#but must be patient and allow my betas who indulge me almost as much as i indulged in this fic | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

icecubelotr44 · 7 years

Text

To Every Thing a Season (8/16)

Summary: After witnessing the tragic murder of his brother Liam, Killian Jones is more determined than ever to discover the secrets of time travel. Fast-tracking his education at Storybrooke University, Killian is assigned a lab assistant, one Emma Swan. Together, they find a way to break through the veil of time so Killian can set things right. But what will be the price for changing the past, and is it one they’re willing to pay?

Rated: T, for violence, some dark themes, angst, and whump

Art credit/link: The totally awesome @optomisticgirl made imagesets for all the chapters and @ab-normality made a video and a gifset for this fic. You can find the imageset for this chapter above and here on @optomisticgirl‘s blog. The video is linked here and on @ab-normality‘s blog here and the gifset is posted here!

Beta readers: The as-always wonderful @nothingimpossibleonlyimprobable, thanks so much for all of your help and cajoling and reassuring! And a huge thank you to the spectacular @spartanguard who stepped in to help beta read as well!

A/N: Written as part of the 2017 Captain Swan Big Bang Challenge. You can catch up with all the other fics that are complete by following @captainswanbigbang and/or subscribing to the Group Collection on AO3 and/or the C2 on FFN. This is complete in 16 parts and will be posted every Thursday from now until its completion. And yes, there is a happy ending after all this… just so you know.

Word count: ~ 5,400 (80K+ Total in 16 chapters)

From the beginning: ao3 | ffn

Current Chapter: AO3 | FFN

Chapter 8: To Embrace and to Refrain from Embracing

Killian led Emma through campus and onto the shuttle, ushering her into a seat and pulling a thermos that had seen better days from his backpack. She settled in, leaning against his chest when he wrapped an arm around her.

"What's this?" she asked, tugging off her mittens to get a grip on the lid.

"Just some hot chocolate to keep you warm, luv. I know how you hate the cold." He smiled and waited patiently, the corners of his mouth ticking up a shade further when she hummed appreciatively at the taste. It was a good look on him, she thought.

A hint of fire filled her mouth and Emma grinned. "You didn't forget the cinnamon!"

"Of course not!” he tried to sound affronted, but he was speaking through a grin. “What do you take me for?"

Emma laughed and tucked her head under his chin. They rode in silence into town, the bus's other occupants clearly engrossed in their own business. His heart pounded more fervently as they approached the stop nearest Granny's, she could hear its pace quicken with every moment.

Emma wanted to tell him to relax, but his nerves had set off her own. She’d been careful not to tell Killian that it was her birthday, didn’t want him to go to any trouble on a day that just reminded her that she had never been good enough for anyone - not even the people who had created her.

All this day had ever been was a disappointment. It was better just to move on and forget the day had any significance at all.

A strange feeling settled in Emma’s chest and she was hard pressed to name it. She shouldn’t be upset - it was just another day and she was spending it with Killian. Whether or not he knew the significance shouldn’t make a difference. She’d just have to take the reprieve where she could get it.

Killian stood as the shuttle came to a stop in front of Granny’s diner. Emma followed him down the steps into the chilly autumn air and hustled past him and the outdoor tables to the front door.

“Come on, Jones. It’s freezing out here!”

He smiled indulgently and reached over her to hold the door. “Always depriving me of the opportunity to be a gentleman, aren’t you, luv?”

Emma huffed and allowed him to usher her inside. She expected the hand at the small of her back to guide her towards one of the booths, but he led them, instead, towards the back stairs.

“Killian?” she asked hesitantly.

His ears turned a little pink. “Do you trust me, Emma?”

“Yes.” Her reply was immediate.

A boyish grin lit his face, but then he bit his lip nervously. “Follow me, then.”

Unsure of where they were going - but never of him, not any more - Emma climbed the stairs behind Killian and was confused when he reached into his backpack for a key.

And a blindfold, she realized a moment later when Killian turned to face her.

“Just for a moment, luv, I promise,” he whispered as the fabric fell over her eyes. She felt the knot being secured behind her head, but she wasn’t afraid.

Confused, yes. But she’d follow where he led.

Emma heard the door in front of her open and felt Killian’s fingers tangle with hers.

“A few steps forward, Emma. Now turn. Just there. Wait a moment and you can take off the kerchief.” His voice was quiet, hesitant.

The door snicked shut behind her and a quiet ‘click’ sounded in front of her. The noise was familiar, but Emma couldn’t place it at the moment, straining as she was to hear where Killian was.

“Jones?” It was half question and half warning.

“Now,” he commanded quietly.

Emma pulled off the blindfold and blinked in the soft darkness. The only light came from two candles - a blue 1 and a red 9 - sticking out from the middle of a cake.

A birthday cake.

Emma stood, speechless, for a long moment. Her eyes were glued to the flames in front of her, her mouth working but unable to find words.

“Bloody hell.��

His whisper and his hurried steps startled her out of the shock.

“I… I shouldn’t have listened to Ruby. I’m sorry, luv. We can just… go, if you want. I should have thought-”

“Thank you,” she forced out, still caught up in the emotion of the surprise. She’d never felt this way before. No one had ever done anything like this for her before. “It’s perfect.”

Killian took her hand in his own, brushing a kiss over her knuckles before he moved to swipe away the lone tear that had escaped her usually well-controlled hold on her heart.

“Are you all right? Truly?” He sounded frightened, unsure, lost.

Emma just nodded, finally moving to blow out the candles as she made her wish.

Please let him love me as much as I love him.

She blinked and squinted as Killian finally flipped on the lights. The room was a bit dated, but definitely one of the inn’s rooms for rent. There were two covered plates and silverware on the little card table he must have sweet talked Granny into setting up for them. Emma turned to find Killian, but a flash of something shiny caught her attention.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! was hung on one wall, the ‘H’ bent and a little bit torn. The sign wasn’t quite straight, and the streamers that were taped up next to it were in danger of falling off the wall.

It was perfect.

Killian came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. “Ruby said you shouted at her last year when she suggested throwing a party, so we thought this would be better. No surprise party, luv. I promise. Just us.”

Emma could feel the tremor in her smile as she turned in his embrace to face him. “Thank you,” she whispered again.

“It’s my pleasure, luv. We should eat before Granny’s good cooking gets cold.” Killian pulled out a chair for her and helped her sit before he lifted the cover in front of her with a flourish.

There was a grilled cheese and onion rings spread across the plate, a little sprig of something green garnishing the meal.

“I’ve almost forgotten…” he trailed off as he searched in his backpack. It took him a minute to pull his treasure from the depths, but he finally emerged victorious with a battered pair of candleholders and two tapers.

The noise Emma hadn’t been able to place earlier was the lighter Killian used to light the birthday candles. He set the pair on the table before he took his own seat and revealed a cheeseburger and fries. They ate in companionable silence, the quiet only working to put Emma even more at ease.

The cake was clearly store-bought, but it was chocolate and it was the first birthday cake she could remember having that she hadn’t shoplifted for herself. Emma savored each bite, ignoring the way Killian watched her eat.

“What?” she mumbled through a mouthful.

Killian ducked his head and scratched behind his ear. “Nothing, Swan. I’m just happy you like it.”

“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble, you know.” She took another bite of cake.

He smiled ruefully back at her. “I gathered that when Ruby was the one to tell me about your birthday and not you. I wanted to.”

Emma didn’t have an answer for that.

When they were finished eating, Killian pulled out what was obviously not his laptop and set it up on the bed. Emma curled into his side, biting back a grin when she saw the flowery desktop image. “Mary Margaret’s computer?” she asked quietly.

She felt Killian nod against the top of her head. “Everyone helped a little. Those were David’s mother’s candlesticks, Ruby convinced her grandmother to let us have the room for the evening, everyone helped.”

Emma felt like she was going to cry again. She’d never thought…

The DVD player started up and the title screen for The Princess Bride came up.

“Belle said you borrow this book from the library so often that it must be one of your favorites,” he said. “But I have others if you’d like to watch something else.”

Emma tangled their fingers together and settled in. “This one, please.”

The kiss he left to the top of her head was accompanied by a soft, “As you wish.”

The look in the police officer’s eyes was a mix of compassion, wariness, and something else that Killian couldn’t quite put his finger on. It was almost like regret mixed up with anger, but it didn’t really matter. Nothing really mattered any more.

He looked up without raising his head when the man cleared his throat. “What do you want?” he growled. Liam would have clapped him upside the head for the disrespectful tone, but Killian had no control over it at the moment.

The officer’s brow rose incredulously, but then his face dropped and Killian thought he looked sad.

“We got a hold of your father, son.”

Killian glared at the moniker.

The man cleared his throat again. “He said that your br… that you already had adequate transport home and that you could travel by yourself.”

Killian’s head shot up, the familiar feeling of disappointment at his father’s indifference towards him now made worse without Liam as a buffer.

“If you want, we can arrange for a social worker to travel with you as far as the ferry stop in Dublin.”

Somehow, that made the feeling even worse. Killian shook his head ‘no’ and tried to huddle further into Liam’s jacket. He’d have to get used to fending for himself soon enough. No use delaying the inevitable.

“No, sir. That’s fine. But I will need a ride back to where we were staying to pick up my things. I don’t have much money, but I can get a cab from there.”

“We’ll get you to the station at least. You keep your money.” The officer sounded apologetic when he added under his breath, “It sounds like you’ll need it.”

Killian nodded reluctantly. “And what about…” he trailed off, the words caught in his throat.

Thankfully, the officer seemed to understand. “We’ll need to do an autopsy before we can release him. It will be a few days. Should give your family time to make arrangements.”

His family?

Killian wanted to rail, to yell that his only family was lying still and cold in a freezer somewhere, alone and half-forgotten already.

But Killian wouldn’t forget him. No, he was going to save him.

So instead of yelling and letting loose the hold on his anger like he wanted to, Killian just shut down. He followed the officer to the car and robotically packed his things. He sat alone in the terminal, clutching his knapsack filled with some of Liam’s shirts and items he was afraid his father would get rid of otherwise. He crossed the channel in a daze, sitting as alone as he could manage with his arms wrapped around his knees.

His father wasn’t waiting for Killian when he got off the train after the long ferry ride, so he took a cab back to their flat and let himself in. The darkness and stark silence that greeted him made Killian shiver. After he hid the knapsack in his closet, he curled up in Liam’s bed, wrapping himself in the warm blankets that still smelled like his brother.

Killian wasn’t sure how long he slept for, his eyes dry and puffy from letting his guard down before he fell asleep. He had been awoken by the light from the hallway streaming across his face, his father leaning against the doorframe. Even from across the room, Killian could smell the alcohol.

“It should have been you,” his father slurred before staggering away.

Killian’s eyes shot open, his cheeks surprisingly damp. Emma was leaning over him, her long hair tickling his neck where the ends brushed back and forth.

“Hey,” she whispered. “Are you all right?”

Was he? It wasn’t like his father’s disappointment was anything new. And it wasn’t like he’d had any reason to even think of the man lately, not with how the evening had gone. But clearly, his subconscious had had other ideas in mind as he nodded off with Emma tucked into his side, the slide of her skin against his tiring them both out.

“Better now, luv,” he settled on for an answer, smiling a bit tremulously when she reached up to gently brush the tear from his cheek. Her fingers ghosted over the scar his father had left there and his eyes fluttered shut at the touch. Killian locked the memories that had disturbed their sleep securely away and-

-Emma’s lips brushed against his, the soft touch startling him a little bit. Before he could look at her, she kissed each eyelid, then his cheeks, then moved back to slant her lips over his again.

Killian let everything fall away from him then, the memories and the disappointment and the scars that were his upbringing, and concentrated solely on her. He moved with her, allowing himself to just feel under her gentle ministrations. Bloody hell, did he love her.

He thought she had drifted back to sleep after they came down together, but her quiet words drifted up to him.

“I never thought it could be like this,” she whispered, her hands wrapping tightly around his forearms when he tugged her back to his chest. “Before, with other… it was different. It wasn’t… like this.”

Killian’s heart clenched at the sadness in her tone. What little he knew of her last few years in the system made him appreciate the stability he’d had in Storybrooke’s accommodations for him. He may have had to stay in the freshman dorms for most of his tenure there - only just managing to move into the sophomore dorms this semester with Will and his friend John - but at least he didn’t have to contend with irritable foster parents or crass ‘siblings’ who would seek to take advantage of someone like Emma. Determined to erase those memories from the moment for her the way she had for him, he pulled her closer, burying his nose in the hair just behind her ear.

“If you’ll let me, I’ll make sure it’s always like this from now on,” he whispered back.

Emma turned her head so she could capture his lips with hers.

“Happy birthday, Swan.”

He fell asleep to the sound of her even breathing.

And was awoken hours later by the sound of harsh knocking on the door. Granny’s voice filtered through the haze. “Jones! I need this room clean and ready to go in an hour! Up and at ‘em, boy!”

Emma’s muffled laughter came from his side and he turned to kiss her ‘good morning’. “Come on, luv. I’ll buy you breakfast.”

He rushed through getting dressed and cleaning up the room, the sound of the shower running in the background as he did. It only took him a few minutes to pull down the sign Granny had found for him and to trash the streamers he’d dug out of Mary Margaret’s ‘just in case’ box in her room. He had just finished packing everything in his knapsack when Emma sidled up behind him and draped herself over his back.

“Thank you again, Killian,” she murmured, the warmth of her skin against his back making him question why they’d gotten out of bed in the first place. “No one’s ever done anything like this for me before.”

He smiled and turned in her arms so that she was pressed against his chest when his arms came up to wrap around her shoulders. “Well, I intend to do something like this for you every year from now on.”

“Why?” she asked hesitantly.

Killian smiled down at her, brushing a kiss over her forehead. “Because I can and I want to. After all, Swan, I'm just a boy, standing in front of a girl, asking her to love him.” The moment the words were out of his mouth, Killian froze. His heart beat a staccato rhythm in his chest, his breath trapped in his lungs, a chill down his spine. Too soon, Jones. Too bloody soon.

Emma stared at him for a moment before she broke into a grin and pushed up on her toes to kiss him. Pulling back, she asked, “Did you just quote Notting Hill to me? Who even watched that movie?”

The breath left his lungs in a ‘whoosh’, time speeding up as she stayed where she was. “I…” he smiled. “I might have done some research.”

Emma laughed then, a sweet and light sound that Killian wanted to bottle up and take everywhere. “Into what? Cheesy chick flicks 101?”

He smiled, but he could feel how it stretched across his face. His tone was a little more serious than he intended when he replied.

“No, Emma. Into how to do this. I’ve never done this before.”

She pulled him in close and whispered in his ear, “You’re doing just fine on your own.”

“I just want to do right by you.”

Emma shuddered. “Kil-”

“Now, Jones!” Granny’s voice echoed through the room and both he and Emma jerked apart, searching around the space frantically.

When he was assured that the formidable woman was, indeed, still outside and not breathing down his neck, Killian took Emma by the hand and pulled her into one last hug. “Come on, luv, let’s leave the charming widow Lucas to her work.”

When she nodded, he picked up his knapsack and guided her towards the door. Emma kissed him chastely before she bent down to pick up her own bag.

“What is it?” she asked, and it must have seemed to her like he was looking at her as if he was afraid this was all a dream.

It certainly felt like a dream.

Killian smiled, recalling another of the movies he’d watched - huddled in the corner of the library for hours at a time with earbuds jammed in his ears and praying that no one saw what he was studying so intently. “I’m scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my life the way I feel when I’m with you.”

Emma smirked, but her smile turned soft and she squeezed his hand.

“I am, too,” she whispered before tugging open the door.

The rest of the semester flew by, classes and his application to the graduate program and Emma's constant support at his side making the days seem a little less long and a lot less lonely than his first three years had been. The nights she wasn't wrapped in his arms were cold and the few hours of sleep he did manage were fraught with nightmares. Killian hadn't relied on another human being as much as he did Emma since his brother had died, and it frightened him how much she meant to him now.

But it frightened him more to think of what might have happened if Archie hadn't paired them up.

The Thanksgiving break was fast approaching, and Killian was so busy trying to convince David that the engineering department would let him work on a Masters' candidate's project in his senior year that he didn't realize when the University shut down for the long weekend. All he knew was that the lab door was locked and his research was inside. Killian banged his forehead on the door and gripped the door handle until his knuckles went white. He was getting more and more frustrated as the days went by - between the grants he'd been promised getting pulled and the lack of new funding being provided, Killian was starting to think that he'd been a fool to turn down Oxford for the promise of more distance from his father.

"If you stare at that door any harder, Jones, it's going to combust." Emma's voice echoed down the hallway, but Killian didn't have the wherewithal to lift his head from the door.

He felt her hand fall between his shoulder blades, and the warmth eased some of the tension from him.

"I had a feeling you'd forget the lab would be locked this weekend," she said, her other hand coming up to jangle a jump drive in front of him. "So I saved all your work to this last night before Dr. Hopper kicked me out."

Killian whipped his head around to stare at her incredulously. "You... that's my..."

Emma nodded.

“Take love, multiply it by infinity and take it to the depths of forever… and you still only have a glimpse of how I feel for you,” he quoted from Meet Joe Black, pulling an incredulous smile from her.

“How many movies did you watch?!”

Killian just shrugged, a small smile starting to pull at his mouth.

“Come on. I have frozen chicken nuggets, instant potatoes, and the suite to ourselves for the next four days. We're going to have Thanksgiving dinner and then you can try and concentrate on this”- she jiggled the drive again -“while I yell at whatever football team is playing horribly.”

He didn't touch the drive all weekend.

Monday morning, however, began with Emma waking him far too early with plans to spend their last hours alone lazing about in bed and working up a sweat.

Ruby had just stomped into the common room as Killian got out of the shower, Emma discreetly behind him, when he noticed the notification that he had an email from Archie on his phone still thrown haphazardly on the futon. With his glasses still fogged up from the shower, he had to squint at the screen when he picked it up.

Mr. Jones, could you please stop in my office this afternoon at 1pm to discuss your ongoing project for the Physics department. -Archie

“As much as I like the free show, Killian, I think Emma’s gonna get jealous if that towel slips,” Ruby snarked, startling him out rereading Archie’s words for the fifth time.

He automatically reached for where he’d cinched the towel, his cheeks burning at Ruby’s appreciative growl. Before she could make another remark, Killian ducked into the bedroom, adopting a glare when he found Emma leaning against her desk with a look that he could only describe as saucy.

“Looking to add a little spice to-”

“Nope!” he interrupted, his whole face aflame now.

Emma swung her hips as she moved across the room to him, her hand coming up over his on the towel. She stood on her tiptoes so she could whisper in his ear. “Good.”

They locked the door and missed their first class.

When they finally emerged, Ruby still sprawled out on the futon and grinning maniacally at them, Killian tugged Emma into his side and whispered, “I’ve got another one, if you’ll let me…”

“Oh, go ahead, Jones,” Emma laughed.

“I've come here with no expectations,” he began. “Only to profess, now that I am at liberty to do so, that my heart is, and always will be, yours.”

She looked impressed. “Sense and Sensibility? You really did do your homework.”

“Well, I am an A-student, Swan. I like a challenge.” He paused. “Will you be at the lab after my meeting?”

“Of course.”

With a kiss for luck, Emma finally let him out of her suite and he rushed across campus to get to Archie’s office. He was only a few minutes late - an inconvenient flock of Canadian geese had waylaid him by chasing him halfway back towards the dorms - but the look on his advisor’s face made it seem like he was hours behind.

“Ah, here he is, now,” Archie gestured wildly at Killian, a proud grin stretched across his face.

Killian’s brow wrinkled, wondering who Hopper was talking to.

And then, like a snake slithering out of its hidey hole, a man stood from where he was perched against the wall and limped into Killian’s line of sight. He was slight, shorter than Killian was, and hunched with age. There was something about the man’s eyes that made him seem cold, dark, and untrustworthy.

If Killian were more prone to dramatics, he’d have called the man evil.

Whatever the man wanted here, Killian was determined that he wouldn’t get it. He entered the room warily, keeping one eye on the stranger as he took his seat on the opposite side of Archie’s desk. His shoulders tensed when the man came to stand behind him, gnarled hands resting on Killian’s shoulders and keeping him in place.

“Mr. Jones,” Archie spoke as if Killian wasn’t being held against his will in the seat. “I’d like you to meet Robert Gold of Gold-Pan Financial.”

Killian tried to rise under the guise of being gentlemanly, but the hands tightened imperceptibly and kept him seated.

“Pleased to meet you, sir,” he forced out through gritted teeth. “Professor, I can come back if you’re not through here.”

“Nonsense, dearie,” the man finally spoke and Killian forced himself not to shudder. He wouldn’t give the man the pleasure of knowing how uncomfortable he was. “I’m here for you, you see. I’ve been looking for a worthwhile project to invest in for some time now. My company gets in on the ground floor of endeavors like this, and I’d be happy to fund your entire project.”

Archie was grinning, but Killian frowned. “And what do you get in return?” he asked warily.

Gold laughed, a high-pitched giggle that set all of Killian’s nerves on edge. He needed to get out of here. Soon.

“You’re right, of course, Dr. Hopper. He is a very intelligent boy”- Killian snarled at being called ‘boy’ as if he were beneath this man -“I would leave all the science to you, my boy. I know nothing of what you study. But I would be the one to market your project down the line - for a cut of the profits. And one more thing,” he trailed off.

Here it bloody comes, Killian thought angrily.

“I…” Gold choked up a bit. “I lost my family years ago. An unfortunate situation that my wife misconstrued. It was all my fault; I see that now. But she took my son from me and I’ve not been able to convince them to give me another chance. My boy is half-grown by now, and I’ve lost them both. Should your project be successful” - he squeezed Killian’s shoulder again - “all I would require from you is a chance to fix that. To save my family from the heartbreak we’ve all experienced.”

Killian wanted to gag, but Archie was beaming like Gold had just delivered him the Nobel Prize. How could he not see that Gold was playing them, playing him?

He was already shaking his head before Archie could speak. “No, that’s not it. Or at least, that’s not all of it. There’s some kind of trick here and I’m not buying it.”

Archie’s face dropped. “Killian, maybe you don’t understand what’s going on here. You’ll still be in charge, Mr. Gold only wants to make a profit from your future success. All this allows you to do is get the materials you need without having to deplete the department’s resources.”

He felt like a bobblehead doll as he continued to shake his head no. “No deal. Not with the likes of him,” - Killian stood abruptly and finally shook off Gold’s grip - “I don’t need his blood money.”

“Killian Jones!” Archie exploded angrily. “I don’t know what your problem is-”

“My problem is that I’m not going to get into bed with a crocodile and expect not to get bitten! I’ll find another way, without his help!”

“Mr. Jones,” the oily voice behind him cajoled, “this isn’t a lie or a trick. We can be mutually beneficial to one another with the right deal. Perhaps it’s just a matter of-”

“-of twisting your words into something that sounds like a red-letter choice. No. Thank you, but there won’t be a deal today.”

He stormed out of the room before Archie or Gold could register his absence.

The slamming of the door echoed down the empty hallway, but Killian’s head was too swamped with voices to even register it. His father’s patent disapproval - I always knew you’d fail, you lunk. Don’t come crawling back to me, now. Archie’s confusion - This is everything you want, Mr. Jones, I don’t understand. Emma’s tacit support - We’ll find another way, Killian, don’t worry.

His brother.

Liam’s voice was echoing above all the others, and Killian couldn’t figure out which was his response and which was Killian’s own jumbled thoughts.

I’m proud of you, little brother. Stick to your principles and you’ll be just fine.

Why haven’t you saved me yet?

What are you doing with your life? You have the world in your hands and it’s slipping through your fingers.

It’s okay to move on, Killian. I’m happy for you.

Is Emma Swan really more important to you than I am?

Killian needed to find Emma and let her silence the cacophony in his head. He needed her support now, more than ever. She’d said she’d meet him at the lab. That’s where he needed to go. That’s where everything would make sense again.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Emma shouted, her voice echoing across the lab as he finished explaining what had happened. “Archie told you already: there’s not enough money. They’re pulling your grant entirely. If you ever want to move this away from the theoretical science, Gold’s deal is the only option.”

Killian threw the pen he’d been fiddling with across the room. It bounced off the wall and clattered on the tile floor. “No. No, there’s got to be another way that doesn’t involve getting into bed with that… that crocodile. I won’t be beholden to him, Swan.”

Emma threw her hands up in the air. “Why? What possible reason could you have for not wanting to accept this man’s money? He’s already told you he knows nothing about the science and only has an eye for potential and finished projects. Gold has no intention of slowing you down. He just wants to help you, Killian!”

“What? Out of the goodness of his heart?” he sneered. “No, Swan. No, there’s a catch. There always is.”

“Of course there is. He wants to go back and save his family. Just like you do! He wants the same thing as you.”

Killian shook his head, surprised that she couldn’t see the man for what he was. He lowered his tone, almost to a whisper. “No, he doesn’t. My brother was torn from me for no reason. He was mur-murdered. Gold lost his family fair and square. Whatever happened, and I have no doubt that he’s lying about it, that man wants to manipulate something. And I won’t make a deal with him to get what I want when there has to be another way!”

Emma shook her head and her shoulders slumped. “I don’t understand you. He just wants the love of his family back. He just wants another chance to make things better for them. If I had the chance to have a family, to have grown up knowing that kind of love…” she trailed off and Killian could see the tear as it tracked down her cheek.

He felt horrible. The last thing he wanted to do was to make her cry. He knew what she thought family should be. He knew the hurts that she carried deep inside her weren’t easily healed. He knew he couldn’t understand what it was like to grow up an orphan.

But she didn’t understand either. “Just because you have a family, Emma, it doesn’t mean that you know love. Not every father is capable of loving his wife or his child.”

Killian left it at that, slinking out through the door and leaving behind the regret and, possibly, his entire project.

Tagging: @gusenitsaa, @katie-dub, @kiwistreetswan, @lenfazreads, @xhookswenchx, @killian-whump, @eala-captian, @kmomof4, @onceuponaprincessworld, @couldnthandleit

#cs ff #csbb #cs fic #ouat ff #ouat fic

73 notes · View notes

extraquarterblog · 7 years

Text

The art of saving money when buying video games

Playing video games is easily my favorite hobby that I heavily invest in. I have found no other past time more enjoyable than booting up a system, connecting with a friend online, and jamming out for hours. It pulls me out of the normal routine that I live every day, into a fantasy world where I lose all cares and grind through waves of endless monsters.

It's a hobby that almost anyone can get into, that can fit almost any budget. From special holiday discounted sales on consoles to high-end PCs. For the most part, Gaming isn't an overly expensive hobby compared to where else you can be burning your cash on.

That is until you start own multiple systems.

That's where things start to get tricky. We now live in a world of Season Passes, Preorder goodies, Special Editions with Limited in-game items, etc etc. For a completions purist, it can be stupidly expensive trying to indulge in every piece of content for a single game. I like so many others, rushed down that rabbit hole. It seems fine at first until the holidays come around and before you know it, there are 4-5 games you want to own. You total up the prices of Season passes or DLC, special editions, and suddenly you're flat broke and you still couldn't afford to buy each of them.

Then, there's the whole day one burn aka beta testers. Sadly, they don't make games like they used too anymore. Almost any game that's heavily dependent on online functionality is plagued with issues easily for weeks until the studio resolves the problems. God have mercy on your soul is the game is dependent on P2P connection.

There's also all the additional content through patches that drop afterward, that tend to resolve players complaints, crashes, improve frame rate drops or just add new UI, change features, improve the quality of life the game. A great example was the Witcher 3. Don't get me wrong, the game is phenomenal, but the studio, over the course of the title release made enormous improvements to the game.

Getting to my point, buying a game on day one release, just isn't the grand bonanza that it used to be. Not to mention becoming increasingly expensive if you're trying to game on multiple systems.

However, were gamers, we will game. Cash must be spent, games will be played, and our wallets can hurt less, depending on how willing you are to wait or chose to shop.

Console

Amazon Prime - If you have Amazon Prime, then you're in luck. If you Preorder a game before release or with-in the two-week window of the title launch, you will receive a 20% discount on the game. It's about one of the best deals for day one releases and also allows you to dip into the preorder goodies. On average, a $59.99 game will cost about $50 after tax.

Target - This is going to sound odd, but for some reason, somehow, Target will do crazy good sales for 48hrs on newer releases. Generally after 2-3 weeks when a big title is available, Target will do a special 20-30% price drop. Sometimes requiring to preorder a game to get the special discounted rate. But in the past, I was able to pick up The Witcher 3 for example at $39.99. Target also includes other great deals, such as buy 2 games, get 1 free.

eBay - Obviously, a no brainer, Ebay is the land that covers all. From rare titles to the latest, if you're looking for any game, there's a 99.9% chance you can pick it up on Ebay. Now, if you've used eBay before, you know the pitfalls of bidding and how expensive trying to buy a newer game can be. The trick is to be patient, I typically look at new titles that have been on the market for over a month or so, around that time prices have dropped 30-40%. I picked up Nioh, with shipping, for $38, basically bran new. I know Ebay isn't something everyone wants to put up with but for those who are willing to put in the effort, will save extra cheddar.

Goodwill Auction - This is piratically the underrated gem in the world of physically collecting games. Much like eBay, but with far less selection but also far less attention, meaning, less battling with others on trying to get the winning bid. Avoiding prices skyrocketing in the last 30 seconds. The biggest assumption people make that the latest titles wouldn't be available. While its true, there's less availability of newly released titles, you can still find them. I've found both Wii U and Switch versions of Breath of the Wild available at Goodwill Auction.

Steam Holiday Sales - No shocker here. Steam is basically famous for it's over the top sales that it presents 4 times a year. Generally once per season, however, it seems the most famous is typically the Summer and Winter sale. Summer sale typically happens in June and Winter sale in December. If you can hold out for those times of the year, you can come across huge savings, not to mention deep discounts on DLC or other expansions.

Humble Bundle - This is a unique service, dedicated to giving back to charity. The company works with studios on presenting games in a Tier packaged. You basically pay what you want. Typically unlocking all the games available for $15 or more. Its a great deal to pick up older titles that you might of missed. I always keep an eye out on what new bundles drop.

Gog.com - Much like Steam, its a popular service that offers a wide range of sales constantly throughout the year. Gog claim to fame is being DRM free and Fair Price Packaging. A popular growing service that shouldn't be over looked.

Green Man Gaming - A popular site that's always running sales, even for newer releases. At the time of posting, Mass Effect Andromeda was already having a 27% discount. GMG is also popular for caring titles not found on Steam or Gog. Filling in the gaps for your library. Another nice site to add to the collection.

Tracking it all

It's 2017, were no longer cave men. There's a world of apps, websites and other services that you can use to keep a track of when a sale emerges. Sites like cheapshark.com or isthereanydeal.com are nifty little sites that help track any deals happening. There's even software services like Razer Cortex that constantly monitors pricing on popular sites.

This is however just tip of the iceberg, there's plenty of other deals to find. Places like Gamefly often offer great sales, that you can even get further discounted if you're a member. Also, you never forget nationwide holidays, retailers are always having sales, most famously black Friday held on the day after Thanksgiving is when basically every store is having more sales you can shake a stick at.

Hopefully, you'll save a buck or two on your next game.

#Gaming

0 notes