This is for daniellem, enjoy and thanks for suggesting.
the prompt was essentially Emma comes back and is reunited with her parents and Henry first but she is desperate to see a certain pirate, after some persuading Operation Pirate Surprise is launched. Killian doesn't feel like celebrating his birthday and he hates surprises, except this one.
This got quite long and there is a bit of Charming fluff first. Enjoy.
And I feel that when i'm with you
it's alright
I know it's right
and the songbirds are singing
like they know the score
and I love you, I love you, I love you
like never before
...
Emma used every ounce of strength she could gather to stumble through the tangle of trees. Trying to avoid falling flat on her face. The last few days, weeks, years, honestly she couldn't remember made her legs ache, her head was pounding and she had cuts and bruisers everywhere.
The ailment that caused her the most grief, was not physical as such, it was her conscience reliving the torment , the torture she'd endured, the deeds she'd carried out, the innocent people she'd killed, there were times when she didn't feel like she could go on, but she had to.
If there was one thing Emma Swan could do it was run, she had after all been running all her life. This time it was different, she wasn't running away from people, she was running to them, running in desperation to find her family, her incredible pirate, who's faith had kept her going, her
son, the person who had matured so much but was still her little boy.
She snapped out of her thoughts by a light, dazzling her eyes, instinctively she shielded her eyes with her hands, desperately trying to control the magic tingling.
It was her father, a single tear trickled down her cheek, before she accepted her dad's warm embrace.
God's she'd missed him
"E..em..emma" his voice was barely a whisper. He didn't want to be wrong.
"Dad, it's really me, I'm back. "
He hugged her, holding her tighter, the relief flooded out of him. He'd thought he'd lost his daughter again.
Despite her exhaustion Emma chuckled "Dad if you hold me any closer i'm going to choke"
"Sorry , I just. "
"I know, Dad, take me home, please"
"Course princess" he grinned, earning him a roll of her eyes.
...
The drive back to the loft but she fell asleep instantly. Her father glanced at his daughter, Emma had always felt the need to be brave, strong, to protect herself, he knew that's the real the reason she was back but he liked to peep in when she was asleep (yes he knew she was 30) but he'd
missed doing it all those years growing up and she looked so peaceful when she sleeped, all of her doubts slipping away.
...
He nudged her shoulder gently, still she woke with a start, whatever had happened had clearly left her edge. When she realised she was safe she offered an apologetic smile.
"You ready to see your mom"
"She's going to cry, isn't she"
"Your mother, cry, never"
She pushed him playfully "I'll tell her you were teasing her"
"You wouldn't dare, cm'n"
...
"David, is that you, I was so worried. You're usually back by now. I thought something had happened, and after Emma (the tears were threatening to fall), I was about to call regina, but I didn't want to worry Henry. "
"Mom, i'm home. " She hugged her mom, both their cheeks moist with tears. She wasn't an emotional person, but she thought she'd lost them, just when she'd found them. Her father joined the embrace, the warmth of their love, made the darkness in her heart feel slightly less cold.
Reluctantly they pulled away from each other, but each of them kept staring, praying this wasn't a dream.
"I'm Sorry, I know you only were doing what you thought was right, it's just a lot of people I trusted in my life weren't who they said who they were and they broke me. It just takes me a long time to trust again, but I loved you, I will always love you and I will always find you."
Her parents were grinning, the pride for their daughter was obvious, there was something else, hurt, guilt.
She knew how that felt.
"Emma we're sorry to. We didn't know it was a child and when we did. It was too late, we tried to redeem ourselves, we knew it would never leave us, the guilt but we had to deal with it, we didn't want to burden you with it, we should've told you, can you ever forgive us. "
"Yes" was all she could manage. "Do you think we could wake Henry up" "And where's Killian"
Her first question was answered when her son ran through the door "Mom" he nearly knocked her over.
She smiled at Regina, who reciprocated the gesture, "Emma, it's good to see you, Don't be too long Henry you've got school tomorrow"
"Regina, you can stay if you want, we're going to have a hot chocolate and cinnamon, if that's not too childish for you"
Regina hesitated and rolled her eyes, looking at the scene, she never thought she'd be here having cocoa with Emma and the two idiots, before agreeing and texting Robin.
"So where's Killian. "
"Emma I don't think you should tell him." her mother ventured
"What"
"Woah, calm down mom, it's his birthday tomorrow, you should surprise him."
She smiled, but she really wanted to see him, surely she could wait 24 hrs, god since when had she got so caught up over a guy. Graham. She was not going there.
"If you can bear to be away from Captain guyliner for that long" Regina smirked
"Funny"
...
He hadn't wanted this damn birthday celebration, he's stopped counting a long time ago. Birthday celebrations weren't much fun if you were alone. Usually it had just meant he'd consumed more rum to drown out his sorrows over everyone he'd loved and lost: His mother, who had taught him that someone always had the potential for love, Liam, who instilled the importance of good form, Milah, who was his first real love. Tomorrow there would be someone else, Emma, the most beautiful, fiercly strong person, who loved every part of him.
Unfortunately the Royals had other ideas, small celebrations was something they didn't understand. He tried to protest, but he couldn't deny them there wish, he knew they blamed themselves and were trying to make their daughter proud. He wanted that, so he was willing to endure the pain of seeing people celebrating something so trivial as an age, when someone who had protected the whole town was gone.
He looked at the stars, at one time they had been the only light he'd let into his life, Tonight they were shining brighter, willing him to go on.
...
Emma was suddenly worried, what was his reaction going to be. She couldn't wait to see him.
He seemed to be enjoying himself, though the usual glint in his eye, was absent.
...
It hadn't been as bad as he'd expected. His heart still ached, Granny's still held memories of ,now broken, promises, secret kisses, hearty laughter, haunting mistakes, glances across the table as they pinched each other's food. He was surrounded by people who'd comforted him, who he regarded as friends, it was the closest to family he'd had for a long time.
He felt a tap on his shoulders. He looked up. It was Snow
"Apologies lass, I appeared to be lost in my thoughts"
"It's not got 300 candles on it has it"
Snow chuckled, it was the first proper smile he'd seen since Emma had sacrificed herself. "No, sorry"
"I don't know about happy, but I could certainly eat cake"
Snow turned the head towards Henry who was carrying a giant cupcake with a single star candle on it.
He smiled as he placed it on the table in front of him, "I've seen you stargarzing, I know they help you remember them. "
He could feel a lump in his throat, he was freaking Captain Hook, he couldn't cry in front of all these people.
He heard someone shout Make a wish, he wished he could see Emma again.
...
People started shouting "He's a jolly fella"
He was only looking at one person, but it couldn't be, dreams didn't come true, did they?
She made her way through the crowd, and pulled him by the laples of his jacket, the kiss reminded him of their first kiss in Neverland, the passion,
She glanced up at him, offering a flirtacious smile.
Damn this woman, "Killian, happy Birthday and it's you, it's always been you. I will go to the depths of hell, the end of time, and back to find you . I'm sorry I deprived you of a dashing rescue, again, and I know your heart was broken, but that means it still works"
He was speechless and he'd given up trying to stop the tears, so he was now blubbering but he caressed her cheek, tugging slightly on her golden curls, kissing her sweetly, it expressed everything they wanted to say, but couldn't.
He was broken. She was broken but together they were whole.
What did you think.