#CaptainSwan Wedding

[captainswan-kellie]

I’m new here, but hello I’m Kellie.

CaptainSwan is what I’m all about.

here to join in the fun and share my art.

6x20 Wedding Day.

[kmomof4]

To Sir Graham, With Love Ch. 7

And we are back!!! It is time for Ruby's family to meet Graham's children... and to get a wedding scheduled!! Thank you all for coming along on this journey with me! I hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!

We don't actually see the wedding, but we do have the wedding night in this chapter, so the smut is again bracketed off by a double scene change line like in the last chapter. But that said, there are some very important happenings between Graham and Ruby in the middle of the scene, that I don't think you should miss. So if you are skipping the actual smut, stop reading at the first double scene change line...

~*~*~

~*~*~

then resume reading when they are repeated (this is the important scene I don't want you to miss), then stop again when they are repeated again. I hope that all makes sense. If it doesn't, please feel free to message me.

Once again, all the love and long distance internet hugs to @jrob64 @whimsicallyenchantedrose and @motherkatereloyshipper for their betaing expertise and gorgeous artwork, respectively!!

And also, happy birthday to @snowbellewells for whom this fic was written!!

Summary:

After a year long secret correspondence, twenty-eight year old spinster Ruby Jones decides to accept Sir Graham Humbert's offer of a visit to see if they might suit for marriage. Unfortunately, he failed to mention that he was the father of twins, and they are not thrilled with Ruby's appearance.

Rating: M (smut and mentions of physical abuse, both in this chapter)

Words: 7500 of 68k

Tags: Red Hunter Fic, Birthday Fic, Inspired by Eloise Bridgerton's Story, Smut

On ao3 From Beginning / Current Chapter

On Tumblr Prologue Ch1 Ch2 Ch3 Ch4 Ch5 Ch6

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.

I grant that Mr. Wilson’s face does have a certain amphibious quality, but I do wish you would learn to be a bit more circumspect in your speech. While I would never consider him an acceptable candidate for marriage, he is certainly not a toad, and it ill-behooved me to have my younger sister call him thus, and in his presence.

– from Ruby Jones to her sister Tilly, after refusing her fourth offer of marriage

~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day, Ruby, Liam, Killian, and Emma traveled to Romney Hall for lunch. David and Henry had returned to London, deciding their elder brothers had the situation well in hand and no longer needed their presence. Ruby was glad of their departure, if she was honest. She loved all of her brothers dearly, but to be subjected to the four of them all at once was quite more than anyone should be expected to endure.

She was feeling quite happy and optimistic as she stepped down from the carriage. Yesterday had gone far better than she expected. Even if Graham hadn’t taken her into Emma’s office to prove to her that THEY’D SUIT (she’d never be able to think those words again without seeing them in all capital letters in her mind's eye), he’d gone on to prove himself against all four of her brothers in the shooting match. She was reluctant to admit, even to herself, that she’d never be able to marry a man who wasn’t equal to the four Jones men, and Graham had acquitted himself admirably, leaving Ruby very proud of him.

She still had reservations about the marriage itself - the fact that they didn’t love one another would tend to do that - but they at least did share respect, affection, and passion. That last thought brought a blush to Ruby’s cheeks. It may not be a firm foundation for a marriage, but she thought, a wicked smile curving her lips, it certainly didn’t hurt.

He would make a fine husband, she was absolutely sure. And she could only hope that time would bring her the love match she so longed for.

~*~*~

Graham glanced at the clock on the mantle for about the fifteenth time in as many minutes. The Joneses were due at half noon, and it was now thirty-five past the hour. Not that five minutes was terribly tardy, but it was so hard to keep Nicholas and Ava neat and presentable as they waited with him in the drawing room for their guests.

“I hate this jacket,” Nicholas complained, tugging on the too short sleeve.

“It’s too small,” Ava commented, matter-of-factly.

“Of course, it’s too small,” Nicholas shot right back. “That’s why I was complaining. Your dress is too small too,” he observed. “I can see your ankles.”

Ava turned alarmed eyes to her father. “You’re supposed to be able to see my ankles,” she gasped.

“Not so much of them,” Nicholas huffed.

“You’re eight,” Graham said in what he hoped was a soothing voice. “Your dress is perfectly suitable.” At least, he hoped it was. He knew blessed little about such things. But Ruby would know. She would know and she would handle all the things involved in the raising of children. She would know when girls should start wearing their hair up and whether boys should attend Harrow or Eton. Thank God.

“I think they’re late,” Nicholas announced.

“They’re not late,” Graham replied without thinking.

“Yes, they are,” his son insisted. “I can read the clock, you know.”

He didn’t know, and Graham sighed at that knowledge. It was rather like the swimming thing.

Ruby, he reminded himself. No matter his failings as a father, he was convinced that he was now doing the exact right thing for his children, marrying Ruby. The sense of relief at that knowledge could not be overstated.

Ruby. 

She couldn’t get here soon enough. He sighed. Who was he kidding? He couldn’t marry her soon enough. How did one go about getting a special license anyway? Surely Liam would know. Weren’t weddings supposed to take place on Saturdays? That was only two days away, but if they could get that special license… 

Graham blessed his quick reflexes when Nicholas made a dart for the door and Graham grabbed him by the collar before he could go two steps.

“No,” he admonished his son. “You will wait here for Miss Jones and our other guests. You will do it without incident and with a smile on your face. Do I make myself clear?”

The twins were silent as he stared them down, but Nicholas at least made an attempt to smile, though the results were somewhat lacking.

“That’s not a smile,” Ava informed him.

“Yes, it is.”

“No, it isn’t. Your lips didn’t even curve up at all,” she said, demonstrating by using her fingers to push up the corners of her own lips.

Graham sighed. Saturday couldn’t come soon enough. He’d speak to Liam this afternoon about the special license. He could turn the twins over to Ruby during the day, and she could turn herself over to him at night, he thought, a true smile touching his lips.

“Why are you smiling?” Ava asked.

“I’m not smiling,” he protested automatically. The words were barely out of his mouth when he could feel himself - dear God - he was blushing.

“Yes, you are,” she argued. “And now your cheeks are pink. Aren’t Father’s cheeks pink, Nicholas?”

“Your cheeks are pink, Father,” Nicholas agreed.

Graham blew out a short breath and glanced at the clock again. At that moment, Ava swung her legs from where she sat on the sofa and knocked over an ottoman. 

“Oops,” she said, jumping down to right it. “Nicholas!” she howled from her place on the floor where she’d fallen when her brother had pushed her. “He pushed me!”

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

“Did…”

“Well someone pushed her,” Graham interrupted, glaring at Nicholas, “and I’m certain it was not me.”

Nicholas pressed his lips into a thin line as he cut his eyes to his father and then his sister. He obviously hadn’t considered that being one of only three people in the room, his culpability would be rather obvious.

“Very well,” he admitted. “I pushed her. I’m sorry.”

Graham was stunned speechless. It was the first time he’d ever heard an unsolicited apology from one of his children for any kind of infraction.

“You can push me back,” Nicholas offered.

Oh no. No, no. Very bad, Graham thought. Very bad, indeed.

“Ok!” Ava agreed brightly. Graham couldn’t get to them in time. It was only a moment later that Nicholas was toppled over the back of an ottoman and Ava was squealing with delight while Nicholas howled in indignation.

Visions of the drawing room completely destroyed raced through Graham’s mind as he grabbed Nicholas by the collar and hauled him to his feet.

“She pushed me!”

“Because you told her she could, you miserable little wretch!” Graham shouted. Nicholas darted away from him after his sister, and Graham caught him just as he caught Ava, bringing them all to the floor with a crash of the mantle clock and two cushions off the sofa as well. How they’d managed to bring down the clock, he’d never know.

“Nicholas did it,” Ava accused.

“I don’t care who did it,” Graham said, standing up and dusting himself off. “You know that Miss Jones is due any moment…”

“Ahem.”

Graham shut his eyes and sighed before turning slowly around - dismayed, but not surprised - to find Ruby, Liam, Killian, and Emma standing in the doorway.

“My lord,” he grit out. He was too curt, not the gracious host he meant to be in the least, but he couldn’t help himself. He was too frustrated with his children to be otherwise.

“Are we interrupting?” Liam asked mildly.

“No, not at all,” Graham rushed to reassure them. “As you can see, we’re simply, ahhh… rearranging the furniture.”

“And doing an excellent job of it,” Emma said, brightly with a gentle smile for the twins. She seemed the sort to always be trying to make everyone around her at ease and right now, Graham could have kissed her for it.

He rose, righting the overturned ottoman as he did, and motioned his children to stand to their feet. Nicholas’ cravat was completely undone, and Ava’s hair clip hung loosely by her ear.

Once they were both facing their guests, Graham spoke with as much dignity as he could muster. “My lord, may I present my children, Nicholas and Ava Humbert.”

The children murmured their greetings, looking as uncomfortable as Graham felt. Perhaps they were ashamed of their abominable behavior, as unlikely as that seemed, but Graham couldn’t help but hope.

Once they’d fallen silent, Graham patted them on the shoulders. “Very good, children,” he praised. “You may run along now.”

They turned to him with matching forlorn expressions. “Can’t we stay?” Ava asked in a small voice.

“No,” Graham said immediately, and forcefully. He’d invited the Joneses for lunch and a tour of the greenhouse, and if the day was to be a success, the children couldn’t be anywhere near.

“Please?” Nicholas pleaded.

Graham was very conscious of his guests witnessing his woeful lack of control over his own children, so he was careful to avoid their gazes. “Nurse Ratched is waiting for you in the hall.”

“But we don’t like Nurse Ratched,” Nicholas said, Ava nodding in agreement next to him.

“What are you talking about?” Graham asked impatiently. “Of course you do. She’s been your nurse for months.”

“But we don’t like her,” Nicholas insisted. 

Graham sighed, and looked over at the Joneses. “Please excuse the interruption,” he said.

“It’s no bother, truly,” Emma said with a gentle, maternal smile.

Graham guided the children to the far corner of the room, crossed his arms, and stared down sternly at them. 

“I have asked Miss Jones to be my wife,” he said. Their eyes lit up. “Good,” he continued before either of them could get a word in edgewise. “I see you agree with my action.”

“Will she…”

“Don’t interrupt me,” he said sternly. “Now listen. I have asked Miss Jones to be my wife, but I still have to win the approval of her family, and I can’t do that with you two underfoot.” It didn’t really signify that Liam had all but ordered the wedding and approval was no longer an issue. Entertaining his guests with the children around was a futile endeavor.

Ava’s chin trembled, tears shining in the corner of her eyes. “Are you ashamed of us?”

Graham raised his eyes to heaven wondering just how it had come to this.

“May I be of assistance?” The voice of his savior reached him and Graham turned toward where she stood right behind him, grateful acceptance in his eyes. He watched as she kneeled down and spoke gently to them. Her voice was too low to discern her words, but the tone was unmistakable.

Nicholas said something in protest, but Ruby cut him off, still gently, but firmly. It was only a moment later when, to his great surprise, the children said their goodbyes and left the room. They didn’t look happy about it, but at least they did it.

“Thank God I’m marrying you,” Graham said under his breath as Ruby rose to her feet.

“Indeed,” she whispered, a secret smile on her face as she rejoined her family. 

“I do apologize for the children’s behavior,” Graham said when he reached them right behind Ruby. “They’ve been hard to manage since their mother died.”

“There is nothing more difficult than losing a parent,” Liam said solemnly, “Please, do not feel any need to apologize on their behalf.”

Graham nodded his thanks for the understanding of the older man. “Come, let’s enjoy lunch.”

As he led them into the dining room, Nicholas and Ava’s faces loomed large in his mind. He’d seen his children stubborn, in full fledged tantrums, and insufferable, but he’d never seen them sad since their mother died. It was most troubling.

After lunch and a tour through the greenhouse, the group split in two. Killian had brought with him a sketch book, so he and Emma stayed near the house while he drew the exterior of Romney Hall. Liam, Graham and Ruby took a walk along the grounds, Liam very graciously allowing them to tarry several yards behind so they might speak in relative privacy.

“What did you say to the children?” he asked immediately.

“I don’t know actually,” she replied. “I just tried to act like my mother.” She shrugged. “It seemed to work.”

He was silent for a moment, thinking about her words. “It must be nice to have parents one can emulate.”

“You didn’t?” she asked gently.

“No.”

She waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t. 

“Was it your father or your mother?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Which of your parents was so difficult?” she pressed.

He stared at her for a long moment, before his brows furrowed and he answered her. “My mother died at my birth.”

“I see,” she said quietly. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you,” he murmured. They continued along, walking slowly, wanting to make sure they remained far out of Liam’s earshot. When they turned back toward the house, Ruby stopped and asked the question that had been plaguing her mind all day.

“Why did you take me into Emma’s study yesterday?”

Graham sputtered and stammered, his cheeks turning pink at her blunt question. “I should think the answer was rather obvious.”

Ruby glared at him. “Obviously it isn’t, or I wouldn’t have asked.”

Graham stared at her for a full ten seconds before he cut his eyes to where Liam stood investigating a birch tree and then moved closer to Ruby.

“Very well, if you must know,” he began, his voice low, “I intended to kiss you to show you how well suited we are.” He shrugged. “I did not intend to get so carried away, but I’m not sorry it happened.”

“But passion is not enough to sustain a marriage,” she replied, forcefully.

He shrugged again. “It’s certainly a good start. May we please talk about something else?”

“No. What I’m trying to say…”

This time he rolled his eyes and snorted. “You’re always trying to say something.”

“It’s part of my irresistible charm,” she said peevishly.

He looked down at her, holding on tightly to his patience and temper. “Ruby, we are well suited and will enjoy a perfectly pleasant and amiable marriage. I don’t know what else I can say or do to prove it!”

“But you don’t love me,” she said quietly.

That brought him to a screeching halt. He stared at her for a long moment before speaking. “Why do you say things like that?”

She shrugged and couldn’t meet his eyes. “I don’t know. Because it’s important, I guess.”

“Did it ever occur to you that not every thought has to be given voice?” he asked after another long moment.

“Yes,” she said, a lifetime of regret - of always saying the wrong thing at the wrong time - wrapped up in that one tiny little word. “All the time. I can’t seem to help myself though.”

He stared at her, his confusion obvious. She understood completely. Her mother had always told her she’d catch more flies with honey than a sledgehammer, but Ruby had never mastered the skill of keeping her thoughts to herself.

She had all but asked Graham if he loved her, and his subsequent silence was more of an answer than no would have been. Her heart wept. She didn’t really expect him to fall in love with her so quickly, but her disappointment was proof that a tiny corner of her heart and mind had wished for exactly that.

“Did you love Jacinda?” She winced as soon as the words left her lips. There she went again, speaking before thinking about the wisdom of her words.

Graham stood before her, silent. “No,” he finally said in a low voice.

None of the expected feelings at the single word rose up within her. Not joy, that her intended hadn’t loved her predecessor, nor sadness that her cousin’s husband hadn’t loved her. She simply felt relief, which was a surprise. She wanted to know. That was all. She hated not knowing. About anything. She released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

“Why did you marry her?”

His face was rather blank as he looked at her. Finally he shrugged. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “It was expected, I guess. She was to marry George.”

Ruby’s head turned so sharply, she was surprised her neck didn’t crack. “I - I didn’t know.”

Graham shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. It was a long time ago.”

Ruby nodded in understanding. It wasn’t terribly surprising. He was the type of man who’d do that - always doing what was right and honorable, apologizing for his perceived transgressions, shouldering others’ burdens… honoring his brother’s promises.

Which brought her to her final question. “Did you…” she trailed away, almost losing her nerve. “Did you feel passion for her?” Her voice wasn’t much more than a whisper, and she found herself hoping he hadn’t heard her.

“No,” he said abruptly before turning away and walking quickly toward the house. She rushed to catch up with him and ran into his solid chest when he suddenly stopped and turned back toward her. “I have a question for you.”

“Of course,” she agreed quickly. It was only fair, after all. She’d all but interrogated the poor man.

“Why did you leave London?” 

Ruby blinked in surprise. She expected a much harder question than that. “To meet you, of course!”

“Balderdash.”

She blinked again, her mouth falling open at his obvious disbelief of her answer.

“That’s why you came,” he said, “not why you left.”

It had never occurred to her until this very moment that there was a difference between the two, but he was right. He’d had very little to do with why she’d left London. He’d simply made it easier for her to do so. He gave her a place to run to, which was much easier to justify rather than where she was running from.

“Did you have a lover?”

Ruby’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes widened in shock. “No!” she exclaimed, so loudly that it caught Liam’s attention, who started quickly toward them. Ruby waved him away. “Everything’s fine. I promise.”

“It’s not an unreasonable question to ask,” Graham said mildly, once Liam was back out of earshot. “You leave London in the middle of the night, like a wanted fugitive. I simply wondered if perhaps something had happened to ah… tarnish your reputation.”

He was right, of course. Not about her reputation, which was still as pure and white as snow.  It did look odd. Frankly, she was surprised he hadn’t asked her sooner.

“If you did have a lover,” he continued quietly, “it wouldn’t change my intentions.”

“No,” she assured him. “It wasn’t that.” She sighed and after another moment to fortify herself, told him everything. 

She told him all about the marriage proposals she’d received, and the ones Mary Margaret hadn’t, and the plans they’d jokingly made about growing old and spinsterish together. And she told him about how guilty she felt when Mary Margaret and David got married and she couldn’t get her mind off of herself and how alone she was.

She told him all that and more. She told him things in her heart, in her mind, in her soul. She told him things she’d never told another living soul, not even Mary Margaret. And for someone who couldn’t keep her mouth shut if her life depended on it, there was an awful lot inside her that she’d never shared with anyone.

And finally, when she was done - and in truth, she’d simply run out of energy and trailed away into silence - he’d taken her hand and smiled gently at her.

“It’s all right,” he said. And it was.

~*~*~

Four days later they were married. Graham had no idea how Liam managed it, but he’d obtained the special license that allowed them to be married without banns and on Monday, one week to the day since they’d met in person.

Ruby’s entire family - save her widowed sister Tink, who lived far away in Scotland and hadn’t had time to make it down for the festivities - had made the trip out to the country for the wedding. Normally, the ceremony would have taken place at the Jones country seat in Kent, or at St. George’s in London where the family regularly worshiped. But it all happened so quickly, those arrangements were impossible to make.  Killian and Emma offered My Cottage as the reception place, but Ruby felt the twins would be more comfortable at Romney Hall, so they’d held the wedding at the parish chapel down the lane with the small, intimate reception on the lawn around Graham’s greenhouse.

As the sun was beginning to set, Ruby found herself in her new bedchamber with her mother who was busily tucking away the items from Ruby’s hastily gathered trousseau. She smiled, completely understanding Alice’s need to move while she talked.

“I should complain that I’m being denied my moment of glory as mother of the bride,” she said, folding Ruby’s veil and placing it in the top drawer of her bureau. “But, in truth, I’m simply happy to see you as a bride.” She turned toward Ruby, tears shining in the corner of her eyes.

Ruby released a watery chuckle of her own. “You’d rather despaired of seeing it, didn’t you?”

“Quite,” Alice agreed, then tilted her head knowingly. “But I had a feeling you might surprise us all in the end. You frequently do.” 

“I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed you,” Ruby whispered.

“Never,” Alice replied, her visage exceedingly wise. “My children never disappoint me. They simply astonish me.” A knowing smile touched her lips. “I think I prefer it that way.”

Ruby threw herself into her mother’s arms. She felt awkward doing so, though not from the display of familial affection itself. Perhaps it was that she was perilously close to tears herself. But suddenly she felt as she had when she was quite young - all long limbs with gangly arms and legs and bony elbows and a mouth that was always open when it should remain closed. 

And she wanted her mother.

Alice held her close, rubbing her back and making soothing sounds, as if she knew exactly the maelstrom of feelings surging in her daughter. And she probably did. Intelligence and wisdom were most definitely not the same thing, and they both very infrequently found a home within the same person. But in the case of Alice Jones, they did. And Ruby was ever so grateful. 

Alice finally released her and Ruby took a step back to see her mother looking rather wistful. She ran her fingers down the side of Ruby’s face, the action so tender, it made Ruby want to weep.

“Are you certain you’ll be happy?” Alice asked, softly.

“It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?” Ruby replied, a rueful smile touching her lips.

“It may be too late to do anything about it, but not to wonder.”

“I think I’ll be happy,” Ruby said. I hope I’ll be happy, she said in her mind.

“He seems to be a nice man,” Alice said.

“He is,” Ruby agreed.

“Honorable.”

A soft smile graced Ruby’s lips. “He is that.”

Alice nodded, her own smile soft as she gazed at her daughter. “I believe you’ll be happy. It may take time.” She paused for a moment, but her smile didn’t waver. “It will take time, and you may doubt that it will come. But it will. Just remember…” she trailed away, her teeth nibbling on her lip.

“What, Mother?”

Alice didn’t answer right away, appearing to choose her words with great care. “It will take time, that’s all.” She turned toward the door and Ruby cut her eyes to the side as her mother wiped at the tear that rolled down her cheek. “You’re very impatient,” Alice continued. “You always have been. But there’s a great deal more to you and it seems that you sometimes forget that. I’m glad you never accepted a proposal from any of the men in London. You wouldn’t have been happy with any of them. Content? Maybe. But not happy. Second best was never good enough for you, Ruby, and I’m glad.” Her smile was gentle and warm. The smile of a mother saying goodbye to her daughter. “Give it time. Be gentle. Don’t push.”

Ruby wanted to say something, anything, but found she couldn’t utter a single word.

“Don’t push,” she repeated. “Be patient.”

“I…” She wanted to say I will but her words simply slipped away as she gazed at her mother, realizing something for the very first time. She was leaving. She was leaving her family. They’d still be a part of her, of course, in all the ways that mattered, but she was leaving the family of her birth and forming a new one of her own. 

And as she looked at her mother, she realized just how much she loved her. Alice always seemed to know exactly what each of her children needed, which was truly remarkable with eight of them, after all. When Ruby had finally read the letter her mother had given to Liam to give to her, she hadn’t scolded or thrown accusations, either of which she was entirely entitled to do. She’d simply reminded Ruby that she would always be her daughter and that she loved her. Ruby had bawled her eyes out.

Alice Jones had never wanted for anything, but her true wealth lay in her wisdom and her love, and as Ruby watched her mother turn to the door, she realized Alice was everything she aspired to be.

And she couldn’t believe it had taken her all this time to realize it.

“I expect you and Sir Graham would like some privacy,” she observed, turning to her daughter again as a small chuckle escaped her lips. “If I don’t escort the family out, they’ll never leave.”

“I shall miss you all,” Ruby said.

“Of course you shall,” Alice replied. “And we shall miss you. But you won’t be far. You’ll be nearby for Emma when her time comes, and I’ll be making more frequent trips out here now that I have two new grandchildren to spoil,” Alice said, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.

Ruby wiped away her own tear. Alice and the rest of the family had fully accepted Ava and Nicholas into their fold without reservation. Not that she expected anything different, but it had warmed her heart in a way she had not expected. Already the twins were playing wholeheartedly with their Jones cousins and Alice had insisted they call her grandmama. They had quickly and enthusiastically agreed, especially after Alice had pulled out a whole bag of peppermint drops that she claimed must have fallen into her valaise back in London.

Ruby had already said goodbye to the rest of her family, so when her mother left, she felt she was really and truly Lady Humbert. Miss Jones would have returned to London with her family, but Lady Humbert remained here at Romney Hall, mistress of her own home and family. It suddenly occurred to her that no one in her family had had to undertake the role of parent so quickly. But she was up to the task. She had to be. She was a Jones, even if it wasn’t her surname any longer, and she could handle anything thrown at her. She was not one to sit idle and let her life pass her by or dictate her happiness. So she would have to make certain that her life was happy beyond reason.

A knock sounded at the door and a moment later Graham entered. Even from across the room, the heat in his gaze made her shiver.

“Don’t you want a maid for that?” he asked, motioning to where she was running her brush through her long locks.

“I told her to take a free evening,” she said, blushing. “It seemed the least I could do. It almost seemed like an intrusion, don’t you think?”

He cleared his throat and tugged at his cravat, in a move that had become so dear to her in the last few days. He was never as comfortable in formal attire as he was in his work clothes. It was quite strange that she’d married a man with a vocation. A calling, a purpose in his life. So different from other men of the ton. She liked it. She liked him.

“Do you need a few more minutes?” he asked.

She shook her head. She was ready.

“Thank God,” he murmured, crossing quickly to her and gathering her in his arms. 

Then he was kissing her and every thought in Ruby’s head was utterly gone.

Graham supposed he should have paid more attention to his wedding, but with the wedding night so very close, he just couldn’t. Every time he looked at Ruby - in her cream colored gown that made her skin and green eyes glow, and delicate veil that trailed behind - he caught his breath and felt the tightening in his body that he had to will away while in the presence of so many.

Soon, he thought.

And then soon became now and they were alone, and she was in his arms, responding to his kiss, and he just couldn’t believe how beautiful she was as his fingers buried themselves in her long, long hair that reached nearly to her waist. He’d never seen it down, he realized, and he’d had no idea how long it was when he’d only ever seen it gathered up at the nape of her neck.

“I always wondered why women wore their hair up,” he murmured into the skin of her jaw as he peppered soft nips and kisses there. “But now I know.”

“Well,” gasped Ruby, “it is expected out there in society.”

He pulled back and smiled down into her slightly dazed countenance. “That’s not why,” he said, shaking his head. Her brow furrowed slightly and Graham placed a tender kiss on the lines in her forehead, utterly delighted in the fact that the privilege of kissing Ruby anytime and anywhere he wanted was now his. Forever and ever, Amen.

“It’s for the protection of all the other men of the ton,” he continued, a smug smirk tugging on the corner of his lips.

Ruby’s eyes widened in surprise. “I think you mean protection from all the other men of the ton,” she said.

“No,” he insisted. “Protection of. Because I’d have to kill any other man who beheld you thus.”

“Graham,” she admonished him on a whisper. But she was blushing as she said it.

“No man who saw this would be able to resist you,” he said, his fingers running through the long locks and twisting a strand around his pointer finger. “I’m quite sure of that.”

Ruby snorted inelegantly. “Many have been able to resist me over the years,” she said, the self-deprecation in her words raising his ire.

“They were all fools,” he interjected, vehemently. “And it only proves my point. This has been hidden away for years, has it not?” he asked, bringing the strand to his nose and inhaling deeply, the scent of rosewater filling his sinuses.

“Since I was sixteen,” she murmured.

“I’m glad,” he said, his face lowering toward hers again, his breath whispering against her lips. “Some London idiot would have snapped you up years ago if you’d tugged out your hairpins.”

“It’s only hair,” she whispered. Her lips trembled as his nose nuzzled hers.

“You’re right. It’s only hair,” he agreed. “Because on anyone else, I don’t believe it would be so intoxicating. It must be you, then,” he said, dropping the strand he’d held and capturing her lips with his own.

He couldn’t understand how just a simple kiss could turn his blood to fire in his veins. His tongue touched the seam of her lips and she opened to him with a low moan in the back of her throat. 

He’d forgotten. He’d forgotten the sweetness of her lips. He’d kissed her several times now and each time he did, the sweetness of her mouth surprised him. It must be for the preservation of their routine, their everyday life. Because if he did remember how it felt to kiss her, to taste her, he’d never stop. Not for his work. Not to eat. Not to sleep. Hell, not to breathe. 

~*~*~

~*~*~

He pulled back and the whimper of loss from Ruby’s lips nearly undid him. “Patience, dearest,” he whispered, turning her in his arms. The back of her gown was adorned with small silk covered buttons, from her shoulder blades to the swell of her bottom, and he began to undo them. One by one. Inch by tantalizing inch of skin revealed, until finally he reached the last one, just above the cleft. What would he give to kiss Ruby right there? 

As he opened the last button, revealing the small square of skin to his sight, he couldn’t help himself. He sank to his knees and placed a tender kiss right there, making Ruby shiver. This was Ruby. Ruby. His bride. His wife. She was strong. She was passionate. She was magnificent. She was his.

He rose to his feet again and turned her back around, her gown falling to the floor and baring her to his sight. He couldn’t look at her though. Not yet. He gazed into her face, her eyes half lidded in rapture, her kiss swollen lips parted slightly as her breath stuttered in and out. He ran his hand up from her hips until his fingers grazed the side of her breast.

Capturing her lips once again, his hand firmly cupped her weight in his hand. “Graham,” she moaned against his lips, and his heart tripped at the thought that this had all come to pass.

Both his hands cupped the fullness of her breasts as his mouth devoured hers. It was only then that he felt the lightest of brushes of her fingers along his shoulders as she reached for him, drawing him closer to her warmth. His own arms reached around her and pulled her close, until she was lined up with him from her shoulders to her feet. 

The emotion within him surged and his eyes filled with tears. Tears of disbelief and tears of joy. He had to see her. The sun hadn’t yet set outside and the golden rays flooded their bedchamber, bathing Ruby in a glow that dazzled his sight. How he’d gotten so lucky, he’d never know, but he vowed then and there to never take it for granted and to simply enjoy the fact that he was the most blessed man alive.

~*~*~

~*~*~

He pulled back from her again and began working his own buttons, watching Ruby watch him, her eyes growing wider as more of his skin was revealed. Once his shirt was opened, he turned around and removed the garment, only to spin quickly back to face her when he heard her gasp.

He’d forgotten. He’d completely forgotten to keep his back away from her sight.

“What happened?” Her voice was low and trembling, though from terror or disgust, he couldn’t tell. But she was his wife, and while he could avoid the vivid reminders of his childhood, she couldn’t.

“I was whipped,” he said quietly. 

Her eyes narrowed and Graham realized that not only was her voice trembling, her limbs were as well, and not from his lovemaking. 

She was enraged.

“Who did this to you?”

“My father.” Such a simple phrase that encompassed so much. He remembered well the day. He took a deep shuddering breath as the memories washed over him. He’d been twelve and home from school when his father had requested that he join him on a hunt. Graham hadn’t been gone so long that he’d forgotten that Thomas Humbert didn’t request anything. Graham was a good horseman, but not good enough for the jump his father had taken ahead of him. He’d tried to make the jump as well, knowing he’d be branded a coward for not making the attempt.

He’d fallen, of course. Been thrown really. He’d walked away without injury, miraculously, but his father had been livid. His vision of English manhood did not include tumbles from horseback. His sons would ride and shoot and fence and box and excel and excel and excel.

And God help them if they did not.

George had made the jump. He was two years Graham’s elder. Two years taller, two years stronger. He’d tried to intervene when Thomas had turned the whip on his younger son, but he’d only been beaten as well for his trouble. Graham needed to learn how to be a man, Thomas had growled, and no one would be permitted to interfere with his deserved punishment. Not even George.

Graham wasn’t sure what was different about that day. Thomas had seemed angrier than usual and while he normally used his belt, which didn’t leave marks, this day he grabbed the whip. And even when Graham’s shirt shredded under the beating, his father still hadn’t stopped. 

It was the only time his father’s beatings had left a physical scar. And Graham was stuck with the reminder for the rest of his life.

“I’m sorry,” he said. He hadn’t meant for her to see them. He hadn’t wanted to expose himself to her this way, bringing her into the horror of his childhood.

“I’m not,” she said. Graham’s eyes widened in surprise. “I’m furious.”

God help him - because he certainly couldn’t help himself - he burst out laughing. Here was his beautiful, magnificent, naked wife, trembling in fury, looking like she was ready to march right down to hell to take out her own retribution against Thomas Humbert for his crimes against his son.

She startled slightly at his mirth, but then she smiled too, recognizing the importance of the moment. Graham continued smiling at her, the memory of his father and that day slipping away. He grabbed her hand and placed it over his heart.

“So strong,” she murmured, her gaze and fingers tracing the lines of his shoulders, arms, and chest, approval plain in her tone. “I had no idea it was so difficult, working in the greenhouse.”

He positively preened under her compliment. “I do work outside too, you know,” he said, quite unable to just thank her for the compliment.

“With the laborers?” she asked, looking up at him from underneath her lashes.

Graham’s brows raised in amusement. “Ruby Jones…”

“Humbert,” she interrupted.

He couldn’t hide the surge of pleasure inside him at the reminder. “Ruby Humbert,” he agreed softly. “Have you been harboring secret fantasies about the laborers?”

The indignant look on her face made him chuckle. “Of course not! Although…” she trailed away, looking a little sheepish.

“Although,” he prompted.

“They do look awfully elemental, toiling out there under the hot sun.”

Graham smiled. Slowly, like a man about to feast upon a banquet of all his favorite foods.

“Oh, Ruby,” he said, his lips meeting the skin of her neck and trailing down, down, down until he reached the curve of her breast. “You have no idea of elemental. No idea at all.” 

~*~*~

~*~*~

Then he did what he’d been dreaming of. Well, one of the things he’d been dreaming of. He licked her nipple then blew on it before sucking it into the warm cavern of his mouth.

“Graham!” she shrieked.

He swept her into his arms and carried her over to the bed, already turned down for the newlyweds. He laid her upon the sheets and stood back to just look at her. He was pleased that she didn’t try to cover herself from his sight and he just stood soaking in her beauty before his trembling hands began to work on his pants.

“Let me,” she whispered, her eyes glowing. Graham caught his breath and  nodded, laying down beside her. She reached for him, but before she could undo the fasteners on his pants, he ran his fingers along the silk of her stockings, the last garment she wore. He slid the first down her leg, delighted when a laugh burst from her when his fingers grazed the back of her knee.

“Ticklish?” he asked, and she nodded shyly, finally undoing his trousers. They both rid themselves of the other’s clothing until they were fully naked and facing one another on the bed.

His fingers trailed gently down her cheek and cupped her chin, bringing her lips to his. 

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” he assured her.

“I’m not afraid,” she murmured, her breath brushing over his lips.

He drew back, just a little surprised at her words. “You’re not?”

She shook her head. “Nervous? Yes. But not afraid.”

Graham chuckled. “You are magnificent, Ruby. Do you know that?”

Ruby shrugged, a sly smile on her face. “I keep telling everyone that, but you’re the only one who seems to believe me.”

He really laughed that time and he realized what a gift that was. Twice since he’d entered the bedchamber, she’d made him laugh. Who would have thought that he’d be here, on his wedding night, laughing with his bride. Certainly not him.

He kissed her hard and then began his lovemaking in earnest, exploring Ruby from her head to her feet. He kissed, and he nipped, and he licked, and he touched, finding all the places that made her gasp and moan in pleasure. He was as hard as he’d ever been in his life, but this was Ruby’s first time enjoying the physical intimacy of married love and he was more concerned about introducing this joy and wonder of discovery between them than satisfying his own needs. 

He finally touched her between her legs, and Ruby released a trembling sigh from above him. He looked up at her and found her looking down at him, her eyes glazed, her mouth open slightly. She focused on him and Graham grinned at her, dipping his finger inside her and then popping the digit in his mouth to taste her essence.

“Delicious,” he murmured.

“Graham?” she asked, almost in a whisper. “How much is it going to hurt?”

Her question startled him and he quickly schooled his features.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I hope not too much.”

She nodded. “I keep…” Her words trailed off and Graham waited patiently for her to finish. 

“Tell me,” he urged, when she remained silent.

“I keep getting swept away,” she said haltingly, “but then I’ll see you, or feel you, and I just can’t imagine how that is going to fit inside me, and I’ll lose it. The magic,” she explained. “I keep losing the magic.”

Graham’s lips curved into a wicked smile. “Let me give you the magic,” he said. “Stay right there. Don’t move.” He kissed her hard and then moved down her body to the one place his lips had avoided so far. He spread her legs wide and kissed her.

Ruby screamed.

“Very good,” Graham breathed into her center. He held her still, his hands holding her hips firmly. He had no choice, for she was writhing and squirming like a wild woman as he tasted and explored every fold, every crevice of her womanhood. He was voracious and he devoured her, thinking that this had to be the very best thing he’d ever done in his entire life and he was able to do this every day for the rest of his life.

He’d heard other men talk about it, of course, but he’d had no idea it was this good. He was terrifyingly close to losing himself and she hadn’t even touched him. It was a good thing too. The way she was gripping the sheets, she’d be liable to tear him apart.

Ruby stiffened above him, crying out her ecstasy, and a surge of sweetness exploded on his tongue. He couldn’t enjoy everything she gave him because his own needs took over and he could hold back no longer. He tried to go slowly, for her sake, but when she lifted her hips to meet him - her fingers digging into his shoulders in wild demand, his name a prayer on her lips - he surged forward into her depths all the way to the hilt.

He checked her face for any sign of pain but he saw none as he began to pump a steady rhythm into her. He was rougher than he wanted to be, but it had been so long and he needed her so much, he just couldn’t help himself. She seemed to enjoy it though, meeting him thrust for thrust.

And when she moaned, it wasn’t his name. It was More.

He slipped his hands underneath her bottom and lifted her toward him. Just that slight change in angle, pushed her over the edge again and the tight sheath of her squeezing him had him spilling himself inside her with a roar of her name, claiming her finally and indelibly as his own.

~*~*~

Thank you for reading and sharing! I'd love to hear what you think! Next ch will be up Friday night before I go to bed.

[camelotroses]

Snow: "So, who's ready to put their hearts into some wedding planning?”

Emma Swan is so happy to be marrying her true love… I’m not sure Killian is thrilled about the “planning” part but he rubs her back knowing he’ll give her whatever her heart desires!

"I still think we could consider getting married on the sea. Wouldn't it be romantic to exchange our vows on the Jolly Roger?” Yes it would & the way Emma wraps her arms around him, one hand on his chest, she’s agrees (& someone grab some duck tape for Henry)

Meanwhile... Snow representing the CaptainSwan fandom

[chipedteacupchat]

So a couple days ago, I did a post about redesigning CaptainSwan's Wedding and it got me thinking about other ships weddings.

Like at the end of season 6, the evil Queen and Robin Hood officially get engaged and then in season 7 we were robbed of the wedding as it happened off screen! 😭😭😭

So this is how I would have it.

[ouatsnark]

What happened to Emma Swan? DEBUNKED

Ever so often the Swan Queen fandom gets it in their heads to try & tear down Emma Swan's look and character development simply because she married a man… a man who treated Emma far better than their Queen. Their arguments prove that they lack the will to understand the writing as they blatantly twist canon to fit their narrative.

"What happened to season one Emma Swan? She went from happy to miserable because of Killian Jones" - Regina Apologists

This is a prime example of how Regina Apologists are so dishonest. The two pictures on the left are promotional shots from the show. The two pictures on the right are moments from Season 6 when Emma is in distress. The first image she is watching her parents sacrifice themselves for the good of Storybrooke (while Regina, who is at fault, does nothing). The second one is when Emma was having visions of her own death. These instances have NOTHING to do with Killian Jones! However, I can find plenty of times when Emma was in distress due to Regina Mills!

I have found so many examples of them pulling this crap. I would be here all day screen capping their dishonesty.

The truth: Emma Swan wasn't happy in Season 1 & that Emma wasn't the real Emma

Yes, you heard me. Season 1 Emma wasn’t the real Emma. The real Emma was hiding behind an armor of red leather jackets, fake eye-lashes and a chip on her shoulder to keep everyone at arms length. She put on a tough bravado as an armor to protect herself from the world because she'd been hurt too many times.

But as a time passed, Emma needed less and less armor. She became more trusting and more open to love, family and happiness. When she shed that armor she let herself be more vulnerable. She became more caring toward others. Which is about the bravest thing you can do.

The more and more we saw Emma opening up to love the less armor she used. And the less armor she used, the more we hear from the Anti-CaptainSwan crowd that...

How do you go from THIS to this??? - Regina Apologist

GASP! A woman didn’t put on a bunch of make up & doll herself up for you SO SHE MUST BE MISERABLE & has no agency because she’s at the mercy of everyone!!!

Imagine degrading a woman for not wearing make up or curling their hair? You have got to be kidding me.

Also, if you really believe this, then you should be looking more favorably on Killian Jones. He obviously loved Emma for who she was and not how much make up she is wearing unlike like you fools.

Never mind that once again they grab a screen cap of when Emma is going through a tough time...and why is she going through a tough time? BECAUSE OF REGINA MILLS! Yeah, Regina's other half is trying to hurt her parents and possibly kill everyone all because Regina can't stop wanting to be evil!

The Truth: Killian Jones made Emma Swan happy

It's literally in her wedding vows. And you can see it on her face whenever she looks at him. Killian Jones helped her trust in love and not be afraid of the future.

The truth: Regina is the cause of 99% of Emma's problems

I've seen Regina stans try to say that Emma looked miserable during her vows but they fail to actually listen to what she is saying. She is not only fighting tears but when she looks away, apparently sad, she is remembering her life before Henry. She is thinking about when Henry came to get her which wasn't a happy time at all really. She was thinking about what Regina did to her and her family.

But she looks at Killian with all the happiness in her heart.

"Emma went from a badass in Season 1 to a Stepford Wife" - Regina Apologist

I love how they continue to use promo shots and bts pictures.

It’s like the Anti-CaptainSwan crowd believes that there is only one way to be a strong woman: having a chip on your shoulder, being sarcastic to everyone, never needing anyone (especially a male) and being single (unless its w|w). They just don’t like the fact that Emma not only chose her own path but fights for everyone and not just their precious queen.

I have actually heard Rumple stans call Emma a Stepford wife as well because she chose Hook over Rumple's cowardly son Neal. Which is just hysterical since Belle is literally a Stepford wife. She ignores all of his abuse, his bad deeds and his manipulation and stays with him.

The Truth: Emma Swan was still a badass after getting together with Killian Jones:

S4 taking down dragon Lily

S4 telling grumpy to back off before she turns him into stumpy (hey you thought sarcasm was badass? there you go!)

S4 taking on the darkness to save the town

S4 defeating Cruella to save Henry

S5 going up against Nimue

S5 confronting Rumple about him being the Dark One again

S5 doing what she had to do and knowing she had to destroy Dark Hook

S5 telling Regina to fix her own damn problems for once cause Emma was done doing it for her

S6 going up against Wish Hook.

S6 going up against the Serum Queen

S6 sacrificing herself for Gideon and destroying the dark fairy

Furthermore, if Emma was that dependent on Killian Jones then she would not have left the Underworld without him. But she did leave him for the sake of Henry and others who needed her.

DEBUNKING MYTHS

Emma is complex but SQers fail to accept Emma’s evolution because it didn’t involve her becoming Regina’s doormat in every aspect of her life.

I know it's hard for Regina Mills stans to spot character growth, since their queen didn't have one, but Emma Swan and Killian Jones are where the most character growth happened. They evolved into much better people as the series came to a close.

Here are some things I've seen when talking about Emma's evolution or about her being worse off with Killian Jones than she would have been with Regina or Neal. And lets be real here, Emma was worse off with Regina as a friend. That is just a fact.

THEY NEVER ACKNOWLEDGE REGINA'S TRUE ROLE

I will see them talk circles around Regina's role in Emma's life to avoid putting blame where it should be and that is directly on Regina Mills. They will say things like "The Charmings abandoned Emma" but The Charmings didn’t just abandon Emma. THEY SAVED HER LIFE with the hope that Emma would return to save the entire kingdom FROM REGINA. Regina was going to murder infant Emma.

They will also go on about how Killian and Emma were enemies at first. Killian Jones was never as much of an enemy to Emma like Regina Mills was. Regina emotionally and physically hurt Emma and destroyed her life.

MYTH: EMMA WAS ONLY AT HER BEST IN SEASON ONE OR WITH REGINA

As mentioned above, they prefer closed off and alone Emma. However, Emma was at her best when she let down her walls & allowed herself to love. A heart full of love is beautiful. But love to Regina apologists only looks like Emma bowing to Regina. Well. Emma was closed off, negative, sarcastic & willing to overlook all of Regina’s shit for the sake of Henry. Allowing someone to put you down the way Emma allows Regina is NOT someone at their best.

Emma at her best understands sacrifices for the greater good, forgiveness, mercy & the strength of love. That was Emma during all 7 seasons. Actually, Emma showed Regina way too much mercy (Rumple too, in fairness).

MYTH: EMMA WAS FORCED TO CHOOSE HOOK

Anyone who says that Emma was forced to be with Hook because Killian & her parents "pressured her" or "made her" is hating Emma Swan. This is a bunch of fanon nonsense & not canon. No one was forcing Emma. You can’t point to a single scene or dialog that suggests that. Quite the opposite in fact.

You don’t fight for something as hard as Emma fought for her happy ending if it’s not what you want. Remember that Snow & David were against saving Hook in Camelot. They were more concerned about Emma. Hell, Killian Jones was more concerned about Emma's future than living! He wanted her to choose her life over his! It was Emma’s idea to go get Hook in the Underworld & everyone was against it at first (cause who just walks into the Underworld??). If Emma's parents were pushing her towards anyone it was Neal. So, no, no one was forcing Emma to be with Hook. When Charming gives his blessing to Hook he says that the final decision is up to Emma.

If you truly believe that Emma was forced to be with Hook then you don't understand Emma Swan. Emma didn't do anything that Emma didn't want to do. Remember when Emma was dead set on running back to New York in season 3? No one was going to change her mind. She had to find out on her own that life with Henry and her parents in Storybook was indeed home. Emma was perfectly capable of making her own decisions.

MYTH: GETTING MARRIED AND HAVING CHILDREN WAS NOT SEASON ONE EMMA'S HAPPY ENDING

Says who!? When did Emma say this? Emma didn’t want a family? GTFOH with that BS. More fanon that isn’t backed up by canon. She THOUGHT she wanted that life with Neal (re-watch Tallahassee). But after his betrayal she packed that side of her away for fear of being hurt again. You’re mistaking her protective armor for who she really is.

And furthermore proving that you don't know what character growth looks like. People change so characters should as well. Well written characters evolve.

MYTH: EMMA DIDN'T PUT HERSELF FIRST ANYMORE BECAUSE OF HOOK & WAS A SHELL OF HER FORMER SELF

Putting those you love first is a sign of unconditional love. I know that’s hard to understand since your queen is a self-centered bitch who never put anyone first… but Emma is different. And just because she wanted to be with her family doesn’t mean she wasn’t putting what she wanted first.

Emma being a shell of herself is a personal opinion. Emma evolved. She had many more layers by the time S6 rolled around. As I said above, her personality in S1-2 was a part of her armor as much as that jacket was. And to say she still wasn’t kicking ass in S6 is a lie. She sacrificed her life so a child would get his life back. Being a hero & putting others first is a strength of character. It’s honorable. Again, I know that’s hard seeing that Regina was 100% focused on her own happy ending but Emma was different. She is a character worth emulating because of her goodness, love and willingness to fight for others.

MYTH: THE CHARMINGS' & HOOK'S LOVE WAS CONDITIONED ON HER BEING THE SAVIOR AND BEING WITH HOOK

You just don’t like that she wanted Hook & not Regina. It’s also complete fanon that Emma’s acceptance depended on her being the savior & loving a man. The Charmings were too cautious about her relationship with Hook to be forcing that on her. They wanted her to be happy & when they saw she was, they accepted him. Also Hook’s love wasn’t dependent on her being the savior. Remember the scissors? Hook kept those suckers because her life meant more to him than her title.

[awwyeah107]

Two of my very dear friends are getting married to each other tomorrow (technically today by this point) and knowing it's the night before their wedding reminded me of this sweet scene:

(Skip to 1:35 for the scene at Emma and Killian's house, which begins with Killian talking to Henry; the start of the specific bit I was thinking of is at 2:40. Before that it's a Rumple, Belle, and Gideon scene that I didn't bother to watch through XD)

Henry: [to Killian] I'll see you tomorrow. [walks out of the room]

Emma: Tomorrow? [to Killian] You live here.

Killian: Aye. I'm not staying here tonight, it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. [looks mildly outraged at the thought]

Emma: You can't be serious.

Killian: A seafaring man does not take superstitions lightly. And the last thing you and I need is another stitch of bad luck. After tomorrow... [pauses as he moves towards Emma] ...there'll be no getting rid of me.

(Captainswan music theme swells in the background)

Emma: You promise?

Killian: [with a smile] Aye.

[They lean in for a brief kiss and then break apart. Killian heads for the door with a cheeky smile, gives Emma a quick look with raised eyebrows, and then leaves. Emma grins as he closes the door behind him.]

[vasfasan]

i HATE season six captainswan with a burning passion yes, the pancakes, and the proposals, and the wedding too

[duchessofmndalore]

thought i’d share a lil swanqueen fic im working on <3

Summary:

Regina Mills realizes she is in love with her best friend and co-parent Emma Swan, on the day of Emma’s wedding to Captain Hook, and has to overcome that (and plenty of other obstacles besides) in order to fight for and obtain her happy ending.

Fic takes place at the end of S6, beginning with the CaptainSwan wedding. Lots of pining, SwanQueen Endgame, portals, and Operation: Mongoose--Revised (aka Henry realizes Regina's happy ending is with his ma). What's not to love?

[kazoosandfannypacks]

"It Now Belongs To You" by kazoosandfannypacks

Chapter 4/10: Captain Hook Returns Pairing: CaptainSwan Rating: T Word Count: (1.2K/10.6K) Summary: When Emma and Killian receive a pair of magic beans as a wedding gift, they take a voyage on the Jolly Roger for their honeymoon- but a wrench is thrown into their romantic getaway when they run into a notorious pirate who's staked a claim on the Jolly Roger. Chapter Summary: Upon Emma's persistence, Killian tracks down Black Beard in an attempt to outwit him once again and escape with The Roger. Tags: post-canon, canon compliant, fluff, no smut, suggestive themes, alcohol, gambling, self indulgent fluff with a sprinkling of angst Author's notes: part of the opening dialogue of this chapter was actually part of the dialogue in my concept notes for this fic, so like. that's special. Taglist: @zahara @kmomof4 @jonesfandomfanatic @booksteaandtoomuchtv @jrob64 @tiganasummertree @anmylica @teamhook @undercaffinatednightmare @gingerchangeling @lonelyspectator @caught-in-the-filter @ultraluckycatnd @cs-rylie [if you'd like to be added to or removed from this list, hmu in my dms or askbox!]

Also on Ao3!

 Despite the grave stakes of their quest, Killian couldn’t stop smiling at his wife. She was resourceful, brave, fast-thinking, determined, street-smart, beautiful, savvy- everything his pirate heart could dream of finding in a woman- and somehow she loved him- him of all people!

 “You seem awfully chipper,” Emma said, “for a guy who might be losing his most prized possession.”

 “I was just thinking,” Killian said, “how did I manage to woo the most amazing, beautiful, perfect woman in all the realms?”

 “Can’t say for certain,” Emma blushed, “But it probably helps that you’re amazing, handsome, and perfect yourself.”

“I’m far from perfect.”

“You’re perfect for me.”

 He kissed the top of her head and took her hand in his as they walked down the street. Before long, they found themselves in front of the pub.

 "Now, love," Killian said. "This is a rather unsavory joint- full of the worst sorts of pirates. Watch yourself."

 "You don't think I can handle a few filthy pirates?" Emma smiled. "I've already stolen the heart of the filthiest pirate in the realms."

 He smiled and booped her nose with his hook. "And that's why he wants you to be careful."

 “And you’re sure you’re up to the task?” Emma asked.

 “Of course, love.” Killian said, not sure he believed it but hoping Emma would. “Why wouldn’t I be?,

 “Killian.” 

 “I’m not sure.” Killian corrected. “But we’ve faced higher stakes before, and always come out on top.”

 He put up the hood on her cloak, wishing she hadn’t come along with him to such a seedy joint, but knowing that she’d’ve followed him either way- best to bring her on his own terms.

 “Now remember,” he said, “don’t come in until a few moments after I do, don’t watch us too closely, and…” “Stay out of trouble, I know.” Emma said. She stepped up on her tiptoes and kissed him. “Good luck.” she said.

 “Aye, love.” he smiled with all the confidence he could fake and walked into the pub.

 Upon first glance, he was hit with two feelings- the first: remembering that this place used to bring him so much pleasure, and the second: wondering why this place used to bring him so much pleasure. The lighting was subpar, the smell of gross food and alcohol unbearably strong, especially when mingled with the smell of dirty pirates, and the shanty crew playing by the bar was off-key- though he supposed if your rum was strong enough, none of that would matter.

 Still, as fondly as he remembered this place, he almost wished they were back in Storybrooke, at Granny’s, sitting down with grilled cheese and onion rings- and cinnamon hot cocoa.

 “I understand now why people’ve been saying I’ve gone soft.” Killian thought, “Wonder of all wonders is why I used to take that as an insult.”

 He'd hardly taken a few steps into the pub when he heard a wench call out "Girls, looks like Hook's back!" and he was immediately flocked by women, tavern wenches, half of whom he'd remembered being, ahem, a patron of at least one night, and the other half- well, just because he didn't remember it doesn't mean it didn't happen. Apparently though, they remembered him, and they were on him like spiders on a fly.

 The old Captain Hook would've doubtless appreciated this kind of attention and flirted with each of the wenches individually in the seven seconds since they'd surrounded him, but the new Captain Hook was different, and, as it stood, their attention almost made him feel cheap and uncomfortable, especially knowing Emma was right outside- and hoping she wasn't watching through the window.

 His plan relied on two things- the first being that Black Beard had already begun his celebratory drinks- a drunken opponent, or even a half drunken one- is far easier to win against.

 But the other card up his sleeve was his own reputation, and to save that, he couldn't simply brush off these maidens surrounding him- you walk into a pirate's pub and start telling the wenches you're off the market, and there goes your entire reputation.

 "Unfortunately, ladies," he said, "I'm here on business today- and not your kind of business I'm afraid."

 Some of them giggled and a few rolled their eyes, but for the most part they just winked as they slinked away, one or two saying something about sticking around "in case you change your mind."

 Killian rolled his eyes at the ceiling for only half a second before heading to the boisterous table in the back- a table he could tell was patronized by Black Beard's crew.

 "What are we playing tonight, mates?" Killian asked.

 The crew laughed a little when they saw him, and Black Beard smiled.

 "So, here's the newlywed." Black Beard sneered. "Your first mate told me you've gone soft and settled down."

 "Settled down, yes." Killian said, shoving one of the men out of their seat so he could sit across from Black Beard, "but few men have called me 'soft' and lived to tell about it."

 He picked up the cup in front of the guy next to him and took a sip- not that he especially wanted his cheap ale, but the effect of barging in on someone else's game, stealing a seat and a swig of their drink- no one could call him soft now.

 Black Beard picked up the deck of cards in front of them and shuffled it.

 "I take it you're after the Roger now?" Black Beard asked. "How's the new wench feel about that?"

 Killian clenched his fist under the table, about to kill Black Beard right then and there for speaking ill of Emma, but instead he kept his cool.

 "I'm still her Captain." Killian said, leaving the "her" ambiguous as to being the Jolly Roger or his new bride.

 "Roger's not yours anymore, mate." Blackbeard said.

 "Smee made an interesting point when I returned aboard." Killian said, pulling a piece of metal out of his pocket and twirling it between his fingers, "Something about only needing one piece of the ship to track it back down, anywhere it is."

 "You wouldn't know how to use that kind of magic." Black Beard reached across the table for the piece of rigging.

 Killian laughed as he grasped the piece more firmly. "The realms I roam these days, a locator spell is an average Tuesday. And have you forgotten I survived two hundred years on Neverland magic? And has the news not reached this realm that I spent half a month as The Dark One, and have quite literally been to hell and back? If anyone's messing with magic he doesn't understand, it's you."

 "So it seems we're at a standstill, ever chasing each other across the realm."

 "Not if one of us leaves it." Killian said. "I myself have acquired a magic bean, and with it, I can be out of this realm aboard my ship anytime I wish."

 "So why haven't you left yet?"

 "Because I don't wish to leave yet. But, I can't have washouts like you tailing me across the high seas- terribly bad form. So, I propose a new bet- the winner gets the Roger, both pieces we have here, and the magic bean to get her out of here.

 "Now how do you know I don't have a bean of my own?"

 "You'd've used it to leave Neverland last month if you had one. How long did it take for your men to come find you?"

 Killian took a sip of the ale again, smiling at Black Beard's frustration.

 "One round." Black Beard sneered. "Winner take all."

 "Deal." Killian said, and he cut the deck, and the game began.

[ladystrallan]

Once Upon a Time season 3B thoughts

I’m rewatching OUAT and I wanted to share some of my opinions on each season!

- Aurora and Philip are back

- Yes snow has long hair again!

- I’m not a fan of the pixie cut

- Ugh walsh

- He’s ugly and his eyebrows are weird

- Rumple is gone :(

- Did his body go back to the enchanted forest or???

- Omg Neal’s apartment

- People probably think that hook is LARPing in the park

- Omg the intro of outlawqueen

- Help! My boyfriend turned into a flying monkey!

- “Henry lend him a hand” lol

- The iconic red jacket!

- YASSSS ZELENA

- I love her omg

- “I don’t care if the lollipop guild is protecting her” lol

- Ohhhh Regina and Emma are working together

- “I sealed it with blood magic” foreshadowing

- My girl Zelena is so gaslight gatekeep girlboss

- Omg he turned into a flying monkey

- “What was that thing?” “Don’t look at me I’m a doctor not a vet” dr whale is so funny

- Rumple really gets around

- Cora, Regina, Zelena

- That’s a whole family

- Yikes she’s got rumple

- Zelena I love you but you’re sinking my ship a little

- Rumple’s gone mad!

- He looks hot with facial hair

- Ooh shaving with the dark one dagger

- Zelena’s outfits are so slay

- “I love him, all of him” awwwwww

- LUMIERE

- Killian and Neal bromance

- AAAAAA that is so nightmarish

- Neal morphing into rumple

- NO NEAL

- “I love you papa” I’m crying :(

- Rip

- I hate seeing rumple defeated

- But Zelena is such a girlboss

- I’m conflicted

- CUTE BABY ZELENA

- That intro was cool

- Rumple can’t even go to his son’s funeral :(

- Unpopular opinion: Zelena has a more tragic backstory than Regina

- “This isn’t the wild west” “No dear it’s the wicked west” iconic

- Zelena is so powerful slay

- Lol the blindfold

- Fifty shades of gold

- Gotta look fab for the big fight

- YASSSS ZELENA DESTROY HER

- “Isn’t it obvious? You were born” slay

- “I have that effect on women” rumple you are so funny

- The boys and I bought you a prostitute

- Get her belle!

- Ooooh they’re gonna consummate the marriage early

- For the séance, if the person died of natural causes what would be the murder weapon and who would be the murderer? God???

- Oh no she’s pregnant

- Omg it’s leopold

- Oh that’s what Cora has against Eva

- Wow rumple that was a sexy way to get back the dagger

- “Never on the first date dearie” lol

- Not an outlawqueen fan because I don’t like either of them

- Flying monkey jumpscare intro

- “The name’s grumpy not stupid” lol

- “Rumple bumple isn’t here” rumple the poet

- Belle: rumple look at me this isn’t you

- I forgot that the heart splitting happened this season

- Omg Neal sent the message

- I think it should also say baelfire on his grave

- Awww Zelena could have had something good with those witches

- “No one is taking your seat Zelena” DOROTHY IS LITERALLY SITTING IN IT

- She’s melting!

- Noooo that’s so scary looking

- Why did I think the time travel spell worked?

- Maybe it does later idk

- RUMBELLE PROPOSAL

- YASSSS I LOVE THEM

- Oh no rumple swindled belle

- Oh I guess it did work then

- Lip bite

- I just realized that Regina is a horse girl

- She literally has horse stuff everywhere

- RUMBELLE IS SO CUTE

- Do people in the land without magic think that belle is Australian?

- Captainswan mission

- I love this

- Woah he traded his ship for her

- YASSSS THEY’RE KISSING

- RUMBELLE WEDDING OMG

- Outlawqueen is about to get ruined lol

- “Sometimes the best teacup is chipped” This is so adorable omg

- RUMBELLE ARE SO ADORABLE OMG MY HEART

- Omg this is so funny because I don’t like Robin or Regina

- Ooh it’s Elsa

- Memorable lines: “Wicked always wins”

How I feel about the characters this season

Love: Zelena

Like: Rumple, Belle, Emma, Hook, Neal

Neutral: Aurora, Philip, Henry, Snow, Charming, everyone else

Dislike: Robin, Regina, Glinda

Hate: Walsh

Season rating: 9/10

My girl Zelena was so slay this season. Everything about 3B is just so good! Zelena is a great antagonist and character in general and the flashbacks with her are amazing. I also really liked captainswan time travelling. The only thing I didn’t like was Rumple being defeated basically the whole time but that wedding at the end saved it!!!

[exhaustedpirate]

WIP GAME

RULES: Post the names of the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous (please, don't judge me). Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! Tag as many people as you have WIPs! (I am not doing that 'cause I don't want to die, thanks!)

I was tagged by @piraterefrigerator because they want to kill me!

(Also I have too many so I'm going to just add the most IP of WIPs)

CAPTAINSWAN FICS (main folder):

3B Canon Divergent

Friends + OUAT (eye roll title)

parent for hire

around the world and back

b99 cs ff (very original)

no death to do us part

MOVIE NIGHT folder (not very fun titles):

Aristocats + OUAT (again eye roll)

meet the joneses

street-wise hercules

TANGLED in you

four weddings and a funeral

three men and a baby

JUKEBOX? JUKEBOX folder:

at the copa (copacabana)

see you l8er, boy

teenage dirtbag

TIKTOK, CROCODILE folder:

a quest of your own

meow

lie detector

I tag @scripted-downfall, @iverna and @profdanglaisstuff because I am curious about your WIPs! No pressure, though!

[white-queen-lacus]

And every time I listen to this song, a bunch of feels starts!! So much love!<3 

There's no storm we can't outrun, we will always find the sun, leave the past and all its scars, a happy beginning now is ours... If we’re facing endless nights, take my hand and join the fight, past the clouds we'll find the stars, a happy beginning now is ours...

[kmomof4]

A Memorable Visit A New Outlaw Queen Fic for @iamstartraveller776 Birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RANDI!!!!! See? You had to read the vacay fics so you'd be familiar with the 'verse and recognize the reference from this years fic!!! I soooo hope you enjoy this and have a wonderful day!!! All the love and thanks to my fabulous betas, traveling companions, and fellow creators of the Girls Vacay Collab Fic Collection - @jrob64 @snowbellewells @whimsicallyenchantedrose

Summary: A birthday fic for my dear friend, Randi.

Robin and Regina's first "date" within the universe of Cave Cruises, Cabin Capers, & Cracked Craniums written by myself, snowbellewells, Jrob64, and jdmusiclover. The date was referenced in this year's fic - Destination Dream Weddings, Driving Disasters, & Dented Derrieres.

Words: 3115

Rating: T

Tags: Outlaw Queen Fic, Girls Vacay Collab Fic Collection

On ao3 as part of the Girls Vacay Collab Fic Collection

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 @pirateprincessofpizza

@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

Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

Robin strode down the hallway of the lodge at his Sherwood Forest Resort toward the executive suite where his girlfriend was staying for the weekend, an excited bounce in his step at the thought of seeing her in person again.

Well, maybe potential girlfriend was more accurate…  

Was it too soon to call her his girlfriend? Probably. Regina didn’t strike him as the type of woman who’d rush into putting labels on a relationship. It had only been three months since they’d met back in June, and they’d only spent six days in each other’s presence before she and the rest of her girlfriends had returned to their respective homes.

But the fact that she’d accepted a position at a prominent Knoxville law firm after graduating from Harvard Law last spring and passing the Tennessee bar gave him hope that he could soon call the woman he’d lost his head over earlier this summer, his. Not to mention the fact that she had chosen to visit him over this long Labor Day weekend.

He knocked on the door and bounced on the balls of his feet as he waited for it to open. It was only a few moments later - even if it seemed interminable to him - when it swung inward and Robin caught his breath. 

Regina Mills was even more beautiful than he remembered. Regular FaceTime calls just didn’t do her justice. Straight raven hair that swept her shoulders, the honey almond tone to her skin which glowed under the lights, her dark eyes lighting up and full lips dropping open slightly before widening into a tentative but happy smile.

He didn’t quite know what to say to her. He knew he sported a rather goofy smile - this amount of joy in his heart always showed itself on his face, if he could believe David - and just being in her presence again was enough to strike him speechless. He couldn’t help the surge of male pride inside him that she seemed to be similarly affected.

She licked her bottom lip, grabbed him by the shirt, and pulled him into the room, slamming the door behind him. She captured his lips with her own before he could blink, and it only took a moment for his arms to wrap around her and return her passionate kisses.

He walked forward, guiding her further into the room until he’d backed her into the wall near the door. Releasing her lips, he grinned down at her as her eyes danced and she licked her swollen lips.

“That was quite a hello,” he said, cheekily, “but I am not complaining.”

She shrugged one shoulder in a playful gesture that was wholly unexpected, while at the same time utterly charming.

“I might have missed you,” she sassed right back at him.

Robin cupped her face in both of his hands. “Well, I know I missed you,” he said in all seriousness. Never taking his eyes off of hers, he moved his head slowly toward her until he brushed her lips with his own.

“You got Roland off to school, okay?” she asked.

“Yes,” he replied. “They had Back-to-School night last night, so he got to meet his teacher then, and he was already friends with most of the kids in his class, so there were no tearful goodbyes or nerves on his part. He walked in like he owned the place.” He chuckled and Regina beamed.

“I’m not at all surprised.” She glanced up at him through her lashes and nibbled a bit on her bottom lip. “So that means…”

“I don’t have to pick him up until 2:30.” A slow grin spread across his face and Regina blushed. “We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for, darling,” he assured her, stroking her cheek gently. “I know we haven’t known each other long…”

“No, Robin,” she interrupted with a small shake of her head, rushing to reassure him. “I want to.” She took a deep breath, and Robin felt his heart rate pick up as he waited for her to speak. “Getting to know you the past few months… I… I’ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about you.” Her voice wasn’t much more than a whisper, and the uncertainty and vulnerability he saw in her eyes nearly undid him. He held his tongue, knowing she didn’t need his words at the moment, she needed his understanding and acceptance. “I know I can trust you with my heart.”

Love and awe flooded him. “You’d trust me with such a precious treasure?” She smiled - a soft, tender thing - and Robin’s heart melted within him. He pulled her into his arms and captured her lips. They were as sweet as Granny’s ice cream, and flames of passion surged between them. He lifted her in his arms, and she wrapped her legs around his hips as he moved further into the room.

Depositing her on the bed, he began undoing the buttons of his shirt. Regina scrambled to her knees on the edge of the bed and slapped his hand away. “Let me.”

He couldn’t contain the smirk on his lips as she reached for him. “As you wish, milady.”

Regina’s fingers danced along his skin as she released each button, leaving Robin burning for her. She’d just pushed his shirt off as he reached for the hem of the red cashmere sweater she wore when his phone vibrated in his pocket.

“Do you need to get that?” she asked.

“David can handle whatever it is,” he replied before kissing her again. 

The vibrating came to an end, and started up again not ten seconds later. She pulled back from him and lifted one imperial eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” he murmured, lifting her sweater from her body and chasing her lips with his.

The phone stopped again - before voicemail would have had a chance to pick up - and then resumed the incessant buzzing about five seconds later.

“I really think you should get that,” she remarked drily.

Robin rolled his eyes and pulled his phone out of his pocket. David’s smiling face filled the screen and Robin groaned. As soon as the line connected, Robin barked, “What?”

Before Robin could hang up on him, the apology burst from David’s mouth. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. You know I wouldn’t call if I didn’t have to.” 

“You’d better have a really good reason for this,” Robin growled.

“I do. I swear,” David assured him. “Do you hear that?” he asked. He held out his phone in front of him for a few seconds before bringing it back to his ear again.

Robin’s brow furrowed. The sound he heard through the receiver was familiar, but he couldn’t place it right away. Suddenly it hit him and he blanched.

“Is that water?” he asked, hoping against hope David would answer in the negative.

“Yep,” David replied. “Your hot water heater is busted. You need to get over here. Now.”

“Shit!” Robin cried. Normally he wouldn’t have used such language, too used to minding his tongue around his young son, but there were some times when stronger language was called for.

“What? What is it?” Regina asked, her eyes wide with alarm.

Robin covered the end of the phone to speak to her. “The hot water heater at my cabin is busted. I have to go.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” she agreed quickly, grabbing her sweater off the bed where it’d landed and putting it back on. “I’ll come with you.”

“We’ll be right over,” Robin said to David before hanging up. He turned apologetic eyes to Regina as he grabbed his shirt. “I’m sorry about this.”

She waved his concern away. “Don’t worry about it,” she assured him. “Things like this have to take priority.”

He’d just finished buttoning his shirt, when his phone rang again. “Now what?” he said exasperatedly into the phone. “I told you we were on our way.” He paused for a moment and the consternation on his face melted into apology. “Miss Ariel,” he exclaimed. “I’m so sorry! I thought you were someone else. Is everything alright?”

He was silent for another minute, and Regina watched as the apology morphed into dismay. “Ah… I… but…” He turned alarmed and pleading eyes to her.

“What?” she whispered.

“Roland jumped off the swings at morning recess and hurt his ankle,” he explained. “I have to go to him first…” he trailed away, uncertainty in every line of his face.

“You go home,” Regina suggested. “I’ll go to Roland.” Robin nodded appreciatively.

Turning his attention back to the phone conversation, Robin quickly explained. “There’s an emergency here at the resort I have to take care of. My girlfriend, Regina Mills,” he continued, never taking his eyes from hers to gauge her reaction to his appellation, as well as what he was about to reveal, “will be there in a few minutes. She’s listed as one of Roland’s emergency contacts on the paperwork I filled out last night.” She nodded at him decisively as he hung up, and her beaming smile had him release the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

“Where is his school and where do I need to take him?” she asked, trying for a serious demeanor, but knowing she failed completely. She just couldn’t get over the giddiness inside her at him referring to her as his girlfriend, in addition to the trust he showed by listing her as an emergency contact for his son. She turned away from him, hoping to disguise the happiness on her face by slipping into her shoes and picking up her purse.

“His school is at the bottom of the hill before you get to the strip,” he informed her. 

Regina nodded. “I remember passing it on the way in.”

“I should have asked you before putting you down as an emergency contact,” Robin continued, placing a hand on her hip. “David is first, obviously, but I just tend to worry a lot, and when there was a second option as well, you were the first person I thought of. I hope that’s okay.” 

She turned back toward him and the contrition and hope in his eyes made her heart flutter. “Of course it is. I’m honored.”

Robin smiled softly and brushed her lips with his. “The pediatrician is on the strip. Take a right when you get there and it’s on the right maybe a hundred yards from where you turn. I’ll meet you there.”

He opened the door of the hotel room for her, and pressed his lips to her neck, making her shiver, before drawing back and looking her in the eyes.

“Thank you.” 

She nodded and preceded him out the door.

~*~*~

Regina walked into the office of Roland’s school, her eyes scanning the room looking for the small boy. When she didn’t see him right away, she approached the desk in front of her.

“I’m Regina Mills, here for Roland Locksley.”

“Yes, Miss Mills,” the secretary replied. “I just need to see your ID and have you sign this form, please.” Regina nodded sharply, very thankful that Robin’s foresight made this unexpected visit much smoother than it could have been otherwise.

As soon as she was done, she was shown into a small room off the main office. Little Roland sat on a hard plastic chair, his feet dangling above the floor. An ACE bandage was wrapped haphazardly around his foot and ankle - much more of the bandage around his foot instead of his ankle - and tear tracks still ran down his face.

“Oh, Roland,” she cried, running over to him, and gathering him close. She turned on her queen persona that most often saw action in a courtroom, and demanded to see whoever had treated him.

“Miss Gina,” Roland hiccupped, clinging to her tightly and making her heart melt just a little inside her. “I jumped from the swing and when I landed, my ankle turned wrong. It really hurts, Miss Gina.” His whimpers sent her own emotions into a tailspin as she remembered a similar situation when she was ten, in which her parents couldn’t be bothered to come after she’d broken her arm climbing on the monkey bars. They’d sent the butler to collect her and bring her to their personal physician.

“Did they give you anything for the pain, Roland?” she asked gently. He shook his head, and Regina could feel her nostrils flare as she took a deep breath and prepared to rip into the young man who’d just entered the room. “What is your name?” she demanded. “And are you the one responsible for the horribly inadequate treatment afforded to this child? Why has he not even been given anything for the pain he’s in? I know for a fact his father gave permission for medication to be given if necessary last night at Back-to-School Night.”

“G- Gideon,” he stammered. “I didn’t see any of the paperwork from last night. I’m sorry, ma’am. Yes, I treated him, but I’m not…” He stopped and swallowed hard, his eyes wide.

“Not what?” Regina snapped.

“I’m just a student, ma’am,” he explained.

Regina huffed. “Well, who was supervising you? Surely there was someone else here watching who could intervene when they saw the atrocious job you were doing,” she sneered.

“N- no, ma’am,” he stammered. “The school nurse was substituting in the Health class today.”

“On the first day of school?” Regina questioned, raising her eyebrow in disbelief.

“Yessss, ma’am,” he said, drawing out the word as if he hoped it would keep her from speaking again. Unfortunately for him, she wasn’t finished.

“It’s a very good thing you’re a student,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him. “Because if you weren’t, I can assure you, you’d be looking for a new job tomorrow. Now get this boy something for the pain.”

“Y- yes, ma’am,” Gideon gulped as he spun on his heel and left the room. He returned just a few minutes later with some liquid Children’s Tylenol. After giving Roland the appropriate dosage, Regina rose to her feet, Roland gathered in her arms, and walked toward the door. She glared at Gideon as he opened the door for her before placing a gentle kiss on the crown of Roland’s head.

“We’re going to meet your Papa at the pediatrician’s, okay, Roland?” she murmured.

“Okay, Miss Gina,” Roland replied. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, sweet boy.”

~*~*~

Ten minutes later, Regina entered the pediatrician’s office to see Robin in the waiting room. He rose and quickly took Roland from Regina’s arms, kissing his son on the head.

“What happened?” He wasn’t quite sure who he was addressing with his question. Roland had obviously been crying, and he suspected he’d get a clearer picture from Regina than the child in his arms.

Roland simply snuggled into his father’s embrace, and a soft smile lifted Regina’s lips as a soft huff escaped them.

“That idiot of a student nurse didn’t know the first thing about treating an ankle injury,” she explained. “Roland jumped off the swings and when he landed, his ankle turned. You can see that kid didn’t even know how to wrap the ankle properly. Nor did he give Roland anything for the pain until I made him do it.”

Robin’s brow furrowed. “How are you feeling now, buddy?” he murmured. “Is it any better?”

Roland nodded. “A little bit.”

“Dr. Whale will see you now,” the nurse behind the desk said. She opened the door to the back of the building, allowing them through, then led them to an examination room. “He’ll be right in.”

Robin thanked her, then turned his attention back to his son and girlfriend.

“I can’t thank you enough for going to get him and taking such good care of him,” he said, his gaze intense on hers. “He’s everything to me.” 

Regina placed her hand on his knee and gave a light squeeze. “I know. I was happy to do it.”

Robin nodded, then filled them in on what happened at home. “David heard rushing water as he passed the cabin. He had a key, so he let himself in and found the flooded basement. That was when he called me. We got ServePro out there to clean it up, but we need a new hot water heater. That’ll take a few days to get installed. With the holiday, it might be next week.”

“You can’t stay in the cabin without hot water,” Regina replied. Robin shook his head. “My room only has one bed…”

“I can move you to the Presidential Suite,” Robin interrupted. “It has three bedrooms. Roland can sleep in one, and I can…” He trailed off, not quite ready to articulate his hope out loud.

“Stay with me?” Regina asked softly.

“If you’re comfortable with that,” he assured her.

She smiled, and Robin caught his breath. He’d never seen anything more beautiful in all his life. 

“I am,” she said, placing her hand on his arm where he still held Roland close and then leaning over to kiss him gently. When she pulled back, he knew the goofy grin was back on his face and was very thankful that Dr. Whale chose that moment to make his appearance.

Thirty minutes later, they were done. No broken bones, thankfully, but Roland was going to be getting around on crutches for a few weeks to allow the sprain to heal properly. Robin decided, and Dr. Whale concurred, that keeping Roland out of school the rest of the week so he could stay off of it as much as possible was the best plan, and would also allow him to get used to using crutches.

“Let’s head back to Sherwood Forest,” Robin began, “and get Miss Gina in her new suite so we can get settled in for a Star Wars marathon this afternoon. What do you think, Roland?”

Roland’s smile was bright, but tired, as he enthusiastically agreed with the plan. It took about an hour to get back, pack themselves a bag for the weekend, and get settled in the new suite. Once they were all spread out in front of the TV, Roland in between them with ice on his ankle and holding a large bowl of buttered popcorn, Robin knew there was no place he’d rather be. 

And when Roland fell asleep that night - after eating a lasagne dinner from Granny’s (When she picked it up, Regina made Granny swear not to tell Ruby about her visit) and watching the original trilogy - Robin and Regina picked up right where they’d left off that morning when David so rudely interrupted them.

The End

~*~*~

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it and I'd love to know what you thought! Happy birthday again, Randi! I hope your day is as wonderful as you are!!!

[captainfloorouat]

2X6 "Have you ever even been in love ?"

6x20 "I now pronounce you husband and wife"

😍❤

[ouatsnark]

saw a sq say that jmo and colin hate cs and would literally pick anything over it during panels but that was never the case they both actually love it and they were always had fun energy together during every panel, i think they just hate the weird fans who ship them together irl. i think colin was skipping over cs during the season 7 press run due to their story being wrapped up by the point but whatever. they are doing a panel in oct so excited to see that!

Not only are the actors scared of those that ship them in real life (sorry y'all, I find shipping real human beings creepy. Work on your own personal love life) but they are also scared of causing a war at the convention. I suspect most of the time they're just trying to play to the room.

The two were so happy to put so much input into the CaptainSwan wedding that you can't convince me that they weren't as over the moon as we were that Emma and Killian got their happy beginning (and ending).

[awwyeah107]

Forays Into Fandom

I felt it would be appropriate for one of my first posts on Tumblr to be about fandoms, and I’ve had this bouncing around in my head for a little while, so I wanted to share it. Basically, it’s my timeline of discovering fandoms and hyperfixations on media as well as some thoughts on my experiences with fandom recently. Also, heads up, it’s pretty long XD

One day, when I was 8 years old, I was at over at my best friend’s house and found a book with an orange cat on the front of it. I was intrigued, and I asked to borrow it. From the very first page, I was captivated.

Thus, I was introduced to my first real fandom: Warriors (aka Warrior cats).

And the rest is history.

Over the years since then, I’ve had the joy of discovering many more fandoms. I was in many fandoms before I knew what the term was, and I wrote fanfiction and drew fan art before I was aware that those were things other people did.

Around the time I first found Warriors, I started discovering more fandoms, most of which were book-based and of the fantasy fiction genre. This kicked off what one might call my “fantasy phase,” which I would say is still technically going. Back when it started, however, it was marked by devouring any and all (mostly) age-appropriate fantasy books. As I said, I don’t think my fantasy phase ever stopped. But that time of my life was when my love for all things magical and mythical came alive. My tweens brought more fandoms, including bigger/more well-known fandoms like Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, as well as smaller fandoms like the Books of Beginning, the Land of Stories series, and Michael Vey.

The next major milestone in my fandom life came when I started watching the TV show Once Upon A Time. OUAT was the first fandom TV show I ever seriously watched, and it introduced me to my first OTP: Captainswan. I don’t think I have ever fangirled harder over a fictional couple nor shipped characters more intensely. I literally put their wedding anniversary (the date their wedding episode aired, that is) on my Google Calendar: May 7th, 2017. I love Once Upon A Time so much; I love how hopeful it is, I love the fantasy elements, and I love the characters and their relationships.

Then, my Tolkien hyperfixation started when I went to go see The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies in theater. It was my first Tolkien movie, and although people often criticize The Hobbit movies (myself among them), I will always be grateful for that film. It drew me into Middle-Earth and kept me spellbound throughout the entire movie. I had read The Hobbit when I was younger, for a book club, so I was generally familiar with the story: I knew Bilbo and the dwarves journeyed to Erebor to take back the mountain from the dragon Smaug. Despite the changes in storyline that they made for the movie, I was able to follow along enough to enjoy it. This led me to watch the other Hobbit movies and some behind-the-scenes/making of videos.

Right around the time I started watching Once Upon a Time and saw The Battle of the Five Armies, my mom started letting me use her Pinterest account (and then shortly thereafter, she let me create my own). Pinterest was my gateway into social media, and more importantly in this case, fandom media. I knew Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook existed, but I didn’t know of Tumblr until Pinterest. I was surprised and delighted to find that people posted online about books, TV shows, and movies that I enjoyed. Tumblr posts on Pinterests were how I learned of the term “fandom” in the first place. They were how I learned of the “golden age of Tumblr,” of SuperWhoLock, of iconic Tumblr posts (e.g., none pizza with left beef), and of fandom overall.

This marked another turn: I stumbled across a piece of fanfiction. And I was enthralled. Most of my reading was Hobbit and Captainswan fanfics. However, I felt quite guilty for reading it, because my parents had told me that I shouldn’t browse any websites they hadn’t approved first. I didn’t ask them because I was scared they would say no, since they didn’t know what it was. So although I enjoyed reading fanfiction, I felt like I had to hide it from my family. Finally, after two weeks of summer camp and vacation where I didn’t have access to any electronic devices that I could read fanfiction on, the habit was broken, and I stopped reading fanfiction. However, I dreamed that perhaps one day, I could admit what I had done to my parents and I could read fanfiction again. (More on this later.)

Because I needed something to fill the gap that fanfiction left, I decided to dive into Tolkien’s stories. I read Lord of the Rings and then took on The Silmarillion. Those took me into my freshman year of high school, along with Marvel movies—I started watching those with some of my friends, and Marvel was one of my top hyperfixations for quite a while. I also discovered a few other fandoms in high school that I really enjoyed: two of the more well-known ones would be Fablehaven and The Selection (the latter was my first taste of a romance-focused series). I was still an avid Once Upon a Time fan, though my hyperfixation on it waned when season 7 aired (I didn’t watch past the first couple of episodes because the majority of the main cast was gone and the overall story was different).

In late high school, after Once Upon a Time had finally ended and my Marvel hyperfixation started dying down, I began watching Doctor Who. I had always thought the show sounded interesting, but it wasn’t until a friend of mine insisted I sit down and watch the first couple episodes with her that I decided I wanted to watch it. (I have never, ever watched a show for which I have gotten SO many spoilers. Never. Most of that was definitely my own fault, because I had seen lots of SuperWhoLock content on Pinterest and I wasn’t super careful about avoiding spoilers once I started watching the show, but occasionally I would just run into something on social media or a friend would tell me something. I still haven’t fully caught up on the show, lol.)

When I started college, I found a roommate who, among the many amazing things about her, shared a love of fandoms with me. We had a lot of big fandoms in common, but also some smaller or less-known ones too. Because of this, we have had tons of discussions about different fandoms, watched TV shows and movies together, and freaked out about new announcements concerning fandoms. To this day we still do those things; we’ve been sending each other stuff about the upcoming Percy Jackson TV series, and we watched the first two Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials together.

Another turning point came when I discovered the band Greta Van Fleet in 2021. Before this, I had enjoyed different bands, but I had never really found a favorite band, so to speak: one where I liked all the songs, where I knew all the members’ names, where I kept up to date with their tours, where I watched interviews with the band, where I knew lots of background info about the band, etc. Most times, I heard a few songs from a band and went “They’re cool, but I’m not hooked.” This time was different. I really liked their first song I heard, Talk On the Street, so I decided to check them out. I listened to their songs and thought, wow. Their songs match my taste in music SO well! I was like “YES, I’ve found a band that plays the exact kind of music I like to hear!”. Another reason I liked the band was that the songs were not all about drinking, drugs, and sex. Most of them were about other, more philosophical things, without any loss of rock ‘n roll. This, I would say, is really where music and fandom collided for me. A band fandom (“banddom”?) definitely feels different than a media/fiction-focused fandom, because these are real people, and as such, I’ve drawn different boundaries in terms of how I engage with it. My hyperfixation on Greta Van Fleet has calmed down a bit, but they still have a very special place in my heart.

My newest fandoms are Inkheart and Shadow & Bone/Six of Crows, which I discovered in 2022. Inkheart was one of the books that had been on my to-read list for forever, and I finally decided to read it. I absolutely loved it (and the sequels); the style really took me back to the start of my “fantasy phase” when I was younger. As for Shadow and Bone, one of my friends persuaded me to watch it, and one night when I didn’t have any schoolwork, I decided to watch a few episodes. After the third episode, I was invested enough that I had to finish the first season, and then I read the books before the next season came out. I hadn’t realized before what a large fandom the Six of Crows books had, but upon reading the books, I immediately understood why—the character arcs and relationships are so compelling, and the setting and plot aren’t what I would expect of the typical fantasy world in fiction. (Interestingly, Inkheart and Shadow & Bone/Six of Crows are the first two fandoms I have published fanfic for!)

Sometime during college, I started reading fanfiction again on and off. And I found myself comfortable with admitting to my parents/family that I used to read fanfiction, and that I read it now. I haven’t discussed it with them further, and still don’t really talk about it much (though sometimes I'll tell my sister about fics I’m reading). January 2023 saw me getting back into reading Tolkien fanfiction, especially Tolkien fanfiction. I found some of the old fanfics I had read during my first fanfiction era, and I felt like I was 14 again, reading the stories I had read back then. I reached out to one of the authors, and it gave me so much joy to tell this person, “Hey. I couldn’t tell you back then, but I read your stories years ago and they’re some of my favorite stories. Thank you.” I’ve kept reading Tolkien fanfiction since then, and weirdly enough, it prompted me to read The Silmarillion again (it was my third time through, and it was the easiest time I’ve had reading it by far). I’ve been in the grip of the Tolkien fandom all year, and I’m planning on sharing a “Fanfiction Wrapped” soon (well, it’s going to be a fic rec list, but now I’m thinking of doing a real Fanfiction Wrapped…lol) for my favorite Tolkien fics I’ve read this year, as well as the handful of fics for other fandoms I discovered in 2023. I’ve found so many great stories and wonderful authors this year, and I want other people to get to experience the joy of new stories and authors too. Plus I love finding fanfic rec lists, so I thought it would be fun to do a rec list of my own.

For so long, I didn’t realize how much of a community aspect there is to fandom—and I think that’s because my parents kept me safe from the internet. I understand that and I will always be grateful that they kept me protected from really nasty, dangerous things that are present on the internet. I don’t feel any resentment towards my parents for that whatsoever. But now, as an adult in my early 20s, I’ve discovered that I can make my own choices about the community side of fandom and how much I choose to participate in it. It’s still something I’m pretty tentative about, at least when it comes to posting publicly; I’m very aware that anything that is put on the internet may very well be there forever. Public Discord servers feel a bit more private, because you have to join them to see the conversations taking place there, but they’re still public. Especially at this point in time, internet safety and privacy is quite important. However, you can still have fun while being safe, so that’s what I’m hoping to do. I’ve created this blog, I’ve joined some public Discord servers for fandoms, and I’ve even posted fanfiction. I have no idea how much further I’ll go into the online world of fandoms and fandom community—or just into the world of internet interaction and posting in general—but I’m interested in seeing where the journey will take me.

And who knows, maybe there’s a kid (or teen, or young adult) out there like me, who is tentatively taking their first steps into fandom and figuring out what this is all about. If that’s you, hello! And if not, hello to you too!

At the start of the year, I discovered the song “Still Into You” by Paramore through a YouTube compilation of Hobbit TikToks. (Yes, I know, I’m literally 10 years late to the game on that song, lol.) But it made me think of all my fandoms that I’ve had hyperfixations on and that come up now and again, like the Tolkien fandom.

So, to my fandoms: after all this time, I’m still into you :)