Authors Note: Hello everyone! I know I'm usually doing the behind the scenes work, like recs, prompts and Beta reading, but this is my first exploration into the mystical land of actual writing. This is my first time, so please bear with me and the writing mistakes you might find :) I hope you enjoy it!
P.S There is a part in there where Liam should've most definitely been admitted into a hospital. But for the sake of the story, I decided to give him a low-key miraculous recovery!
Disclaimer: Characters not mine!
Abandoned as a newborn, deemed defective by foster parents at age 5, a self-proclaimed runaway by 15, Emma Swan never thought her life could amount to anything beyond a homeless street urchin. Nonetheless, there she was, perched a few feet above the water, the smell of chlorine completely overwhelming her senses, yet in a way, comforting in its familiarity. The simplicity of it all baffled her.
Growing up the way she did, Emma always vowed to find a way to make sure kids were safer than she ever had the privilege to be. She used to think jobs like social work and law enforcement were the way to do that. But standing here, looking over the cacophony of voices and splashes, mixed in with kids who lounged about on the inflatables, dove in off the dive boards, and even enjoyed a game of tag, Emma Swan realized that her job mattered just as much, that being a lifeguard meant that children's safety was one of her main concerns, and she loved it.
It had been exactly one year 6 months and 8 days since the day Milah left him for another man. And while she shattered his heart into a thousand pieces, the thought of her alone boiled his blood. Not because she left him – he wasn't a petty man, he knew he could survive without her – but because she left their two year old boy motherless. He couldn't fathom how someone could be so selfish as to abandon their child out of lust for fame and fortune.
As angry as he was with her, he had Liam to think about now, which is why he found himself walking into his neighborhood's local swimming pool facility.
Although Liam reminds him a lot of his mother, he does have his father's piercing blue eyes, dashing good looks, but what Killian loves most is that his little boy shares his love for water.
Becoming a lifeguard seemed like such a natural decision to Emma. After all, she was a great swimmer, was very attentive and of course her love for water was a wonderful added bonus to the job.
It was a couple of hours, a handful of "no running by the pool"'s later that she noticed them. As she was scoping out the space for any troublemakers, she spotted a - really attractive - man getting himself and a boy, which she assumed to be his son by the looks of them, ready to head into the water, something in her gut told her to keep an eye out for them – and no, it wasn't about said attractiveness, well not for the most part anyway.
The man was preoccupied with inflating his boy's floater when it happened. The little boy was leaning over the edge of the pool, trying to reach for a shiny object in the water. She barely had time to lift her megaphone to call attention to the child's state before he was toppling over into the deep end of the pool. Without giving it a second thought, Emma jumped into the water, dove past the occupants of the pool and got to the boy in record time. Unfortunately, it seemed like her fast wasn't fast enough, her good wasn't good enough; the child had swallowed and choked on quite a bit of water. However, now was not the time to dwell on her disappointments, she was trained for this. She hoisted the little body over the side of the pool and immediately went to give him CPR.
She could vaguely hear the panicked voice of a man questioning the events that had just occurred, a faint yet broken "Liam" whispered a few steps beside her, but she had no time for him right now, she had to focus. Pump pump pump, blow, pump, pump, pump, blow, she could do this, she was trained for this, she will save this little boy pump pump-
"Oh, thank God." She breathed out a sigh of relief as the tiny body jerked to life again, spewing out the water from his little lungs.
The little boy looked rattled, she went to sooth the worry from his fragile form, but was interrupted by the little boy – Liam, she presumed – reaching his hands up in the air, crying for "papa". She looked up to see the man pulling Liam into his arms, and cradling him against his chest, while peppering kisses all over the boys face and whispering what must be calming words into his ear.
When they locked gazes themselves, she was ready to give him an earful about being more responsible and actually paying attention to his own child, but his doleful ocean blue's and his broken "thank you" gave her pause. She knows what it's like to be beaten when you're already down, and as much as he deserved it, she just didn't have the heart to do that to him.
So instead, she picked herself up, grabbed a towel, and made her way back to her post, perched a few feet above the water.
Killian was speechless. His mind hadn't yet absorbed everything that just happened. He had never seen his Liam, his baby, look so lifeless before. He had never been so terrified in his entire life. He had failed his son. It was his job to look after his child, his job to make sure his whole world was protected at all costs. Yet, if it wasn't for his blonde savior - he couldn't even think about what could've happened.
Lucky for him though, he had a resilient boy, a few minutes of comfort and the promise of ice cream was enough to reinstate his excitement for the day at the pool. Liam had been checked over by the facility's sickbay and was cleared for a float around the pool, just nothing strenuous. Although Killian himself had major reservations about letting his baby anywhere near the water after what happened, he knew that it was important for his son to get back on the horse, so to speak. It really helped a lot that he knew the blonde savior was keeping a watchful eye on his child, a guardian angel of sorts.
Speaking of, he really had to thank her properly for saving his son. He gathered Liam in his arms and made his way over to the lookout throne.
It was strange though, the closer he got to her, the more nervous he felt; What if she thought he was a horrible father? What if she thought it was inappropriate to strike up a conversation while she was working? What if-
He stopped himself. Why did he care so much about what she thought of him, he doesn't even know her name yet he's acting like a lad who was about to talk to a girl for the first time.
She was bloody gorgeous, that much he couldn't deny, but for some reason, his gut told him it went deeper than that, deeper than an infatuation with the person who saved his son. It's just that when their eyes met, he could just feel a shift in his world. There was something about her, he just couldn't figure out what.
Emma was busy minding the inhabitants of the pool when her mind started to wander. There was something intriguing about Liam's father, somehow, with just a look, a silent plea for mercy, he had managed to get her to let her walls down enough to identify with him. She was badass Emma, no shit taking Emma, but then why was she stumped by a pair of ocean blues?
Emma's musings were interrupted when she felt a presence next to her. She looked down to find the face of the man she was just contemplating looking hesitant, as if he didn't know whether or not to approach her.
"Can I help you?" she asked
"Yes.. uh…hi," he stammered.
"Hello." She gave a pensive smile; she really had to get back to watching the children
"I- I wanted to thank you. For what you did earlier; for saving my son."
"I was just doing my job, sir. Noth-"
"Killian," he interrupted "Killian Jones." He reached up awkwardly to give her a handshake.
She returned the gesture in kind, "Well, Killian, as I was saying, it's really no trouble."
She paused for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to say something, he could tell she decided against it and instead said:
"I'm just glad little Liam over here turned out okay"
"There are no words for how grateful I am –" he gave her a questioning look, silently pleading with her to fill in the gap.
"Emma Swan," was her stunted reply.
Swan, he thought, a beautiful name for a beautiful woman. He gave a faint nod and a mischievous smile in response and repeated.
"There are no words for how grateful I am, Emma Swan. I owe you my life. " He looked down at Liam and ruffled his hair, earning himself a slight giggle from the boy. "Let me repay you, a coffee some time, perhaps? Please, it's the least I could do"
"I'm sorry I'm not interested." She hoped he'd take the hint; she really wasn't looking for anything right now.
"Very well, I'll not push. However, I do have a proposition for you,"
That caught her attention.
He continued "How would you feel about giving private swimming lessons, for Liam of course? After what happened today, I need to be sure he can be safe around water, no matter the situation."
She mulled over the suggestion for a second, she has never taught a child, or anyone really how to swim before. But she guessed it would be fairly simple, and she could use the money. "I'll think about it."
"That's all I ask, Swan." He gave her a knowing smile, then promptly turned around, and led himself and his son away from the beautiful enigma that was Emma Swan.
He was aware he left no means of contact, he did after all, need an excuse to come visit her again. Soon.
I'd love to hear your thoughts!