where the large transformer hung and Storybrooke’s power supply was undaunted, the wind had been fierce and gaining in strength with each second that passed by. Concluding that all was as it should be to withstand the onslaught, they had turned to trek back to the cruiser through the rapidly collecting snow when an exceptionally powerful gust nearly knocked Emma off her feet with a whistling howl. She had barely righted herself when she heard a loud, snapping sound, alarmingly like the echoing crack of a gunshot, and Killian had plowed into her, knocking them both back into a snowdrift and landing mostly on top of her.
Spluttering, Emma found herself gripping Killian’s forearms tightly for a sense of grounding, not sure what had just happened. For a second, she was breathless and disoriented enough not to pick up on the tense undercurrent of pain in her husband’s voice or the taut effort at hiding it in his features, only the worry in his wide blue eyes as he questioned whether she was alright.
“I’m fine,” she managed awkwardly shuffling to try sitting up, “but why did you…?” She knew he wouldn’t have bowled her over for no reason, but she still felt a shiver run through her and the question stall in her throat when her eyes caught sight of the enormous tree limb lying in the road near them - right where she had been standing moments ago. The wind had surely broken it loose, causing the noise they had heard, and Killian’s faultless sharp reflexes had saved her from the thing coming down on her head and possibly being crushed.
She lunged forward to embrace him shakily, both stunned and grateful only for the quick movement to cause a hiss of discomfort to escape his clenched teeth and alert her that he had been injured in his heroics.
From there it hadn’t taken long to ascertain that he had done some serious damage to his ankle in his dive to push her to safety and shield her with his own body. And, despite his protests that he had sustained numerous worse injuries and attempts to soldier on, when he had attempted to place his full weight on the injured extremity, he had barely kept from toppling to the ground. With Emma as a crutch at his side, they had managed a few hobbling steps, only to discover that the cruiser would get them nowhere. The downed limb had partially trapped the car as well as blocked the way back to town. The wind and snow swirled around the whole area so much now that it was practically a wall of white they were looking into and there would have been no safe way to stay on the road, even if they could get through.
Rather than freezing to death there on the road or in the stalled vehicle, they had remembered the abandoned cabin and made their way toward it haltingly, but by the time they had reached the rough-hewn porch, Emma was genuinely worried for her pirate. Not only was the pain he tried to mask clearly radiating up his leg and throughout his body with each movement, but he was shaking with the strain, sweating at the exertion in spite of the bitter chill, and with him not dressed nearly as warmly as she was either. Normally it was a playful subject for teasing, just a quirk she had long since accepted as a part of him. However, as he still shivered and quaked despite the hours they’d been inside the cabin, and him under all the blankets she’d been able to find - fire or no - she feared he had taken a chill she didn’t know how to reverse and that he could little afford.
Thinking back on it all, how had the day taken such a frighteningly drastic turn so abruptly? They’d begun the morning with mugs of hot cocoa at their respective desks, soon joined good-naturedly by her father as they discussed what to bring for Christmas dinner and when Henry would arrive home from college. They’d all three struggled not to laugh at Regina’s affronted tone when she had called with the petty complaint that Leroy and Will Scarlet had tramped through her garden as they stumbled home singing raucously after closing down the Rabbit Hole and damaged her poinsettia plants. How had a day like that brought them here by dinner time?
She ought to be used to such twists of fate, Emma supposed as she crossed to the rough sink, drew a cup of water, and brought it back to force some liquid into Killian and smooth a trail of it down his overheated cheek. Still, life in Storybrooke had been much quieter since their marriage and the Black Fairy’s defeat. Even Rumplestiltskin seemed to have retreated back to his shop and his quiet seething and plotting rather than outright opposition. Seemingly grateful Belle had not left him and to have received a chance to do better by his second son than he had his first - there seemed to exist a tenuous peace with the wily pawnbroker as he mainly kept to himself and his family’s affairs. Was this all her fault? Could she not heal Killian now or transport them to safety because she had let her guard down? Had her powers weakened or gone lax with disuse?
Not knowing what else to do, while her husband shuddered and a wracking cough rattled in his chest, Emma lifted the covers to slip under them as well and scoot as close to him as she could, enveloping his lean form as much as possible in her arms. She wasn’t sure Killian was even aware of her presence, which ratcheted her concern for him all the higher, but all the same, she held his back to her chest, plastering her form - and, she hoped, any body heat she had to offer - along the line of his form. Squeezing her eyes closed with concentrated effort, she continued trying to call upon her magic, not sure yet why it had seemingly deserted her. Rather than the burning Killian’s skin had given off earlier, he now felt chilled and clammy to the touch, and Emma wasn’t sure which worried her more.
At least they had been on duty, and so Hope hadn’t been with them, Emma mused. Unable to speak with her husband in his current state, and trying to still her nervously spiraling thoughts of what might yet happen, Emma drew some small measure of comfort from the fact that their little girl was cozy and safe out at her mom and dad’s farmhouse. Snow had assured her that she and Hope would be more than happy making and decorating Christmas cookies while the rest of them kept law and order in town. Wistfully, she could picture her daughter and her mother icing cookies with all the perfect candies, sprinkles, and trimmings, singing along to Christmas music in Snow’s perfectly decorated kitchen as they did. It made her smile to picture it, even as a small pang shot through her heart at the thought that it could have been a true childhood memory, if things had been different, if she had been able to grow up with her parents. All the same, she begrudged Hope none of the happiness she could have with her grandparents and was incredibly relieved to know she was with them now.
Killian’s form shuddered violently and Emma held her breath as he muttered gibberish, not knowing anything else to do for him, but to hold onto him tight and try to share her warmth, whisper reassurances and press her lips to the back of his neck, praying he would weather the night with some improvement by morning, or at least that by then she might know what to do. Go for help herself and leave him defenseless? She hated to do it, but he couldn’t languish in this state forever either.
Would David by chance have wondered why they never came back to the station? Could he possibly rouse anyone else to help him in his search, despite the awful conditions? Emma didn’t know the answers to those questions, but she was beginning to place hope in it, even more than she wanted to admit to herself. Killian trembled against her without speaking, and as affectionate, verbose, and always concerned for her above all else he usually was, his relative silence troubled her more than even the injuries she was aware of or the exposure she knew he was suffering. Pulling out her cell once more, Emma glanced at the blank screen hopelessly. She was forever forgetting to charge it and running out of battery. It didn’t usually become a problem, but she was kicking herself now that she couldn’t call for help and let someone know where they were.
Killian’s hoarse voice mumbled fitfully, and she pulled him closer yet, burying her nose between his shoulder blades and breathing in his unique spicy, saltwater scent. She reveled in the closeness and comfort of his presence as she always did - even if the reason for cuddling him so tightly right now was far from reassuring.
“You better hang in here with me, Pirate,” she whispered fervently, her lips brushing his ear as she attempted to speak directly into it. Of course, she wasn’t sure how much he was aware of, but she needed him to hear her, to know she was there beside him, and how much he was needed and treasured. After all he had lived through in centuries and realms of life, an ankle injury and bitter cold surely could not be his undoing.
She was rubbing her hands up and down his shivering arms, when Emma suddenly thought she might be hearing things - the sound of muffled voices calling out to each other on the brittle air and footsteps stamped through the piled snow on the cabin’s porch.
Breath caught in her throat, Emma’s heart fluttered wildly with a quickening hope at the possibility, and she was just debating leaving the bed to look out, wondering if she should let cool air in to reach Killian if she did, when the door was pushed in with a familiar shout of her name.
Then all was a familiar blur of overwhelming relief as she practically vaulted from under the covers and across the room to throw herself into her dad’s anxious arms. At that moment, after the worry and uncertainty of several hours with Killian in continually worsening shape, David Nolan’s tall, sturdy bulk felt like an unbreakable bulwark when his strong arms wrapped around his grown daughter, practically lifting her off her feet and hand cradling the back of her head. She could tell by the way she could feel his heart beating quickly through his coat that he had been worried for the both of them - and thank goodness he had.
Emma allowed herself a few comforting moments to bask in the sense that help was there and she was no longer alone. Then she whirled to pull her dad toward Killian babbling to explain all that had happened as she did, almost before it struck her that her father wasn’t alone. Pressing into the small cabin behind David were at least five of her honorary uncles - her mother’s once surrogate family in the Enchanted Forest, Will Scarlet bragging loudly to August that he’d known the old cabin was the place to look first, Sean Hermann, and numerous other friends and neighbors she’d come to know over the last few years. Enough reinforcements that it took her breath away to think all of them had come to she and Killian’s rescue. Now that they’d been found, Killian being just fine didn’t seem such a far off Christmas miracle any longer.
~~~~ * ~~~~
As it turned out, Killian’s ankle was broken, but once he was settled safely in Storybrooke General, checked over by Dr. Whale, the ankle set in a cast, warmth and heat restored to him, and a much more healthy color to his face and awareness in his eyes, things felt much less dire. Dr. Whale and his staff did want to keep the Captain overnight for observation, but it seemed that other than needing to figure whether or not he would be able to manage crutches and how else he might get around while his ankle mended, her husband was well out of the woods.
He livened up even further once Snow arrived with their little girl, and Hope was curled up against his side in the hospital bed, her ever-curious enthusiasm not at all daunted by the sight of her papa in a hospital gown, the cast, or the IV trailing from his arm. Instead she prattled away talking about all the cookies she and Gamma had made - a few of which had been snuck in for her parents to try - and how much fun she’d had decorating the miniature tree she and Snow had brought in with them to brighten Killian’s room. Nevermind that he might only be there one night, it was completely her mother to want to spruce the place up with holiday cheer.
It only grew more humorous when August arrived just as her parents had settled into chairs, Marco and Granny Lucas in tow, all looking relieved to see them safe and well. August’s crooked grin warned Emma something was up, even before his twinkling, mischievous eyes took in the small sapling Hope and Snow had brought and then presenting the slim, four foot spruce he and Marco had carried in themselves, hidden behind them until that moment. Killian’s rich chuckle added to the ridiculous but healing humor of the situation, as they wrestled the second tree for a one night stay into hospital room that was quickly becoming festively crowded. Granny didn’t hesitate a bit either, dithering over to Killian’s side and reaching across Emma to drape a hand-knitted scarf, as red and striking as Emma’s favorite of her husband’s vests around Killian neck and flicking the end at Hope’s nose as she did. “For you, Captain Jones,” she teasingly scolded with an emotional squeeze of his hand belying her words, “since it seems you don’t have the good sense to come in out of the cold.”
Killian bore the jest with good humor, and just as those visitors had departed, Sean and Ashley Herman with little Alexandra arrived, bearing a blue and white fake tree they swore they didn’t use anymore. After them, Will and Leroy appeared, arguing over who had found it, but bearing a freshly cut garland to drape in the room’s window sill. By the time Smee and some of the other members of Killian’s old crew who still remained in Storybrooke stopped in to pay their respects (and bearing a hidden flask “to ease their former commander’s pain”) it was truly beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Smee’s stunned way of speaking.
By the time Emma and Killian were at last left along again to rest, the room was nearly as bedecked and glimmering as they living room at home with tree and stockings and fireplace all aglow. At some point in all the chaotic celebration and constant stream of visitors, Emma had managed to sneak away from a moment, call Regina and managed to catch her in enough of a decent mood to ask her the question that had begun to niggle the back of her mind as why her magic might have failed to help them that day.
Now that she was snuggled against her husband’s side and he was holding her in return whispering how glad he was to know that she was alright, that they had both weathered the storm and would be home again tomorrow with their little girl and their nearly grown son with them soon, Emma couldn’t hold back what she had learned any longer.
“Killian?” she breathed, stroking her fingers across his brow gently.
“Aye, Love?” he asked, his voice so low and sumptuous, wrapping around her and warming her insides deliciously. How could she have ever resisted him the way she had once upon a time?
“There’s something you should know,” she murmured, pressing a quick kiss to his mouth and then pulling from her pocket the bit of mistletoe she’d had Snow scrounge up for her.
His eyebrow quirked up with interest, but he didn’t interrupt, and Emma pressed on. “When you were hurt, and I couldn’t heal you, it was a horrible feeling. My magic wouldn’t work to help us, and I couldn’t call for help. I couldn’t do anything but hope and wonder why my powers were failing us.” She swallowed hard and then smiled shakily, “As it turns out, there’s actually a pretty wonderful reason for that.”
“Is that so?” he asked playfully, chucking her under the chin.
She nodded, barely withholding the grin threatening to spread across her face. “Apparently, when someone with magic is expecting, the changes and shifts in hormone levels and so on, can throw her abilities all out of whack as well. Why I didn’t notice that with Hope, I’m not sure, but…”
Killian’s eyes widened, shimmering not just with surprise and joy but with a swell of emotion too, effectively interrupting her rambled explanation. “Emma….Love…. Are you telling me that we’re expecting another child?”
For a moment, words wouldn’t pass the lump in her throat, so Emma could only nod vigorously yet again, thrilled at the excitement lighting up her pirate’s expression. A minute or so passed and then she managed to add. “Are you ready to add a little Liam David to our brood?”
“Without doubt,” her husband rejoined without hesitation, “but I have a feeling it’ll be a little Lianna Morgan, not a Liam.”
“Really?” Emma cocked her head, playfully trying to convey doubt in his ability to predict their unborn’s gender so readily when all she really wanted to do was left out loud at his antics, kiss him all over his face, and cuddle up at his side to sleep for a week.
“That’s quite the Christmas gift, Darling,” he spoke intently. “Boy or girl, I couldn’t be more blessed. But I can’t help believing that I’m meant to be surrounded by lovely golden-haired angels - a whole house full if I have my way.”
“Flatterer,” she breathed, not sure how else to combat the effect he had on her, even confined to a hospital bed in a flimsy cotton gown. She hoped it never changed.
Despite the frightening turn the day had taken and the close call they’d survived, as he playfully held the mistletoe above them and their lips met gladly, Emma still found herself believing she couldn’t be more lucky if she tried.
Tagging a few others who might enjoy: @jennjenn615 @searchingwardrobes @kmomof4 @whimsicallyenchantedrose @laschatzi @wefoundloveunderthelight @anmylica @jrob64 @apiratewhopines @elizabeethan @donteattheappleshook @stahlop @sotangledupinit @xarandomdreamx @cosette141
Series of CS oneshots inspired by music. Collection on FF Here.
A/N: Prompted future CS family drabble where Killian and Emma take their kids out for some family bonding. I’ve chosen to have them all be on the Jolly for a night stargazing because I love killing myself with feels. I’m also tying this in with a request for ‘October: Written In The Stars’ by Tim Myers. Hope you guys enjoy!
Life had been a game of give and take for Emma Swan for a very long time. For years and years it felt like the world around her did all the taking and she was the one left with nothing to give. She’d been beaten down and left alone and scared to let people in or give good things a chance to thrive, but that had changed when she came to Storybrooke, found her family, and opened herself up to a love that transformed her once ordinary world into something so much brighter.
It was years ago now that she and Killian had met back in the Enchanted Forest, bonded on a beanstalk, and proceeded to fall in love in the midst of some of the most tumultuous parts of Emma’s life. But in many ways it felt like a lifetime had passed since then, because all of that chaos and pain and the battle of good and evil was largely behind them. They’d won the right to actually have their peace and quiet, and in the meantime Emma and Killian had made the most of that.
After settling a little bit into their happy beginning and coasting through the honeymoon phase with nothing worse than some unfortunate parental pancake making interruptions and run of the mill Storybrooke drama to keep them busy, Emma and Killian had been blessed to find out they were going to be parents to not one, but two babies. Yup, after everything it wasn’t enough for them to just have one new addition, they were destined for twice the fun in the form of a little girl and boy they named Leia and Liam. To say that those first two years had been crazy hectic was an understatement, and then, just as they’d finally gotten the hang of things, they found out that they were fated for one more bundle of joy in the Jones house.
“How much longer til they get here, Daddy?” their youngest daughter Hope asked and Emma couldn’t help glancing back to where Killian stood at the wheel of the Jolly with his eager little helper just beside him. Now at the age of three Hope was a handful to say the least, but she also had her parents, her siblings, and the whole town of Storybrooke wrapped around her little finger tighter than her brown corkscrew curls.
“Not long, lass. Not long at all,” Killian claimed pulling her up from the ground and settling her on his shoulders as Hope squealed with joy and clapped her hands together jubilantly. Meanwhile Killian cast his gaze over to Emma and sent her a smile that lit her up just as much as seeing their children happy did.
“I’m glad the clouds never came,” Liam said from his spot at the railing beside Emma, looking up towards the heavens in the early evening sky with so much enthusiasm it amazed her. His passion for stargazing was palpable even at so young an age, and his faith in how wonderful it would all be rivaled even Henry’s ability to believe that good things would come to those who deserved it. “It would have stunk to miss this.”
“Mom wouldn’t have let that happen,” Leia said from Emma’s other side, her eyes more interested in staring back at the Storybrooke coastline than the stars above. “Remember when she made the snow day for us?”
“I didn’t…” Emma was about to claim that she hadn’t ever messed with the weather to keep the kids from school, but she had a thing about lying, and she wouldn’t mislead her children when it came to something like this. She did have to wonder though how Leia knew about that and she looked back at Killian who was listening intently and shrugging his shoulders as if to say, ‘our girl’s a genius, Swan, what can you do?’
“I heard you call Elsa through the mirror the night before,” Leia admitted without needing any prompting and Emma bit back a smile, knowing her eldest daughter had inherited not only so much of Emma’s physical looks, but also all of her need to question things and piece together puzzles. Leia was naturally curious, and very few things ever got past her even if she was so young. “And I figure if you can make it snow, then you can make the clouds go away, right?”
“Fair enough, kid,” Emma said, running her fingers through the long blonde strands of Leia’s hair and sending her daughter a smile that was returned instantaneously.
“There it is!” Liam shouted not a second later, pointing up to the sky. “The first star’s here!”
This announcement sent all of the Jones kids into a tizzy, and even little Hope was immediately ready to descend from her perch on Killian’s shoulders to join her siblings by the railing. But what her children, eager and enthusiastic as they were, seemed to miss was that they still had quite some time to fill before tonight’s celestial show was set to begin. They were out here after all to see a meteor shower Henry had put them on to, and the sky would need at least another twenty minutes to darken further before those would appear.
“You know what I was thinking?” Killian asked, posing the question not just to Emma as he came to take his place beside her but to their kids as well. He was then (rather unsparingly) greeted with full attention from their three little ones who all looked up to their Dad in the best possible way. “I was thinking that an evening like this one, grand as it’s no doubt going to be, deserves something special to go with it.”
“Is it a puppy?!” Leia immediately asked and Emma had to fight back a laugh at her daughter’s actual belief that there might be a secret dog aboard the Jolly that none of them had noticed in the thirty minutes they’d been sailing out here, but then Emma found herself wondering because all it would take was one hint that his children wanted something and Killian would make that wish come true. Emma was luckily able to breathe easy again though when Killian shook his head.
“Not quite,” Killian said, though he shot Emma a look that silently told her they’d be having a canine-based conversation straight away. Knowing their track record Emma was quite certain that no matter what kind of resistance she put up, her husband would find a way to convince her, and luckily for her Killian’s persuasive tactics were always more than gratifying in the end. Besides, she’d always wanted a dog, and the kids were getting to an age now where she could probably try and juggle that new responsibility in the midst of everything else.
“It’s cocoa and cookies,” Liam said definitively looking at Killian’s face and reading him like a book with an almost magical flare. Their son really did have a gift with predicting things, but even knowing that Killian allowed a little shock to manifest in his features that made Emma smile. “And they’re the triple chocolate ones you make that Mom can’t ever really get right.”
“Aye, lad,” Killian said nodding his head before pulling his son in to ruff up his hair a bit. “Serves me right for playing a guessing game with the master.”
The interlude between Killian and Liam then, with both of them laughing and happy brought a clutching sense of emotion to Emma’s chest. Her throat grew tight and the familiar sting of happy tears came to her eyes, but she wouldn’t let herself cry. Honestly the one thing separating her from becoming her own mother at this point was her ability to at least pretend to hold back all these feelings and Emma would not abandon that reputation now even if this was heartwarming and lovely to see.
“Daddy, Mommy needs a cookie. She’s got the Grandma face,” Hope said coming to take Emma’s hand and just making the sea of feelings all the stronger. To fend them off though Emma picked Hope up in her arms, balanced her on her hip, and smiled before pressing a kiss to her daughter’s forehead.
“Oh the Grandma face, huh? And just exactly what is the Grandma face?” Emma teased as Hope made an exaggerated pout with her mouth and her eyes started to glass over. It was actually incredibly convincing right down to the forming tears, enough so that Emma wouldn’t be surprised if they had a little actress on their hands in a few years time. For the time being though, Hope’s rendition had them all laughing as Killian popped over to where he’d stashed the thermos of cocoa and the cookies for all, bringing them back along with a quilt to lay down on the deck of the Jolly and granting them all a well placed distraction before the shower.
“I love you Mom, I really do,” Leia said at one point after she’d downed two cookies and most of her cocoa. “But Dad’s cookies are way better.”
“So much better,” Liam agreed before offering a slightly apologetic look.
“They’re the bestest!” Hope said before giggling and pressing her hand to Killian’s face from where she sat on his lap. “Thank you Daddy.”
The kids all chorused their thanks as Emma watched on, not the least bit put out by Killian’s being a better baker than she was. After all marriage and parenting was a partnership that called on both their skill sets. It was just funny though to think that the once fearsome Captain Hook was now so seemingly domesticated that he baked cookies and packed lunches and planned nighttime picnics for his family aboard the notorious ship he’d once called home.
“Look! A shooting star! It’s starting!” Liam exclaimed and Emma watched as her kids jumped up and ran to the edge of the ship again.
The three of them gave away just how impressed they were with their ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ and it was clear as day that the bunch of them were happy as could be, but then Emma gazed on as Liam took both his sisters hands in his, linking these three perfect parts of her world together and silently reminding Emma of how secure and loved and special all of her children (including Henry) felt every day. After a lifetime of never having that herself, it was that sense of trust and belonging that Emma cherished more than anything and would protect come hell or high water.
“How did we ever get so lucky?” Emma whispered as she stood up herself but stayed in the center of the ship, her face looking back over her shoulder and catching that Killian’s eyes were already on her and he was only inches away. His presence there and that softness in his expressive blue eyes filled her heart with that same fluttering sense of rightness that had never faded in all the time they’d been together, and she was pretty much powerless to resist the urge to lean back against him, soaking in his warmth as she did.
“Simple, Swan. We fought for it and paid our dues and chose love. Essentially we followed all of your mother’s advice and here we are.”
Emma laughed at that mention of her Mom’s still highly prevalent hope speeches and positive mentality and she felt Killian give way to his own chuckle as she shifted around in his arms, coming so they were face to face as she was still wrapped up in her husband’s arms. But when the laughter faded, what remained in the depths of Killian’s eyes was all the love and faith and belief she’d come to know over the years. Time might have passed, situations may have changed, but he was the same man, good, and kind, and protective of her and this family in the way a good father and husband should be.
“You make it sound so easy,” Emma teased and Killian actually let out a growling sound at the insinuation, which somehow made Emma both want some of that precious little alone time they struggled to find raising three young kids, and want to laugh again soaking in all these good feelings.
“It was hardly easy, love, as you well know, but nothing truly worth having comes without struggle. And I would do it all again, face every foe and hit every low point, just to get to this.”
Emma agreed, leaning her head against the crook of his shoulder as the two of them turned to watch their kids and look up at the stars themselves. It was, in truth, a perfect night out here on their home away from home, and Emma tried so hard to be in the moment but also take in every last detail to remember this best of times for years to come.
“You have to make a wish, Mommy!” Hope said delightedly a little while later, running from her brother and sister and pulling on her shirt, pointing her finger at the heavens above where the meteor shower they’d all come to watch was now out in full force.
Emma beamed down at her daughter, thinking to herself that there wasn’t really a point. In this moment right now Emma everything she wanted and it felt greedy to ask for much more. The only thing she could think was that she wanted all of her children to find this kind of happiness and live lives that would bring them this kind of joy without all the struggle she and Killian had had to go through. She wanted them to know love and to love themselves too, and when her gaze caught her husband’s Emma knew that was his wish as well. The two of them were so in sync and had been for years, and the thing that mattered most in the world was preserving what they’d made here for now and always.
“Did you think of one?” Hope asked determinedly and Emma nodded. “Good. Now close yours eyes and wish really, really hard.”
Emma followed the directions, assuming she could close her eyes for ten seconds and that would appease her rambunctious daughter, but then a kiss pressed at her lips that Emma knew was from her husband, and she smiled, opening her eyes before she was supposed to and finding Killian grinning at her too. Damn him and his still roguishly charming smiles. They’d been together for so long and yet he was still just as handsome as always. It almost wasn’t fair.
“Sometimes a man has to take destiny in his own hands and make his wishes come true, love. It simply can’t be helped.”
“Uh-huh,” Emma murmured before moving a bit closer to him and whispering low so no under-aged ears would hear. “Well when the kids are all asleep later why don’t we work on making a few more of those wishes of yours a reality?”
“Bloody hell,” Killian cursed before muttering about her siren-like tendencies and pulling another grin from Emma. But just when Killian looked like he was about to kiss her again, the kids were back pulling both of them to the edge of the ship for more family-friendly fun.
And though their children might have interrupted a special, stolen moment, Emma had to admit it was in the most wonderful of ways, for the rest of the night was filled with the same kind of cheer and happiness in their family. The five of them stood there all together marveling at the sky above and they even called Henry to get his take on this extravaganza from where he was watching off at school. In short it was an amazing evening, and when they all returned home again and the kids were fast asleep, all those promises from before were kept, cementing it as yet another perfect day in the scheme of Emma and Killian’s happily ever after.
……………….
I fell in so far and fast
I knew that our love would last
And every moment I'd hold on so tight
‘cause its only drifting by
Do you know that our love is written in the stars
Do you think that its fate the way that we are
So glad I found you.
I belong to you,
you belong to me
that’s always how it was meant to be
I fell in with every word
Every smile helped me learn that its worth it to feel this close
And the strength of letting go
Do you know that our love, is written in the stars.
Do you think that its fate, the way that we are.
So glad that I found you,
I belong to you,
you belong to me
that's always how it was meant to be.
Do you know that our love was written in the stars
Do you think that its fate, the way that we are
So glad that I found you,
I belong to you
and you belong to me
that's always how it was meant to be.
Post-Note: So first and foremost I would like to thank the readers who asked for this song and prompt. I had never heard the song before, but it was really nice and it sparked this fluffy little interlude, which was a joy to write. I also want to thank all of you guys for the support and the continued ideas. My list of songs to get to at some point has surpassed 35 and while that’s very daunting it’s also amazing! I’m so thrilled people like this idea of collecting a CS mixtape and seeing how people experience this ship musically. It’s a real gift for me as a writer, and I just hope you guys enjoy it too. Thank you all so much for reading and hope you’re having a lovely Sunday!
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
