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Signs ups close November 26. Pairings go out between November 29th - 30th.

Prompt: Sweater Weather Fic: Sweater Stealer Read on A03

@belovedcreation Oh goodness, I wish I were quicker at reading and reviewing all of your offerings! I’m continually amazed at your writing output- and how every single story of your I’ve read is so consistently GREAT!! I don’t know how you do it, but I am immensely glad you share the joy with us!!! 😍😍😍

I loved the whole idea of this one, the modern au style, with their whole cozy and fun group of friends. MM with the detailed and color-coded plan of fall activities, and just how close all of them are. It makes sense then that Killian didn’t want to risk how it might affect he and Emma’s friendship, or the group as a whole, and out of his respect for David, and so never admitted how he truly feels about Emma.

It became clearer and clearer though, as the story went on, that Emma felt the same, stealing the sweater and hanging onto it and wearing it, seemed to be her looking for a way to give him a sign. By the time they get to the tailgate weekend, and Killian helps her really take Neal down a leg or two, you are so ready for something to change, for him to really make a move, and not just to spite her jerky ex. But I was also afraid he had convinced himself his feelings were one-sided. “And every time he looks at her, Killian’s heart skips a beat. It is the most cliche thing in the world, but it is true. As their lives have changed over the years, Killian’s affection for Emma has remained a constant. A North Star. He still seeks her approval in everything that he does and still has to hold himself back from protecting, defending, and encouraging her as more than just one of her good friends.” Wow, just gorgeous! ❤️

That made the following weekend, when they finally brave letting the other see the truth, all the more delightful. While in the corn maze dead-end, Killian remembers why the sweater was his favorite, the kiss interrupted by teenagers, the plans for the rest of the evening and the next day together, all of that was just perfect.

This was so enjoyable and wonderful and altogether cozy and lovely - just what an amazing Autumnal one shot should be!! Thank you for sharing it with us!!

At the Dawn There is Rejoicing--a birthday gift for @kmomof4 (Chapter 6)

Summary:  Birthday gift for Krystal, @kmomof4. Based on the story of Leslie Moore and Owen Ford in the book Anne’s House of Dreams–the 5th book in the Anne of Green Gables series.  Emma Gold has led a difficult life.  Her brother and her father died when she was a child, and she was then coerced into marrying the odious Neal Gold.  She thought she’d been granted a reprieve when he was believed to be lost at sea–only for him to return disabled and in need of a caregiver.  Killian is a newspaper reporter who is tired of his routine life.  When he falls ill, his editor forces him to take a sabbatical.  What will happen when Emma takes Killian in as a border for the summer?

Word Count: 3056

Tagging a few people who may be interested (Let me know if you want to be added or taken off the list):

@jennjenn615 @laschatzi @snowbellewells @iamanneenigma @kmomof4

@linda8084 @searchingwardrobes @hollyethecurious @winterbaby89 @facesiousbutton82 

@therooksshiningknight @lfh1226-linda @tiganasummertree @jrob64  @anmylica 

@booksteaandtoomuchtv @i-will-sing-no-requiem @bluewildcatfanatic @laianely

Other Chapters: (Prologue) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 6

“Doctor, Dear, I am so glad you’re home!” Johanna said nervously as soon as David walked through the front door of his House of Dreams a few days later.  “It’s Mrs. Doctor.”

David’s eyebrows shot up in alarm.  Mary Margaret was due any day.  Had she gone into labor?  Had something worse happened?  “What is it, Johanna?  Where is she?”

The older woman gestured vaguely.  “She’s pacing the back garden.  She says she’s well, but she received a letter and she’s been pacing and talking to herself since.  You know how she does that when her emotions are high.  That can’t be good for her in her condition, can it?”

“Thank you, Johanna,” David said, a bit distractedly as he nearly jogged in the direction she gave him.  “I’ll take it from here.

She got a letter and then became emotional?  What could have happened?  Was it bad news from Green Gables?  He played out various scenarios in his mind as he searched for and then quickly found his wife.

She was smiling and laughing and talking to herself, waving a sheet of paper around, while she, rather awkwardly, waddled around the garden.  She was, after all, very near to her due date.

“Mary Margaret?” he asked, coming to her and taking her forearms to steady her.  “What is it?  What’s happened.”

@whimsicallyenchantedrose Oh wow! And now so much of the hurt in the last chapter is starting to be made right! I can’t begin to imagine how Emma must feel, just stunned and overwhelmed and unsure what to think or do. And Gideon too for that matter - so much time lost and wasted. I loved that his Violet had never stopped loving him and was there by his side as soon as possible. That all looks like it will turn out as it should. 🩷

I was worried for a minute that something might be wrong with Mary Margaret’s delivery at first, but Johanna was being overly protective. I loved the bit about her calling David “Charming” and that their little boy was born just fine (and that they named him Leo!) Marco and Granny’s reveal was priceless too!! I saw that coming from what you had mentioned of the source material, but that didn’t make it any less fun to read!

By far my favorite bit was at the end though. Emma may not think she should contact Killian, even now that she’s free, but her heart has never forgotten him. I love that her friends understand well enough to know that, whether she would admit it or not. And Granny is astute enough to know, that maybe it is Killian she should appeal to anyway. 😉🥹“You may have made that promise,” Granny said, “but I certainly didn’t. I’ll tell you what I did about it. The minute I heard the news about Neal…er…Gideon, I wrote to Killian. Told him what had happened, and made it clear that he’d be a bigger fool than I already thought he was if he didn’t come back and declare himself.”

“Oh Granny you didn’t!” Mary Margaret said, hands clasped in delight. “Do you think he’ll listen? Do you think he’ll come for her?”

Granny’s face softened. “What do I think? I think the boy will crawl over broken glass to get back to her.” 🩷🩷🩷

At the Dawn There is Rejoicing--a birthday gift for @kmomof4 (Chapter 5)

Summary:  Birthday gift for Krystal, @kmomof4. Based on the story of Leslie Moore and Owen Ford in the book Anne’s House of Dreams–the 5th book in the Anne of Green Gables series.  Emma Gold has led a difficult life.  Her brother and her father died when she was a child, and she was then coerced into marrying the odious Neal Gold.  She thought she’d been granted a reprieve when he was believed to be lost at sea–only for him to return disabled and in need of a caregiver.  Killian is a newspaper reporter who is tired of his routine life.  When he falls ill, his editor forces him to take a sabbatical.  What will happen when Emma takes Killian in as a border for the summer?

Word Count: 3266

Other Chapters: (Prologue) (1) (2) (3) (4) (6)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 5

Killian knocked on the Nolans’ front door and waited patiently for a response.  Just that morning, after three months of work, he’d put the finishing touches on his novel.  It was good.  He knew it was good.  This work would bring him acclaim, maybe even fortune.

But for all that, it was the time here that he’d found most precious.  The lovely afternoons spent by the sea, his trusty notebook in hand.  The days spent collaborating with Captain Nemo, hearing his harrowing tales–all of which he swore up and down were the Bible truth–discussing ideas, hearing his thoughts on his manuscript and the world in general.  It had all been more exhilarating than anything he’d ever experienced.

Except, that is, falling in love.  That had been exhilarating on an entirely new level beyond anything he could have imagined.  For he could deny it no longer.  He had fallen deeply, passionately, irrevocably in love with Emma.

As he waited for the door to be answered, he thought about the moment he’d known he loved her.

@whimsicallyenchantedrose When I first read this addition yesterday, it had me all teared up and emotional and I didn’t get around to leaving my review. This time I’m going to keep it together, but my heart still just aches for both of them. Each has come to love the other one, but they are both honorable and devoted enough to deny themselves that because it would be wrong in of Emma’s marriage. Even the pride and happiness Killian should be able to feel at finally finishing his book is dulled by the love he feels but can’t do anything about. Passages like this one made that all the more beautiful and keenly felt: “…When he’d come in view of the house he saw her.

She stood on the balcony off of her bedroom, dressed in a long, demure dressing gown, her glorious golden hair blowing freely in the breeze, wrapping around her like a cloak, before being once more blown aside. She had evidently taken advantage of a free morning to wash her hair and let the salty sea breeze dry it.

She was the most beautiful vision he’d ever seen, and it was at that moment that he’d known , simply known that he loved her and there would never be another woman for him.

It was exhilarating….but it was also the most tragic thing that could have happened. She was married. She could never be his.”

It struck me (and maybe this is even why you chose Mr. DuLac to be his boss?) as Killian was confessing his feelings to Mary Margaret, that he and Emma’s plight is like that of Lancelot and Guinevere. It can never be, and so he plans to leave for both their sakes, to remove the temptation and ease the pain. I liked too that MM promises to keep his secret, but tries to give him hope as well - very much a “Snow” thing to do! 😉🩷

And then you gave us Emma’s side of things - as Killian brought his bags downstairs on the morning he planned to leave, and I really did think my heart was twisting in my chest. 😭💔 “Emma’s heart broke at the sight, though she’d been trying to prepare herself for this moment since he’d told her of his plans at the beginning of the week. He was leaving, and she knew she would never again be the same.

She’d fallen in love with him.

For weeks–months even–she’d tried to deny the fact, even to herself. She was married after all. Nothing could come of feelings for her boarder.

But in the depths of her heart where the truth could not be denied she knew, she’d always known. She loved him.

A new pain, sharper, and yet sweeter than any she’d ever known had entered her life at the realization. Yes, her life to this point had been difficult. She’d married a man she didn’t love, didn’t even respect. He’d returned to her after an accident as little more than a child in mentality, someone she’d need to care for for the rest of his natural life. All of it was hard.

But it was bearable as long as she hadn’t known what real love was. Now…now she didn’t know how she’d survive the endless empty years that loomed before her.”

Anyway, you get the idea… But somewhere amidst all that angst, I did love how Killian came to stand just behind her and thanked her for her help and care that summer, and how you worked in the “not a day will go by” and the “good” response I to this. I don’t yet know quite how it will happen, but it gives some sort of hope that things might yet work out and it won’t really be the end.

I really felt for poor David in he and MM’s section of this too. Obviously as a doctor he feels a responsibility to share what would lead for the best outcome for someone’s health, but he doesn’t want to make things any worse for Emma either. It was a quandary he was clearly wrestling with intensely. And you see both his character, and then Emma’s as well, when they both do what would be best for Neal - even if it might make things more difficult for them.

And the end of the chapter?!? Well, let’s just say I am headed on to chapter six RIGHT NOW!!

CS AU: The Witch in the Woods (2/?)

A/N: This is a continuation of a short ficlet I wrote back in 2021 for that year's Halloweek (link below). When I had the idea of doing a spooky season bingo, I thought it would be a good time to add to this fun little tale so I could mark out the witches square. I would love to expand on this more, but that is entirely up to the muse. As of now, she has given me zero ideas for future installments, however, she is also a fickle bitch, so... who knows??

Although her bday was technically yesterday, I am offering up this continuation to @kmomof4 as a special gift. She yelled at me back in 2021 to continue it and has brought it up every year since. I doubt this will get her off my back, but maybe it'll satisfy her for this year... maybe. Happy belated Birthday, Krystal!!

Rated T for now / Also available on ao3 and ff.net / buy me a coffee / add to tag list / Curious? Come Ask Me! / Part One

Part Two

Hook stood stock still in shock. Her son was related to the devil who had bound him in servitude? How long had the lad been in Neverland? Was he a lost boy? Or perhaps one of the poor unfortunates the tribe of miscreants kept captive for sport? He would not put it past the deranged brat to torment and torture the boy for his own amusement, despite a familial connection.

Before Hook could voice any of this, a blinding glow illuminated from behind a cloth draped over something in the opposite corner. The witch turned and crossed the room, throwing back the cloth and revealing a tall mirror. However, in its reflection was not the witch or the interior of her meager hut, but a viewing portal, depicting a group of townspeople marching through the woods.

“Right on schedule,” the witch sighed sardonically before spinning around and murmuring an enchantment under her breath.

“What the devil is that?” Hook asked, but his question was nearly forgotten as his attention turned to the items that had begun moving of their own accord, whizzing past his head on their way to a carpet bag sitting open atop the work table.

“That-” the witch answered, gathering a few things on her own and packing them into the bag. “-is an angry mob. Note the torches and pitchforks.”

@hollyethecurious Oh wow!! 😮 🤩😮 I seriously love this one! I have to admit I’ve gotten way behind in keeping up with my reading, reviewing and reblogging lately, but I was so excited to see more of this story. I remember loving the teaser bit of a Part One to this back when you wrote it, and I was thrilled to see more of the story emerge.

You do such a brilliant job setting the scene of Emma with her hit, her herbs and her magic, and Killian coming there to seek her knowledge and aid to free himself from Pan. It’s perfectly set up that she has pressing business to settle with Pan as well. And it makes sense with the abandonment and hardship Hook faced in childhood (and what he has seen of the suffering in Neverland, no doubt) that he would easily take up Emma’s cause to find her son as his own - even if he weren’t clearly attracted to her.

Oh, but that attraction… 😏 You’ve balanced it so well here, ebbing and flowing beneath the surface of their whole interaction, really from the moment she turns and he discovers she is far from the old crime he had expected. Their give and take, and the crackling awareness of each other despite all the more serious things swirling around them, is delicious and tangible. Hook’s honor and courage is clear in the fact that he would have stayed and fought for her against them mob, even though he had just met her, because she’d done nothing wrong and it was the right thing to do. All the same, I liked where you took it even better. My heart was fluttering with excitement when she said she was going with him and transported them both back to the Jolly Roger. I loved that moment they just stood there on the deck, arms still around each other, and you knew they would see to the mission first, but their intent to explore that closeness is far from over. “His eyes sprang open and he found himself surrounded by a swirl of white mist. Gone were the aromatics of the witch’s hut, replaced by the bite and brine of the sea. It was not a murderous mob, but the comforting snap of sails and lapping of water against the hull of his ship that filled his ears. When the mist dissipated, instead of the soft flicker of candles, it was the moon’s rays glowing off the shimmering waves that illuminated the deck. The same rays that sparkled in the witch’s eyes, her neck still craned so she could peer up at him, their arms still circling one another, their gazes locked in an enchantment far stronger than any mystic might produce.” Simply Gorgeous!!! 🩷🩷🩷

And the bit with the Jolly welcoming her aboard as well?!? And his whispering over her shoulder as they take to the sky?!? Whew!! It was steamy and had me melting!! 🫠 So, so, good!! I know the muse cannot be forced, but I really do hope she gives you more of this one!!!

CS AU: Some Legends are Best Kept as Legends - COMPLETE

A 2020 Captain Swan Supernatural Summer Fic

A/N:  Much love to @artistic-writer​​ for her beta services (and for the amazing Killian manip in the art!), and to @kmomof4​​​ for her cheerleading support.

Rated T / Available on ao3 and ff.net / buy me a coffee / Part One / Part Two / Part Three / Part Four / Part Five / Part Six

Spooky reading, anyone?

@hollyethecurious Seeing this here makes me feel like it’s time for a re-read of it. So, so good!!! 🎃🍁🎃

Exacting His Revenge - Chapter 1

It's an international holiday, also known as @kmomof4's birthday! This story has been floundering in my WiPs folder for months under the title 'Bad Boy Hook'. I finally decided to try to finish it for Krystal's birthday, even though she actually helped plot it out! I'm not finished writing the story yet. It will have 3 chapters and chapter 2 is nearly finished, so hopefully the rest of it will be posted soon. Happiest of birthdays, K!!!

Special thanks to my beta @hookedmom.

Story Summary: When Hook sees an opportunity to finally get his revenge on Rumplestiltskin, he seizes it, putting him in the company of Emma Swan. A season 2 canon divergent story. 

Rating: T

Words: 6980

Also posted on ffn and A03

(Story found under the cut)

*********

@jrob64 I know it’s taken me a minute, and I apologize for the wait, but it is finally time for your newest story, Joni!! I love that you’ve started this in Season 2, particularly in that stage of our (and Emma’s) getting to know Hook, where we really found ourselves drawn to him more than we felt we were probably supposed to be. He is still a man bent on revenge against the Crocodile above anything else, and you make that clear here in no uncertain terms. All the same, you also allow these very strong and definite glimpses of deeper humanity to show throw in his reactions and words, particularly when he is dealing with Emma. He does care, and it hurts when he isn’t believed or trusted, and he DOES NOT want to see her hurt the same way his Milah was.

It amazed me how you gave many of the season two events we remember their own slightly different twist or minor alteration, yet really the overall plot still progresses much as it would have done. If anything, you made it more sensible and streamlined- and allowed us to see more of Hook along the way! 😉 I would rather have your version of events and I’m curious to see where it will go from here now that Gold and Emma, followed by Hook are all headed for New York.

I also really liked your interaction between Emma and Mary Margaret near the beginning of the chapter, Hook’s interactions with the both of them, Emma and Hook and Hook and David at the station, and I always get a kick out of Leroy as well!

This may have been a gift for Krystal, but I am already finding it to be quite a treat as well!! 😍😍😍

Prompt: Enchanted Object

It is dark and stormy. She hasn’t been outside the castle in days.

Princess Emma is bored - never safe for anyone - and relieves it by exploring Merlin’s study. He won’t mind. (He will.)

Later, she’ll say it was calling to her. Fate. Destiny. Destruction. A dull dagger with jagged teeth and an inscription on the blade.

Killian Jones.

She whispers the name to herself. A plume of smoke floods the room. When it dissipates, there’s a man in black leather with darkness gleaming in his eyes.

“Hello, love.” His smile is jagged. Terrifying. Enchanting. “Looking for a new magic tutor?”

-/-

Tagging folks who might be interested - Let me know if you want on or off this list!

@anmylica @hollyethecurious @kmomof4 @winterbaby89 @undercaffinatednightmare

@laianely @resident-of-storybrooke @exhaustedpirate @gingerchangeling @caught-in-the-filter

@ultraluckycatnd @tiganasummertree @stahlop @lfh1226-linda @darkshadow7

@jrob64 @soniccat @motherkatereloyshipper @booksteaandtoomuchtv

@beckettj @teamhook

@belovedcreation Ooh, wow, I love this!! It’s amazing just how much you managed to pack into a hundred words. I don’t know if I’ve ever managed to force myself to keep to that limit before. But wow you manage it to great effect! That last bit with his smile being “terrifying and enchanting” and he asks if she’s looking for a tutor, sent tingles down my spine!! 😍😍😍

At the Dawn There is Rejoicing--a birthday gift for @kmomof4 (Chapter 4)

Summary:  Birthday gift for Krystal, @kmomof4. Based on the story of Leslie Moore and Owen Ford in the book Anne’s House of Dreams–the 5th book in the Anne of Green Gables series.  Emma Gold has led a difficult life.  Her brother and her father died when she was a child, and she was then coerced into marrying the odious Neal Gold.  She thought she’d been granted a reprieve when he was believed to be lost at sea–only for him to return disabled and in need of a caregiver.  Killian is a newspaper reporter who is tired of his routine life.  When he falls ill, his editor forces him to take a sabbatical.  What will happen when Emma takes Killian in as a border for the summer?

Word Count: 3990

Tagging a few people who may be interested (Let me know if you want to be added or taken off the list):

@jennjenn615 @laschatzi @snowbellewells @iamanneenigma @kmomof4

@linda8084 @searchingwardrobes @hollyethecurious @winterbaby89 @facesiousbutton82 

@therooksshiningknight @lfh1226-linda @tiganasummertree @jrob64  @anmylica 

@booksteaandtoomuchtv @i-will-sing-no-requiem @bluewildcatfanatic @laianely

Other Chapters: (Prologue) (1) (2) (3)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Emma, dearie, I’ve come to ask you a favor,” Granny said, climbing the steps onto the veranda where Emma sat watching Neal chase the chickens in the yard.  One of them, thoroughly exasperated, turned around and gave him a vicious peck.  Neal yowled in response.

“Serves you right, you big, lumbering oaf!” Granny called across the lawn.  “Saying that man doesn’t have the sense he was born with would be a slander.  He never had any sense to begin with.”

Emma smiled to herself.  Whatever else it might be, a visit from Granny was always diverting.  “What’s the favor, Granny?” she asked.

@whimsicallyenchantedrose Bless Granny for bringing this particular boarder into Emm’s life!! Granted the pining and the wishing their situation was different is bound to squeeze the heartstrings, but it’s clear from the first moment that they were bound to meet! I love your side characters in this one- Granny, Marco, Nemo - they really make it come to life and making reading just that much more fun.

And that story of Killian’s grandfather Liam and his sweetheart Elsa years ago on the island? Swoony perfection!!! ❤️❤️❤️

I really liked this passage of Killian arriving in the village as well: “He glanced around the harbor which would be his home for the next several months.  The island and the seashore were certainly picturesque.  He closed his eyes, enjoying the warm sea breeze blowing across his face–far more clammy than he would have liked. The salty tang of the air calmed him.  He’d always loved the ocean, always thought if he’d lived a couple centuries ago he’d have been a pirate.  Aye, this would be the perfect place to finish his recuperation.” ⚓️❤️⚓️❤️⚓️❤️

There are so many perfect little moments in this: getting each of them’s inner thoughts about the other when Killian and Emma first meet (Yes, Emma, he really is beautiful, no other way to put it. 🥰), the idea for the book, and of course, her tripping and him catching her and the near-kiss. Oh man, I’m horrible for wishing they could just forget about Neal and go for it….

Anyway, another great chapter, and I’m so excited for the next one!!

At the Dawn There is Rejoicing--a birthday gift for @kmomof4 (Chapter 3)

Summary:  Birthday gift for Krystal, @kmomof4. Based on the story of Leslie Moore and Owen Ford in the book Anne’s House of Dreams–the 5th book in the Anne of Green Gables series.  Emma Gold has led a difficult life.  Her brother and her father died when she was a child, and she was then coerced into marrying the odious Neal Gold.  She thought she’d been granted a reprieve when he was believed to be lost at sea–only for him to return disabled and in need of a caregiver.  Killian is a newspaper reporter who is tired of his routine life.  When he falls ill, his editor forces him to take a sabbatical.  What will happen when Emma takes Killian in as a border for the summer?

Word Count: 1710

Other Chapters: (Prologue) (1) (2) (4)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

For two days Emma stayed home, studiously refusing to go visit the Nolans as she’d been invited to do.  After all, she’d learned through long years of pain and loss that one must look out for herself.  It was the only way to avoid getting hurt.

But as the third morning dawned crisp and clear with the hint of snow on the air, Emma knew she had to go visit Mary Margaret.  There was something about the woman.  She was so open and carefree.  She exuded joy and optimism and somehow made everyone she met love her and want to be in her company.

Though Emma still felt a seeping envy of Mary Margaret’s happy life, though she feared letting someone new in would only result in heartbreak, something inside her craved the other woman’s friendship enough to put the envy aside.

Accordingly, that evening after she’d gotten Neal to bed, she walked over to the “House of Dreams” as Mary Margaret had called it.  She’d found Mary Margaret home alone that night, the doctor having once again been called to an emergency in the glen, and if her reaction to seeing her guest was any indication, she was thrilled for the company.

“Oh, I was hoping someone would come tonight!” Mary Margaret said, pulling Emma inside, taking her coat, and positioning her near her cozy fire.  “There’s no telling when David will be home, and that wind whipping through the trees is so mournful and lonely.”

“Um…glad I could help,” Emma said a touch aloofly. 

@whimsicallyenchantedrose I got interrupted before I could finish all my review/reblogs the other night, but I am back now.

Goodness, I felt awful for both Mary Margaret and Emma when Emma reacted to MM’s pregnancy news the way she did. That had to have hurt the young newlywed, coming from her dear friend whom she assumed would be happy for her. And yet, it was so easy to see where Emma was coming from and feel for her in that reaction as well. It’s more despair of ever having a fraction of the happiness that seems to come to everyone else but is denied her, not any really malice or spite toward MM. She really has been dealt such an unfair, and really wearing, depressing hand in her life so far, of course she would slip and lash out occasionally.

I was glad she went to Mary Margaret though, and apologized and tried to explain. It had to have helped their kinship a bit as well that she learned things hadn’t always been so rosy for MM either. And I LOVED how you worked in that season one line of MM’s from the show about Emma’s walls; it fit perfectly here as well: “For long moments Mary Margaret merely looked at her before she finally said “That wall of yours, Emma, it may keep out pain, but it will also keep out love, and love is so worth it.  Something tells me your story is not yet at an end.  I don’t know when.  I don’t know how, but I have to believe you too will get your happy ending.”

And now we check back in with Killian! I am glad he is mending, slowly but surely, and that he has such a good boss in DuLac (clever nod to the Arthurian legend there! 😉) They are about to meet, Emma and Killian, and I cannot wait!!! 💕💕💕

The Arena Ch. 2 CS Spooky Season/Autumnal Bingo

I made it!!!! My first Bingo offering!!! I hope you enjoy this fluff-fest of an ending to my CSSNS24 fic The Arena! I'm so thrilled to join in this fall writing challenge where all the fics written so far have just been fantastic!!!! You can find the rest of the fics here.

Thank you to @hollyethecurious for the Bingo idea and for making the cards and collection on ao3 and thank you also to @snowbellewells for betaing this fic!! And finally, as always, thank you to @motherkatereloyshipper for her beautiful artwork that she made to accompany the fic last summer. It's still quite appropriate even though we're not actually in the arena any more... you can see her artwork under the cut.

Fic Summary:

The arena.

A place of fear. Oppression. Blood. Death.

A place of shattered hopes and dreams.

A place, for a very lucky few, of hope.

Ch Summary:

Emma and Killian return to her home.

Rating: M (for graphic depictions of violence and smut)

On ao 3 From the beginning / Ch2

On Tumblr

Words: 4600 of 7800

Tags: CSSNS24, Werewolves, True Love, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Happy Ending, Smut

Tagging the usuals. Please let me know if you'd like to be added or removed.

@jrob64 @winterbaby89 @hollyethecurious @the-darkdragonfly @jennjenn615

@donteattheappleshook @undercaffinatednightmare @pirateherokillian @cocohook38 @qualitycoffeethings

@booksteaandtoomuchtv @superchocovian @motherkatereloyshipper @snowbellewells  @djlbg

@lfh1226-linda @xarandomdreamx @tiganasummertree @bluewildcatfanatic @anmylica

@laianely @resident-of-storybrooke @exhaustedpirate @gingerchangeling @caught-in-the-filter

@ultraluckycatnd @stahlop @darkshadow7 @fleurdepetite @captainswan-kellie

@soniccat @beckettj @teamhook @whimsicallyenchantedrose @thisonesatellite

@jonesfandomfanatic @elfiola @zaharadessert @ilovemesomekillianjones @mie779

@kymbersmith-90 @suwya @veryverynotgoodwrites @myfearless-love 

Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

@kmomof4 You already know how much I love and adore this whole story, and this second part in general, because my “beta work” became a lot more flailing and squealing about all the parts I adored than much helpful comment or editing. Still, it definitely deserves to be reblogged and praised again.

I loved how you wrote Emma and Killian in whole form at the start of this, the reunion with her parents, their wedding celebration — seriously SO MUCH GOODNESS all in a single addition to the story!!! 🐺😍🐺😍🐺

And the Papa Charming welcoming his daughter’s True Love and true mate into the family fold? That was the part that seriously had me tearing up. Masterful from beginning to end!!! ❤️🐺❤️🐺❤️ Thank you for sharing it with us!!!

At the Dawn There is Rejoicing--a birthday gift for @kmomof4 (Chapter 2)

Summary:  Birthday gift for Krystal, @kmomof4. Based on the story of Leslie Moore and Owen Ford in the book Anne’s House of Dreams–the 5th book in the Anne of Green Gables series.  Emma Gold has led a difficult life.  Her brother and her father died when she was a child, and she was then coerced into marrying the odious Neal Gold.  She thought she’d been granted a reprieve when he was believed to be lost at sea–only for him to return disabled and in need of a caregiver.  Killian is a newspaper reporter who is tired of his routine life.  When he falls ill, his editor forces him to take a sabbatical.  What will happen when Emma takes Killian in as a border for the summer?

Word Count: 1698

Other Chapters: (Prologue) (1) (3)

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A few weeks later, Emma was sitting at her little kitchen table one evening attempting to unwind after another long day, when Captain Nemo came for a visit.  He and Granny made a point of coming down to her little gray house several times a week–sometimes alone, sometimes together.  Emma suspected their visits were more a matter of charity than anything else, but she wasn’t too proud to welcome them all the same.  After all, it got so very lonely out here with only Neal for company.

“Quite the storm we had, wasn’t it, Mistress Gold?” Captain Nemo asked after she’d invited him in and offered him tea, which he politely declined.  “Stormed for three days straight if it was an hour.”

“At least there was no real damage this time,” Emma said.  “That last autumn storm nearly ripped the roof off of my chicken coop.”

Nemo merely grunted in agreement.  “Granny told me you’ve been having a rough go of it with Neal.”

Emma grimaced.  Some days were harder than others, that was for sure.  “He’s always a bit more mischievous when he’s cooped up and can’t go outside as he likes.  Poor Granny!  She’s alright, isn’t she?”

@whimsicallyenchantedrose This chapter seemed to have more bright spots for Emma, or at least the potential that more light could be coming her way. In particular, I loved that you had Captain Nemo come to visit, and offer to stay with Neal for a bit so she could have a break and a bit of peaceful time to herself. He is a character I always enjoy seeing used in fics - as I wish we’d had the chance to see him more in canon - and he seemed perfectly suited to the role you’ve given him in this story. I like too that he sends Emma to be near the water: “I’ve come to give you a break,” he said.  “I’ve no doubt you haven’t had one since this infernal storm began.  Go visit the shore, take in the fresh sea air.  The sea can sometimes be a fickle mistress, but today she’s calm and serene, and she’ll be a balm to all troubled souls.” Maybe that will be something she and Killian could have in common once they meet? (Because of course they’re going to meet… 😉)

And you can hardly help but be endeared to this story’s version of Mary Margaret, so happily dancing with joy and so open and welcoming to Emma once she realizes her presence! I can still see why seeing the happiness the other woman has, that it would seem it will always be denied her, would be painful to Emma. All the same, I am glad that while they talked and got to know each other, those cares and concerns fell off of Emma’s shoulders for a time. I hope they will become close indeed, given time. 💕

And we finally meet Killian! Though, poor guy, sounds like he is also unhappy and unsatisfied, and about to be in for a rough go of it….

At the Dawn There is Rejoicing--a birthday gift for @kmomof4 (Chapter 1)

Summary:  Birthday gift for Krystal, @kmomof4. Based on the story of Leslie Moore and Owen Ford in the book Anne’s House of Dreams–the 5th book in the Anne of Green Gables series.  Emma Gold has led a difficult life.  Her brother and her father died when she was a child, and she was then coerced into marrying the odious Neal Gold.  She thought she’d been granted a reprieve when he was believed to be lost at sea–only for him to return disabled and in need of a caregiver.  Killian is a newspaper reporter who is tired of his routine life.  When he falls ill, his editor forces him to take a sabbatical.  What will happen when Emma takes Killian in as a border for the summer?

Word Count: 2445y

Other Chapters: (Prologue) (2) (3)

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Four Winds Harbor, Prince Edward Island, Canada, 1890

Emma Gold shut the door quietly but firmly before taking the harbor road toward the small, seaside village she’d called home all her life.  She let out a long breath, rolling her head from side to side, trying to work out the tension of the day.

And what a trying day it had been!  Neal had been absolutely impossible today.  Some days her husband was calm, affectionate, sometimes even helpful, as much as he could be anyway.

This was not one of those days.  

Today, he’d vexed her from the moment he woke up until the moment he went back to bed.  Her one consolation was that Neal slept like the dead, not moving from the time his head hit the pillow until the rays of the morning sun woke him.

It was a lovely evening for a walk, the twilight painting the sky with beautiful pinks and oranges and yellows, the temperature ideal for an evening stroll.  If her life were different, she’d likely have enjoyed every moment of it–the temperate sea breeze, the faint call of the seagulls, the distant crash of the ocean against the shore.

But her life wasn’t different.  It was an endless cascade of drudgery ever since the day she’d turned twelve.

@whimsicallyenchantedrose And now, with this complete first full chapter, I am absolutely and completely hooked. Naturally my heart aches for Emma. I can’t even truly imagine the sort of wearing, bleak life she has had to live and sees stretching out before her as well. And yet, despite the very different time and place, we can see the strength and fortitude of our Emma Swan we know and love from OuaT, she just isn’t one to give up and so she keeps right on fighting as best she can.

The thought of her losing her brother so suddenly and tragically, followed by her father so soon after, was simply heartbreaking. Then, she allows herself to be caught in Gold’s trap for her mother’s sake, only to have her shortly die as well. I’m not going to lie (even if I feel bad for saying so) I can’t help but agree with Granny. The sea found a way to take out the trash, as she put it, and it’s really too bad Neal found a way back and became Emma’s responsibility again.

Thank goodness she does have Granny Lucas, Captain Nemo, and the others in the village! I was cracking up at the bit with Granny’s exchange with Marco, and just her giving everyone what-for in general: “As the older couple began bickering in earnest–and apparently enjoying every moment of it–Emma excused herself and walked on.  She did, in fact, have a few errands to run before the sun fully set and the stores closed, and if she waited for her companions to finish their “conversation”, she might be standing here all night.” You’ve cast these supporting players wonderfully well to give us and Emma a bit of a respite and some glimmer of humor and happiness in the drab situation.

I also loved how you worked in echoes of canon, like Emma telling Neal she had wished he was dead, much the way it happens in Neverland. In the end, she still cares for him and fulfills what seems to be her lot, but the truth is there, and we feel for her all the more for it.

I could understand why she wasn’t up to meeting blissfully happy newlyweds after all that, but I am hoping David and MM will become friends for her (seems she could use all the good friends she can get!) and they might be able to help bring some light and hope, and even help some with the load of caring for Neal, seeing as he’s a doctor and all!

At the Dawn There is Rejoicing--a birthday gift for @kmomof4 (Prologue)

Summary:  Birthday gift for Krystal, @kmomof4. Based on the story of Leslie Moore and Owen Ford in the book Anne’s House of Dreams–the 5th book in the Anne of Green Gables series.  Emma Gold has led a difficult life.  Her brother and her father died when she was a child, and she was then coerced into marrying the odious Neal Gold.  She thought she’d been granted a reprieve when he was believed to be lost at sea–only for him to return disabled and in need of a caregiver.  Killian is a newspaper reporter who is tired of his routine life.  When he falls ill, his editor forces him to take a sabbatical.  What will happen when Emma takes Killian in as a border for the summer?

Word Count: 406

Tagging a few people who may be interested (Let me know if you want to be added or taken off the list):

Other chapters: (1) (2) (3)

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Prologue

Havana, Cuba, 1879

He wiped the sweat from his brow as he stepped out of the dockside tavern the night he was scheduled to set sail for home.  He hated the infernal heat and humidity of this godforsaken place.

Point of fact, there was very little about Havana that he didn’t absolutely despise.  They’d sailed out of Prince Edward Island months ago, looking for high adventure, for wealth, perhaps even for the treasures one could find in the tropics, if the tales of other sailors could be believed.

What they’d found instead was heat, humidity, the constant buzzing and biting of mosquitos, and in the end–yellow fever.

He’d never seen a disease like this.  One by one, his men had fallen ill with fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting.  At first he’d chalked it up to a few too many nights imbibing a few too many libations and carousing a bit too rowdily.

But then the jaundice had started, the uncontrollable bleeding, the red eyes, delirium, seizures.

He wouldn’t wish this disease on his worst enemy.  His men, whom the doctors merely shook their heads over, wishing for the best, had died horrible deaths, while he stood by helplessly.  

Why Providence had seen fit to spare him the misery and humiliation of this affliction, he didn’t know, but he was certainly grateful.  His cousin, however, had not been so fortunate.  Just this morning, the man had succumbed, cursing his rotten lot in life to the bitter end.

He felt in his pocket to be sure he still had what his cousin had given him, and he turned his thoughts to Emma as he slowly made his way to the docks.  Emma needed to know; he must return to her, and the sooner, the better.

Perhaps his thoughts of the beautiful blonde distracted him, for he didn’t notice the danger increasing by the moment.  As he walked toward his ship, a crowd of rough, dangerous-looking men surrounded him, and it wasn’t until the first one spoke in a deep, deadly voice that he realized what an incredibly precarious position he found himself in.

“Well, what do we have here?” the man jeered.

He’d barely had the chance to meet the speaker’s cold, calculating eyes before he felt a crushing blow to the back of his skull.  For a moment, he felt a sharp, explosive pain, and then he felt nothing at all, as he descended into utter darkness.

Notes: Happy birthday, Krystal!  I hope you have a wonderful year ahead!  This story is rather different from any I’ve written.  It is based on a side plot from the Anne of Green Gables novels that fairly screamed CS to me when I reread it again as an adult.  I’m sure Krystal will recognize the source of the title–from the last half of Pslams 30:6–At dusk weeping comes for the night; but at the dawn there is rejoicing.  That being the title, I’m sure you can imagine the trajectory of this story.  The first part is going to hurt–but then there will be a payoff at the end.  The current plan is for this story to run 7 chapters plus prologue and epilogue, and I plan to post every Tuesday and Friday.  To this point, I have the prologue and the first 3 chapters written, so you can expect me to keep to the posting schedule for at least the first two weeks!

Up next: We meet Emma as well as the more important people she’ll interact with in the story.  We’ll get Emma’s (rather tragic) backstory.  Prepare to thoroughly despise Neal! No Killian yet, but never fear.  He’ll show up soon enough.

NEXT CHAPTER->

@whimsicallyenchantedrose It has taken me longer than I would have liked to get started reading this, but now - after just the little tease of prologue - I am already so intrigued and excited for more. I found myself asking all sorts of questions and feeling for the awful plight of so many lost to the yellow fever. I read the first book in the Anne of Green Gables series, and loved it, but I never continued on and read the books that followed it. You may have me wanting to before you’re done!