No Wives, No Mothers, No Lovers: ¼

Happy belated birthday, @snowbellewells ! I just finished reading the book The Siren by Kiera Cass and absolutely fell in love with it, with all its modern fantasy and true love themes. Since we’re fandom twins, I figured you would love it as much as I did. (I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve read it already!) So, what better birthday gift than a CS au of it? I’m sorry this is late, but I hope you enjoy it and that it lets you know how much I appreciate your friendship. Getting to meet you last month was one of the highlights of my summer! So, happy birthday my friend.

And no surprise that this ended up an MC, haha. I really wanted it to be a one-shot, but oh well. I do have it completely outlined, though. My plan is to alternate updates between this and Scarborough Fair, though this will be shorter.

Summary:  He must be hallucinating. Because Emma Swan is supposed to be in Miami, Florida where he left her. Emma Swan isn’t supposed to be on this rocky stretch of beach, completely drenched, and wearing a ball gown of all things. A Lieutenant Duckling AU (sort of) in which Emma is a siren who isn’t supposed to fall in love with a human.

Length: about 2,500 words in this chapter, first of four

Rated: T

Also on Ao3

Taggin: @teamhook @kmomof4 @jrob64 @xhookswenchx @winterbythesea @thisonesatellite @welllpthisishappening @spartanguard @ohmakemeahercules @tiganasummertree @sparlecorn93 @sals86 @pirateprincessofpizza @xarandomdreamx @zaharadessert @huntressandlioness1 @jamif @undercaffinatednightmare @onceratheart18 @sparlecorn93 @sals86 @pirateprincessofpizza @xarandomdreamx @zaharadessert @huntressandlioness1​ @winterbythesea​

Chapter One:

The last time he saw her, he was fifteen hundred miles away from this rocky stretch of beach. The last time he saw her was in a dormitory kitchen under garish fluorescent lighting that could do nothing to dim her beauty. The last time he saw her, her eyes had been alight with silent laughter as she fed him cake, and his heart had pounded so loudly at the slightest brush of her fingers against his lips that he was sure she could hear it. The last time he saw her was precisely six months, two weeks, four days, and three hours ago. He knows because not a day has gone by that he hasn’t thought about her. 

However, Killian Jones is a different person than he was six months, two weeks, four days, and three hours ago. Because of what he has been through in that space of time, combined with the fact that he hasn’t been able in all that same length of time to stop thinking about her, his first assumption is that he’s hallucinating. 

“Emma?”

Yes, he must be hallucinating. Because Emma Swan is supposed to be in Miami, Florida where he left her. Emma Swan isn’t supposed to be on this rocky stretch of beach, completely drenched, and wearing a ball gown of all things. 

@searchingwardrobes Oh wow! Already I am absolutely in love with this story!! 💕💖💕 (And you’re totally ahead of me this time, fandom twin. I have heard of Kiera Cass, but have not read any of her books yet. Of course, now I am going to want to start with this one!!)

The way you started this one with the parallelism of Killian’s memories: “The last time he saw her…” It works so beautifully to show just how imprinted his time with her has been on his mind, how vividly he remembers every second. It makes it strike us all the more and truly believe it when you use his “not a day has gone by that he hasn’t thought of her” line from canon.

That only makes us all the more curious though, just as he is wondering, “How did she turn up on the beach in a ballgown, right where he is when he hasn’t seen her for months?” I know those answers will come together slowly as it goes on, but I love something to mull over and try to figure out as a story unfolds. 😍 I’ll admit, this first little bit when Killian kneels beside Emma in the sand, and then helps her up to take her home with him reminds me of “The Little Mermaid”, when Eric first finds Ariel after she washes ashore with legs but no voice and he’s trying to figure out what she is hoping to get across to him. It didn’t take me too long to figure out as I kept reading that she has always been mute when he has known her, but it was a sweet little mental image there all the same!

My heart broke for Killian at having lost his mother (and his friend Emma having apparently just up and vanished too). He’s been so lonely and withdrawn that Liam and Elsa don’t know what to do with him bringing home a friend! All the same - I love the soft, gentle love we see between the two of them when Killian and Emma first arrive to see them simply doing dishes together, and also how they quickly adjust to welcome Emma and take her in and see her warm and comfortable for the night.

I was glad Killian and Emma did get time alone to talk, and I can’t help fearing that something serious pulled Emma away from him and kept her away all these months he didn’t hear from her. I can only keep reading and hope she isn’t taken from him again. The glimpses of their friendship and their comfort and care for each other though are wonderfully evident here. And I love Killian’s reminiscing about first meeting her and how she seems and looks like someone from another time!

The part where they simply hold each other and each comforts the other one as they let their tears fall had to be the part that really got me most though: “Then Emma turns her face into his chest. He can’t tell she’s crying at first because she makes no sound, but then he feels the dampness of her tears through his t-shirt. He holds her, running his fingers through her hair as his own tears fall. They stay that way for so long, he loses track of time. Emma pulls away first, wiping at her damp cheeks, yet surprisingly, neither of them feels awkward. As a matter of fact, they smile at one another, and Killian laughs.”

Whatever is in store, I’m so glad they’ve found each other again!! What a treat to read!! 🌊🐚🧜🏻‍♀️

So happy you liked your present!! And all your notes made me go: