No Wives, No Mothers, No Lovers Ch 6/6

Finally!!!! I have finished @snowbellewells birthday present! Marta, we'll just call this the gift that kept on giving, lol. I hope you all enjoy the conclusion to this Siren!Emma fic. Has the ocean sealed Emma and Killian's doom? Or has Mother Ocean been persuaded to let true love prevail? Here's the dramatic conclusion of Siren Emma falling for human Killian.

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 3k in this chapter

Rated: T

Previous Chapters: One | Two | Three  | Four | Five

Also on Ao3

Tagging (please let me know if you would like to be added or removed): @teamhook @kmomof4 @jrob64 @xhookswenchx-reads-blog @winterbythesea @thisonesatellite @welllpthisishappening @spartanguard @ohmakemeahercules @tiganasummertree @sparlecorn93 @sals86 @pirateprincessofpizza @xarandomdreamx @zaharadessert​ @huntressandlioness1 @jamif @undercaffinatednightmare​ @onceratheart18​ @sparlecorn93​ @sals86​ @pirateprincessofpizza​ @xarandomdreamx​ @zaharadessert​ @huntressandlioness1​ @iverna​ @jonesfandomfanatic​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​

Killian is tired of fighting. Every breath is a struggle, yet whenever he tries to let go, tries to force his chest to no longer rise and fall, survival instincts take over, and he gasps another breath. His eyes struggle to focus, but he can see Liam’s worried gaze hovering over him from time to time. He no longer has the strength to turn his head towards sounds, but he hears Liam and Elsa speaking in hushed whispers in the kitchen. They’ve moved his hospital bed to the living room to make it easier on everyone. They’re all just waiting for the end. Killian can’t say with all honesty that he’s ready to die. There’s so much he hasn’t done, so much he hasn’t seen. However, it would also be such a relief for all this pain to end. 

There’s a loud thump at the back door that halts Liam and Elsa’s hushed conversation. Killian hears it, too, yet he doesn’t care who it might be. 

Then Liam and Elsa cry out a single name:

“Emma!”

It can’t be! Killian uses every bit of strength he has left to turn his head. There she is! She’s thinner, her hair isn’t as bright, and her cheeks are sunken, but she’s still beautiful. She stumbles across the threshold. 

“Killian,” she gasps, “they told me to find Killian.”

Scarborough Fair: 8/?

I apologize for the long wait for this chapter! We just moved into a new house, and at first we didn’t have internet. I also felt that every spare moment needed to be spent unpacking and getting the house all set up. I finally escaped to Barnes and Noble to write because I just can’t do it at home right now! Anyways, I hope the contents of this chapter make it up to you. We’re getting to the good stuff ;)

Is the situation Emma is in as a pregnant foster teen accurate? I really have no idea, but it’s in the book Impossible that this is based on. I also have no idea if you can make a shirt like that. Again, I’m going by the book Impossible. I’m not following it exactly, but those two plot points were kind of important, so I left them in. Anyways, things are going to keep getting steamier from here on out, though our lovers are far from out of danger. Plus, we’ve still got Snow, David, and their kingdom out there somewhere, so hang on, folks! It’s gonna be a romantic yet bumpy ride.

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Emma Swan has had a charmed life, despite being a foster child. She has a wonderful family who loves her, and the best friends in the world. The only thing that mars her idyllic existence is her birth mother: a homeless woman who mutters nonsensical rhymes and claims to be Snow White. One fateful night, however, Emma’s world is shattered. Perhaps her mother’s rhymes aren’t nonsense after all.

Rated: M for date rape, dubious consent, teen pregnancy, and sexy times (the good kind!)

Words: Over 3k in this chapter

Chapter One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six

Also on Ao3

Tagging:  (let me know if you wish to be removed or added):  @snowbellewells @teamhook @kmomof4 @jrob64 @xhookswenchx-reads-blog @thisonesatellite @welllpthisishappening @spartanguard @ohmakemeahercules @tiganasummertree @sparlecorn93 @sals86 @pirateprincessofpizza @xarandomdreamx @zaharadessert @huntressandlioness1 @jamif @undercaffinatednightmare @onceratheart18 @sparlecorn93 @sals86 @pirateprincessofpizza @xarandomdreamx @zaharadessert @huntressandlioness1 @jonesfandomfanatic​ @hollyethecurious​

Chapter Eight:

The entire family jumped right in to help Emma solve the riddle that had defeated her mother. Liam dove back into every bit of research he had accumulated about the song Scarborough Fair. He and Ingrid met with the art professor he had mentioned who had done her dissertation on textiles. Elsa talked to the scientists on board ship and zoomed with the family every single day. Even Anna found her niche, taking Emma to the library and helping her check out every book available about pregnancy and childbirth. 

And Killian? He was the rock she could lean on. The one who made her smile or laugh just when things got too heavy. He also ran whatever errands he needed to: taking Emma to her first prenatal appointment, shopping for a long list of different types of fabrics at the craft store to make this impossible shirt, and going for a late night ice cream run when Emma’s cravings started. In some ways, nothing changed.

Yet his declaration of love still hung in the air. He hadn’t brought it up again, hadn’t treated her any differently, hadn’t asked her on a date or tried to get physical. He was giving her space to decide what she wanted, and it honestly was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her. 

At the same time, Emma was confused. She had always loved Killian, of course. But was it romantic love? She could even admit she had been physically attracted to him at times, but did that mean she was in love with him? Did she even want something like that right now, when she was processing having a kid of all things and still healing from a violent rape? Did Killian fully understand what he would be getting himself into? Did she want to burden him with all her crap? 

She was just completely and utterly confused. 

Keep reading

@searchingwardrobes For crying out loud! It has taken me much too long to review this chapter (but I did completely enjoy going back and reading it a second time to make sure I mentioned all the best parts 😉) Once again, you completely amaze me with how each new chapter of your story makes it that much more complex, emotional, and engaging. The stakes are high, but this family - and Emma and Killian, in particular- do not shy away or falter. They know they can beat this, and they won’t abandon Emma; they’re with her every step of the way.

I really loved how each family member found a job that suited them, a part to play in helping Emma untangle the riddle and figure out what she needed to do. I especially liked how, when they are face with the fact that the system might try to take Emma’s baby after it’s birth, Killian says the exact same thing Liam did - clearly he learned from the best. I loved in general how Killian’s main job was support and comfort, fi adding a way to help Emma believe that she would not go crazy and they would not let anyone take her child.

I also adored the scenes where Killian walked in from his construction work, shirtless and sweaty, and Emma couldn’t help but be affected. He had her all flustered, and who could blame her?!?

But on a deeper note, her reaction gave Killian hope that she might want to be with him, might reciprocate the feelings he had already told her he had. I loved that bit of reassurance for him. And also, when they are alone together fitting the shirt. I loved Killian’s proposal, Emma’s admission, her awareness of his patience and tenderness toward her, and how she lets herself trust his promise. There were so many beautiful passages in this chapter, as always!, but I think my favorite was here: “He opened his eyes, and she nodded. Her hands shook as she lifted them and rested them upon his temples. She threaded her fingers through his hair. It was softer than she had imagined. He tipped his head back and watched her intently. She thought of him the other night, stating so matter-of-factly that he loved her. He had said it as something unshakable and infallible. Something as predictable and steady as the seasons. Then they had gone on as they always had, with no demands that she respond to his declaration in any way.”

You even worked in the bit about ‘I know you face an uncertain future… but I will always, always, be by your side.” Bravo! ❤️❤️❤️

But oh, when Rumplestiltskin creeps into their home at the end - and he’s been there before?!? It’s so eerie and chilling, brilliantly well done, but frightening in the amount of power and knowledge he has, and that he’s aware of where they stand and what they’ve accomplished. I’m glad he couldn’t touch the shirt, but we know he has found a way to hurt even those with Trie Love before. I can’t help but worry, and be desperate to know what happens next…

Once again @snowbellewells . . .

No Wives, No Mothers, No Lovers : 5/7

Yes, finally! An update! @snowbellewells​, I’m sorry this fic is taking me so long to finish. I hope you enjoy this chapter, especially the characters that appear in it, even though it ends on a cliffhanger. Yes, I said a cliffhanger. On the bright side, this fic is near completion. Yay! Love ya, Marta, and I hope this summer is full of sunshine and rest.

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 3k in this chapter

Rated: T

Previous Chapters: One | Two | Three  | Four

Also on Ao3

Tagging (please let me know if you would like to be added or removed): @teamhook @kmomof4 @jrob64 @xhookswenchx-reads-blog @winterbythesea @thisonesatellite @welllpthisishappening @spartanguard @ohmakemeahercules @tiganasummertree @sparlecorn93 @sals86 @pirateprincessofpizza @xarandomdreamx @zaharadessert​ @huntressandlioness1 @jamif @undercaffinatednightmare​ @onceratheart18​ @sparlecorn93​ @sals86​ @pirateprincessofpizza​ @xarandomdreamx​ @zaharadessert​ @huntressandlioness1​ @iverna​ @jonesfandomfanatic​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​

Chapter Five:

Killian gasps and coughs, his chest burning and his head pounding. He’s trembling all over, soaked to the bone, and the rain is pouring down again. Everything is blurry; he can barely see through the storm and rain, but he thinks he sees Emma’s blonde hair. Thinks he feels its soft, silky strands caress his cheek, which is odd. Her hair should be wet. But maybe every bit of it is a dream because his eyes slide shut, and then darkness surrounds him again … 

The next time he awakes, he can’t keep his eyes open, no matter how hard he tries. He only gets glimpses of the people around him, and a bright light above. The light hurts. The sand and rocks scrape his skin. Someone calls his name … 

He awakes the third time in a hospital bed. The light still hurts. So does his throat. Its silent except for the beeping of machines. Liam is asleep in the chair beside his bed, but the moment Killian turns his head, Liam is awake and reaching for his hand. 

“Emma,” Killian manages to rasp out, his throat like sandpaper. 

Liam frowns, shaking his head. “You were alone on the beach when we found you.”

Killian struggles to speak, but his throat feels like it’s closing up. Liam tries to get him to stop talking, to calm down. 

“Must … find her … help her.”

Liam has a difficult time meeting his gaze, but he finally manages to tell him the truth. “Killian, it stormed that night. The tide was strong. The shoes Emma was wearing washed up on the beach, so …”

Keep reading

@searchingwardrobes Oh man, now I’m sorry it leaves off there! Does Mother Ocean finally see she has to allow them to be together? Is she taking Emma to Killian? Or is she finishing her off, taking her under forever? It’s clear she has affection for her “daughters”, Emma in particular, but she also has a sharp temper as we saw with Ruby and is jealous and possessive of them. As Ruby very astutely and poignantly pointed out, that isn’t real love at all.

All of Emma’s friends, “sisters”, tugged at my heartstrings, indebted for their very lives, but none of them handling what ended up being the price when they are now forced to take lives from others. Poor Ariel especially just broke my heart. And to think of Emma wasting away, all because she was pulled back to Killian, and because of her caring heart not wanting to hurt others. Their has to be a way to save her - there just has to!!

And Killian! I am really worried for him, and poor Liam must be beside himself, so worried for his younger brother and nothing he can do to help. And not only does it seem he is slowly being drained, but his heart has already I’m some ways given up, thinking Emma died that day. I do love how the town has rallied around to show how much they care for he and his family, and how clearly and eloquently this illustrates how clearly joined he and Emma are, but I certainly don’t want him to pay with his life.

As always, I was wrapped up in it, captured by the emotion and wondering what will happen next. Thank you for the birthday gift that keeps on giving - I continue to love this story so much!!! 💕💖💕

@snowbellewells I'm blushing!

Scarborough Fair: 8/?

I apologize for the long wait for this chapter! We just moved into a new house, and at first we didn’t have internet. I also felt that every spare moment needed to be spent unpacking and getting the house all set up. I finally escaped to Barnes and Noble to write because I just can’t do it at home right now! Anyways, I hope the contents of this chapter make it up to you. We’re getting to the good stuff ;)

Is the situation Emma is in as a pregnant foster teen accurate? I really have no idea, but it’s in the book Impossible that this is based on. I also have no idea if you can make a shirt like that. Again, I’m going by the book Impossible. I’m not following it exactly, but those two plot points were kind of important, so I left them in. Anyways, things are going to keep getting steamier from here on out, though our lovers are far from out of danger. Plus, we’ve still got Snow, David, and their kingdom out there somewhere, so hang on, folks! It’s gonna be a romantic yet bumpy ride.

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Emma Swan has had a charmed life, despite being a foster child. She has a wonderful family who loves her, and the best friends in the world. The only thing that mars her idyllic existence is her birth mother: a homeless woman who mutters nonsensical rhymes and claims to be Snow White. One fateful night, however, Emma’s world is shattered. Perhaps her mother’s rhymes aren’t nonsense after all.

Rated: M for date rape, dubious consent, teen pregnancy, and sexy times (the good kind!)

Words: Over 3k in this chapter

Chapter One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six

Also on Ao3

Tagging:  (let me know if you wish to be removed or added):  @snowbellewells @teamhook @kmomof4 @jrob64 @xhookswenchx-reads-blog @thisonesatellite @welllpthisishappening @spartanguard @ohmakemeahercules @tiganasummertree @sparlecorn93 @sals86 @pirateprincessofpizza @xarandomdreamx @zaharadessert @huntressandlioness1 @jamif @undercaffinatednightmare @onceratheart18 @sparlecorn93 @sals86 @pirateprincessofpizza @xarandomdreamx @zaharadessert @huntressandlioness1 @jonesfandomfanatic​ @hollyethecurious​

Chapter Eight:

The entire family jumped right in to help Emma solve the riddle that had defeated her mother. Liam dove back into every bit of research he had accumulated about the song Scarborough Fair. He and Ingrid met with the art professor he had mentioned who had done her dissertation on textiles. Elsa talked to the scientists on board ship and zoomed with the family every single day. Even Anna found her niche, taking Emma to the library and helping her check out every book available about pregnancy and childbirth. 

And Killian? He was the rock she could lean on. The one who made her smile or laugh just when things got too heavy. He also ran whatever errands he needed to: taking Emma to her first prenatal appointment, shopping for a long list of different types of fabrics at the craft store to make this impossible shirt, and going for a late night ice cream run when Emma’s cravings started. In some ways, nothing changed.

Yet his declaration of love still hung in the air. He hadn’t brought it up again, hadn’t treated her any differently, hadn’t asked her on a date or tried to get physical. He was giving her space to decide what she wanted, and it honestly was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her. 

At the same time, Emma was confused. She had always loved Killian, of course. But was it romantic love? She could even admit she had been physically attracted to him at times, but did that mean she was in love with him? Did she even want something like that right now, when she was processing having a kid of all things and still healing from a violent rape? Did Killian fully understand what he would be getting himself into? Did she want to burden him with all her crap? 

She was just completely and utterly confused. 

Keep reading

No Wives, No Mothers, No Lovers: 4/7

Two months since the last update is actually not that bad for me, haha. Thank you to everyone who is sticking with this fic. And Marta, I have a little surprise for you in this chapter. I hope you like the character I introduce here - she should sound familiar ;)

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 3k in this chapter

Rated: T

Previous Chapters: One | Two | Three

Also on Ao3

Tagging (please let me know if you would like to be added or removed): @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 @iverna @jonesfandomfanatic​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​

Emma and Killian dance to a string of fifties rock and roll songs as rain pelts the roof of the studio. She accepts the slow dances easily now, tucked against him with her cheek against his shoulder. The rain begins to slow as they sway to “Earth Angel.”

“Emma,” Killian says softly against her hair.

She lifts her gaze to his, her expression tender and relaxed. 

“There’s somewhere else I wanted to take you, if that’s okay. The rain’s not so bad now.”

She smiles at him as she nods her head. He turns off the music, pockets his phone, and then the two of them gather up the remains of their lunch. Killian finds an abandoned umbrella in a dusty corner, and he exits the studio with Emma on his arm. She leans in close to keep herself out of the rain. It’s still coming down steadily, but the wind has died down. 

Their destination is only two storefronts away from the dance studio. Killian opens the door for Emma, and a bell jingles as she dashes in out of the rain. Killian follows, shaking the raindrops from the umbrella. The bookstore is cozy and warm, and the proprietress comes towards them with an eager smile. 

“Killian Jones, what a pleasure on such a gloomy day.”

“Marta,” Killian greets her, “I’m showing my friend here around Storybrooke. No tour is complete without visiting Once Upon a Time.” 

Keep reading

@searchingwardrobes Oh my goodness!!!! 😳🫣🧜🏻‍♀️I have to admit first that I read this right after I did Chapter Three, but didn’t have time to review, then I got busy and way too much time went by. I read it again to be sure I didn’t miss anything commenting, and it seriously took my breath away all over again!! I don’t know how you do it, Melanie, but I am so glad you keep sharing these CS stories with us, because they are STUNNING!! 💖

Also, I am flattered and flabbergasted and just thrilled to literally be part of this chapter!! 🥰😉 You’re already writing me a birthday story, but to let me play an actual part in it?!? It’s amazing!! I love that this “Marta” owns a bookshop called Once Upon a Time, and that it provided a haven for Killian when he was young and lonely and sad. Plus, that tree in the children’s area where he and Emma are sitting sounds incredible! Did you dream that up, or have you been to a real bookstore with such a neat arrangement?

As per usual, I had MANY parts I adored, but I think my favorites was this particularly charged moment between Emma and Killian after she “tells” him a story: “A single tear slips down Emma’s cheek, and he reaches up gently to wipe it away with his thumb. His hand lingers there, tracing the line of her jaw. Emma gently grasps his wrist in both her hands and leans into his touch. The moment stretches, filled with a deep sense of peace even as Killian’s heart pounds in his chest. She takes the hand cupping her cheek and presses it to where her own heart beats a steady rhythm. He isn’t sure how, but he understands completely. She’s thanking him for seeing her, for hearing her in a way that goes beyond words.” ❤️❤️❤️

The house that was his grandfather’s, which Killian then offers Emma if she ever needs it, sounds completely enchanting. (I seriously want to live in it myself from your description of it!!) He even seems to know that she isn’t quite of this world, or there’s something ‘other’ about Emma, but it doesn’t faze him or change how Killian feels about her in the slightest. But then it took such a horrifying turn!! Everything was so beautiful- emotional and perfect, and then it was like Killian was almost possessed. Has Emma been able to talk the whole time, but was trying not to because her voice was dangerous? Could she not talk because of some sort of curse, and when they kissed she got her speech back? Is she able to save Killian? Who - or what - was she pleading with for help? And what might she have had to sacrifice? I know you aren’t going to tell me, but boy am I ever wondering!!!

Another amazing update! Truly! AMAZING!!! 🤩😍🤩😍🤩

And, okay, I see what you did there, leaving us on the edge line that. And I’ll trust you, but man am I dying to know what happens next…

@snowbellewells 😆 I chuckled reading all your reactions. I guess I shouldn't have teased you about your cliffhanger, huh?🤣 To answer your question about the tree, my preschool class had one with a ladder for reading. It was really just a loft with a cut out of a tree on the front, but in my memories it was magical. Your other questions I can't answer yet, but you did guess right on one of them. Here's a hint: Emma is a siren. That's a big hint, I guess, but it is in the summary, so it's allowed. 😉

Scarborough Fair: 5/?

I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. I said I would update every two weeks, and then I dropped the ball on that. I won’t bore you with the details, but life just got crazy. Anyways, I think I have a game plan now that I should be able to update every two weeks, alternating updates with No Wives, No Lovers, No Mothers.

This chapter is about Emma’s recovery, and it’s honestly a gut-wrencher. However, some important plot points also come up, so I can’t really give you places to skip like the last chapter. Hopefully, if you’ve stuck with me this far, you’ll keep reading! I can’t say the angst will cease after this chapter, but the rape will no longer be the main focus. So it gets better in some ways? I guess?

This is also now part of the CS Angsty August, so be sure to check out the other fan fic and fanart from that event!

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Emma Swan has had a charmed life, despite being a foster child. She has a wonderful family who loves her, and the best friends in the world. The only thing that mars her idyllic existence is her birth mother: a homeless woman who mutters nonsensical rhymes and claims to be Snow White. One fateful night, however, Emma’s world is shattered. Perhaps her mother’s rhymes aren’t nonsense after all.

Rated: M for date rape, dubious consent, teen pregnancy, and sexy times (the good kind!)

Words: Over 3k in this chapter

Chapter One | Two | Three | Four

Also on Ao3

Tagging:  (let me know if you wish to be removed or added):  @snowbellewells @teamhook @kmomof4 @jrob64 @xhookswenchx @thisonesatellite @welllpthisishappening @spartanguard @ohmakemeahercules @tiganasummertree @sparlecorn93 @sals86 @pirateprincessofpizza @xarandomdreamx @zaharadessert @huntressandlioness1 @jamif @undercaffinatednightmare @onceratheart18 @sparlecorn93 @sals86 @pirateprincessofpizza @xarandomdreamx @zaharadessert @huntressandlioness1​

Chapter Five

The rest of that night and the next day passed for Emma in a hazy fog punctuated by bouts of crying in her bed curled up in the fetal position. Other times she just lay there staring at the ceiling, trying to let herself be swallowed up by a dark, dark hole that had taken up residence in her chest. She wanted to go numb, to never feel anything ever again. Just when she thought she’d succeeded in emptying herself of all emotion, waves of tears would begin to pound her once again.

She hadn’t had to spell anything out for Killian. He’d simply nodded when she asked for him to take her home, and in the car, he said nothing. The silence was laden with grief, yet she knew she couldn’t have handled any questions, or even worse, platitudes. 

Even when they walked through the kitchen door, no words had been necessary. Ingrid had taken one look at Emma, and a single sob had escaped her lips. Emma fell into her embrace, tears finally coming. She heard Liam make a guttural sound followed by a thud. He’d punched something, even had bruises on his knuckles the next day to prove it. Like Killian, however, he said nothing, asked no questions, and refrained from touching her. She could tell the brothers wanted to, the way their hands kept fisting then opening again, the way their arms kept reaching just short of touching her, then falling back to their sides. Emma ached with both relief and sadness at their hesitancy. 

Keep reading

@searchingwardrobes Sheesh Melanie, just go ahead and break me heart why don’t you?!? 💔 No, I’m giving you a hard time, but in all seriousness, you have such a way of writing even devastatingly emotional things in a way that I am willing and even glad to read it because it’s what the characters have to go through to get to their happy endings at last. I’m more than willing to feel their hurt with them in exchange for getting to go on the journey you take us on.

Emma’s mourning for her lost innocence, and the rest of the family’s concern and uncertainty of how to help her were so real and raw, you couldn’t help hurting along with them, but wow was it well done. And it also shows how much she is loved and cared for that they try all they can to be there for her - even if it’s just in giving her space and time. Killian’s thoughts in this time sun it up perfectly though: “It wasn’t a lack of patience, at least not for him. He realized that Emma would never be the same person she’d been before, and he wasn’t expecting or asking that of her. He just wanted to see joy in her eyes again. He wanted to see her cheeks pink as she laughed, he wanted to see her collapse against Liam on the couch as he read a book, he wanted her to sit here with him chatting about everything and nothing. In short, he wanted her to live again. Fully. Not for him, but for her own happiness.”

There are also two or three lovely subtle and effective nods to canon here that I have to mention. I thought Neal’s being the child of the single mom Lacey Cassidy was a really clever and sad choice in its own way. And the part about the law and the town not knowing the whole story and Neal being elevated to almost saint-like status by his unfortunate death was very reminiscent of what the show did after Neal died - sometimes to the point of utter frustration when it masked all that he put Emma through. This was an interesting way to spin that into your story and it really hit home. (Even the way Emma reveals to Killian that he didn’t seem like himself, and from what I’ve read of the Impossible book, what was truly going on, plays into the complex father-son dynamic Neal had with Rumple/Gold) Seriously, you could not have picked a much better book to adapt into an OuaT/CS au!!! Most of all though, I love how Killian’s desire to help Emma heal and see her happy and fully living her life again, capture something beautiful about his canon character that can’t be celebrated enough. Yes, he is in love with her, but he also simply and purely wants the best for her, and for her not to close herself off from joy and love and life as she has been for so long when they first meet. This story’s Killian is wishing for that for this Emma too.💖

And then the end of this one, where she asks why he won’t hold her, and his pained, “Oh Emma….” before he runs around to her side of the car to just wrap her up and hold her while she cries. Good heavens!!! It hurt and it was glorious and just WOW breathtaking.🥺😭😍

Ok, I was wrong, @snowbellewells - THIS was the best reblog ever!

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: