#a birthday story for Rylie

[jrob64]

Taking on Mrs. Jones - a Captain Swan Modern AU story

This one-shot was inspired by a prompt on the CSMM Discord which ended up lending itself to a request made by @cs-rylie after my ‘heatwave’ story A Pirate’s Guide to Surviving the Heat. She wanted to read more about Emma and Killian role playing with him wearing his red vest, so I wrote this as a birthday gift for her. It’s a little late, my friend, but I hope you still like it!

Thank you to @everything-person for sharing the prompt, @motherkatereloyshipper for working her magic to turn Killian into Silver Fox for this story, @kmomof4​ for helping me plot out the story and @hookedmom​ for, you guessed it, being a rock star beta! 

Story summary: Killian Jones loves his wife Emma and his job as a history professor. When Zelena Green joins the department, she makes Killian uncomfortable with her relentless flirting, but she’ll find out that it’s not wise to mess with Mrs. Jones’s man!

Rating: M (for smut)

Words: 9935

Also found on Ao3 and ffn

*********

“Hey, Babe. How was work?” Emma Jones asked her husband of seven months as soon as he walked in the door.

“It was, uh…it was okay,” Killian answered haltingly, crossing the room to kiss her.

She pulled back, studying him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he shrugged. “What have we planned for dinner?”

She knew a diversion when she heard one and could tell by his body language something was bothering him. “Uh-uh. Nice try, buddy. Did something happen at work today?”

He dropped his eyes and began rubbing at his jaw with his thumb under his chin. Seeing one of his telltale nervous habits, Emma began to get a little worried. She stepped closer to run her hands up his chest, looping her arms around his neck.

“Talk to me, Killian,” she crooned. “You know you can tell me anything.”

He gripped her hips and dragged his eyes up to meet hers. “You know how I told you there was a new professor starting in the history department this week?” At her nod, he continued, “Well, she’s…a bit…flirtatious.”

Emma wasn’t surprised in the least that another woman was attracted to her husband. When she met him as his grad assistant in college, she was so tongue-tied she could barely speak. With his strong, scruff-covered jawline, dark hair with streaks of silver, muscular body, and eyes the color of sapphires, he was the most exquisitely handsome man she had ever seen. Then, just when her brain reminded her she actually did know how to form words, he spoke to her and she was a goner. His smooth, British accent curled around every word and sent shivers racing down her spine.

As gorgeous as he was though, she never worried that he would ever want to be with another woman. He told her he had been completely smitten from the moment they met, and would always be unwaveringly faithful to her. She was the love of his life and he was hers, and when they eventually spoke their wedding vows, they both meant every word.

Her fingers feathered through the silver strands of hair at his temples. When they started dating after she finished her master’s degree four years ago, he planned to get the gray touched up. He reasoned that he was already twelve years her senior and didn’t want to appear even older, but she wouldn’t allow it. She adored the fact that he was turning into a ‘silver fox’ and paid special attention to those areas of his hair quite often.

“Did you hide from her in your office all day?” Emma teased, pleased to see it had the desired effect of making the tips of his ears turn red - another trait she found adorable.

“You could stroke a man’s ego by showing a little bit of jealousy, Swan,” he groused.

“There are a lot of things you have that I love to stroke,” she giggled. “Your ego does not happen to be one of them.”

He sighed dramatically, but couldn’t keep the corners of his lips from turning up. They had known each other for over five years, and dated for three before getting engaged. They knew each other in nearly every way possible, so he was completely aware she was secure in their relationship.

“Seriously,” she went on, “how exactly did she flirt with you and why did it bother you?”

“I’ll tell you as we prepare dinner,” he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

*********

Killian had just gotten to his office with his morning cup of coffee the first time Zelena approached him.

“Well, good morning neighbor,” she greeted loudly from his doorway. “My office appears to be right next to yours. I’m sure you remember seeing me when the department head’s assistant showed me around. In case you have forgotten, my name is Zelena Green. Yours is Dr. Killian Jones, is it not?”

He rose and walked around his desk to meet her. “Welcome, Professor Green,” he said, offering his hand. “And you are correct. Killian Jones, at your service.” He wasn’t impressed that she remembered his name, especially since it was on the plaque beside the door.

She shook his hand with both of hers, holding on for longer than necessary. “Please call me Zelena,” she simpered with a wicked smile on her bright red lips.

He refrained from wiping his hand on his trousers once she finally released it. “Well, Zelena, if you, um, if you have any questions, just let me know,” he said, resuming his seat behind his desk.

“Oh, I most definitely will,” she grinned, standing in the same spot several moments longer, before finally disappearing down the hall.

Killian was still checking his emails ten minutes later when Zelena’s face appeared around the doorframe once again. “Killian, would you be a dear and show me how to scan and email a document?” she asked in a sickly sweet voice.

“Uh, sure,” he replied, minimizing his mailbox and rolling his chair away from his desk. He followed her to the copier room, wondering if she always had that much sway to her hips as she walked.

As he pointed out how to enter her copier code, where to place the document, and how to type the email address into the little keyboard which pulled out from the front of the machine, she stood as close to him as possible, her shoulder brushing against his.

He finished his explanation and turned to go, but she reached out and wrapped her hand around his forearm. “Oh, please stay to make sure I do it right, Killian,” she purred.

Attempting to wiggle out of her grasp, he replied as politely as he could, “It’s really not that difficult, Ms. Green.”

“Now, Killian, I told you to call me Zelena. We are going to be working together very, VERY closely and it just won’t do for us to be so formal with each other.”

He swallowed down his agitation. “Very well, Zelena. I’ll stay to make sure you get the document sent correctly, but then I really must get back. I have to verify my class lists and begin preparing my lessons.”

“Oh, poo,” she scoffed. “Classes don’t start for another two days. You have plenty of time to get ready.”

“That’s not the way I operate,” he stated. “Now, if you would be so kind…” Gesturing toward the copier, he raised his brows at her, clearly indicating his wish for her to proceed.

Giving him another toothy smile before turning back to the machine, she took her time placing the document on the glass, adjusting it several times before finally closing the lid and hitting the scan button. Then she pulled out the keyboard and slowly entered the email, looking at the slip of paper on which it was written after every letter.

Anxious to return to his office, and get away from Zelena, Killian gritted his teeth every time she bumped her hip into his. Finally, with the document scanned and emailed, he said, “See? Nothing to it.”

Her hand fastened around his arm again. “I’m never any good at figuring out these machines. You must be a very good teacher, Dr. Jones.”

“Well, that’s why they pay me,” he replied blandly.

Her raucous laughter grated on his nerves as he exited the room.

*********

“Did she leave you alone after that?” Emma asked, cutting the tomatoes into wedges before adding them to the salad.

Killian reached around her to take a paring knife out of the block, leaving a kiss on her cheek as he did. “I would love to tell you she did, but I wasn’t that fortunate.”

*********

Killian was in the staff lunch room, chatting with his colleague Jasmine as they ate, when Zelena marched into the room.

“Oh, goody! I’m just in time! I hate eating by myself.” She pulled a gaudy green lunch bag out of the refrigerator and plopped down in the chair beside Killian, scooting it closer to him in the process.

He gave Jasmine an apologetic look. “Have you met the new addition to our staff?” he asked her.

Before she had a chance to answer, Zelena spouted, “Oh, yes. I met everyone this morning. You’re Josephine, right?”

“Actually, it’s Jas-” Jasmine attempted to correct.

“How are the lesson plans coming along, Killian?” Zelena interrupted, knocking her elbow against his as she removed a container of yogurt from her bag. “Oh, drat. I seem to have forgotten my napkin. May I borrow one of yours, Josephine?”

She stood from her seat and leaned across the table, positioning her ample cleavage mere inches in front of Killian’s face.

What followed was a very awkward lunch, with Zelena dominating the conversation, practically ignoring Jasmine, and touching Killian every chance she got. At one point, she dropped her hand to the inside of his thigh, giving it a squeeze. He nearly jumped out of his seat at the unexpected contact. Quickly, he pushed away from the table, and declared that he was finished eating, then left the room, his face burning with embarrassment and annoyance.

*********

Emma squeezed his wrist above his prosthesis as they sat down to eat at their dining room table. “My poor lover,” she sympathized. “Maybe once the newness of being around you wears off, she’ll stop flirting with you.”

Killian let out a deep sigh. “I hope so. I don’t want to have to fend off her advances every day.”

Emma wasn’t at all jealous of the brash woman, but hated that she was changing the pleasant atmosphere of her husband’s workplace into one he might begin to dread.

As she sprinkled sunflower seeds on her salad, she asked, “Did she bother you at all after lunch?”

He swallowed his bite of salmon before answering, “I had a meeting with my new grad assistant for most of the afternoon, so she didn’t have much of a chance.”

She paused with her fork halfway to her mouth. “What’s your new ‘grad ass’ like? Anyone I should be worried about?” she smirked.

“Only if you’re threatened by a twenty-six year old man with a wife and toddler. You know there will only ever be one grad whose ass I love,” he said, his dimples flashing.

“Yeah, I do,” she assured him. “It was just a one time thing that will last for the rest of our lives.”

Once dinner was finished and the kitchen set to rights, Emma asked to see Killian’s class schedule. The museum where she worked as curator was close to campus, so they always tried to find at least one day during the week to meet for lunch. She found a mutual time period on Tuesdays and they entered it as a recurring event in their phones.

When she noticed he had clicked from his schedule to his lesson plans, she reached over and shut his laptop. “All work and no play makes Dr. Jones a dull boy,” she sing-songed.

He set the computer on the end table and turned back toward her. “What kind of play did you have in mind, Mrs. Jones?” he asked with a knowing smirk. His wife had an almost insatiable libido and he was more than happy to satisfy it.

“Mmm, let me see,” she hummed, climbing into his lap to straddle him. Immediately, she felt his cock beginning to swell against her thinly covered core. “I was thinking maybe we could play the princess and the pirate.”

Killian’s grin stretched across his face. As a history buff, he had a small collection of period clothing, and one of Emma’s favorites was a red, double breasted, brocade vest which she insisted made him look like a pirate captain.

His hand and prosthesis moved to her hips. “Is the princess my captive, or has she boarded my ship on her own accord?”

She threw her head back and closed her eyes, the back of her hand resting against her forehead as if she felt faint. “Oh, I simply couldn’t take staying in that stuffy old castle another moment,” she sighed theatrically. “I just had to stow away on your ship, seeking adventure on the high seas.”

“Well, milady, if it’s adventure you seek, adventure you shall have.” Pulling her tightly against him, he stood to his feet and swiftly made his way to their bedroom, while her fingers tangled in his hair and her tongue traced the shell of his ear.

He deposited her on the bed, then unbuttoned his shirt and removed it. Moving to the closet, he emerged a few minutes later dressed in a black shirt with billowy sleeves, and the red vest.

“No leather pants?” she pouted.

“Removing my jeans and getting into my leathers seems like too much work,” he explained, “especially in my…condition.” He gestured toward the noticeable bulge beneath his zipper.

Shifting into character, Emma crawled across the bed to kneel on it in front of him. “I can help you with that problem, Captain,” she purred.

“You’re the cause of this problem, Princess,” he growled, reaching forward to twist a lock of her blonde hair around his finger.

Her hands stretched toward his chest, but he batted them away. “Ah, ah, ah, Princess,” he barked, his voice deeper than usual. “You might be royalty on your shores, but here, you are a mere stowaway, so let me tell you how it works on my ship. I make the demands, you follow them, and if you desire anything, you must ask with all due respect to your Captain.”

He watched her pupils dilate with desire. These were roles they had played several times over the years and it always turned her on immensely.

Acting on his instructions, she dropped her head and looked up at him through her lashes. “Please, Captain, may I have permission to touch you?”

He widened his stance and folded his arms across his chest, tilting his head and poking his tongue into his cheek as he considered her request. Finally, his left brow raised high on his forehead and his glower morphed into a sly grin. “You may touch me, but only with one hand,” he lifted his left forearm to show her that he had replaced his prosthesis with a metal hook, “for that is all I will use to touch you.”

“Yes, Captain, but if I may…” He nodded for her to continue. “I would not mind you touching me with your hook. In fact, I think it would be quite…enjoyable.”

Killian saw the flush of desire creeping up her chest and throat into her face. She was still dressed in a simple V-neck blouse and leggings, but he didn’t want to interrupt their role play to allow her to change.

Unfolding his arms and stepping closer, he replied, “As you wish,” then slid the hook up her bare arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

Emma’s right hand slid up the front of his vest, toying with the brass buttons. When she reached his skin, her nails scratched into his dark chest hair, flecked with gray.

His hook found its way to her neck, pushing strands of hair over her shoulder. Then he leaned down and pressed his lips to the newly exposed skin and sucked. Knowing he was leaving a mark gave him a thrill and he left two more just above her collarbone.

“Captain,” she moaned, “may I touch you with my mouth?”

“Not yet,” he mumbled against her throat.

She grumbled about his answer and he pulled back to look at her. “Is the Princess complaining?”

“No, Captain, it’s just that you’re bringing me so much pleasure, I want to reciprocate.” He kept his intense gaze on her for several seconds, until she began to squirm. “C-Captain, please. I meant no disrespect,” she assured him, bowing her head.

“Remove your garments,” he ordered. As she quickly crossed her arms and reached for the hem of her shirt, he added, “Slowly! I want to savor seeing every inch of that creamy skin as you expose it.”

Swallowing hard at his seductive tone, she dragged her blouse up her body, feeling his hungry eyes on her the entire time. Once her shirt was tossed on the floor, she wasn’t sure whether to remove her bra or her leggings next.

Sensing her indecision, Killian stepped forward to trace his finger across the cup of her royal blue bra. “I would like to see the treasure hidden underneath this,” he murmured.

She reached behind her back to unhook the undergarment, her eyes never leaving his face. She adored how he still looked at her with a mixture of love and lust, even after being together for several years. When the bra was unfastened, she dipped her shoulders to shrug out of it, letting it drop to the bed.

Killian licked his lips, his eyes darting up to hers for a fraction of a second before returning to her breasts. He brushed his fingertips over her already hardening nipples, bringing them to sharp peaks. “Bloody glorious,” he whispered.

Emma stayed still, awaiting his next command while enjoying the sensations he was creating. His hand fondled her left breast, his hook lifting the right so he could dip his head and suck the nipple into his mouth.

Her head fell back, moans moving up her throat. They doubled in intensity when his gravelly voice vibrated against her sensitive skin, “Do you like that, Princess?”

“Y-yes, Captain,” she answered breathlessly.

His hook glided down her belly, the cool metal producing shivers throughout her body. He slid it under the waistband of her leggings and down to the apex of her thighs, rubbing it against her mound. “You have pleased your Captain, so I’m going to give you a choice. Shall I fuck you with my fingers and hook, or my cock?”

Emma’s hooded eyes found his and he nearly broke character seeing how black with wanton passion they were. “Can I choose…both?” she asked in a small, wary voice.

“No!” he barked. “One or the other, greedy lass!” He could see the desperate indecision in her expression and softened a bit. “However…you may earn that reward, if you make the right choice.”

She bit her lip in contemplation for several moments, before quietly saying, “Please fuck me with your fingers and hook, Captain.”

He grinned salaciously. “You have chosen wisely.”

A tingle of excitement zipped through her. “What must I do to earn the reward?” she inquired eagerly.

“You will have to wait and see. Now, bare yourself completely for your Captain.”

She clambered off the bed to hurriedly shed her leggings and underwear, standing naked before him on legs trembling with anticipation when she finished.

He sauntered over and stood before her, his thumb hooked over his belt buckle as he looked her up and down. “Lovely,” he breathed. “Now, if you can undress me, you will get what you are craving.”

Emma grinned, happy the reward was going to be easily earned. Her hands reached toward his belt, only to be knocked away once again.

“If you cannot follow the rules, you will get nothing!” he spat.

Her lust hazed brain tried to remember what rule she was breaking. As it finally dawned on her, she tucked her left arm behind her back and gave him a questioning look.

“That’s better,” he confirmed. “You may only use one hand, but…” she looked at him expectantly, “you may use your mouth, if you wish.”

Licking her lips, she grasped the end of his belt and tugged, pulling it loose before tucking it through the buckle. Glancing up at him, she bent to take the leather between her teeth and moved backwards to pull it free of the belt loops. It took her a frustratingly long time to pop the button of his jeans using only one hand, but she made quick work of lowering the zipper over his hardened cock.

Instead of pushing his pants down his legs, she straightened up and began unbuttoning his vest. The brass buttons were easier to push through the soft material and she soon had all of them undone. The small shirt buttons were next and she huffed in annoyance before starting on them.

He was growing impatient, anxious to touch her again, the scent of her arousal hitting his nose and making him ache with need. Once his shirt was unbuttoned, he stepped away from her, shrugging out of the vest and stripping off the shirt, then shoving his jeans down, leaving him in only his boxers.

“Now, finish the job, Princess,” he ordered.

Her hand darted out toward the elastic of his underwear, but she pulled it back at the last second. After throwing him a sultry look, she took the waistband in her teeth and lifted it over his swollen erection, dropping to her knees to drag the boxers down his legs. Her hand pushed them over his ass, which she then squeezed.

He used his fingers to tilt her chin up, making her look at him. “Ha-have I earned my reward, Captain?” she asked, her eyes pleading with him.

“Aye, Princess, you have,” he said hoarsely. “Get on the bed. Hands and knees.”

Her eyes widened, understanding his meaning. A slow smile spread across her face and he answered with one of his own. He was quite aware it was one of her favorite positions.

She climbed onto the bed and positioned herself in the middle of it, looking back at him over her shoulder as she swayed her ass back and forth.

He knelt behind her on the mattress, running his hand and hook over the perfect globes in front of him. As his hook slid through the cleft, he bent forward to hold his index finger to her mouth. “Open,” he demanded. She obeyed immediately, sucking and licking his finger when he inserted it, knowing he wanted it to be nice and wet.

Once he was satisfied, he brought his hand back, briefly rimmed her puckered hole, drawing a moan from her, then slid his finger through her folds. She was already slick and ready for him, but he decided to tease her a bit first. He could hear her draw in a breath every time the tip of his finger brushed her opening, but he stopped short of pushing inside. Instead, he bumped it against her clit before drawing it back slowly, over and over. He heard the wet sounds and smelled the strong scent of her arousal.

Deciding to add his hook to the foreplay, he brought it between her legs and began rubbing it against her clit. The effect he was having on her was apparent in the way her thighs were shaking and by the quick gasps coming out of her mouth.

“Killian…” she panted.

He jerked both his hand and hook away immediately.

“Fuck!” she cursed in exasperation, her need for him clouding her brain.

Wanting to bring her attention back to their game, he slapped her lightly on the ass. “Princess,” he growled menacingly, “am I going to have to gag you?”

Suddenly, she realized her mistake. “No, Captain! I’m sorry! I…it won’t happen again!”

He slapped her again, making her jump. “See that it doesn’t, or as punishment, you will have to watch me pleasure myself as you remain bereft of my touch.”

She groaned at the thought. Even though it turned her on to see him stroking himself, to be deprived of his promised rewards would be torture. “Yes, Captain. I understand.”

Satisfied, he resumed his actions, slipping his fingers and hook through her slick folds a few more times until he finally pushed two fingers inside her. She whimpered and thrust her pelvis backwards, seeking even more friction.

He rested his left arm across her lower back and began plunging his fingers in and out of her in earnest. Her hands gripped the sheets until her knuckles were white, her mouth emitting a string of pleading moans. “Pleeeeease, Captain! Oh, pleeease!”

Adding a third finger, he leaned forward and whispered hotly into her ear, “Tell me what you’re begging for, Princess. I want to hear those filthy words falling from that pretty, little mouth.”

She drew in a ragged breath before gasping, “Please, use your hook…make me come. Make me fucking come!”

He grinned and did as she asked, lightly grinding the curve of the hook against her clit as his fingers continued bringing her pleasure. Her arms could no longer hold her and she dropped her head to the mattress. Seeing how close she was, he increased the pressure on her bundle of nerves and she fell apart with a scream of “Yes, yes!”

A wave of frantic need rushed through his body as her walls clamped tightly around his fingers. Pulling them free, he wrapped them around his engorged shaft and lubricated it as he stroked. Grabbing her hips, he plunged inside her.

She widened her stance and turned her head to the side, her searching hands finding a pillow to grip. The sight of her tightly closed eyes and open mouth, puffing out guttural sounds with every thrust he made, had his orgasm slamming into him much sooner than expected. His hot seed shot deep into her as he jerked and rutted against her.

Completely spent, he pulled the brace and hook off of his arm and tossed it on the floor, then withdrew and gently eased her to the mattress. Laying down beside her, he tenderly brushed sweaty, tangled strands of hair out of her face, waiting for her eyes to open. When they did, his breath caught at the depth of love and bliss he saw there.

“You alright, Love?” he asked.

“Mmm, yeah, I’m good,” she murmured. “Really good.”

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he worried.

She brought her hand up to cup his cheek, her thumb softly caressing his bottom lip. “You could never hurt me, my love. I trust you completely. I always feel very comfortable asking you to role play with me.”

His dimpled smile was one of relief and admiration. “I’m glad you do because it’s extremely enjoyable for me.”

She gave him a sleepy smile, and he kissed her briefly, then rolled to the side of the bed. “I’ll get a warm cloth for you, Sweetheart.”

Once he cleaned her and himself, he got their pajamas out of the dresser. They donned them, then cuddled together under the covers, sharing kisses and murmuring endearments into each other’s skin.

Killian was nearly asleep when he heard Emma mumble, “You’re mine, Killian. No one and nothing will ever take you away from me.”

“Aye, that’s right, Love. I’m yours forever. I love you.”

“Love you, too,” she yawned, then fell asleep in his arms.

*********

It seemed working with Killian daily did not cause Zelena to back off. Nearly every evening when he came home, he shared another story of her flirtatious behavior.

“I don’t know what else to do,” he complained to Emma one evening as they relaxed on the sofa together after dinner. “I blatantly twist my wedding band around my finger when talking to her, I put our wedding photo in a prominent spot on my desk where she’s sure to see it when she stops in, and I talk about you all the time. She has to know that I’m very happily married, but it doesn’t phase her.”

“Maybe she’s just that way to every man,” Emma suggested.

“No, I’ve seen her interactions with other men in our department and she acts nothing like that around them. She’s usually very snarky and keeps her distance. Some of the other staff members have even started making remarks about how flirty she is with me.”

She sat up and looked at him. “Do you think you should report her for sexual harrassment?”

He sighed. “I’ve thought of that, but honestly, she hasn’t done anything truly inappropriate; it’s just innuendos and brushing up against me, but never in areas that are strictly off-limits. I don’t want to be downright rude, but I’m not sure how to navigate this short of filing a formal complaint.”

Emma brushed his wayward hair off his forehead then bent to press her lips to it. “If I know my husband, and I do, you don’t want to hurt her feelings by saying anything, but I think it’s time you do. You shouldn’t have to put up with unwanted comments and being touched.”

Heaving another deep sigh, he agreed, “I guess you’re right. I’ll do that next time.”

“Good,” she said, laying her head back down on his chest. “You’ll have to tell me how it goes.”

*********

Two days later he came home and reported that it hadn’t gone well.

“Why? How did she respond?” his wife asked, brows furrowed. The woman was beginning to really get under Emma’s skin. As Killian related the story, her anger started to build. She didn’t see Zelena as a threat to their marriage, but she could see how much it bothered Killian and she wanted it to stop.

*********

“Killian, would you be an absolute dear and help me with my computer?” Zelena said, striding into his office five minutes after his final class of the day ended. “It keeps kicking me off of the Wifi.”

“That sounds like a job for the tech team,” he replied, not looking up from his computer screen, where he was answering an email from one of his students.

She clicked her tongue. “You know how they are - you put in a request and it takes them forever to get back to you.”

“Ask for Jeff. He always shows up as soon as I make a request,” Killian informed her, his fingers still pecking away at the keyboard.

He hadn’t even realized she was behind him until her hand came down on top of his to stop his movements. He sucked in a breath and bit back a sharp retort.

“But I just know you can fix the problem in a heartbeat,” she simpered. “Won’t you please try for little old me?”

Withdrawing his hand from underneath hers, he rolled his chair to the side and spun it around to face her. “Look, Zelena, fixing computers really isn’t my area and I find it very uncomfortable how you’re invading my personal space right now.”

She brought a hand up to her chest as she gave a surprised gasp. “Oh, Dr. Jones, I never meant to make you uncomfortable! How very thoughtless of me!” Instead of moving away from him, she leaned against the edge of his desk and crossed her arms under her breasts, pushing them up and making her ample cleavage more apparent. Her eyes bore into his until he swallowed and looked away. When he did, she barked out a short laugh and quipped, “There’s no reason to be afraid of me, you know. I’m just being…friendly.” Pushing herself away from his desk, she walked her fingers up his bicep to his shoulder.

Gritting his teeth, he reached up and used his index finger and thumb to lift her hand away. “I would very much appreciate it if you would keep your hands to yourself. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a happily married man.”

Laughing again, she walked around his desk, turning to him in the doorway to say, “I really don’t see that as a problem, Dr. Jones.”

*********

Emma’s blood boiled. Was that woman really saying she had no regard for the sanctity of their marriage? It certainly sounded like she meant to continue making the moves on Killian, in spite of him telling her to stay away from him.

“What are you going to do?” she asked her husband.

He shrugged. “I guess I’ll just keep rebuffing her and hope she finally gives up. She’s rather like a gnat - annoying, but not any kind of threat. You know my heart belongs to you.”

“Yeah, and your body, too,” she replied, sliding her hand up inside his shirt and along his ribcage.

“Every. Single. Part. Of. Me,” he said, punctuating each word with a kiss.

*********

Killian was scheduled to attend a three-day conference in Denver during Fall break and Emma cleared her work calendar to go along with him. They planned to stay two more days after the conference was over to spend more time alone together and do some sightseeing.

Then he came home and told her Zelena Green also planned to attend the same conference.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Emma lamented. “Can you not get away from that witch?”

“The good news is she’s on a different flight with the other staff members who are going,” he informed her. “However, she did send me an email asking for my cell phone number so she can contact me while we’re there.”

“She doesn’t already have it? I thought there was a staff directory with all that information.”

“There is, but apparently she hasn’t discovered that yet. It really won’t do her much good anyway because the number in there isn’t correct. Remember how we switched numbers when we added your phone to my plan? I never changed it in the directory.”

Inspiration struck Emma. “Does she know I’m going with you?”

“Nobody does. I didn’t think it was any of their business.”

“Good. Don’t change the number in the directory and tell Zelena she can find your number there,” she grinned. “I have a plan.”

He tilted his head and raised a brow. “Just what are you plotting, my devious wife?”

Giggling, she said, “Let me have some fun with her and maybe when this trip is over, she’ll finally leave you alone.”

*********

After Killian sent the email telling Zelena his number was in the directory, she wasted no time sending a text, which went through to Emma’s phone while she was still at work.

Z: I’m trying to contact Dr. Jones. Please let me know if I have the correct number.

E: You do.

Z: I’m looking forward to going to this conference. It will be nice spending time with you away from campus.

E: Please use this number for professional purposes only.

Z: LOL! Whatever you say, Dr. Jones!

Emma forwarded the conversation to Killian, who replied by sending an eye-rolling emoji.

*********

Killian and Emma arrived in Denver early Monday afternoon a day before the conference. He knew the other three members of the history department, including Zelena, wouldn’t check into the hotel until that evening, having taken a later flight.

The couple had discussed Emma’s ideas for showing the bothersome woman how much they loved each other, hopefully convincing her to stop her flirtatious behavior. To make it happen, they had to use the element of surprise, which meant none of his colleagues could know Emma was with Killian. He wasn’t keen on the idea, not wanting her to have to stay in the hotel room while he spent time with the others, but she assured him she had plenty to do for work and didn’t mind having time to herself to watch movies and catch up on sleep.

In the meantime, they decided to take advantage of their hours alone in the city. They walked hand-in-hand through the streets, enjoying the crisp Autumn air as they window shopped, enjoyed a steak dinner and found a bakery that offered them a variety of sweet treats.

Once they were back in their hotel room, relaxing as they watched Monday Night Football, Emma’s phone dinged with a text. Reading it, a grin slowly spread across her face. “And so it begins,” she said, showing it to her husband.

Z: Just got to the hotel, safe and sound. I’m so happy I have a room to myself. How is your room?

E: It’s a typical hotel room. I’m glad all of you arrived safely.

Z: I might unwind by watching a movie. You’re welcome to join me.

E: No, thank you. Please remember that I’ve asked you to use this number only for professional reasons. I’m expecting to talk to my wife very soon.

Z: Gotta stay in touch with the old ball and chain, huh? LOL!

Emma read the message and scoffed. “I’m not even going to send a response to that.”

“Grand idea, Love,” Killian said, taking her phone and tossing it into the chair across the room. “Now, I’d really like to do what she said and stay in touch with my ball and chain.”

Her giggles at his words soon turned to moans when he used his mouth much more pleasurably.

*********

Killian hated leaving Emma alone when he left the hotel room early the next morning. He wanted to at least eat with her, but the conference was providing breakfast and lunch and he knew his colleagues would wonder why he was eating in his room if he didn’t join them. They settled on having a cup of terrible coffee together from the two-cup coffee maker in the room.

She assured him she had plenty of work to do on her laptop preparing for an upcoming event at the museum, kissed him goodbye, and sent him on his way. As soon as he entered the great hall where the first session would be held, Zelena spotted him and drew his attention by standing, waving madly and shouting, “Over here, Killian!”

Making his way across the room, he felt his face heating as many heads turned his way to see the target of the outburst. He sat in the seat beside Archie, not missing the pout Zelena sent his way because he chose not to sit beside her.

After the opening session, they broke into groups to attend workshops and Killian was relieved to find he was in a different room than Zelena. It was short-lived however, as fifteen minutes after the presentation started, Zelena slid into the vacant chair to his left, loudly whispering that her workshop was ‘as dry as the Mojave Desert’.

Killian tried to stay focused, purposely ignoring her when she kept asking him to explain what the speaker was talking about. He suffered through lunch with her, enduring smirks from Jasmine and Archie, then excused himself to go to the restroom before the afternoon session.

Instead, he went back to his room, breathing a sigh of relief when he was on the other side of the door. He found Emma sitting cross-legged on the bed, her laptop in front of her. She looked up and gave him a beaming smile.

“If I sat like that to work on my computer, I’d have to go to the chiropractor for two weeks,” he laughed.

Hopping up off the bed, she hurried around it to envelop him in a hug. “I didn’t think I’d get to see you until late this afternoon.”

He kissed her temple and muttered against her hair, “I needed a break.”

“From Witchy-poo?” she asked cheekily.

Sighing, he nodded his head and told her about Zelena’s antics that morning, adding, “I really wish Tom hadn’t backed out of this conference. That’s the only reason she was able to come.”

She squeezed him tighter, then pressed her lips to his, murmuring her apologies against them once the kiss ended. When her phone vibrated on the bedside table, she kissed him again, then turned to pick it up.

After glancing at the screen, she bit her lip, trying to hide her mirth.

“What now?” he asked.

“She wants to know what’s taking you so long.”

“Oh, for the love of fuck,” he groaned.

“Do you want me to answer?”

He checked the time on her phone. “No, I’ve got to get back anyway. The next session starts in ten minutes. I’m going to go straight to the room so she won’t know where I am. I feel like I’m playing hide-and-seek.”

She laughed and kissed him one more time before turning him toward the door. “Well, I hope you win, Babe.”

“I already won when I married you,” he quipped.

She giggled. “You’re such a nerd.”

“And you love me for it.”

“Mmhmm, and I’ll be waiting right here to show you how much when you get back,” she said, pinching his ass.

“Bad form, Swan. Now that’s all I’m going to think about for the rest of the afternoon,” he growled.

“Yeah, I know. That’s why I said it,” she smirked.

He spun around and pulled her into his arms, kissing her soundly and leaving her breathless. Then he went out the door, throwing her a shit-eating grin before closing it behind him.

*********

He got through the afternoon workshop without Zelena joining him, but when it was almost over, he got a text from Emma.

E: Thought I would send you this conversation I just had with the witch.

Z: This day has been so dreadfully boring and long. Why don’t we meet this evening for a drink?

E: No, thank you. Jet lag is setting in and I want to get my notes organized from today. Please remember that I’ve asked you to send only professional texts to my phone.

Z: How could I forget? You really need to loosen up a bit, Dr. Jones.

Killian glanced around the room, then tapped out a quick response.

K: Did you end it there?

E: Yeah, I didn’t dignify that with a response.

K: You did well, Love.

The session ended a few minutes later. He sent a text to his colleagues telling them he was ordering in for dinner, then headed straight up to his room, where he and Emma spent a very enjoyable evening together.

*********

The second day of the conference was fairly uneventful and Killian thought he had gotten by without being propositioned by Zelena, but when the group of colleagues met after the last session, they decided to go out to eat together. He knew if he declined again, they might start to feel offended, so he texted Emma.

K: They want to go out to eat this evening. I don’t want to go, but I don’t really have a good excuse to give them.

E: Just go with them, Babe. I’m sure you have a lot to discuss about everything you’ve heard over the last two days. It’s not a big deal. I’ll just call DoorDash. I’ll miss you, but I’ll see you soon.

K: If you insist, but you know I would rather be with you. I love you.

E: I do know and I love you, too.

*********

Killian did end up enjoying dinner and the conversation with his fellow professors. Towards the end of the meal, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and surreptitiously checked it under the table.

E: Z just sent you an invitation to have a drink with her by yourselves after the others have gone to their rooms.

He excused himself to go to the restroom, knowing it would be difficult to answer her at the table. Once he had some privacy, he called his wife. “Did you answer her?” he asked.

“Not yet. Do you want me to mess with her or just make up an excuse?”

“How would you mess with her?”

“Tell her you’ll have a drink, lead her on a little to set her up for meeting me?”

Killian considered for a few seconds. “No, I think I would rather do that tomorrow before she leaves the next day. Besides, I’ve been away from you far too long already, Love.”

“I won’t argue with that,” she agreed. “I’ll fire off a text to her, then. She’s probably wondering why you haven’t responded to her yet.”

“I’m sure she is. I’ll wait in here until you send it. See you in a few, Sweetheart.”

A minute later, he got another text.

E: Okay, told her you want to watch the hockey game and get a good night’s sleep. She sent a frowny face emoji. BTW, I didn’t mention she should only use your phone for professional reasons again. Make her think you’re letting your defenses down a little.

K: You’re bloody brilliant, Swan.

When he returned to the table, Zelena had a distinct pout on her face and he faked a cough to hide his laugh.

*********

“Are you really okay with this plan, Love?” Killian asked the next morning before heading down to the conference.

The evening before, they discussed again how they were going to handle Zelena and hopefully stop her advances once and for all. It depended on her once again asking him to get a drink with her, and they were sure she would play right into their hands.

“Yeah, I have a really good feeling this is going to work,” she replied, then sent him off with a kiss.

*********

After three days of workshops and speakers, the group of colleagues agreed they were ready to relax in their rooms before getting up early to go to the airport. Killian still hadn’t revealed that he was planning to stay two more days and went along with their decision.

He went back to his room, where he and Emma waited for Zelena to send a text.

“Maybe she finally gave up,” Emma said, after waiting almost an hour.

“I don’t believe that for a minute,” Killian said. “I would wager she’s packing or taking a shower first.”

Sure enough, ten minutes later, a message came through Emma’s phone.

Z: It’s our last night here and your last chance to have a drink with me, Killian. What’s the harm in having just one little drink?

Emma shared a smirk with her husband. “Let the fun begin.”

E: Oh, what the hell? Sure, I’ll have a drink with you, but I’d rather not take the risk of our colleagues seeing us. Would you be comfortable coming to my room? I happen to have a bottle of rum.

It took less all of three seconds for the three response bubbles to pop up.

Z: Perfect! What is your room number?

E: 511

Z: I’ll be up in a minute!

E: I’ll be waiting.

Emma grinned at her husband as she went to the closet to grab one of his button-down shirts. “I wasn’t lying. I will be waiting,” she said. “Tap on the door when you’re ready for me to come out. Just don’t let her go too far.”

“You don’t need to worry about that, Love,” he assured her. “The sooner we have this showdown, the better.”

She kissed his cheek, wiping away the telltale lipstick before going into the bathroom and closing the door.

Less than a minute later, there was a knock at the room door. Killian drew in a deep breath, blew it out slowly, then opened it to reveal Zelena standing there, dressed in a short, black dress with a low, scooped neckline and black heels at least four inches high.

Without waiting for an invitation, she glided past him into the room. “I was afraid you were going to let this golden opportunity pass by,” she grinned wickedly.

“Golden opportunity?” he questioned.

“You know,” she purred, stepping close to him and walking the fingers of both hands up his chest, “being here without your wife. As the saying goes, when the cat’s away, the mice will play. Or in this case, it’s the cat who is doing the playing. Me-ow!”

“So,” he said, stealthily moving in front of the bathroom door, “I guess that makes you a mouse?” His fingers lightly rapped against the door.

“It does if you intend to play with…” Zelena began, cutting off when the bathroom door opened and Emma stepped out, dressed in nothing but Killian’s shirt and her underwear.

Killian would have given anything to have a picture of Zelena’s face the moment she spotted Emma. Her jaw dropped and her eyes went as wide as saucers.

“Zelena, I’d like to introduce you to my wife, Emma Jones,” he said, trying to keep the mirth out of his voice.

“Your w-wife?” she squeaked.

“It’s good to finally meet you,” Emma said, interlacing her fingers over her husband’s shoulder, thoroughly enjoying the stunned look on the other woman’s face. “And just to clear things up, he might want to play, but it will be with me, not a rat like you.”

“But…you…we…how…?” Zelena stammered.

“You see,” Emma began, “Killian has been telling me about how uncomfortable you’re making him at work, and how he’s tried to rebuff your advances. Since you’ve chosen to ignore his wishes, we thought we would stage this little intervention. What you need to understand is, he’s MY husband and you WILL stop making innuendos and touching him. Am I making myself perfectly clear?”

When Zelena didn’t answer, but just stood there gaping like a fish out of water, Killian spoke up, “I think you stated that quite succinctly, Mrs. Jones.”

“Why, thank you very much, Mr. Jones. I don’t want to leave any doubt in her mind that she is to leave you alone. Unless, of course, she wants you to file sexual harassment charges against her. We do have all of her texts as proof.”

They both turned their eyes back to Zelena, who flushed a deep shade of red, her face morphing from shock to fury. “How dare you…” she sputtered.

Emma dropped her hands and took a determined step forward into the other woman’s space, pointing her finger at her. “No, how dare YOU! Killian has told you time and time again that he’s married, but you’ve ignored him!” Emma’s eyes narrowed in challenge. “This isn’t a game you want to play with me, Ms. Green, because I will win! My husband and I have vowed to love, honor, and cherish each other until death do us part, and we meant every word with all our hearts. You have no idea what I’m capable of when it comes to protecting our marriage! There’s not a chance in hell I’ll let a two-bit hussy like you come between us!”

Zelena audibly gulped, her eyes darting back and forth from Emma to Killian, who was now standing beside his wife. Still, she gave no response confirming her understanding.

Killian cleared his throat. “If you continue to disregard our wishes, I’ll have no choice but to take my concerns to the head of the department, and the Dean, if necessary. Is it really worth your career to continue this futile pursuit?”

Zelena finally seemed to overcome her shock. Crossing her arms over her chest, she spat, “You would never do that.”

“If you refuse to stop, I won’t hesitate,” he assured her. “I love my job and have always enjoyed working with the people in the department, but I’ve been on edge ever since you started there. This comes to an end right now, Zelena.”

His wife noticed the challenge the other woman still had in her eyes. Grabbing Killian’s tie, Emma pulled him to her and kissed him passionately. His arms wrapped around her, his hand tangling in her hair.

Both of them were breathless when the kiss finally ended several seconds later. Momentarily forgetting about their company, they rested their foreheads together and licked their lips, humming their satisfaction.

“I suppose you’re trying to prove a point with that display?” Zelena sneered.

Emma’s brows knit together as she glared at her. “You seem like an intelligent person - figure it out.”

Zelena widened her stance and placed her fisted hands on her hips. “What kind of answer do you expect me to give you?”

“Maybe I don’t need answers,” Emma ground out. “Maybe I just need to punch you in the face!”

Taking a step forward, Zelena gritted her teeth and snarled, “Bring. It. On.”

Killian stepped between them. “That’s enough!” he declared. “Zelena, trust me, you do not want to challenge my wife. You have exactly zero chance of being with me. Zero. Get that through your head. I’m completely, utterly, hopelessly in love with Emma. Nothing you, or anyone else, says or does is ever going to change that.”

He felt Emma’s arms wrap around his waist and he tugged her closer, before continuing to address Zelena, “Now, you have two choices - we have a completely professional relationship from now on, or you prepare to answer for your actions. Which is it going to be?”

Zelena’s eyes shifted between the two people in front of her, both of them staring back at her while they embraced each other. After a few moments, her countenance changed from defiance to surly submission. “Oh, fine. I choose the professional relationship, Dr. Jones. I don’t know why you both got so up-in-arms about this anyway. I was just trying to have a little fun.”

“It might have started out that way, but you carried it way too far, sister,” Emma said firmly.

Zelena shot her one last glare before striding past the couple towards the door.

“Zelena?” Killian called out.

“What?” she asked, not turning to face him.

“I hope you have a safe flight back. I’ll see you at work on Monday.”

She glanced back over her shoulder, an angry but defeated look on her face, then she exited, the door clicking shut behind her.

Killian looked down at the woman in his arms. “You are a force to be reckoned with, Mrs. Jones,” he said fondly.

“You should have let me hit her,” Emma commented.

He chuckled. “As enjoyable as that would have been for me to watch, I’m sure Zelena is just the type of person to press assault charges. It was enough seeing you threaten her.”

“Nobody messes with my man and gets away with it,” she smirked.

“I rather like this possessive side of you, Love.”

“Yeah? Does it turn you on?”

“Very much. And you know how much I love seeing you wearing one of my shirts,” he said, the deep timbre of his voice sending shivers down her spine.

She pulled his face down to kiss him, long and hard, whispering against his lips when it ended, “Lock the door.”

“As you wish,” he said, hurrying to do as he was told.

By the time he turned back, she had already crawled into the middle of the bed, where she sat with her legs folded beneath her. She beckoned him forward with a crooked finger and he obliged, climbing onto the mattress and kneeling in front of her.

She undid his tie and pulled it from under his collar, then got to work on the buttons of his shirt.

“What, uh, what are your plans for me, Mrs. Jones?” he wondered, his breath catching as her fingers found his skin.

“I want you to make love to me to show just how completely, utterly and hopelessly in love with me you are, Mr. Jones.”

“Now, that’s an assignment I don’t mind getting one bit,” he growled, nosing behind her ear, his tongue teasing the lobe.

She removed his shirt, then ran her hands over the strong muscles of his shoulders and back. “God, I love your body, Killian. I can never get enough of you.”

“I hope you never do,” he answered. His fingers managed to unbutton the shirt she was wearing and pushed it aside, finding her breasts and beginning to caress them.

“I…I won’t,” she mumbled, eyes closing as his thumb brushed over her left nipple. No matter how many times they had been intimate in their years together, his touch never failed to leave fire in its wake.

He bent his head to pull the hardened nipple into his mouth. “Say you’re mine, Emma. I love it when you say that.”

Pushing her chest more firmly into his touch, she moaned, “I am yours, Killian. My heart, body and soul are yours and always will be.”

Easing her back onto the mattress, he made quick work of removing her panties, then scooted backwards, hooking his arms under her knees and dragging her with him. Once he was kneeling on the floor at the end of the bed, his gaze moved up her body. Her eyes were still closed, her fingers plucking at her breasts, a sight which hardened his cock immediately.

He lifted her legs to rest on his shoulders, spread her folds with his fingers and licked her from core to clit. Hearing her moan his name in long, drawn-out syllables, he licked her again, then flicked his tongue against her bundle of nerves.

She was so wet, two of his fingers easily entered her, his thumb rubbing circles over her clit. Her warm walls clenched around his digits, pulling them in further. “Killiannnn,” she sighed, “please…faster, deeper…more…”

He grinned, knowing exactly what she wanted. After pumping his fingers into her a few more times in quick succession, he added a third, eliciting a keening wail from her, then bent to suck her clit between his lips.

Emma’s body bucked against him, her orgasm causing her to shudder and shake as she shouted his name. He kept his fingers inside her, enjoying the feeling of her slick walls throbbing around them. When she finally stilled, he pulled them out and made quick work of removing his trousers, underwear and prosthesis.

She watched him through hooded eyes, slowly sliding herself back up the bed. As soon as he laid down beside her, she reached for his erection, sliding her hand up and down, feeling the velvety skin slide over his steel shaft.

He could easily get lost in the sensations her hand was producing, but he focused on pleasing his lady. His tongue blazed a path from her ear lobe, down her throat and across her collarbone, stopping every so often to suck a mark into her skin. He knew she loved seeing them in the mirror the next day, marking her as his.

When he stopped to take a breath, she put her hand on his shoulder, pushing him onto his back. Locking eyes with him, she climbed over him, sliding her hand around his cock as she positioned herself over him. “This,” she growled, giving it a squeeze, “belongs to me.”

“It’s yours,” he agreed. “Only yours, my love.”

Lifting her hips, she lined herself up and sank down around him. Both of them groaned in unison at the nearly overwhelming pleasure of being exactly where they wanted to be.

“Ride me, Love,” he gasped.

She did, slowly at first, undulating her hips, but picking up speed as their skin slapped together. His hand and wrist found her breasts, squeezing, rubbing and fondling them as they bounced above him.

As their lovemaking intensified, he gripped her hips and thrust up into her. Their shouted words of bliss filled the room and they found their climax together. The aftershocks rippled through their bodies as she collapsed on top of him, boneless and sated.

He drew the sheet over their cooling bodies once he was able to move and they lay motionless for several minutes, their ragged breathing returning to normal.

Finally, she raised up and crossed her arms over his chest, looking into his beloved face. His bright smile brought one of her own to her lips. “What?” she asked, wondering what was going through his mind.

“I’m just thinking how much I love it when you’re possessive.”

“Some men wouldn’t,” she conceded.

“Well, I’m not one of those men.”

“I’m very happy to hear that, because I imagine this won’t be the last time I’ll have to remind other women that this silver fox is all mine.”

He grinned. “They’ll learn not to take on the incomparable Mrs. Jones.”

*********

Thank you for reading, liking, leaving comments and reblogging, if you’re so inclined. Happy belated birthday, @cs-rylie​. I’m so happy to have you as my friend!

Tagging: @xsajx​ @hookedmom​ @kymbersmith-90​ @kmomof4​ @lassluna​​ @pirateherokillian​ @teamhook​ @stahlop​ @elizabeethan​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​ @resident-of-storybrooke​​ @therooksshiningknight​ @jennjenn615​ @lfh1226-linda​​ @ilovemesomekillianjones​ @killianswannn​ @stories-enchanted​​ @eleveneitherway​ @withheartfulloflove​ @kday426​​ @lyssapup27​​ @swanlovato @djlbg​ @kristi555​ @laschatzi​ @xarandomdreamx​​ @lkles08​​ @wyntereyez​​ @bubblegum1425​​ @xhookswenchx​​ @yasbio2015​​ @tiganasummertree​​ @winterbaby89​​ @wefoundloveunderthelight​​ @hollyethecurious​​ @let-it-raines​​ @jonesfandomfanatic​​ @searchingwardrobes​​ @dreamingdreamsalways​​ @oncechicagolove​​ @andiirivera​​  @gingerchangeling​​ @everything-person​​ @klynn-stormz​​ @qualitycoffeethings​​ @vampcoffeegyrl23​​ @enchanted-swans​​ @ohmakemeahercules​​ @donteattheappleshook​​ @bluewildcatfanatic​​ @the-darkdragonfly​​ @demisexualemmaswan​​ @lavenderbudd​​ @grimmswan​​ @spartanguard​​ @flslp87​​ @ultraluckycatnd​​ @thisonesatellite​​ @captainswan21​​ @zaharadessert​​ @mariakov81​​ @snowbellewells​​ @xouatxcs​​ @kiwistreetswan​​ @batana54​​ @nadine200179​​ @probalicious17​​ @courtorderedcake​​ @julesep3026​​ @jackieorioncat​​ @whatthehell102082​​ @jarienn972​​ @sthonour​​ @linda8084​​  @pirateprincesslena​​ @daxx04​​ @winterbythesea​​ @artistic-writer​​ @cocohook38​​ @captainswan4life85​​ @molly958​​ @kingofmyheart14​​ @badwolfreturns​​ @itsfridaysomewhere​​@fallingforthecaptain​​  @onceratheart18​​ @strangestarlighttree​​ @omgmarvelousmorgan​​ @justanother-unluckysoul​​ @mrs-potato-but-likes-tomato​​ @anothersworld​​ @deckerstarblanche​​ @purplehawkcaptain​​  @superchocovian​​ @k-leemac​​ @citygirlscowboy​​ @laughterandbooks​​ @sotangledupinit​​ @apiratewhopines​​ @huntressandlioness1​​ @cosette141​​  @gingerpolyglot​​ @motherkatereloyshipper​​ @cs-rylie​

[kmomof4]

A Mistress to No One Part 3 Ch8

We’re back!! And man, am I ready to share this chapter with y’all!!!! We have some significant relationship development in the form of smut, but if it’s not your thing, you can easily skip it. It is separated by a double scene change line, like this

~*~*~

~*~*~

at the beginning and end of the scene. Enjoy and I hope you let me know what you think!

All the love and thanks in the world to @hollyethecurious​ for her love and friendship and for whom this fic was written, @jrob64​ and @zaharadessert​ for their beta skills and their help in brainstorming and when I got stuck on something, and @motherkatereloyshipper​ for all her manips I used in the artwork! Love you all so much, ladies! Thank you!

Summary: Bastard Emma Swan enjoys one night of pure magic and romance in the midst of a life of drudgery and abuse- attending a masquerade ball and meeting aristocrat Killian Jones. Two years later, the same man she met on the best night of her life reappears, saving her from a dire fate in the process.

Now, she must keep herself from falling in love with a man she can never have. But when that proves impossible, is there any hope for a happy ending between two people from such vastly different worlds?

Rating: M (Smut in this chapter)

Words: Almost 6200 of 61,6K

Tags: Birthday Fic, Inspired by Benedict’s Story in Bridgerton, Smut

On ao3 From the beginning/ Current ch

On Tumblr Prologue Ch1 Ch2 Ch3 Ch4 Ch5 Ch6 Ch7

New Tag List! Please let me know if you’d like to be added or removed.

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Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

The days melted into weeks and Emma quickly discovered that being lady’s maid to the three unmarried Jones daughters kept her quite busy indeed. But where having no personal time and working her fingers to the bone under Cora was a completely thankless and miserable job, the Jones house was filled with laughter and joy, which filtered down to the servants as well.

Never had Emma personally been treated so well as a servant of the house. Yes, she was expected to keep the girls suitably attired and presentable, but as the days went on and she got to know them better, she was often finding herself participating in the conversations and laughing right along with them. It was such a refreshing change from Cora’s household where the interactions between Zelena and Regina were filled with malice, jealousy, and contempt for one another… well, truthfully more from Zelena than Regina. And where Emma had always remembered Cora’s hate-filled words to her the day after she’d arrived at Spencer Hall all those years ago and had never once been a part of afternoon tea or meals after the earl passed, in Lady Jones’ household, she was asked regularly, expected even, to join the family for tea when it was taken informally upstairs. She would usually bring her mending along with her when she did, but it was so lovely to enjoy the tea and the company. It had become Emma’s favorite time of day.

“Where do you suppose,” Ruby asked the room at large almost two weeks after what Emma was now referring to in her mind as THE KISS, “Killian has been?”

“Ow!”

Four heads swiftly turned to Emma. “Are you alright, my dear?” Lady Jones asked.

Emma grimaced. “I pricked my finger.”

Lady Jones’ lips lifted in a small, secret smile.

“Mother has told you,” fourteen-year-old Tilly said, “at least a thousand times…”

“A thousand times?” Tink asked drily.

“Alright then, a hundred times,” Tilly amended, “that you do not have to bring your mending to tea.”

Emma tried to suppress her smile, but couldn’t keep her lips from curving up at the interactions between the two girls. “I would feel very lazy if I did not.”

There was a moment’s pause when Tilly suddenly announced, “Well, I’m not going to bring my embroidery to tea.”

“Feeling lazy?” Tink asked, an innocent smile on her face.

“Absolutely not,” Tilly replied.

Tink turned to Emma and whispered conspiratorially, “Put down your mending, you’re making Tilly feel lazy.”

Tilly huffed.

Lady Jones sipped her tea. “You have been working on the same piece of embroidery for quite some time, Tilly,” she observed. “Since February, if I’m not mistaken.”

Tink leaned toward Emma again. “She’s never mistaken.” Emma coughed to hide her laugh and Tilly glared at Tink. Tink was a few years younger than Ruby, but she had a sly sense of humor. She could definitely see why Ruby’s moniker for her had caught on within the family so.

“Nobody answered my question,” Ruby announced. “Where is Killian? I haven’t seen him in an age.”

“It hasn’t been two weeks,” Lady Jones offered.

“Ow!”

“Do you need a thimble?” Tilly asked.

“I’m not usually this clumsy,” Emma muttered.

Lady Jones lifted her cup to her lips and held it there for a rather long time before taking a sip, a knowing gleam in her eye.

Emma grit her teeth and resumed her mending with a vengeance. She’d seen neither hide nor hair of Killian since THE KISS, and Emma couldn’t decide whether she was relieved or disappointed. Probably both. She sighed. Definitely both.

“Did you say something, Emma?” Ruby asked.

Emma shook her head. “No,” she murmured, refusing to look up from her poor abused index finger.

“Where is he?” Ruby asked again.

“Killian is twenty-eight years of age,” Lady Jones said mildly. “He has no need to inform us of his every activity.”

Ruby raised her eyebrows at her mother. “That’s a fine turnaround from the last time he disappeared, Mother.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“‘Where is Killian?’” Ruby mocked, doing quite a good impression of her mother. “‘How dare he go off without a word? It’s as if he’s dropped off the face of the earth.’”

“That was different,” Lady Jones said.

“How so?” Tink asked, sly smile firmly in place.

“He’d said he was going to that awful Gold boy’s party, and then never returned, whereas this time…” Lady Jones stopped then and pursed her lips. “Why am I explaining myself to you?”

“I can’t imagine,” Emma murmured. Ruby choked on her tea. Tink whacked Ruby on the back and then turned her attention to Emma.

“Did you say something, Emma?”

Emma shook her head again and jabbed her needle into the dress she was mending, completely missing the hem. Ruby’s eyebrows raised in question as she cut her eyes toward her.

Lady Jones’ head cocked toward the door. “I say, is that someone in the hall?” she asked. Emma looked up and caught her breath when Killian strode in the room.

“Killian,” Ruby cried, rising to her feet. “We were just talking about you!”

Killian smiled widely at Emma. “Were you?”

“I wasn’t,” Emma muttered.

“Did you say something, Emma?” Tilly asked.

“Ow!”

“I’m going to have to take that mending away from you,” Lady Jones said with an amused smile.

Emma rose quickly to her feet. “I’ll get a thimble.”

“You didn’t have a thimble?” Tilly asked, appalled. “I’d never dream of doing mending without one!”

“Have you ever dreamed of mending?” Tink smirked.

Tilly kicked at Tink, nearly upending the tea service in the process.

“Tilly!” Lady Jones scolded.

Emma stared at the door, trying desperately to keep her eyes away from Killian. For almost two weeks she had longed for a glimpse of him, and now that he was here, all she wanted was to escape. If she looked at his face, then she’d look at his lips, and if she looked at his lips, she’d think about THE KISS, and there were certain things one shouldn’t think about in polite company.

“I need that thimble,” Emma mumbled, moving toward the door.

“So you said.” She could hear the smirk in his voice as she moved toward him and the door.

“It’s downstairs,” she said, “in my room.”

“But your room is upstairs,” Tilly said.

Emma could have killed her. “That’s what I said,” she ground out.

“No, you didn’t,” Tilly insisted.

“Yes, she did,” Lady Jones interjected. “I heard her.”

Emma snapped her head toward her and instantly knew Lady Jones had lied. But why? “I need to go get that thimble.” She hurried toward the door and held her breath as she drew ever closer to Killian.

He stepped aside to let her through, but leaned forward just enough so she could hear him whisper coward as she passed. Emma’s cheeks burned and she was halfway down the stairs before she realized that she had meant to go up to her room. Dash it all, she did not want to march back up the stairs and have to walk past Killian again. He was probably still standing in the doorway, and his lips would tilt upward as she passed in one of those utterly charming and seductive smiles that never failed to leave her weak in the knees.

This was a complete disaster. There was no way she could continue living here, with Killian so close and yet so far. She may have been able to refuse his request to be his mistress, but she hadn’t been able to refuse him when he’d asked her to come to London. And now she didn’t think she was strong enough to live with the consequences of that decision. She was going to have to leave. She had no other choice.

And that almost made her fall to her knees in despair. Because not only was she desperately in love with Killian, but she was also coming to love the Jones family. They’d treated her differently from how she’d ever been treated by anyone, and she was loath to leave it. All she’d ever wanted was to be a part of a family, and with the Joneses, she was starting to feel like she’d found one.

“Lost your way?”

Emma glanced up to see Killian at the top of the stairs, leaning lazily against the wall, then she looked around herself, realizing she hadn’t moved from her place descending the stairs.

“I’m going out,” she informed him.

“To buy a thimble?”

“Yes, to buy a thimble,” she said with as much dignity as she could muster.

He tilted his head a little more, blatantly looking her over, before speaking. “You don’t appear to be carrying anything that would contain any money,” he observed.

Emma swallowed hard. She could tell him the truth and expose herself for the pathetic fool she was, or she could simply run from the house and avoid this- him- altogether. The cowards way out, she knew, but…

“I have to go,” she muttered and dashed down the stairs so quickly that she forgot she should be using the side entrance. She opened the front door and flew down the front steps, before a voice brought her to a screeching halt.

Dear God, it was Cora.

Her back was to Emma, so she quickly hid herself around the corner of the house. What was Cora doing here? Spencer House was at least eight blocks away… but then she remembered, she’d read in Lady Whistledown last year that the new Earl of Glowerhaven had finally taken up residence in London, forcing Cora, Zelena and Regina to find other lodgings. Right across from the Joneses apparently. A worse nightmare, Emma couldn’t imagine.

“Where is that insufferable girl?” Emma heard Cora say. She immediately felt sorry for whoever the ‘insufferable girl’ was, since that had been her own designation when she’d lived under Cora’s roof.

“Regina!” Cora yelled before entering a waiting carriage.

At that moment, Emma realized what must have happened. When Emma left, Cora would have been forced to hire a new lady’s maid. And while Emma was sure Cora was beastly to the poor girl, she wouldn’t have been able to degrade and demean her in the same way she’d done with Emma. Only a certain level of familiarity would have allowed for that.

And since Cora couldn’t live without flaunting her superiority over someone and horribly mistreating them, Regina had apparently become her next target.

Regina suddenly came through the front door, looking quite unhappy. She stopped to fiddle with the strings on her short boots, but looked up when Zelena shouted at her.

“Regina, hurry up!”

“I’m coming,” Regina called, straightening up. She took one wrong step and fell to the pavement. Emma’s response was automatic, but she caught herself in time and remained hidden instead of running to Regina’s aid, who was unhurt. There was absolutely nothing worse than Cora finding out that Emma was in London. Regina stood and brushed herself off before looking up again, and then…

Regina saw her. There was no doubt. Her jaw dropped slightly, her eyes widening. Emma shook her head desperately.

“Regina!” Cora shouted again.

Emma shook her head again, her eyes begging Regina not to reveal her to Cora. Regina’s face softened and she gave Emma a single sharp nod before she climbed into the carriage with her mother and sister.

Emma blew out a relieved breath and collapsed back against the wall. She didn’t move for a full minute.

And then didn’t move for several more.

~*~*~

As soon as Emma left the house, Killian quite lost interest in tea and scones. He turned his head toward the window to see if he could catch a glimpse of her on the street from where he stood.

“I was just wondering where’d you been,” Ruby said.

“Hmmm?”

“I said,” Ruby said, raising her voice significantly, “I was just…”

“Ruby, lower your voice, please,” Lady Jones chided her, mildly.

“But he’s not listening to me.”

“Raising your voice isn’t going to make a difference in that regard,” she informed her daughter.

“Throwing a scone might,” Tilly suggested, just as she lobbed one toward Killian. He ducked out the way just in time.

“I believe that is my cue to leave,” he said smoothly, shooting a cheeky grin at his youngest sister. That scone gave him the perfect excuse to follow Emma wherever she thought she was going.

“But you just got here,” his mother pointed out.

Killian narrowed his eyes at her, immediately suspicious. Usually her objections to him leaving had a moaning, forlorn quality to them, but this time she didn’t sound the least bit upset. Which meant she was up to something.

“I could stay,” he said, testing her.

“Oh, no,” she said, raising what he was quite sure was an empty cup to her lips, “Don’t let us keep you if you’re busy.”

Killian tried to school his features to conceal his now deep suspicion and shock. The last time he’d told her he was too busy for a visit, she’d replied with ‘too busy for your mother?’

His first impulse was to declare ‘I’ll stay,’ but then he realized it was quite ridiculous to stay when all he really wanted to do was leave, all to confound his mother and her machinations.

“I’ll go then.”

“Go,” she urged him, “enjoy yourself.”

He nodded to the ladies in the room and turned around into the hallway. He could just hear his mother as he reached the stairs say, “I thought he’d never leave.”

Very odd indeed.

He left the house and started in the direction of the shopping district when he spied Emma pressed against the bricks of the house, looking white as a sheet.

“What happened?” he asked, rushing toward her, “Emma?” He bent down slightly into her line of sight, finally getting her to focus on him. “Are you alright?”

She nodded, but her gaze was still frightened and Killian didn’t believe her for a moment. “You’re shaking,” he said, taking her hands in his. “Tell me what happened. Did someone bother you?”

“No,” she finally found her voice, though it did quaver a bit. “I just… I tripped down the stairs and it scared me.” She smiled weakly. “I’m sure you know what I mean. When you feel like your insides are upside down.”

Killian nodded. He knew exactly what she meant. But that didn’t mean he believed her. “Come with me.”

She looked up and something deep in her green eyes broke his heart. “Where?” she whispered.

“Anywhere but here. I live just five doors down.”

“You do?” Her eyes widened in surprise. “No one told me,” she murmured.

He had a feeling she would have protested if she wasn’t so dazed, but she allowed him to lead her down the street.

“Your virtue will be quite safe,” he promised her, “unless you wish it otherwise,” he continued with a waggle of his brows. He was gratified when a small smile graced her lips at his flirtation. “We’ll just sit here in my front room until you feel better.”

She nodded and he led her up the steps to his front door. He shut the door to the parlor behind them, not wanting to be disturbed by his servants, and turned to where she was sitting on the sofa. She still looked rather pale, but the dazed look was out of her eyes. He could ask her what had really happened, but he knew she wouldn’t tell him and it would only put her on the defensive.

He sat next to her on the sofa, but still a respectable distance away, and decided to broach a non-threatening topic.

“How have you enjoyed working for my family?”

Emma smiled, and Killian caught his breath at her beauty. “They are very nice.”

Killian scoffed. “Nice? Maddening, maybe. But, nice?”

Emma looked affronted. “I think they are very nice,” she insisted with a little nod of her head. Killian smiled softly as he thought about his family. He loved them all dearly, but if Emma was coming to love them too, then his chances of persuading her to become his mistress grew smaller by the day. Damn.

“You should thank God for them every day,” she continued. “I’d give anything…” She trailed away, not finishing her sentence.

“You’d give anything for what?” he asked softly, desperately wanting to hear her answer.

She gazed out the window before answering, but from his angle, he could see the glistening of tears in her eyes.

“I’d give anything to have a family like yours.” Her voice was no more than a whisper and Killian desperately wanted to take her in his arms and make promises that he knew he couldn’t keep.

“You have no one.” It was a statement, not a question and Emma nodded.

“I’ve never had anyone.”

He remembered the row they had at the pond at My Cottage when she confessed that her mother had died at her birth and he surmised her aristocratic parentage. His heart had broken for her.

“You know,” he began, purposefully keeping his voice light and gentle, “sometimes it’s not easy being a Jones.”

Her head slowly turned toward him. “I can’t imagine anything nicer.”

“Oh, it’s very nice,” he agreed, “I can’t imagine anything nicer, either. But that doesn’t mean it’s always easy.”

“What do you mean?”

Killian sighed and looked down at his hands. “To most of the world, I’m just a Jones. Not Killian, not a gentleman of means and hopefully a bit of intelligence. Just a Jones. Or, more specifically, Number 2.” He pressed his lips into a thin line and watched her face carefully after his revelation. He’d never shared these thoughts with another living soul.

Her lips trembled slightly before widening into a smile, impossibly soft.

“You are so much more than that.”

Killian looked down again. “I’d like to believe that, but most of the world doesn’t see it that way.”

“Well, most of the world are fools.”

He chuckled at that. There wasn’t much in this world that was more adorable than Emma Swan with a scowl on her face. “I don’t disagree with you.”

They were quiet for a moment and Killian thought the conversation was over and that he’d soon have to escort her back to his mother’s. But she wasn’t finished.

“You are very different from your family.”

“Really? How so?” He couldn’t quite meet her eyes. He didn’t want her to know exactly how important her answer was to him.

“Well, your brother, Liam,” she began, tapping on her chin as she thought. “His whole life has been altered by the fact that the title came to him much too soon. He feels a responsibility to your family that you don’t.”

“Now, wait just a min…” Killian said indignantly.

“Don’t interrupt,” she interjected gently, placing her hand on his where it rested on the sofa. “I’m not saying you don’t love your family very much and wouldn’t lay down your life for any one of them, if it came to it, but it’s different for Liam. I truly believe he would consider himself a failure if any one of his siblings, children, nieces or nephews was unhappy.”

“How many times have you met Liam?” he muttered, rather stunned at her insight.

“Just once,” she said, the corner of her lips lifting in a small smile. “But that was all I needed.” She smiled a little bigger at him before continuing. “Now your brother David, I’ve never met, but I’ve heard plenty.”

“From whom?”

“Everyone,” she laughed. “But I’ve also read about him in Lady Whistledown, which I’ve read for years.”

“So you knew about me, too, before you met me?”

Emma nodded. “But I didn’t know you. You are so much more than what she writes in her paper.”

“Tell me,” he said, laying his hand on top of hers now. “Tell me, what do you see?”

Emma looked into his eyes and was surprised to find vulnerability and need. She never imagined she’d see that in the heart of Killian Jones. This handsome, suave, debonair man wanted, no needed, her approval. He wanted to know he was important to her.

She turned her hand over under his until they were palm to palm and then traced the top of his hand with hers. She thought carefully about her words, knowing how much they meant to him.

“You are honorable. You are kind. You care. For your family, for me, though Lord knows, I don’t deserve it.”

“Always,” he whispered, touching her cheek gently. Emma smiled, then continued.

“You love. Fiercely. And devotedly. You are not quite the man you present to most of the world. You’d like to be thought of as a dashing rapscallion,” she said, shooting him a sideways smirk, “or scoundrel, but inside, deep down, is the man you were born to be. Just you. Not someone’s son. Not someone’s brother. Just you.”

Killian couldn’t speak. No one had ever touched him like this. No one had ever looked into his soul before, and he thanked God it was her.

“You have the soul of an artist,” she murmured.

He shook his head. “No.”

“Yes,” she insisted. “I’ve seen your sketches. You’re brilliant. I don’t think I realized how much until I met your family. You captured them all perfectly. From the inquisitiveness in Ruby’s eyes, to Tink’s sly smile, to the mischief in the way Tilly holds herself.”

Killian shrugged. “I’ve never shown anyone my sketches.”

“You’re kidding!” she exclaimed. “Why? They’re brilliant. You’re brilliant. I’m sure your mother would love to see them.”

Killian’s cheeks flamed under her praise. “I don’t know why, but I’ve never wanted to show anyone else.”

“You shared them with me,” she said softly.

“That was different,” he insisted before looking into her eyes. “That felt right.” His heart skipped a beat at his words. Because suddenly, everything felt right.

He loved her.

He didn’t know how it happened, only that it had. And it was right.

It was strange to find a woman who could make him happy simply by existing. He didn’t need to see her, didn’t need to be in the same room with her, didn’t need to hear her, or catch a whiff of her scent. He just had to know she was there.

When he was with her, he wanted her like nothing he’d ever wanted in his entire life. But when he was able to keep himself under control, he was content.

And if that wasn’t love, he didn’t know what was.

He tried to hold onto the moment. Let it stretch out forever. Because this was perfection. This was heaven.

He watched as her eyes searched his, looking for something, he knew not what. Then they widened ever so slightly, and her lips softened. In that moment, he had to kiss her. He didn’t want to kiss her. He had to kiss her.

He needed her.

In every way.

He needed her like he needed air.

Like a man dying of thirst needed water.

He needed her to be a part of him.

And he needed her right now.

~*~*~

~*~*~

Emma had been kissed before. She’d been kissed by Killian before. But this was so much more than anything that had ever come before.

This was passion. Passion like she’d never known. This was desire. Desire that threatened to burn her up from the inside. He kissed her with an intensity she could barely comprehend, his lips taking full possession of hers, nibbling, teasing, stroking. He stoked a fire within her. A desire to be loved. A desire to love in return.

He murmured her name into the skin of her neck where he left a trail of fire with his lips. Over and over and over again, like a mantra.

“Emma, Emma, Emma.” His lips were everywhere. Her lips, her neck, her ear, her chest. How foolish she’d been to think she could resist this. It was positively delusional to think she was stronger than this pull between them. Her love for him ran too deep.

She felt him work his way down her back, opening each button on her dress until the bodice completely fell away. This was everything she’d swore she’d never do, but instead of covering herself and pushing him away, she arched underneath him, offering herself up like a banquet.

Killian stopped breathing when he saw her. In all his dreams, all his fantasies, he never came close to the perfection that was laid out before him. He didn’t know how this woman had come to mean so much to him in such a short amount of time. It hadn’t happened like a flash of lightning, but more like a lazy river meandering along, yet seeping into every corner, every crevice of his heart and mind until it colored everything around him and he realized that without her, his life held no meaning.

He lifted her chin toward him and looked into her eyes. They glistened like emeralds, with tears in the corners and he knew she was right there with him in this moment. That it meant as much to her as it did to him.

He moved toward her slowly, oh, so slowly. He wanted to give her every chance to pull back from him. It would kill him if she did, but he didn’t think he could bear it if she regretted what was about to happen. She didn’t pull away, however, tilting her head and shutting her eyes in invitation.

Killian claimed her lips again and was surprised that she tasted even sweeter than before. His blood sang his desire and it was all he could do not to rip the rest of her dress from her body. That would come later, he told himself. For this, her first time, it would be slow, and tender, and full of all the love he had for her. Everything a young woman dreamed of.

Well, maybe not. His smile turned into a full grin. Half the things he was going to do to her, she wouldn’t have even thought about.

“What are you smiling about?”

He drew back a few inches, his smile widening further. “How did you know I was smiling?”

She smiled back at him, her eyes still closed in bliss. “I could feel it on my lips.”

He traced her lips with his finger. “You make me smile,” he whispered. “When you don’t make me want to scream, you make me smile.”

He kissed her again, gently this time, his tongue gently touching the seam of her lips, requesting entrance. She opened to him with a moan of passion and he pulled her closer into his arms, vowing never to let her go.

Emma was dizzy with the exquisite pleasure coursing through her as Killian slowly continued to undress her. When she was fully bare to him, she couldn’t bring herself to cover any part of her body, as his gaze burned her from head to toe.

He stood over her on the sofa and slowly removed his own clothing, never taking his eyes off hers. “You are so beautiful, Emma. I wish I was a poet instead of an artist, then maybe I could find the words to describe you.”

Her eyes widened when he removed his breeches and he stood before her completely naked. He felt no need to cover himself, because just as he wanted to see her, he wanted her to see him.

He thought he’d wanted a woman before. He thought he’d needed a woman before. But this was so much more than anything he’d ever felt. This was in his soul.

He lay back on top of her and just savored the moment of being skin to skin with the woman he loved. Her hands were tentative as she began her own explorations.

“Yes, Emma,” he murmured, rising up a bit as her fingers ran along his sides and then buried themselves in the hair on his chest. “Touch me, darling. Make me yours, as I make you mine.” He was as hard as he’d ever been in his life and he was desperate to feel her. He bent down and circled her nipple with his tongue, causing her to arch beneath him, her hands grabbing his hair and holding him to her. He chuckled before he sucked it into the warm cavern of his mouth. She moaned and writhed beneath him, crying out as he flicked the bud with his tongue.

As he turned his attention to the other, she felt his hand move steadily toward where the fire he’d kindled in her blazed the hottest. She ached for him and she didn’t think she could wait another minute.

“Oh, Killian,” she sighed as he sank a finger into her center. “My love.” He stilled for a moment, not ceasing his attentions, but just long enough for her to know he heard her. He kissed her neck and resumed probing her depths. A gasp broke from her lips as something tightened within her. Pure pleasure pushed her higher and higher until he claimed her lips with his own and a cascade of absolute ecstasy broke over her, leaving her a shuddering, melting mess in his arms. He positioned himself over her and she could feel him nudge where his finger had just been. Her eyes flew open and met his.

“This will hurt,” he told her, “but the pain will be over quickly.” He was so desperate for her, but he wanted to try and prepare her just this little bit for him. He was a long way from his first time, when he was more concerned with his own pleasure than that of his partner, who was just as inexperienced as he, so this had to be perfect.

“I don’t care, Killian,” she breathed. “Please, I need you!”

He slowly rocked into her until he felt the barrier of her innocence. He claimed her lips with his and surged forward, swallowing her gasp with his mouth. A moment later, she relaxed around him and he began to move.

“Emma, Emma, Emma,” he chanted her name into the skin of her neck as he struggled to hold himself back. Her hands were all over him, her moans and gasps of pleasure in his ears. He reached down and touched where they were joined, her cry of pleasure music to his ears as he felt her throb around his length. Unable to deny himself any longer, he let go and emptied himself in her depths. They drifted on the cloud of euphoria, joined in body and heart and soul.

Killian couldn’t move. And apparently, neither could she. Her arms still held him tightly, and he was too spent to even roll off of her, though his weight had to be crushing her by now.

Her arms finally fell to her side and Killian reached up and pulled a hand knitted blanket from the top of the sofa over them, slipping out of her in the process. He pulled her close and kissed her temple.

“Sleep, my love,” he whispered. “I’ll be here when you wake.”

~*~*~

~*~*~

Emma didn’t know how it happened, but she must have fallen asleep. And Killian apparently had, too, as he was still a very pleasant weight partially on top of her, their legs still entwined.

She reached up and started lightly running her fingers up and down his back. She couldn’t hold back her grin when he stretched much like a cat and opened his eyes. They were still glazed with sleep but there was something else there too. Something like contentment.

“Hi,” he murmured, a soft smile on his face.

“Hi,” she whispered back. He sat up, and Emma couldn’t keep her eyes from running down his naked chest and smirking her appreciation.

“Don’t look at me like that, or I won’t be able to wait until we’re in my bedchamber.”

Emma’s face fell as his words sank in, and she wiggled her way to sitting, grabbing the blanket he’d covered them with to now cover herself, moving as far from him as the sofa would allow. She cut her eyes to him and saw pleased satisfaction morph into confusion and then stoic anger as he rose and began dressing. She was sure he assumed, after what they did, she would become his mistress. And she couldn’t really blame him. It was a fairly natural assumption to make.

“Even after all of that…” His teeth were clenched, his tone biting, and Emma felt the sting of tears in the back of her throat. “Even after giving you my heart, my body, and you giving me yours in return, you still won’t be mine.”

“Be your mistress, you mean,” she said quietly. He looked sharply at her. But she refused to let him get away with using pretty words to avoid saying what they both knew to be true.

“Be. With. Me,” he bit out. “I want you to be with me. Don’t you understand that?” The pleading in his voice threatened the wall she was desperately trying to build around her heart. The one that would keep her safe. The one that would allow her to stay with the Jones family without succumbing again to temptation.

“You said you loved me,” he said quietly. Resignedly. The pain in his blue eyes was too much and she turned her face away from him.

“And I do,” she whispered. She paused for a moment, swallowing back her tears and taking a deep breath. “But, I will be a mistress to no one, Killian. Not even you.”

“Emma,” he said, the pleading back in his voice. “You know that I cannot marry you.”

“I know that,” she snapped. “I’m a maid, not an idiot.”

“It would be impossible for you too, you know,” he said, quietly. “You wouldn’t be accepted. No matter how much we loved each other, or how happy we were. The ton can be cruel.”

Emma barked out a bitter laugh. “I know. Believe me, I know.”

“Why then? I love you. I can make you happy. We can…”

“Grant me this,” she interrupted, looking him fully in the face, her eyes filled with tears. “Find someone to marry. Find someone acceptable, someone who will make you happy. And then leave me alone.”

Her words struck him, telling him she was under no illusions as to the impossible situation they were in. He was asking her to give up everything she knew, everything she was, to be with him for a time in a world that would never accept her, that would never allow her to be truly happy. She would eventually be right back where she was now, with only her memories of him and perhaps a child or two. While for him, at this point, it was no true hardship, not until the time came that he’d have to marry. Because once that happened, his honor and his marriage vows wouldn’t allow him to keep a mistress. Even if putting Emma aside shattered his heart beyond repair.

He was grasping at straws, he knew that, but he plowed ahead anyway.

“And what if…” he trailed away, motioning to her midsection.

She inhaled sharply and pulled her arms out from under the blanket that covered her and laid her hands over where their child may already lay.

“Then I would love them with everything that was in me,” she whispered. “But if I am not,” she continued, her voice now full of conviction, “then I will consider myself very lucky and I will not tempt fate again.” She tightened the blanket around herself. “I will have a precious and beautiful memory that I will forever cherish. And that, I suppose, is why I can’t regret what we did. Although, I know I should.”

“I would also love and provide for any child created between us,” he said softly. “Am I correct in believing that you were rejected by your father?”

Emma huffed out a bitter chuckle. “Ignored would be more accurate.”

He sat back down on the sofa next to her and gathered her in his arms. This was no attempt at seduction, but simply a desire to comfort. She seemed to know that and didn’t struggle, all but melting into his embrace. “Emma, we wouldn’t make the same mistakes as your parents.”

“I know,” she said sadly. “But that is why I cannot be your mistress. I won’t relive my mother’s life.” He was silent as he looked down at her head, resting against his chest, against his heart. The heart that beat only for her. “They say a truly smart person learns from other people’s mistakes.” She sat up and looked into his eyes. “I’d like to think I’m a truly smart person. Please don’t take that away from me.”

The pain in her eyes nearly took his breath away. He released her and stood.

“I could make you change your mind, you know. I could kiss you, and you would…”

“You wouldn’t,” she interrupted with a little shake of her head. “It isn’t in you.”

“It is.”

“You could kiss me,” she agreed. “But you would hate yourself for it, if you did.”

He stood there for another moment before leaving the room, the click of the doors the only sound signaling his departure.

Emma collapsed against the sofa and sobbed out her heartbreak until there was nothing left in her.

~*~*~

Thank you for reading and sharing! Don’t yell at me too hard, please! It really was necessary! There is a VERY GOOD chance that I’ll be adjusting the posting schedule for these last two chapters coming up. I’ll be making a decision on that either today or tomorrow, so stay tuned!

[iateyourcatnom]

"Poor little bug on the wall, ching... ching"

Rylie Lu

She/her/they

Official mascot (for now) & main character for my Harvey Town story (￣3￣)╭

Her trousers & boots are not wcif friendly, neither are the earrings 🤍

->Alliance: Harphie Orphies? ->Initials: R. D. L. (Rylie Dylan Lu) ->Alias/also known as: Lu, Dylan, Loo girl, or Buggy (by Reece) ->Employment: Freelancer artist

--Voice Claim--

->Birthday: 7th May ->Zodiac Sign: Taurus ->Aspiration: Friend of the world ->Sexuality: Undetermined

Traits: Warm-hearted (Clingy basically), Art lover, music lover, whimsical (loses touch with reality & basically a sim-certified freak lol), Cute.

Desc: School report

For some reason, we can't find anything about Lu from before year 9 but that could simply be because she got her name "Loo girl" around that time, as the saying goes: "Nobody wants to be friends with a nobody."

Of course this doesn't apply to her.

Lu is a complete social butterfly, she's hung out with both losers, jocks & cheerleaders, she tends to be aloof but nice. Ever since the beginning of year 9 (back in high shcool) Lu has found herself moving through various clicks, she hasn't stayed in any, to our knowledge but does seem awfully close to Weslie, though that might be a facade, as she is known to not stay in one friend group for long.

There have been reports of Lu, going to a house near the orphange where she lives with Lisa, & possibly associating with a guy named Reece? This could be well a rumor though, which brings us to her infamous name "Loo girl"

You see, ask any former Harvey & they'll know who Loo girl is, this is because in the middle of a conversation Lu would abruptly leave to "excuse herself", no one really understood this situation, but somehow no one questioned it either? Because she would come back, normal & continue like nothing happened, this stopped around year 10 but the name "Loo girl" stuck like glue.

Other facts!!!

+Rylie is mostly known as "Lu" instead of her first name Rylie! +She paints, plays the guitar, the piano & the violin. +Rylie's actual best friend is a guy named Reece (undiscovered) +She has a big secret.... +Rylie's close with Weslie because Weslie trusts her & confides in her, Weslie also sees Rylie as her bestfriend. +Some people call Rylie pretentious? +She gives me Ariana Grande vibes for some reason... +She's one of the youngest, Rylie is 18. +After school ended she's become sort of a homebody +Rylie never met her parents, she was left at the orphanage as a baby with Lisa & Geronimo. +Rylie has been at the orphanage the longest. +Rylie's half-sister is named Sade (Pronounced SHAA-DAY), she was given to the orphanage at age 2 with a note that said she was Rylie's cousin but Rylie regards her as a sister. +Rylie secretly enjoys rock music. +Has a weird obsession with vintage things

🐸🐝🐖

[landosgirl97]

can we get a chase blurb fluff?

youre spending easter with his family for the first time you have a bit too much wine so you are half asleep on the couch you over hear chase saying that he wants to marry you to his siblings?

Easter was always a crazy time when it comes to family getting together. Chase was finally able to take some time off so we could both visit our families. We decided to see mine Thursday and Friday afternoon, then fly out and spend Saturday night and Sunday with his family. We got there just in time for dinner, and Chase’s mom opened a bottle of wine for us to celebrate Chase being able to come home. Dinner was nice, I got to spend my time talking to his mom and Kaden, Rylie, and Kendall. “How has work been, Y/N? Crazy?” My eyes got. Wide an I nodded, swallowing my sip of wine. “Yes! It’s kind of crazy! And the amount of people who come to my office just to ask questions about Chase is kind of insane.” His family laughed, and Chase shook his head, laying a hand on my knee and squeezing softly. “I’m sorry sweetheart.” I shook my head, looking up at him slightly, “it’s okay! It’s endearing honestly knowing that your fans love you so much. Most of them respect it when I say I don’t want to discuss it at work, so it’s fine with me.” He nods, smiling giddily at me as I turn to talk to Rylie. I had missed her birthday due to family obligations so she was telling me stories about her party, with Kaden cutting in to put in his two cents every once in a while. When dinner was over, we sat at the dinning room table and talked, his mother refilling my wine until the bottle was gone. We decided to clean up, get in comfortable clothes and watch a movie in the living room. While Chase and Kaden helped Jennifer with the dishes, Kendall, Rylie and I were belting out Top 40 hits and dancing together in the living room. We took turns using kitchen utensils as microphones and upping up and down while the rest of thee family laughed when they could see us.

We all made our way to our rooms when the kitchen was cleaned up, getting ready for a movie night. I was standing in front of thee bathroom mirror taking off my makeup and taking out my contacts when I felt Chase’s arms snake around my waist as he placed a soft kiss on my head. “How did I get so lucky?” He mumbled, placing his chin on my head. I just shrugged, letting him sway me back and forth for a minute before I turned in his arms, placing my arms on his chest and placing a soft kiss on his lips. “I love you. Thank you for bringing me this weekend.” Chase scoffs, “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Here, do you want to wear my hoodie?” I immediately pulled it from his hands, sliding it on and sighing. He grabbed my hand, leading me downstairs to where the family was sprawled out on the floor and couch, leaving the chaise for Chase and I. Chase sat, leaving space between his legs for me to sit, and then covered us with a blanket. Jennifer pressed play on the movie and passed the popcorn. The wine must have finally hit me, because halfway through the movie I could feel my eyelids getting heavy. I tried to fight it, but ended up relaxing against Chase’s thigh and closing my eyes. He started to run his fingers through my hair and I fell asleep for a while until I heard his voice. I was trying to fall back asleep but couldn’t ye3t. Then, I heard Jennifer. “Yes sweetheart, I like her a lot! You seem so relaxed and happy with her.” He nods, “I am. She’s…. Amazing. There aren’t words I can use to describe her. She just has so much love to give and she is so happy and upbeat and it really helps when I’m drained.” Riley spoke up, “So, you’re gonna marry her, right? Like, it’s obvious you guys are made for each other.” I feel Chase’s hand pause momentarily in my hair before I hear him sigh. “I want to, yeah. I already have a ring design in mind, but I don’t want to rush into anything and scare her either.” Jennifer said, “I saw the way she looks at you. That girl is madly in love with you. I can almost guarantee she will say yes. She looks at you like you’re the only thing in the world that matters to her.” “Well, I asked her dad and he gave me his permission to marry her, but I’m still hesitant. I don’t want her to have to give up her career to be with me even though she offered. I don’t want her to have to do distance with me either.” “Who says she has to give it up? Maybe she’d be willing to relocate but be able to find a job closer.” “That’s true.. thanks mom. I better get her to bed. She’s had a long week. I love you guys.” Chase scooped me up in his arms and carried me upstairs to bed. He tucked me in, getting in soon after and pulling me into him. “Goodnight baby, I love you.”

[lifeofkaze]

Twenty-Two

Happy Birthday to my favourite wild-child of them all! You're the most frustrating, headstrong and yet amazing of my children in how you refuse to let me write the story I want for you - you have your own story to tell.

Don't ever change, Reva, but for God's sake... just let me know what you want every now and again, yeah?

The idea for this fic as well as the amazing edit are by @whatwouldvalerydo, who kindly let me write her crack thought into existence 💛

OCs featured or mentioned belong to:

@whatwouldvalerydo (Scarlett Tempest)

@the-al-chemist (Zadie Taylor-Allen, Rory McTavish, Saffron Summers, Dante Briarwood)

@kc-and-co (Sage Carridan, Nova Mae)

@thatravenpuffwitch (Rylie Hopper-Lee)

@that-scouse-wizard (Robin Willows, Nick Willows)

Warning: mentions and consumption of alcohol, implied drug abuse (weed)

Even for late March it was an unusually cold night in Edinburgh and Reva shivered as she drew her shoulders up against the cold drizzle. She buried her hands deeper in the pockets of her coat and craned her neck trying to see the end of the queue. But from what she could tell, they were as far away from the entrance to the club than they had been ten minutes ago.

“By that rate we’re going to still be here by sunrise,” she muttered, bouncing up and down the balls of her feet to keep warm. “What’s taking them so long?”

“No idea, but they won’t hurry up for you complaining into my ear,” said Reva’s brother Dylan. He had his arm around his girlfriend Dana, who Reva shared a sympathetic look with. Just like herself, Dana was only wearing a dress and tights, and seemed to be just as cold as the rest of them.

“And besides, it was you who insisted on coming here,” Dylan went on, not noticing or not caring about his sister and his girlfriend rolling their eyes. “We could have just stayed at Dante’s bar, have some more drinks there and be nice and warm all around.”

“Maybe, but you only turn twenty-two once,” Reva said. “Stop being a bore.”

“You turned twenty-two three days ago.”

“And how am I supposed to celebrate with all my friends during the week, Mr Look-at-me-I-know-it-all?”

Dylan shared a look with his friend Dante, who was the owner of the bar where they had all met for a warm up, but Dante only shrugged. He knew better than to get involved with Dylan’s and Reva’s bickering.

“What did you expect?” Rory McTavish chimed in from behind Reva. He clearly had no problem with getting involved at all. “This is one of the most popular spots in Edinburgh. Obviously there was going to be a queue.”

“Didn’t stop the others from going in without us,” Reva muttered.

“Maybe we could talk to the bouncers,” Rory said and craned his head like Reva had done.

The girl next to him made a sceptical noise. “I doubt the Muggle bouncers will give us preferred access only because you and Reva happen to have a name in Quidditch. But do go ahead and try.”

Rory laughed softly and gave Rylie a kiss on the cheek. “No, but I can’t have you ladies freezing out here.”

“They’re not the only ones being cold,” Dylan pointed out.

“Yeah, I’m quite cold myself. Not that you would know, Dylan. You’re too furry to freeze.”

Dylan’s brows drew into a scowl but before he had a chance to answer, both boys received an elbow to their sides from their girlfriends and fell quiet. Reva saw Dana biting her lower lip in an attempt not to laugh, however.

A smirk on her own lips, she turned her attention to the non-progression of the queue again. As the banter with her friends passed, the familiar, heavy feeling which had been bothering her for the past couple of days returned to her chest.

Reva had felt on edge for a while now, but lately, the feeling of running against walls in her attempt to make a name for herself among the Montrose Magpies - a name that wasn’t immediately connected to her parents’ past accomplishments - had steadily increased. All she had wanted from tonight was a carefree evening with her friends, and not needing to stand in the cold night air, shivering in her short dress and wondering if this was where she really was supposed to be.

Next to her, her best friend Zadie, who had come over from New York especially for the occasion, nudged Reva into the side.

“Are you alright?” she asked quietly.

Reva sighed and tore her eyes away from the flashing sign above the entrance. “Yes,” she said, “I just want to get inside and meet everyone, that’s all.”

She could tell from the look on Zadie’s face that she knew Reva was lying, but thankfully she chose not to comment on it. Instead, she gave Reva’s arm a squeeze and left her alone. Reva was grateful for it; like so often these days, she realised how much she had missed Zadie being by her side.

It took them another fifteen minutes, but eventually, Reva and her friends had found their way inside the club. As soon as they walked down the stairs leading to the dance floor, Reva’s contemplative mood subsided. The room was heaving with people, colourful lights were flashing in time with the beat and Reva could feel the reverberations of the base thrumming through her body. She took a deep breath and a confident smile formed on her face; this was what she had been looking for.

They quickly found the rest of their friends seated on comfortable looking leather sofas around a low table next to the bar, and Reva’s smile widened with every one of them she greeted. Before long she found herself chatting and laughing with each and every one of them, catching up with those she hadn’t seen in a while and trading gossip with those she saw regularly. Reva felt more at ease than she had done in weeks and she leaned back into her seat with a content smile.

“It’s good to see you smiling again,” her friend Sage Carridan said and sat down next to her. “It’s been a while, I can imagine.”

“Meaning?” Reva said and raised her eyebrows.

“I read the latest articles in The Daily Prophet on the Magpies’ winning streak,” Sage explained.

“I’m not surprised you have.” A defeated expression crossed Reva’s face. The general tone of the articles was positive, but she had been on a few unsuccessful dates with the guy who’d written them, and from how he talked about her, Reva could tell he wasn’t as over her as she was over him. There wasn’t a single day where she didn’t find herself being compared to her mother’s scoring record or her father’s technique and frankly, she was sick of it.

Sage seemed to sense Reva’s shift in mood because she made a sympathetic face and laid a hand on her shoulder. “I want you to know that this amateur has no idea about Quidditch. What he’s writing is far-fetched, to say the least. You’re a fantastic player in your own right, and I’ve never seen a statistic more inaccurate than the ones he’s making up.”

“My godfather said the same,” Reva muttered. She should feel glad about Sage’s encouragement, but all she felt was tired.

Sage seemed to want to add something but was interrupted when Nova Mae slumped into the seat on Reva’s other side.

“Why that face?” she asked cheerfully, looking between Reva and Sage. “Is Sage boring you with rules and numbers again?”

Sage rolled her eyes. “They’re not boring, Nova.”

“Oh yes, they are.”

Reva had to bite her lip to keep from chuckling. Nova’s and Sage’s friendly banter was infamous and their bickering was already brightening her mood considerably.

“I won’t allow you to be sad today. I know something to cheer you up,” Nova declared. From out of nowhere she produced a clear plastic bag containing what looked like brownies.

A sly grin appeared on Reva’s face but when she reached for the bag, it was snatched away by a stern looking Sage.

“You’re not going to be giving Reva edibles while I’m watching,” she hissed at Nova.

Nova shrugged and shoved a piece of brownie into her mouth. “You’re free to go any time.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Shame.”

“That’s irresponsible, Nova!”

“They’re brownies. Nothing else, I swear.”

“As if.”

“Can you just stop it?” Reva sighed and looked between the two unhappily, her good mood gone as fast as it had come. She usually had fun watching Nova and Sage bicker, but tonight, it was making her restless. “All I want is to have some fun.”

“Right you are,” came the voice of Scarlett Tempest from behind them. She had gone to get new drinks and was now looking at Nova and Sage warningly. “The girl’s twenty-two and here you are talking over her head like she isn’t here.” She took one of the small shot glasses off her tray she was carrying and handed it to Reva. “She wants to have fun and that is what she’s going to have. Screw the public, screw the press, and screw the guys - that one writing shit about you in particular.”

She raised a glass of her own to Reva and downed it one go. Reva did the same and shuddered as the tequila burned its way down her throat. She decided to leave Sage and Nova to themselves and follow Scarlett and her tray instead.

Having had another round of shots with Robin, Zadie and Victoire, there was nothing keeping the girls off the dancefloor anymore. Reva took her turn dancing first with Robin, then Dana and eventually Rory for a while. She would have loved to dance with Zadie as well, but like always when music was playing, Zadie was in a world of her own; she was twisting and twirling across the dancefloor like nothing Reva had seen before and there were more than a few people staring at her admiringly, even though Zadie never noticed.

After a few more songs, everyone but Zadie and Reva had left the dancefloor again. The crowd had gotten thicker and soon a wall of people was separating them. Reva stopped and stepped to the edge of the dancefloor, letting her eyes wander over her group of friends back at their table.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves; Rylie was sitting on Rory’s lap, laughing as he said something into her ear; Nova and Sage were still bickering but seemed to be having fun doing it; Victoire and Robin were clearing up the last of the shots, while Dylan and Robin’s twin brother Nick were quietly suffering their fate with a bottle of beer each. They were listening to Dante, who was probably explaining to them why the drinks in this club were awful and what he would do differently. A little to the side, Dana and her friend Saffron were dancing with each other; Saffron was staring at the lights above them and had her hands up in the air, waving them from side to side in tune with her body, looking a little like seaweed underwater.

Reva made a move to go back to them but hesitated; everyone was having a good time and neither did she want to enter a conversation, nor did she want to drink any more shots with Robin and Victoire. All of her friends were fine and Reva felt like she would disturb them, so she turned around and returned to the dancefloor.

She had lost sight of Zadie, so she danced on her own for a little while. It wasn’t long before she was approached by a guy around her age who asked her to dance with him. Reva didn’t see a reason not to, but when he got closer and closer and bowed his head to kiss her, she quickly took a step back. She wanted to turn away and return to her friends but the guy grabbed her by the hand and held her back.

“What’s the matter all of a sudden? You weren’t so shy a minute ago.”

Reva flashed her eyes at him. “Let go, right now.”

“Or what?”

From across the room, Reva’s situation hadn’t gone unnoticed. But before either Rory, Dylan or Sage had any chance to come to Reva’s help, Scarlett had already slammed down her drink and came pushing through the crowd. When she reached Reva, she gave her suitor a look that would have made Reva’s blood freeze if it had been directed at her.

“Hands off her,” she snapped and the guy looked her up and down derisively. He clearly wasn’t impressed by what he was seeing.

“What do you even want?” he scoffed.

“Something you can’t have,” Scarlett said wryly. She freed Reva’s wrist from his hand, took her face into her hands and pressed a kiss to her lips that tasted of tequila, salt and lemon.

Reva stiffened for a second when their lips met, but when the jaw of the guy who had been harassing her dropped, she wrapped her arms around Scarlett’s neck and returned the kiss.

Out of the corner of her eye, Reva saw the guy mutter something to himself and shake his head. With a dismissive gesture he pushed past them and had vanished into the crowd a moment later.

Scarlett let go of her and her hazel eyes were sparkling mischievously. There was a smug grin on her face that made Reva giggle.

“What in Godric’s name was that about?” she wanted to know as Scarlett linked arms with her and led her back towards their friends.

“Someone needed to put that bloke in his proper place,” Scarlett replied and handed Reva a shot. “I’ve said it before - screw the guys. This evening’s about you, and I wasn’t going to let a lowlife like him ruin it for you.”

Reva took the glass off her and Scarlett raised her own. “Here’s to you, birthday girl.”

“No,” Reva shook her head as she clinked glasses with Scarlett and the rest of her friends, who had all come to celebrate with her. “Here’s to all of us.”

[stillgotme]

Fun Friday

(click the pics for captions)

previously | next | beginning

[loverofpiggies]

Okay guys, ya I won’t be able to update GV for a while. Yall have been so nice on my previous posts about this, so I don’t feel guilty about needing to pause!! So thank you. If you wanna read on and see how I’m doing, you can, but otherwise, Gloomverse is going to be paused for a bit. The ‘keep reading’ might be a little ranty, so if you wanna keep things positive, you can just keep scrolling!

Well.... after months, I finally cried this morning over the Covid19 stuff.

I had gotten an email from Metrocon, a convention in Florida I was going to sell at. It would have been my first show in Florida, and I was particularly excited because it was gonna be close to my birthday, so I was gonna use it as an excuse to go swimming and all that fun stuff!

But, ya, it was cancelled. Just like the last six shows that have cancelled so far, and then I checked some other conventions that were coming up that just haven’t sent out emails yet, and they’re cancelled too.

Part of why I went to visit my mom, is I was starting to go a bit insane from the isolation. I’ve been drawing plenty, getting the tarot decks done, getting new charm designs done-- throwing everything I have into my Etsy store, and so finances, though they aren’t great- are okay. So I know I’m in a better position then others, and having room mates helps the financial burdens a whole lot.

But.... even knowing all that. I feel like I’ve lost everything. This is supposed to be my busy season, I had 3 cons back to back, all of them really big, or at least great! I was excited to travel and see fans again, to chat up people at my booth, geek out about the games we’re playing or whatever...

I’m sorry, I’m crying again, just thinking about it.

Like, I know I’m not alone, and I’m not trying to play some sympathy card, and I think it’s important people talk about how they’re doing. And truth is, I finally have to admit to myself, that I’m just not doing okay. I fight myself tooth and nail on this stuff, I force positivity into terrible events, because it helps me. ‘Oh! sure I can’t go to conventions, but this gives me plenty of time to work on comics, or make new merch! Yeah, things are fine, it’s all good! Oh, I can work on the yard! I can finally get a hammock, yah, this is like a vacation!’

But working on my comics, have been like pulling teeth. I just, I can’t work on something that requires my creative mind, when my creative mind just doesn’t want to come out. Drawing keychains? Easy, that doesn’t have some big story behind it that I have to think about while creating.

But.... yes, I have to finally admit to myself, that I am absolutely, positively not okay. Everything I’ve been doing has all been trying to distract from the reality of what’s really going on. And seeing that email from Metrocon.... it finally broke me.

I won’t get to hang out with all my cool convention friends, I won’t be able to talk with attendees about things we love, and the big one I was planning for this year, which was saving up every penny I could to purchase a house-- well, now I’m scrapping by just trying to pay off this annoying credit card, that of COURSE is still accruing monthly fees during the pandemic. Of COURSE it is, because the bank needs their money, even while people are losing their incomes and barely being able to EAT.

...okay I’m going to get off that topic or else I’ll get real mad.

If I work on Gloomverse like this.... the story won’t be what I need it to be. This particular chapter is *really* important for Rylie’s character, especially the second half, and. I really can’t fuck that up.

And I know yall said it’s okay. And thank you for that. Because. Jeese, things are hell for everyone, and it’s about time I really admit to myself, that it’s hell for me too.

So, I really hope everyone is being safe, and please talk to the people important to you about how you’re doing, and it’s ok to be honest with them, and yourself and all that.

Okay I need to stop typing, but. Yes, thank you. Gloomverse will be on hiatus, and I don’t know for how long. I’ll still work to get the kickstarter started, and all that. But, it might be delayed slightly since I’m sad.

[farfarawaygirl]

Do you have any thoughts on sylvies bio dad?

In my head, she gets her lashes and beauty marks from him. And he was 15 when she was born. He was a baseball player in high school and that’s where sylvie gets her athleticism from. He also joined the marines after he graduated to try and escape from his small town.

His one regret in life is not reaching out to sylvie when she became old enough because he felt like he didn’t have the right to invade her life, since he made the decision to give her up with Julie.

The one picture he has of him holding her is in a locket that he keeps around his neck. And he has 3 boys of his own now and they know of their older sister.

It was never official, but he named her Rylie and he celebrates her birthday every year with his sons and he donates the presents he buys her for Christmas each year.

I’ve created a whole story for him in my mind 😅

I love creating backstory!!

One thing I’m really attached to for Sylvie that she only has brothers, so the idea of her birth dad having three sons works for me! I think Amelia is her only sister.

It’s so sweet how you have her dad naming her, and buying her gifts.

I think if we ever see her dad on the show, he’ll be a victim at a scene and will recognize her name right away. It would be very cool if we could have him there!

Like Julie, I think Sylvie’s bio dad would be someone who is good and kind. Someone she would connect with and feel safe with. They would share a sense of humour.

I have a sweet little story brewing in my brain about how this storyline could bring Matt and Sylvie back together, because who else would she turn to? Who else would Sylvie trust enough? If her dad did show up I think it would be important to have Matt interact with him, the way we saw him interact with Julie.

Thank you for sharing your sweet headcannons with me! I always love stuff like this!!

[gloomverse-theories]

 The Mancers - Who are they?

Back in Revelations, Purple introduced us to the idea of 5 Magicians who were able to disregard the known Rights of Magic, or use loopholes specific to themselves to do so. 

Here’s the mural we got of them in that very chapter:

It so happens that Purple introduces us to four of them in his book, so we are here to bring the information we have. Here’s what we’ve been able to deduce about them, both from the book and the webcomic.

Disclaimer: All titles are for fun unless mentioned in the story.

Going in chronological order, we have Amaryllis.

The First Mancer. The Goddess of Stratoverse. Freer of Humankind.

The first Mancer to be mentioned by name in-story (Cirrus in The Beach Episode Without Beach) and called the “Sun” or a Goddess, perhaps you have wondered what kind of Goddess she could be, and what she might have done to earn this title.

In the time before humans set out and settled the world (about 2000 years before the present), a Storm confined humanity into caves on a small island. When the Storm weakened, those communities could trade, but nobody ever got farther than half a day away, because the respite was so short.

Until her. As a child she discovered the power of Magic and cleared the Storm with raw power. Her name? Amaryllis. And the Isle carrying her name, now a holy land, is said to be where much of humanity was confined in its earliest days. Her current whereabouts are unknown and according to Hyacy Tradition, her “Element” is the Sky. There are four more: Light, Darkness, Seed, and Water. We’ll come back to them. 

Now back to Amaryllis.

In the stained glass we see in Revelations, we see a child in a yellow dress holding her hands towards the sky and seemingly catching a lightning strike in them: this is Amaryllis. She is seen as a Goddess in Stratoverse, associated with the Sun, and with the color yellow.

Yellow is the color of royalty for Stratoverse. Additional bonus fact: Amarillo/Amarilla is Spanish for yellow. 

From Amaryllis Isle, humankind spread all over Ecoverse where they would begin to discover more and more of Magic and build a society for the next 500 years. Which is when the next two Mancers come in. But before we get to explain “Hyacy”, we have to talk about the second Mancer: Malus. Breaker of Chains.

By the time Malus appeared, most of the magicless people had been forced into some form of slave labor for about 200 years, with their magic Masters keeping hats and wands as a closely guarded secret. 

Born a slave to magicless parents, Malus gained her Magic on her 13th birthday, apparently without a hat. Malus’ strong magical ability let her set out to end their reign in an angry, bloody revolution.

Her magic is directly linked to another Element of the Hyacy Tradition, Water. We see her figure at the bottom of the glass mosaic, surrounded by waves and bearing five blue jewels on her forehead. Her expression is quite fierce and her gesture of “parting waves” aggressive thanks to it.

It is unknown whether she has a link to the Mermaid, but if any Mancer made her, it’s most likely Malus.

This two year long revolution was ended by a girl born into a high ranking Magic household who was only sixteen when the revolution began. Her name was Hyacinth and she soon rose to become the leader of the people that survived the revolution, preaching peace to them with great charisma. Unlike Malus, who wasn’t a politician and disappeared as soon as the revolution was over, she remained a part of society the following years, and largely contributed to rebuilding Ecoverse after the civil war killed off about half of the population.

Now... there is no historical or even narrative evidence that Hyacinth has magic. So why do we suspect her to be a Mancer? Well...

Hyacinth and her followers built a religion/belief system, Hyacy, that reposed on five Elements: Light, Sky, Seed/Soil, Water and Darkness. If you were attentive, you have already seen the motif representing all five within the comic.

It appears that each Mancer corresponds to an element. The others are more obvious than Hyacinth, but if you go by elimination you can figure out she should be the Seed mancer. 

There are very few surviving records of Hyacinth’s magic (if at all), but according to the belief of her most Traditionalist followers, humans were most closely aligned with the Seed Attribute. The ease at which she unified the survivors, even the rarity of revolts against a former Master taking control, point towards her having mind affecting abilities of the Seed Attribute. Malus, despite no other magician being able to do more than slow her down, also implied that Hyacinth was stronger than herself, to the extent of refusing to fight her.

Purple’s summary of Mancer abilities supports this. He mentions that they can affect the human mind, though no direct mention of it is made in his book. As the one who would have the same element humans supposedly belong to, Seed, and more specifically humans with plants on their heads, if any character has mind control, it is most likely her.

She is the woman in the green dress and three green gems in our picture of all five. She has a peaceful expression, emphasizing her role of bringing peace to the revolution.

Furthermore, if you asked an Ecoversian living today, they would reply that both Hyacinth and Malus are still alive today, 1500 years later, but their whereabouts are unknown. We even see them in Rylie’s dream behind Yellow, which happens 500 years after the revolution. Their hair is different from the mural, but they are there as evidenced by the gems they wear and their locations.

Hyacinth

And Malus

Alright, three done, two mancers to go. Let’s tie over the historical events first, however.

200 years after Malus and Hyacinth, religious dissent broke out. Traditionalists claimed humans only belonged to the Seed element, and that Malus’ rampage had been caused by her being so interested in Water; Revisionists argued that restraining humans to the Seed element and devaluing the achievements of those of other Elements was not the way to go. Their biggest argument? Amaryllis, they insisted, had Weather (Sky) Magic and was obviously very important to human history. These Revisionists were given the newly discovered Stratoverse to avoid a civil war, and settled there. Much like Gloomverse, their Magic took various forms until a mysterious event dubbed “The Return” a hundred years later. Of who, or what, we do not know. But that event seems to have changed Stratoverse forever, and caused them to only seek Weather magic.

1000 years after Amaryllis drove back the Storm and 1000 years prior to the current story, Stratoverse and Ecoverse began to clash once again. This time, it was on a new landmass that would become known as Gloomverse.

As Gloomversians apparently didn’t write down the events of their founding, the only surviving records come from two sources in Stratoverse and Ecoverse, mostly the correspondence between their then-leaders Narcissus and Queen Asperitas. They decided to have Gloomverse become the land that would unite them once more, and rather than fight over the new continent, they decided to accept arrivals from both countries.

From these records, we learn of Asperitas sending in a very gifted Magician to keep the peace and manage the many arrivals. In the glass mural, she is the central figure, a hand holding up the Sun. Almost an adult when she first reached Gloomverse, she went by the name of Prisma.

Prisma managed to do this very well for a few years and one of the first settlements is now called City of the Ancients. This place has been abandoned after a certain unrecorded event (most likely Prisma’s murder) and has become Nim and Purple’s place of study. 

Prisma is seen glowing and speaking with grey text right before she is murdered. She also carries a Sun-shaped scepter (her wand?). She also is implied to have been the creator and/or master of the Colors. She is the Light Mancer, and is also the one we have seen in the recent “Less than human” chapter talking with Rylie.

Though we know a little about her life, her abilities are largely unknown. She shares the gem placement with Malus, but hers are yellow (the color of light/the sun/Stratoverse royalty) and there are also three of them.

We still have one figure on the mural to talk about:

This hidden one, who by elimination is the Darkness mancer. They are hiding behind Prisma in the purple mass perhaps representing the Storm, looking through to the side next to Amaryllis and holding something resembling a mask. Interestingly, their body is mostly hidden as well...

This is our prime suspect for the aforementioned Prisma Murder. The figure shrouded in Darkness with red eyes, carrying a black wand and covered in rags. 

Mooching “I can’t let this happen again” Hobo, the Dark Overlord, Amadeus. Husband of Petunia and father of Harold and the famous Wallis Gloom. I could go deep into detail about him right here and now, but as he is not mentioned in Purple’s book and apparently not a known part of history, I will keep this for a different post.

In any case it’s pretty clear he is the same person, just... a thousand years later. We already know Hyacinth and Malus are likely to still be alive after 1500 years after all.

So there you have it.  Five elements, five Mancers:

- Amaryllis of the Sky

- Malus of Water

- Hyacinth of Seed/Soil

- Prisma of Light

- Amadeus of Darkness 

Any further theory or linking to other characters would be pure speculation, so we’ll cut it here. Thank you for your time!

[underdressedgoth]

This is older art that I finally finished (it was first made in September before Goretober and I finally finish it like 2 months later)

I’m choosing now to properly introduce these kids (and a new one too) as the “Multiple Dimentional Craze” fanchildren. (this is going to be a very long post)

Sapphire

Parents: Morty and Riley *oc* Full Name: Sapphire ‘June’ Smith Nicknames: Saphie Birthday: November 17 Age: 16 Species: Human Blood Type: A+ Height: 5′7ft Sexuality: Lesbian Personality: Rude, Courageous, Rebellious, Loyal, Hot-headed, Impatient, Intelligent, Arrogant, Protective, Honest (very brutally honest), prideful, strong, confident, leader-like Powers: N/A Family: Morty *Father*, Rylie *Mother* [Out of the picture], Rick *Great-Grandfather*, Beth *Grandmother*, Jerry *Grandfather* and Summer *Aunt* Friends: Monster, Pinecone, Pineneedle, Mars, Mercury, Bruno, Leah and Josie Dating: Mayflower Likes: Her girlfriend, stir fry, the color magenta, warm foods, science related subjects, math related subjects, cats, sweet and salty foods Dislikes: Emiko, Evelyn, Takei, Victor, London, Samara, Morty, Samantha, P.J, Lee- you know what she hates like ⅞ of my fanchildren we could be here all day if I had to list everyone she doesn’t like, rain, wet items, spicy foods, sour foods, chunky things- okay so she really doesn’t like a lot of things either (you get the point) Other Things: -Her hair is naturally blue, Morty was concerned that she was Rick’s kid (considering the reason why they had split up), but nope. Morty’s her Dad. -Her parents are separated (Her mother cheated on Morty with multiple people) -She doesn’t like most people (it’s considered an accomplishment if someone managed to get on her good list. Which is -by the way- very small) -She pretty much hates Morty, a lot. She has a lot of resentment towards him, mainly because she hasn’t seen her mother since she was 5. (While Morty wants to tell her that he had tried to get her mother to see her, her mother is pretty much a dead-beat parent who doesn’t give a flying fuck that her daughter exists. He knows Sapphire probably won’t believe him) -While they may be friends, Sapphire likes to pick on and bully Mars. But just because she likes to bully him, doesn’t mean she won’t beat up a person who makes fun of him (it’s like a sibling-love thing. Everyone who has a sibling here should know what I mean) -She looks up to Rick, much to her family’s (including Rick’s) dismay, she always wanted to go adventuring with him but he always declines (thus making her frustrated) -Sometimes will steal things from her Great-Grandfather without him knowing until she’s already gone with it (one of the normal things she usually steals is the portal gun -While most of her friends have powers, she’s not jealous, in fact that only makes her more confident in herself since she knows how strong she really is (thus making her even more scary knowing that she’s just as strong as her powerful friends) -She has a soft spot for her friends and girlfriend -There are very few people on her bad list that she respects (one for example being Takei) -She’s pretty well known around her school as a girl who never knows when to step down, the amount of fights she was in prove said statement She has known Pinecone and Pineneedle since they were babies, Mayflower and Monster since 5, Mars since 6, Bruno and Mercury since 7

Monster

Parents: Wirt and The Beast Full Name: Monster ‘Edelwood’ Oak Nicknames: Monty Birthday: January 31 Age: 15 Species: Demon/Human Blood Type: [Redacted] Height: 5′8ft Sexuality: Heterosexual Personality: Calm, Collected, Optimistic, Peaceful, Caring, Protective, Observant, Quiet, Diplomatic, Introverted, Fair-Minded Powers: +Plant Talk- Can talk to plants and understand what they’re saying +Nature control- Able to control any plant around her or even make pants appear out of nowhere +Shadow Camouflage- Using her shadow form, she can blend into any surface she so chooses as long as she doesn’t use it while in sunlight +Night vision- While using her real eyes, she can see clearly in the dark. It only works with her real eyes though, while in her human disguise she can’t see in the dark +Shape-shift- Whether it be in her human disguise or natural form, she can also turn into any animal she can think of +Enhanced smell- Can smell twice as good as a blood-hound. Helps when smelling for blood or souls +Angel’s Voice- Like with the beast, she can sing to draw prey towards her along with drain any bravery or hope from them +Underwater breathing- Can breathe underwater (she didn’t know she could until the age of 6 when Mars went out too far and nearly drowned. Wirt nearly had a heart-attack that day but was grateful she could do that) Family: Wirt *Father*, Beast *Father*, Sara *Step-mother*, Max *little half-brother*, Lantern *little half-sister*, Greg *Uncle* Friends: Sapphire, Mayflower, Pinecone, Pineneedle, Bruno, Mars, Mercury, Armory, Echomain Crush: Mars Likes: Tea, Poety, Nature, Music, Rivers, Exploring, Her Family and Friends, Old Things, Books, Walking through the woods, Singing, cold weather, English subjects, Art, Musicals Dislikes: Very hot weather, her friends/family getting injured, cheese (no one knows why, she just doesn’t like it), bright lights Other Things: -She’s carnivorous, won’t eat any plants unless she has to (a funny way to put it is that she’s like a reverse vegan) - Her favorite poet is Sara Teasdale - She got her love for poetry from Wirt, ever since she was a baby, Wirt would read poetry to her. Beast also would sometimes recite Shakespeare to her when she was a child while she visited him - She can easily retell Hamlet from memory word-for-word (she’s read and heard Shakespeare so many times that she can do that with any of his stories) - She’s in her school’s chorus (Known to be a very beautiful singer) - Her favorite type of music is Opera (no surprise there) - Once a week (sometimes two) every other month, she and Wirt would go visit the beast. Sara does know about this as she was there when the deal was first offered - She has never actually spent a halloween in the real world - Monster was born out of a giant flower - Sometimes out of habit from her demonic heritage, Monster will eat either a bird or small animal (Mayflower and Mars are the only ones who seem to freak out when that happens) - Has been playing Piano, cello, Clarinet and bass since she was little (she loves playing instruments) - Sometimes if she’s deep in thought, she’ll start talking in Shakespearean - Is an outcast at her school because people find her very weird with her personality and hobby with plants (Since she likes to whisper to them a lot). - - - - While Wirt may have reacted differently to a situation like hers, she doesn’t seem to be bothered by it at all. Nor does she acknowledge the insults other students will sometimes say about her. Sapphire on the other hand, has been in many fights because she refuses to let anyone bully her friend - Monster loves her half-siblings to death, she’ll do anything for them. Her brother Max sadly doesn’t like her since she gets most of Wirt’s attention - Her brother doesn’t know she’s not fully human, her sister on the other hand found out through her own ways (she’s very young so she’s fine with it, in fact she thinks Monster is cool and lucky to have powers as she wishes she had them too) -She’s mainly nocturnal, but since she can’t really sleep during the day often either, her body luckily managed to readjust itself so she doesn’t need to sleep often. - She doesn’t really express much inner emotions, so it’s not obvious that she has a crush on Mars (only people who know are Sapphire and Mayflower) - Has known Pinecone and Pineneedle since they were babies, Mayflower since she was 4, Bruno and Mercury since 5, Mars since 6 and Sapphire since 4 - She’s considered a theater kid (the theater kids are probably the only ones out of her school who actually like her) - Funny thing, she can walk on water (another thing to add, it took Wirt forever to let her into the water, he was just that terrified if she drowned.) -She can’t see well in bright lighting, her eyes don’t adjust well to it -She sees Sara like an actual mother to her -Seems to bleed Oil,Gold and Blood

Mayflower

Parents: Connie and Spinel Full Name: Mayflower ‘Spinel’ Maheswaran-Universe Nick names: May, Curly, Petal Birthday: February 28 Age: 14 Species: Gem/Human Blood Type: [Redacted] Height: 5′3ft Sexuality: Bisexual Personality: Self-conscious, Joyful, Caring, Nurturing, Optimistic, Friendly, sometimes nervous, self-less, strong Powers: + Rejuvinator- can easily pull out her own rejuvinator from her gem (it can also double as a weapon to fight against other creatures, electrocuting and cutting any enemy she swings it at) +Stretchy Limbs- Like her mother Spinel, she can stretch any part of her body (as long as she doesn’t over do it, she’s fine) + Fusion- like her father Steven who is also half-gem, she can fuse with any gem or human Family: Spinel *Mother*, Connie *Mother*, Steven *Step-Father*, Nicholas *Older Half-Brother*, Stephen *Little Half-Brother*, Greg *Little Half-Brother*, Greg *Step-Grandfather*, Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz *Step-Grandmother*, Priyanka *Grandmother*, Doug *Grandfather* Friends: Pinecone, Pineneedle, Mercury, Bruno, Mars, Monster Dating: Sapphire Likes: Dancing, Singing, Traveling the Multiverse, Animals, any romantic comedy or novels, painting, Homeworld, space travel, space itself, anything funny, gardening Dislikes: Her looks, Monster attempting to eat a small creature, abandon buildings, taking pictures of herself (she gets flustered from them), horror movies, silence, being alone, blood, anyone getting hurt Other Things: -She isn’t really one who is confident with her looks, she isn’t exactly thin (she’s kinda chubby) and it does bother her sometimes (Sapphire still loves her to death and will kill anyone who makes fun of her girlfriend without hesitation or remorse. Sapphire would do anything for and I mean anything) -She and Sapphire have been dating for about 2 years now (for the one who has confessed their love to the other, they both were just flustered stuttering messes as Sapphire sucks with emotions besides anger and Mayflower is not one who has confidence) - Her older brother doesn’t like her, she tries her best, just like Monster with her own brother, to get her brother to not hate her (he’s just edgy) - She has her own gem, a spinel like her mother Spinel’s (spinel didn’t give up her form, it turns out from what I heard, Rose didn’t have to give up her form for Steven. So I am just using that idea for here too) - Since Steven, Spinel and Connie are in a polygamous relationship, Steven likes to help Mayflower understand her own powers since he can relate of course) - I can definitely assure that the Diamonds like to smother her and her brothers with love since they are Spinel’s and Steven’s kids (same can go with Pearl) - Doesn’t seem like it to others, but Mayflower is really strong, she can lift a lot since she likes to work out sometimes

Pinecone

Parents: Bill and Dipper Full Name: Pinecone ‘Pyramid’ Cipher-Pines Nick names: Pinie, PC, Creepy, Gremlin #1, Cone Birthday: May 23 Age: 13 Species: Demon/Human Blood Type: [Redacted] Height: 5ft Sexuality: Heterosexual Personality: Creepy, Hyper, Observant, Extroverted, Goofy, Creative, observant, curious, courageous, adventurous, chaotic good, crafty Powers: +Shapeshift- Can shape-shift into anything from her demon form to any small objects +Portals- Can manifest a portal to the multiverse +Enhanced smell- can smell better than humans +Telekinesis- Move things with her mind +Floating- Can float Family: Bill *Father*, Dipper *”Mother”*, Pineneedle *Twin brother*, Gravity *Little brother*, Falls *Little sister*, Mabel *Aunt*, Pacifica *Aunt*, Aqua Marie *Cousin*, Manuel *Cousin*, Tala Poly *Aunt*, Lillusion *Aunt* Friends: Sapphire, Mayflower, Monster, Bruno, Mars, Mercury, Gabriel, Flint Crush: Max Likes: Forests, Dark areas, Halloween, Bugs, Camping, Fire, Bones, Traveling through dimensions and universes, anything sugar, Tad Strange, scissors, disturbing things, Birch trees Dislikes: Being Normal, having to sit still, London (surprisingly), snobby people, having to pretend to be human, pineapples, fancy things (finds them boring) Other Things: -Is older than Pineneedle by 6 minutes - Tad Strange is her’s and Pineneedle’s teacher (secretly since Bill hates Tad) - While she likes Monster’s little brother, most people will say she has a very “strange” way of showing her affection towards her (that being a very creepy way, what I mean is that she’ll say the creepiest things to him since she for some reason “finds his face adorable when it looks scared”) (she won’t hurt him, just freak him out. Added note, he doesn’t like her at all. Her love for him is very one-sided. But she is determined to win him over one day) - She and Pineneedle were not planned, they kinda just happened by accident (their parents still love both of them none-the-less) - Knows about other fanchildren in other universes, enjoys talking to them

Pineneedle

Parents: Bill and Dipper Full Name: Pineneedle ‘Illuminati’ Cipher-Pines Nick names: PN, Gremlin #2, Pointer, Needle Birthday: May 23 Age: 13 Species: Demon/Human Blood Type: [Redacted] Height: 5ft Sexuality: Aromantic/bisexual Personality: Creepy, Hyper, Observant, Extroverted, Goofy, Creative, chaotic, courageous, adventurous, Chaotic good, disobedient Powers: +Shapeshift- Can shape-shift into anything from her demon form to any small objects +Portals- Can manifest a portal to the multiverse +Enhanced smell- can smell better than humans +Telekinesis- Move things with her mind +Floating- Can float Family: Bill *Father*, Dipper *”Mother”*, Pinecone *Twin sister*, Gravity *Little brother*, Falls *Little sister*, Mabel *Aunt*, Pacifica *Aunt*, Aqua Marie *Cousin*, Manuel *Cousin*, Tala Poly *Aunt*, Lillusion *Aunt* Friends: Sapphire, Mayflower, Monster, Bruno, Mars, Mercury, Gabriel, Flint Crush: N/A Likes: Anything creepy, slim, spiders, snakes, mice, being crazy, scaring others, Tad Strange Dislikes: Having to be “normal”, not using his powers, rules, girly things Other Things: -Almost like he’s Pinecone’s other half, sharing similar personalities and abilities - He’s the younger twin - Where ever one twin is, the other follows (Pinecone and Pineneedle are rarely apart) - The more troublesome of the two (and that is saying something) - While Pinecone likes Max, Needle just likes to scare him - He can be very spiteful - Thinks love is gross (doesn’t understand it) - likes to skateboard with Mercury - He and Pinecone have known everyone since they were babies (they’re the little siblings of the group)

Mars

Parents: Dib and Zim Full Name: Mars ‘Irken’ Membrane Nick names: Nerd, Markie, Dork (<--- Two are from Sapphire) Birthday: July 15 Age: 16 Species: Alien/Human Blood Type: [Redacted] Height: 5′8ft Sexuality: Heterosexual Personality: Introverted, Anxious, Intelligent, Quiet, Friendly, Nerdy, Dorky Powers: +Breath in space- Yeah, that’s the only thing I think he can do Family: Zim *Parent*, Dib *Father*, Zoey *Little Sister* Gaz *Aunt*, Tak *Aunt*, Dr.Membrane *Grandfather* Friends: Sapphire, Mayflower, Monster, Mercury, Bruno, Pinecone, Pineneedle Crush: Monster Likes: School (because he likes learning), technology, building things, studying, science and math related subjects Dislikes: Sapphire’s rage, moving quickly, the dark (he’s scared of it), oranges (hates the smell), Gym (he’s not that strong) Other Things: -Often gets picked on by Sapphire (though they do have their moments where they get along) (he’s not scared of her, just annoyed) - While Dib may be a proud space scientist, Mars prefers not to be acknowledged as his son for some odd reason - He doesn’t enjoy fighting other creatures, he can handle it, just doesn’t like it like the others do - He has motion sickness, move way too quickly and he’ll get nauseous - Sapphire is the reason for why he’s scared of the dark - He wears make-up to hide the green parts of his skin (the only time he doesn’t is in Gravity falls) - He has only been to space once, didn’t have fun at all (1/10 wouldn’t recommend) - Monster gave him his beanie for his birthday a few years ago, he loves it - He’s your typical shy nerd

Mercury

Parents: Star and Jackie Full Name: Mercury ‘Lynn‘ Butterfly Nick names: Flutter, Wings, Meri, Sparkles Birthday: August 2 Age: 15 Species: Mewman/Human Blood Type: [Redacted] Height: 5′6ft Sexuality: Pansexual Personality: Out-going, extroverted, bashful, prideful, forceful, somewhat thoughtless at times, crafty, wild Powers: +Butterfly- Butterfly form from Mewberty +Magic wand- since it’s connected to her powers they have similar spells (I am not going to list them because that’ll take too long) Family: Star *Mother*, Jackie *Mother*, Moon *Grandmother*, River *Grandfather* Friends: Sapphire, Mayflower, Monster, Mars, Bruno, Pinecone, Pineneedle, Samantha, Anne, Evelyn, Gabriel, Black Taffy- she’s pretty much the opposite of Sapphire when it comes to people, she has a lot of friends Crush: Samantha Likes: Glitter (a lot), Shiny things, roller-blading, magic, Mewni, crazy things, summer, bright collars, dancing, sugar, hot coco, socializing, parties Dislikes: Unicorns (from her experience with them, you’d hate them too), Fairies (again, from her experience with them, you wouldn’t blame her), gnomes, garden gnomes (don’t ask), bland foods, snakes, magical high commission, her ex boyfriend (oh how the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree) Other Things: -Just going to ignore what happened in the finale because I personally thought it sucked and was a terrible way to end a series. Mercury is the heir to the Butterfly throne. - While she is a girl who can easily make friends, she is one who also tends to loose some due to her nature, she doesn’t understand boundaries and tends to drive people away occasionally - She knows a lot of Royal people and will 100% try to befriend any princes or princesses while she can - She loves to talk, a lot, she is very rarely quiet and it tends to drive Sapphire crazy and threaten to duck-tape her mouth shut - Sometimes the others think she depends on her want a little too much, because she uses it all the time even when she doesn’t need too at all - Despite being a very confident girl, when it comes to interacting with her crush (Samantha), she’s a stuttering flustered mess - Please don’t give her sugar

Bruno

Parents: Tom and Marco Full Name: Bruno ‘Julius‘ Lucitor-Diaz Nick names: Bunny, Demon-boy, Lucitor, Horns (<--- Most of these are from Sapphire) Birthday: March 30 Age: 16 Species: Demon/Mewman/Human Blood Type: [Redacted] Height: 5′8ft Sexuality: Heterosexual Personality: Calm, Brave, Determined, Good-hearted, Responsible, Dare-devil, Leader-like, Assertive (when needed), Confident Powers: +Fire- able to produce fire from hands and have it spread to anywhere on his body Family: Tom *Father*, Marco *Father*, Juliet *little sister*, Mariposa *Aunt*, Rafael *Grandfather*, Angie *Grandmother*, Wrathmelior *Grandmother* and Dave *Grandfather* Friends: Sapphire, Mayflower, Pinecone, Pineneedle, Monster, Mars, Mercury, Black Taffy, Josie, Jack Jr, Crush: N/A Likes: Biking, fire, Tacos, Nachos, Magical creatures, adventure, Ice-skating Dislikes: Math, school, fancy parties, dressing up, London, Mercury on sugar Other Things: -He’s sorta bad at judging things -Often butts heads with Sapphire due to both of their desires to lead the friend group - He has a third eye hidden under his hair -Has three moles in a row from largest to smallest under his right eye - Has his own pair of Dimensional scissors - Lives in the Underworld as the prince and heir to the throne - Is the only one besides Pinecone, Pineneedle and Monster, who is able to handle Mercury - Has known Mercury since the day of her birth, Pinecone and Pineneedle since they were babies, Sapphire since 7, Monster since 6 - He doesn’t really like most demons or hybrids, most of the time they’re too crazy for him to deal with (he already has to deal with 3 crazy people almost everyday. He’s good) - He’s pretty good at flattering people, he’s calls it his “secret weapon” - He likes to consider Sapphire as his rival (Sapphire feels the same way towards him) I’ll admit I got lazy with some parts because writing this was taking too long after loosing a good chunk of progress and having to redo some profiles because of it. This would have been posted sooner if it weren’t for that.

[jrob64]

I Loved You First - a Daddy Charming birthday fic for @kmomof4

As many of us in the CS fandom know, Krystal is the best cheerleader, encourager and flailer for our Captain Swan stories. However, she also loves the relationship between Emma and Charming, so I've written a Daddy Charming birthday story for her. l wish you the happiest of birthdays (a day early), my dear friend! Love you!

Special thanks to @cs-rylie and @snowbellewells for checking this story over and leaving lots of lovely comments and suggestions!

STORY SUMMARY: Emma and her father share some special sentiments with each other before he walks her down the aisle to marry her True Love. A canon compliant missing moment for 6X20, just prior to Emma and Killian's wedding.

RATING: G

WORDS: 1083

ALSO POSTED TO A03 and ffn

*********

David Nolan paced in the hallway outside the room where Mary Margaret was helping Emma get ready for her wedding. He could hardly believe he would be giving his daughter away in just a few minutes, and to a pirate, no less.

He remembered in Neverland when he said he would see to it that Hook would never get Emma. David wasn’t too prideful to admit he’d been wrong. Nobody can stand in the way of True Love, after all - he and Snow were proof of that.

And now that pirate, whom he’d tried so hard to hate, was his soon-to-be son-in-law…and his best friend. While Killian was earning Emma’s heart, he was also earning her father’s trust and friendship. So much so that Emma and Mary Margaret teasingly accused them of having a ‘bromance’.

The door opened and Mary Margaret emerged, brushing joyful tears from her cheeks. “She’s ready, David, and she looks absolutely beautiful!”

David pulled his wife into his arms, murmuring, “So do you, Sweetheart.”

She hiccuped a laugh. “You’re only supposed to notice the bride on her wedding day, not her mother.”

He leaned back, giving her one of his trademark smiles. “There will never be a day when I don’t admire your beauty.”

“I knew I called you ‘Charming’ for a reason,” she beamed. After kissing him soundly, she wiped his lips clean of the lipstick she’d left behind and said, “Now, go see your daughter before it’s time for us to walk her down the aisle.”

David straightened his tie and buttoned his jacket, then gently rapped his knuckles on the door. “Emma? May I come in?”

“Sure, Dad,” came her reply.

He turned the knob and slowly opened the door, peeking around the edge of it. His breath hitched when he caught a glimpse of his daughter. She was truly a vision in her wedding gown and veil, causing him to blink back tears of his own. “Oh, Emma,” he breathed.

“How do I look?” she asked nervously, twirling in a circle.

“You look…perfect,” he managed to choke past the lump in his throat.

Her cheeks flushed at his praise and she looked down at herself, smoothing out non-existent wrinkles in her gown. “Do you really think so?”

“I do,” he assured her.

“Hey, I think that’s my line today,” she giggled.

David laughed and stepped forward to take both of her hands in his. “Any second thoughts?”

“None,” she said confidently. “Besides, if I don’t marry Killian, you might just snap him up.”

“Very funny,” he said, narrowing his eyes at her. Then his expression sobered. “I know you’ve had a lot on your mind the last few weeks, but I want you to put everything aside today and just enjoy your wedding.”

“I’ll try.”

“I’ve thought about this day ever since we found out we were having a daughter. I was sure no one would ever be good enough for you, but Hoo-, um, Killian has proven himself time and time again. I suppose if I have to give your hand in marriage, it couldn’t be to a more worthy man.”

“You didn’t always think that.”

“I know, but I was, well…I was wrong.”

“I’m sure Killian would be very satisfied to hear you say that,” she quipped.

“Of course he would,” David sighed. “But enough about Hook. What about you? How are you feeling?”

Emma’s face took on a serene look. “I’m happy, Dad. Really, really happy.” She swung their still-clasped hands back and forth.

“Happiness looks good on you,” he replied, letting go with one hand and using the other to spin her around. Then he pulled her back toward him, putting his free hand on her waist as hers moved to his shoulder.

They slowly danced in a small circle around the room to music only they could hear. “We missed out on so much of your life, Emma. I’m very glad we didn’t miss out on watching you fall in love and marry the man who won your heart.”

“I know we lost a lot of time with each other, but let’s not talk about regrets today, Dad. We’re together now, along with Henry and everyone else in town. I have more family and friends here than I ever dreamed was possible. And I’m marrying a man who has been at my side without fail, even when I didn’t really want him to be.”

David chuckled. “He has proven himself to be persistent, that’s for sure.”

Their swaying came to a stop as Emma looked up into her father’s face. “You and Killian are such good examples for Henry. He’s lucky to have both of you in his life, and so am I.”

They heard the wedding music beginning to play, and David checked his watch. “I guess it’s about that time. Will you allow me to get a little sentimental before we leave this room?”

“Just don’t cause me to smudge my makeup.”

“I’ll try not to,” he promised, then took a deep breath. “Emma, from the moment your mother and I found out we would be having a baby, I wondered what our child - what you - might grow up to be like. Nothing I imagined even came close to the person you are - strong, smart, determined, brave, and so very, very beautiful. You’ve defeated dragons, ice monsters, witches, the darkness and Hades himself; yet you’re one of the most loving, generous, and kind-hearted people I’ve ever known. To say I’m proud of you doesn’t do justice to my true feelings. I love you, Emma, and I’m blessed beyond measure to be your father.”

A tear spilled over her lower lashes, and David dug into his pants pocket to retrieve a white handkerchief. After dabbing the wetness away, he tucked it back in his pocket, kissed her forehead, then pulled her into a hug, cupping the back of her head, as usual.

“I love you, too, Dad,” she whispered in his ear.

They stayed that way for several moments, until they heard a tap on the door. Mary Margaret stuck her head in, whispering reverently, “It’s time.”

David nodded and stepped back, gripping Emma’s upper arms as he looked into her eyes. “Ready, Princess?”

“Yes,” she replied firmly.

“Alright, then,” he said, “but just remember this - Killian loves you now, but I loved you first. You’ll always be your daddy’s little girl.”

“I’ll remember,” she said, a soft smile on her lips.

“Good. Now, let’s go get you married.”

*********

Please join me in wishing Krystal a very, very happy birthday!

Tagging: @hookedmom​​​​​​ @kmomof4​​​​​​ @cs-rylie​​​​​​ @qualitycoffeethings​​​​​​ @grimmswan​​​​​​ @wyntereyez​​​​​​ @the-darkdragonfly​​​​​​ @ultraluckycatnd​​​​​​ @paradiselady19​​​​​​ @xarandomdreamx​​​​​​ @motherkatereloyshipper​​​​​​ @julesep3026​​​​​​ @courtorderedcake​​​​​​ @lfh1226-linda​​​​​​ @pawshapedheart​​​​​​ @vampcoffeegyrl23​​​​​​ @tiganasummertree​​​​​​ @captainswan4life85​​​​​​ @bluewildcatfanatic​​​​​​ @eleveneitherway​​​​​​ @elfiola​​​​​​ @kday426​​​​​​ @julieenchanted-swans​​​​​​ @gingerchangeling​​​​​​ @andiirivera​​​​​​ @djlbg​​​​​​ @jonesfandomfanatic​​​​​​ @snowbellewells​​​​​​ @huntressandlioness1​​​​​​ @anmylica​​​​​​ @booksteaandtoomuchtv​​​​​​ @pirateherokillian​​​​​​ @cocohook38​​​​​ @ilovemesomekillianjones​​​​​​ @laschatzi​​​​​​ @zaharadessert​​​​​​ @jennjenn615​​​​​​ @yasbio2015​​​​​​ @lyssapup27​​​​​​ @nachocheese-itsmycheese​​​​​​ @singersdd​​​​​​ @mie779​​​​​​ @undercaffinatednightmare​​​​​​ @winterbaby89​​​​​​ @xsajx​​​​​​ @jackieorioncat​​​​​​ @teamhook​​​​​​ @bdevereaux-blanche​​​​​​ @soniccat​​​​​​ @searchingwardrobes​​​​​​ @jarienn972​​​​​​ @apiratewhopines​​​​​​​ @softkilly​​​​​​​ @goforlaunchcee​​​​​​​ @kymbersmith-90​​​​​​​ @captainswan217-blog

[kmomof4]

A Mistress to No One Part 1

And we’re back with the first chapter of Part 1 for A Mistress to No One! I’m sorry I’m so late in posting this evening, but I did finish writing the fic today and that took up most of the day! So we do have a final chapter count! Thank you for your patience! 

More hugs and belated birthday celebrations to my bestie @hollyethecurious​, for whom this fic was written! Thank you to @jrob64​ and @zaharadessert​ for their betaing eyes, and running tackle internet hugs to @motherkatereloyshipper​ for her manips of Emma, Killian, and Cora in the artwork! Love all you ladies very much!

Enjoy this new chapter and please let me know what you thought!

Summary: Bastard Emma Swan enjoys one night of pure magic and romance in the midst of a life of drudgery and abuse- attending a masquerade ball and meeting aristocrat Killian Jones. Two years later, the same man she met on the best night of her life reappears, saving her from a dire fate in the process.

Now, she must keep herself from falling in love with a man she can never have. But when that proves impossible, is there any hope for a happy ending between two people from such vastly different worlds?

Rating: M (smut in a later ch)

Words: 2640 of 61,6K

Tags: Birthday Fic, Inspired by Benedict’s Story in Bridgerton, Smut

On ao3 from the beginning/ current chapter

On Tumblr Prologue

New tag list. Please let me know if you’d like to be added or removed.

@jrob64​ @teamhook​ @winterbaby89​ @hollyethecurious​ @xarandomdreamx​ @undercaffinatednightmare​ @the-darkdragonfly​ @stahlop​ @superchocovian​ @pirateprincessofpizza​ @tiganasummertree​ @anmylica​ @cosette141​ @motherkatereloyshipper​ @zaharadessert​ @jonesfandomfanatic​ @ultraluckycatnd​ @jennjenn615​ @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713​ @kymbersmith-90​ @booksteaandtoomuchtv​ @wistfulcynic​ @mie779​ @snowbellewells​ @lfh1226-linda​ @aprilqueen84​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​ @pirateherokillian​ @elfiola​ @ilovemesomekillianjones​ @justanother-unluckysoul​ @poptart-cat-78​ @myfearless-love​ @goforlaunchcee​ @searchingwardrobes​ @gingerpolyglot​ @gingerchangeling​ @djlbg​ @cocohook38​ @cs-rylie​ @thisonesatellite​ @donteattheappleshook​ @deckerstarblanche​ @veryverynotgoodwrites​

So without further ado, here we go! Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

Part 1

Ch. 1

Dearest Reader,

The most sought after invitation of this year’s season must be the Jones’ masquerade ball, to be held Monday next. Indeed, one cannot take two steps without being forced to listen to some society mama speculating on who will attend, and perhaps more importantly, who will wear what.

Neither of the aforementioned topics, however, are nearly as interesting as that of the two unmarried Jones brothers, Killian and David. (And before anyone points out that there is a third unmarried Jones brother, let This Author assure you that she is fully aware of the existence of Henry Jones. He is however, sixteen years of age, and therefore not pertinent to this particular column, which concerns, as This Author’s columns often do, that most sacred of sports: husband-hunting.)

Although the Misters Jones are just that- merely Misters- they are still considered two of the prime catches of the season. It is a well-known fact that both are possessed of respectable fortunes, and it does not require perfect sight to know that they also possess, as do all the Jones offspring, the Jones good looks.

Will some fortunate young lady use the mystery of the masquerade to snare one of the eligible bachelors? This Author isn’t even going to attempt to speculate.

Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers

May 18

~*~*~

“Emmmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaa!”

The decibel level of Zelena’s screech was enough to crack the windows. Emma hurried up to the bedroom of her step-sister, not that she’d ever been acknowledged as such, barely able to catch her breath.

“Yes, Zelena?”

“My tea is cold,” she informed Emma with a haughty sniff of disdain.

It wasn’t when I brought it an hour ago, Emma thought, but didn’t dare say. Zelena’s treatment of Emma was nearly as bad as Cora’s, and Emma knew Zelena wouldn’t hesitate to smack her upside the head, or any part of Emma’s person she could reach, if she so much as rolled her eyes at whatever Zelena had complained about this time.

“I’ll bring you a fresh pot,” she said instead. “Would you like me to leave the biscuits?”

“I want fresh ones,” she said, looking down her narrow nose at the plate as if it had the audacity to offend her somehow.

“Right away, Zelena,” Emma said, with a small curtsy. She picked up the tray and carried it out of the room, where she nearly ran into Regina coming down the hall in her costume for the Jones masquerade ball next week. She was dressed in a riding habit of soft tan breeches and a high collared, fitted, light blue velveteen coat over a white blouse. Tall dark brown riding boots and gloves completed the ensemble.

“Oh, Emma,” she cried, surprised. “I was looking for you. What do you think of this costume?” She turned around slowly and Emma looked critically at the fit and asymmetrical hemline of the jacket, which was short in the front and came down to her knees in the back. The costume fit her beautifully and the pale color of the jacket contrasted nicely with the darkness of her hair and eyes, making her quite lovely indeed.

“You look wonderful,” Emma said sincerely, causing a light blush to color Regina’s cheeks.

“Thank you. Mother has been an absolute bear all week about the masquerade ball. And I know I’ll never hear the end of it if I don’t look my best.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “Or if she thinks I don’t look my best. She’s determined that Zelena or I snag one of the Jones brothers, you know.”

“I know.” Emma almost felt sorry for Regina. Cora’s ambitions and expectations for her daughters were high indeed and Emma was thankful she didn’t have to suffer under them. She had enough to suffer under from the detestable woman.

“And to make matters worse, that Whistledown woman has started talking about them again.” Regina rolled her eyes and snagged a biscuit off the tray in Emma’s hand. “It only whets Mother’s appetite.”

“How was today’s column?” Emma asked. “I haven’t had a chance to read it yet.”

Regina slowly munched on her biscuit before speaking. “Oh, just more of the same. There was a rundown of the Blanchard Ball last week and a bit about Baron Marionette. It seems he’s disappeared again, and in the middle of the season! Then a rather longish piece on the Jones masquerade. It was all rather humdrum, actually.”

Emma bit back a sigh and struggled not to roll her eyes. What wouldn’t she give to live Regina’s humdrum life for only a single day? Well, she certainly wouldn’t want Cora for a mother, but she’d love to be the one attending the ball instead of just reading about it. The Whistledown Society Papers was Emma’s only real enjoyment in her life. Cora worked her to the bone, but she could usually find enough time to read the column when it was released. In it, Emma found glimpses of the life that could have been hers if her parents had made their union legal.

But she wouldn’t complain. She couldn’t. She was far better off in this situation than she could have been after her father died. He’d left Emma with nothing, other than a roof over her head. Her father’s will had at least given her that until she turned twenty, but for some reason, Cora had seen fit to keep her on as a virtual slave for over a year after her twentieth birthday. She probably didn’t want to take the time to try and find, or pay, a new maid. But if working as a slave, waiting on Cora hand and foot, was the devil she knew, then the world outside was the devil she didn’t know, and so she had stayed.

“I’ll let you go then,” Regina said, drawing Emma’s attention again.

“Yes, your sister is waiting for more tea.”

“I’ll see you later.”

Emma turned and started making her way down the stairs to the kitchen.

~*~*~

The day of the masquerade, Emma found herself on her knees, her mouth full of pins as she made last minute alterations on Cora’s Queen of Hearts costume. The gown had fit perfectly last week when it arrived, but when she put it on after lunch, she declared it a quarter inch too loose.

“How’s that?”

“Too tight.”

Emma took out a pin and put it right back in where it had been. “Now?”

Cora twisted this way and that. “It’ll do,” she finally declared. Emma smiled to herself as she helped her step out of the gown. “It needs to be done in an hour if we’re to make it to the masquerade on time.”

“Of course.”

Cora swept out of the room only for Zelena to barge in like a rampaging elephant. “Emma,” she snapped. “There is a tear in the hem of my gown. It must be repaired immediately.”

“I have your mother’s gown to alter first…” Emma began.

“I said, IMMEDIATELY,” she shrieked. Emma snapped her mouth shut to keep the words she wanted to say behind the guardhouse of her lips.

“Let me see,” she said, gathering the hem in her hands. She examined the hem of Glinda the Good Witch’s gown until she found the offensive tear. It was barely an inch and on the side of the dress. It would have never been seen nor made worse over the course of the evening. “This will take no time at all to repair, Zelena. You’ll have it back in plenty of time. I promise.”

Zelena sniffed indignantly. “Be sure I do. If I’m late for this ball, I’ll have your head on a platter.”

“You won’t be late,” Emma assured her. Zelena moved toward the door just as Regina came through.

“Ugh, Regina! Watch where you’re going!”

Regina’s hand flew to her chest in alarm. “You frightened me, Zelena! Oh, Emma,” she said, turning her attention to her, “Could you put my hair in a French braid for the ball?”

“I have your mother’s gown to alter first and then a tear to repair on Zelena’s gown.” Regina’s face fell and Emma tried her best not to grimace. She hated to disappoint Regina. Of all the members of the household, Regina was the kindest to her. “I’ll do my best though. Your hair is lovely even with nothing done to it.” Regina’s face broke into a small smile as Cora burst back into the room.

“Have you started on my gown yet?” she demanded.

Emma sighed. “Not yet, I’ve been speaking to Zelena and Regina.���

“Get to work!” Cora screamed.

Emma sat quickly and began work on Cora’s costume, muttering under her breath.

“Faster than immediately, quicker than a hummingbird’s wings…”

“What did you say?” Cora snapped, her eyes narrowing at Emma.

“Nothing, ma’am.” Emma looked back down at the dress in her hands.

“Well, whatever noise you were making, cease immediately. Your voice grates on my nerves.”

“Mother, Emma will be doing my hair in a French braid for the ball.”

“Fine, fine. Oh, Zelena,” she said, turning her attention to her other daughter. “You look absolutely exquisite. The pink of your gown just complements your hair so nicely.”

Emma’s blood boiled at Cora’s dismissal of her younger daughter, and she shook her head slightly to try and encourage Regina not to take Cora’s words to heart. The effusive praise of her first born- the kind of praise that was never directed toward Regina- was hardly warranted, in Emma’s opinion. She thought the color clashed horribly with Zelena’s hair, but nobody had asked her opinion.

“You’ll surely attract the attention of one of the Jones brothers,” Cora continued.

A smug smile formed on Zelena’s lips as she cut her eyes toward her sister.

“You look lovely, too, Regina,” Emma interjected.

Regina’s eyes brightened at Emma’s statement. “Do you really think so?”

“I do,” she replied. “You’re going to have a wonderful time.” Emma sighed. “I so wish I could go.”

Cora scoffed and Zelena snorted inelegantly. “Oh, that’s rich,” Cora exclaimed. “They don’t let bastards out in society, you know.”

Emma inhaled sharply at the blatant insult. “Of course I didn’t expect to go. I only wished I could.”

“Well, what’s the use of wishing for something that will never happen?” Zelena chimed in. “That only leads to disappointment.”

At that moment, old Granny Lucas, the housekeeper, appeared in the doorway. She had a small smirk on her face and shot Emma a wink. To say that Emma was surprised would be a grand understatement. The stern older woman had always treated Emma well enough, but she didn’t think Granny had enough joy or mischief in her heart to indulge in such a frivolous action.

“Emma, are you even listening to me?” Zelena broke Emma from her stunned confusion.

“I’m sorry, what?” she asked.

Zelena huffed. “Nevermind. Just be sure to get my gown finished on time. If we’re late, you’ll be to blame.”

“Of course.” Emma bent back to work and wondered again about Granny. Why would she wink?

~*~*~

Three hours later, Emma and the other servants stood at attention as first Cora, then Zelena, then Regina took their seats in the carriage that would take them to the Jones Masquerade Ball. It was only a few blocks away, but Emma knew how much Cora loved to make a grand entrance.

As soon as they were gone, Emma turned back toward the house. She was looking forward to an evening free from obligations. Whether it was an oversight on her part or just the excitement of the evening, Cora had neglected to leave Emma with a list of chores to accomplish while they were gone. As soon as she entered the house, Granny appeared at her side, grabbing her elbow.

“Hurry,” she said, “We’ve no time to lose.”

“What are you talking about Granny?”

“Come with me, come with me,” the old woman urged. She led Emma up the stairs to the servants’ bath where she found the other housemaids bustling about around a steaming tub of water.

“What is this?” Emma cried.

Granny grasped her by the arms and looked right into her eyes, a beaming smile on her face. “You, Emma Swan, are going to the ball!”

~*~*~

An hour later, Emma had been transformed. She’d been bathed and perfumed, her hair twisted up into an elegant chignon with long tendrils left loose to frame her face. A trunk Emma hadn’t noticed at first was opened, and Emma gasped at the contents. Gowns that had belonged to the late Earl’s mother, her grandmother.

At the very bottom they found a gorgeous, shimmery, blue gown, trimmed with silver accents at the top of the v-neck bodice and where it met the tulle skirt, which sparkled like stars in the sky. The silver accents also decorated the illusion sleeves topped with white feathers. Emma felt like a princess just brushing her fingers over it.

It fit her perfectly.

“Ooo, look,” Granny said, “I found matching gloves.”

Emma reached out and took one of the long, elbow length white gloves from her and examined it closely.

“Look, it has the Glowerhaven crest and initials.”

“Sarah Louise Spencer,” Granny said. “Your grandmother.”

Emma looked at Granny in surprise. No one had ever verbally acknowledged Emma’s blood ties to the Spencer family.

“What?” Granny asked, indignantly. “It’s true. And it’s high time we stopped tiptoeing around the truth. It’s shameful that those girls are treated like the daughters of the house when the Earl’s true blood is relegated to being a servant in her own house.” The other maids nodded vigorously. “Just once. Just this one night, Emma Swan, you will be the belle of the ball.”

Emma turned and looked at herself in the mirror.

“Is that me?” she whispered, stunned by what she was seeing reflected back at her.

Granny nodded, her eyes suspiciously bright. “You look lovely, my dear.”

Emma couldn’t speak over the rather large lump that had formed in her throat. It made her realize just how much the other servants cared about her, even after her father was long gone. They all stood admiring the end product of all their work this evening.

“Here’s your mask.” Granny handed her a silver demi mask with elegant swan detailing around the right eye that would cover the top half of her face. It tied at the back so her hands would be free. “Now all we need are shoes.”

“I have nothing even approaching appropriate for such finery.”

One of the housemaids held up a pair of silver slippers. “From Zelena’s closet.”

Emma shook her head. “Her foot is much larger than mine. I’d never be able to walk in them.”

“What about Regina’s, then?” the other asked. Emma shook her head again.

“Hers are too big, too. I should know, I’ve cleaned enough scuff marks off of them.”

Granny huffed. “There’s nothing for it then. We must raid Cora’s collection.”

Emma tried not to shudder. The thought of walking around all night in Cora’s shoes was rather creepy. But it was that, or go barefoot. Moments later the housemaid returned with a pair of white satin slippers, trimmed in silver. They looked like they’d been made to go with the gown she wore. Emma slipped her foot into the shoe. Another perfect fit.

“Now listen to these instructions very carefully,” Granny urged her. “The coachman has returned from taking the countess and he will now take you. But he has to be waiting outside when they are ready to depart, so you must leave not a minute after midnight for him to make it back there in time. Do you understand?”

Emma nodded and looked at the clock. It was a bit after nine, so she’d have over two hours at the ball. She felt tears well up in her eyes.

“Thank you so much,” she breathed.

“You have a good time, my dear. That’s all the thanks I need.” Granny gathered her close in a tight hug before releasing her.

Two hours. Two hours that would have to last a lifetime.

~*~*~

Thank you for reading and sharing! Ch2 will be up on Sunday and our favorite couple will finally meet! See you then!

[madeofcc]

Meet Abra Williamson and Rylie Vaughan and their lovely dog Kiko and cat Miko.

Abra and Rylie just became lovers ! Rylie is a vet and has her own clinic, Abra has became an art critic ... I already can’t wait to give them the most peacefull life !

I created this new little family using some old sims I created and after a makeover, here they are ! I decided to introduce you the new families I’ll create for my new save but not sure I’ll use them on story yet. I’m going to post Samus Legacy ‘cause I still have to finish it then I’ll probably make a new AGS or a new short story I don’t know ...  I thought I could buy DU for my birthday ‘cause I could have it for around 15€ but I still don’t have the money this month ... so I’ll focus on the gifts I received which is great ^^ 

Also, lots of things are happening currently and I’ve learned a lot, tried my best to help ... Things will be better, I’m sure of that. We must stay hopefull for our future and fight for the best of us. I know we’re living dark times so I’m sending you all the love and good vibes I can if this could warm you up a little :) 

Good news, I’ve found a job so hopefully I start in August and will have some money to create more great stories with DU, Strangerville and some pack I’m still hesitating to buy ...That means Ill probably less active during starting August but I’ll still find time to answer you if you need anything . Until that, I’m still going to post as usual  :)

[petriichvrs]

6 + 24

six. your favorite fandom oc ( or one of your favorites ). 

RYLIE NATALIA BARTON ( twenty four, bisexual biromantic, cancer, infp ). link to pinterest, link to playlist. she recently graduated with a degree in criminal justice and moved continents, transferring from america based shield to england based strike. she was the youngest born to clint barton & bobbi morse, and her mother and brothers died while she was just a baby - in due time, clint married his strike team delta partner, natasha romanoff, and the rest is history. she and the rest of the ‘next gen avengers’ ( troy banner, daniel rogers, calder thorson & phoebe stark ) were - in a sense - village raised to be the worlds next best heroes, and rylie was both the youngest of their group, and the youngest agent signed to shield when that time came. all of the next gen would agree that phoebe was the best of them : when she was killed in an attack, their group splintered and broke, and they were never the same. rylie developed a huge guilt complex, in regards to this - they all did, and they all felt they could’ve done more, but rylie being rylie ( queen of self destruction ! ), she went on a fairly steady in game descent that ended in an alcoholism arc that i wrote over the course of three years. she lost a lot of friends and messed up a lot of relationships, and after she was hospitalized and ultimately suspended from shield, she pushed her family away, too. it took a long time for her to get to ‘better’, after everything that had happened - but the self para i wrote where rylie finally decided to get help and put herself back onto the right path is still one of the few things i feel proud of. it was years of dedication to the story i was telling with her, and i’ll never really describe her well enough in small amount of words, or be able to push her to the back of my mind - she’s always there ! and for her 24th birthday i was able to just outline the start of what her future holds, which is... moving away from somewhere that’s only caused her pain, getting a job she really cares for, maybe being able to look up an ex... get put on the line that leads her to having her daughter, phoebe alexei. for rylie, taking control of her life always seemed easiest when she was controlling how fast she was flying towards the sun : it took her a long time to realize that she could slow the descent on the other side, too. i love her, your honour. willa holland fc. i’ll be good by jaymes young or take control by kodaline. “it is a hungry ghost that dogs your stretched thin shadow. hungry ghost, understand? you are substance and blood; it is air and echoes, nothing more. when it tries to swallow you whole, fight back. you have peace, laughter, love in the armory of your soul. life gets hard sometimes. i know, darling. look at me. you are not broken beyond repair. you are always capable of mending. you will always mend."

twenty four. your favorite rp genre. 

i don’t really... have one ? which is a bit of a cop out, even I’LL admit, but i’ve always sort of been into what i’m into, and that doesn’t really follow any sort of trend - i’m very into harry potter right now, but i could be on a btvs based group kick in the future, and i could just wanna delve into horror at halloween. depends on how i’m feeling ! 

RPER ASK MEME   /   RESIDUAL MEME NIGHT ASKS, NOT ACCEPTING !

[lifeofkaze]

Summer Break Challenge 2022 - Masterlist

Find all chapters of @usernoneexistent Summer Break Challenge here ☀️☀️☀️

Day 1: Sea Shells - The Song of Heart's Desire Selene Fraser, Henry Lovecraft Henry is telling Selene a story about the sea that isn't sad. Or, at least, he's trying.

Day 2: Hat - Hat-Hunting Carolyn Nyberg x Bradford Pendleton Brady has an unfortunate meeting with a seagull at the beach. Who will prevail?

Day 3: Watermelon - The Seeds of Friendship HPMA Breakfast Club What could make a birthday better than spending it with your best girlfriends, homemade lemonade and snacks?

Day 4: Travel 1 - The Sky's the Limit Ava Campbell x Charlie Weasley Ava has severe packing stress. Good thing Charlie knows how to deal with fire-breathing creatures.

Day 4: Travel 2 - Around the Globe Reva Amari x Dante Lopez If you have two travellers planning a trip, finding a destination should be easy, right? Right.

Day 5: Water - Conspiring Collaborators Lizzie Jameson x Orion Amari The only thing Lizzie wanted from her visit to the U.S. was for her brother Jake and her boyfriend Orion to get along. Be careful what you wish for.

Day 6: Fireworks - Afterglow Lizzie Jameson x Orion Amari, Rockstar AU The Rockstars spent their time rehearsing their new songs in the U.S. It's the 4th of July and everyone is waiting for the big fireworks to start. Not like anyone could complain about that.

Day 7: Sunset - On the Mountain There's Quiet Dylan Amari, Rory McTavish Dana thought going on a hike with Rory and his girlfriend Rylie would be a great idea. Dylan thought going on a hike with Rory and his girlfriend Rylie would be a terrible idea. Too bad Dana didn't listen.

[stillgotme]

Fun Friday Pt. III

♫

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