A/N: 2nd part of her birthday. Things begin to heat up between them at the very end. Thanks to "Hookedonapirate" for beta reading this story for me… Enjoy
Chapter 11: HopeA new sense of peace echoed through her very soul as she looked up into Rueben's warm, brown eyes. Her magic had changed, become stronger, and made sense now. She looked around them and saw a shimmering blue magic fizzle in the air.
"What?" His voice was slightly alarmed, and she couldn't blame him; she was freaking out a little herself right now.
"I mean, I feel my magic differently now." Shaking her head, she added, "I don't know how to explain it, but I think I got it all sorted out." It really did feel as if her magic had clicked into place and that everything aligned inside of her.
"How? By kissing me?" Rueben asked with a slight smirk.
She playfully wacked him on the chest. "So full of yourself." Then she paused and tilted her head before thinking out loud, "Or maybe it really is you who… I don't know, helped me tap into my magic."
"That makes no sense at all?" He pointed at himself, shaking his head. "I'm not magical, not like you. I will never have the same powers as you. So how the hell can I be the cause of your magic aligning itself?"
"We share this connection, remember?" He nodded as she continued. "When you found this pendant for me, it unlocked something inside of me; something between us too, I think."
Rueben looked at her thoughtfully, then nodded, "Yeah something is definitely different between us. Something great. Love - true love, even?"
"Aye, exactly, true love." Her fingers clung to his shirt, her eyes beaming at him. "Auntie Gina said something about true love." Her face heated up.
"Really?" Rueben looked shocked. "Wow!"
"Yeah, wow." Hope grinned. "Kiss me again, Rue."
Rueben grinned as he leaned down to grant her wish, her insides humming in contentment. She knew this was true love; the pendant and her stronger magic was enough proof for her. They really did share true love. Her body molded against his tall frame, and she cursed her long skirt right now. Even knowing they couldn't do much right here didn't prevent her from imagining them doing way more than kissing.
Her fingers began tugging at his dress shirt, but before she managed to find his warm skin, he stopped her searching fingers.
"What?" She asked breathlessly.
"We can't. Not here." His voice was strained, and she realized it had taken him quite an effort to pull away from her
His hair was coming out of his ponytail, so she reached up, letting her fingers search for the leather strap holding his locks together. Without looking, she managed to untie the strap and let his hair flow freely down his back. "I know," she said with a sigh, then tucked the leather tie into his pocket, smiling up at him, "You do look rather dashing with your hair free like this."
Rueben grinned, and stole another kiss from her. She could feel him restrain himself and try to keep it at a low heat level, and when her searching fingers again began tugging at his shirt, he pulled back. "You're trying to kill me here, my love." Rueben groaned.
"Nah, not kill you. I just want to have fun on my birthday," she said with a fake pout.
"I'm not risking getting skinned by your father if we're found in a compromising situation behind this tent," Rueben said in a strained tone.
"Daddy likes you, don't worry." Hope padded his chest reassuringly. She stepped back while her heart and mind began plotting how she might end up doing some more private celebrations with her boyfriend.
"Yeah, let's not jeopardize that, shall we?" He nodded toward her party that was still going on.
"Alright," Hope said with a sigh, then smirked. "But I want to give a proper thank you for this gift later." She gently touched the pendant around her neck, it's delicate silver warm against her skin. Her magic hummed in response to whatever was connecting her to Rueben and this pendant. She had a lot of things to talk to her aunt and mother about later.
When they found their friends again, all of them commented on how long it took Rueben to give one small gift. The girls were all going crazy over how sweet the gift was in their eyes; she didn't tell them about the stronger magic she'd felt surge through her, but she would later.
The group of friends found the carnival area and spent their time playing various games. It was all a bit over the top, but Hope really did enjoy her time there. Often, they'd be stopped by guests wanting to send her warm wishes, both for her birthday and for her new found love. Yep, gossip did travel rather fast in the United Realms.
After several hours of fun with her friends, her mother caught up with her and said, "Cygnet, you're expected to open the gifts."
"Oh, yeah." She turned to her friends and asked, "wanna join me?"
"Yay, gifts!" Rose clapped her hands and tugged on William's hand so he would follow her. He shook his head and made a quip with Damien about women and their eagerness to recieve gifts. Both Rose and Gloria scolded their men while they all walked up the gangplank of the Jolly Roger. A large table had been set up for guests to leave their gifts for the birthday girl.
"How the hell am I going to go through all these gifts?" Hope groaned and swiped a few stray hairs away from her face. The fun and games at the carnival had loosened her hairdo. She was this close to just plucking out all the pins and not giving a shite about fancy hair styles.
Rueben stepped up behind Hope and wrapped his arms around her, whispering in her ear, "I bet you could get Rose and Gloria to help you out."
Hope chuckled and looked at her friends, both looking eager.
"Wanna help?"
"Yup," Rose replied and turned to dive into the huge pile of gifts.
"Hold on a sec!" All of them turned to face the scrunched up face of Mary Margaret's.
"Now what, Gran?" Hope sighed and flapped her arms. "What else have you got up your party planning sleeves?"
"Oh, so you think you'll be able to remember what you got from everyone if you let these two," Mary Margaret pointed her finger between Rose and Gloria, "loose to open gifts."
"Nooo?"
"Alright ladies, let's divide and conquer." Her grandmother clapped her hands together, ducked under the table and found a clipboard, "You'll thank me tomorrow my sweet Hope." Her voice was probably meant to be soothing but Hope just shook her head; she knew her grandmother all too well.
"You'll be helping me write those bloody thank you cards you probably have already decided I need to write," Hope said with a heavy sigh, ignoring Rueben's chuckles behind her.
"Now, Hope, be nice to ya' grandmother." Her father walked down from the helm, followed by Rueben's father.
"I will, Daddy. No worries," Hope sighed. "So you guys shared seafaring tales all afternoon?"
"Aye, we might have done just that," Killian grinned at Rueben's father, who in return nodded.
"Well your father does have a few more centuries of travels under his belt, so…" Rueben's father said with a cuckle.
Hope glanced up at Rueben who was still standing behind her; the smile on his face showed how much he liked their fathers getting along so well. It was nice to know their families could have fun together. Rueben leaned down and kissed her shortly, both ignoring the grunts from both fathers.
"You better go open those gifts with your grandmother and friends; it looks like they're bursting at the seams there." Killian gently nudged her away from Rueben.
"Yeah, one would think it's their birthday," Hope said as she joined in on the craziness of opening the pile of gifts. It took more than an hour to dig through the gifts; several things were tied into what part of the Realms the guest came from. Anna and Elsa (including their families) had given Hope a shawl embroidered in typical nordic design, along with a pair of snowflake shaped earrings. When Hope touched them, she could feel magic flow through them; it seemed as if Elsa had a hand in making these. Ariel and Eric gave her a seashell hair comb, the attached card letting her know the comb was magical and able to open up portals between the different parts of the United Realms.
"Wow, I want to go realm jumping with you, girl," Rose exclaimed when she read the note about the hair comb.
"Yeah that could be fun," Hope mused as she gently placed the comb into its box again.
The final gifts were from her parents and grandparents.
Her father gave her a small box. "This here is from your mother and me; it might seem like a small gift, but it could end up being very useful."
Hope peeled back the paper and opened the box, revealing a small flask nestled inside.
"A hip flask? Eh daddy you do know I'm not much of a rum drinker." Hope glanced between her parents. Both looked a little confused, then her mother burst out laughing.
Her father shook his head. "You got it all wrong there, tiny Butterfly." He pointed at the flask. "This right here is magical. If you're ever in any kind of peril, you'll be able to send us a message in this flask, and we'll receive it. Speak into it and say who the message is for, where you are and what is going on."
"What?" Hope was trying to keep up with her father's explanation.
"Cygnet," her mother interjected and placed her hand on Hope's shoulder. "Henry used this to get in touch with us when he needed help in the Wish Realm. We thought you could have it now."
"Wow, yeah, I remember the stories about Henry's adventures in the Wish Realm." She grinned at her parents. "So you want me to seek out my own adventures?"
"No need to jump into the crazy stuff your parents did, but one can't be sure what happens, even here in the relatively peaceful United Realms," Emma explained and patted Hope's shoulder. She stepped back and stood beside her husband who wrapped his arm around her.
"Thanks, Mommy and Daddy." Hope looked down at the flask. "I'll definitely keep this close." She placed the box safely on the table beside her.
"Hope?" David walked over with a long, wrapped box. "This is from me and your Grandmother."
"Oh wow." Hope took the gift, curious to know what lay inside the slightly heavy box. Placing the box on the table, she removed the paper, and a wooden carved box made out of polished, dark wood glinted in the sun setting behind them. The intricate carvings on the lid was a clue to what it was. A pair of crossed swords was delicately carved into the lid, with a swirling design following the edge of the lid.
"Open it," someone said, but Hope didn't pay attention to who it was.
Flipping the clasp holding the case closed, she opened the box and found a longsword, much similar to her grandfather's. But she could see it was slightly smaller; her eyes scanned the polished steel, a blue gemstone encrusted into the circular pommel. Its hilt was wrapped in dark brown leather.
"Wow!" Hope breathed out and picked up the sword. She had received some training from various members of her family and knew how to wield a sword like this. The weapon felt well balanced as she weighed it in her hand.
"We had the swordsmith custom make this for you. If it feels off somehow, I'll make sure to set you up with him so he can change it to fit you better," David explained.
Hope looked at her grandfather in awe. "Thank you," she whispered, her eyes looking down at the weapon in her hand; it felt good. "I think it's a pretty well fit. I'll test it out a few times and see if there's anything that needs to be changed." Gently she placed the sword into its case again and wrapped both her grandparents in a big hug.
"You're welcome, sweetheart," Mary Margareth said, holding onto Hope a bit longer.
Hope could still feel the magic and excitement buzz inside of her; all of her gifts were special and unique in their own way. Suddenly, she felt Rueben's fingers interlace with hers. She looked up and grinned. Not caring if her parents stood nearby, she raised herself up on tip toes and kissed him. Someone cleared their throat nearby, and when a second throat was cleared seconds later, they pulled apart and sheepishly looked over at the stares from both of their fathers.
"The two of you better get used to that," Emma said as she took her husband's hand in hers.
Rueben's mother did the same while she exchanged a knowing smirk with Hope's mother.
Both men grumbled something about the proper conduct at a public royal affair. The women around them all laughed as the group began disembarking down the gangplank.
Hope sighed in relief, happy that the gift opening part of the party was over. But deep down, she was still grateful her grandmother had been there to keep track of everything.
They all decided a drink would be a welcome reward to all the hard work. The group of friends went in search of something to drink. While walking through the carnival area, they caught the notes of music in the air.
"That's right, my darling grandmother thought we needed dancing too." Hope shook her head. This party was certainly well planned. Rose was eager to dance, and she practically dragged poor William toward the dancefloor area set up nearby. Everyone else followed their lead, and once they reached the dancefloor, Rueben held her hand to his lips and did a small, formal bow.
"May I have this dance, Princess Hope?" His eyes shimmered in the strings of light bulbs hanging over the dance floor.
"I'll be delighted to dance with you tonight, my good man," Hope said in an overly posh voice that made Rueben grin even more. "And only you," she added with a whisper as she let him lead her to the dance floor.
Rueben wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a dance following the slow music currently playing.
Hope didn't care if her dancing this close to Rueben was improper right now, it was her bloody birthday. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, her head rested on his shoulder, she let him take the lead into the slow dance. His fingers moving slowly over her sides, one hand found its way to her back, skimming over her bare back. Her dress had a low plunging back, something her mother and grandmother had been slightly displeased with. Hope didn't care, all she wanted was a dress that fit her personality and would be practical while maneuvering around on a large lawn. Also the reason she wore flat heeled shoes, as so her head only reached under Rueben's chin. She could hear the drumming of his heart under her ear, her own heart beat a faster rhythm as well. His searching fingers shot spikes of heat over her body, she hummed in appreciation.
"Enjoying your birthday so far?" Rueben asked, leaning down to whisper in her ear, his hot breath tickled her sensitive skin on her neck.
Raising her head so she could see his eyes she nodded, "Hmm, very much, right now is perfect. Beyond what I imagined, I like dancing with you."
"We should do that more often," Rueben said with a grin.
"Yeah." She snuggled closer to his chest again and she felt him tighten his hold on her as their dance seemed to consist of some slow moves back and forth. She let one hand slide down over his shoulder, and further down to his chest. Gently toying with his bolo tie she let her fingers move over the silver eagle clasp holding it together. It was an intricate masterpiece in the finer arts of jewel making. Her fingers toyed with the buttons on his shirt, her mind wondering if it would be noticed that the birthday girl went missing right now. Idly she let the tip of her finger slide between two buttons, finding his heated skin inside.
"Hope!" Rueben's strangled voice interrupted her explorations. She looked up at him with a knowing smirk. His eyes were dark, even in the dimmer evening light around them.
"Hmm." She moved her sneaking fingers a bit further inside his shirt.
"Please." He placed his large hand over hers, gently extracting her mischievous limb away from his tantalizing skin.
Pouting, she sighed. "Why?"
"Pretty sure that if you keep doing that," Rueben said with a groan, "your father will attempt to hurt me."
"Awe, can't the birthday girl have a bit of fun?" Hope asked while batting her eyes at him, giving him a small wink.
"You're crazy," he breathed out and looked up, where the stars began spreading over the night sky. "You know I love you, and I… we… I mean we haven't…"
"I know, but who says we won't be, soon," She waggled her eyebrows at him suggestively, and chuckled when she felt the rumble of another groan reverberating through him.
Rueben gaped at her for a few seconds before his eyes brightened in recognition at her suggestion. "You mean, tonight?"
"Yeah, I feel ready; I know you love me, and I've wanted to, you know… for a while now." She shrugged and extracted her hand from his grasp, letting it slide around his neck and lifting herself up to kiss him. She felt his fingers dig into her sides as she let her mouth search his. Feeling bold enough, she slid her tongue out to touch his lips, hoping he would grant her access. With a low groan, he let her explore his mouth.
"You two really need to get a room." Rose's voice suddenly pulled them out of the cocoon they'd found themselves in.
Hope whirled to see her friend next to them, dancing with William. "Get lost," Hope grumbled, but knew they might need to keep the PDA a bit cleaner for now.
Rose laughed and pulled her own man away from them.
Hope glanced around and spotted a few guests staring openly at them. She cringed a little, then decided she didn't really care what they thought.
Noticing her parents, she could see her father staring daggers at them while her mother was holding on to him, her hand placed on his cheek. She was whispering furiously to her husband, apparently trying to ease the building tension inside of him.
When Hope gave her parents a smile and a nervous wave, she could see her father relax a little.
"Look at your brother." Rueben suddenly whispered.
She turned her head toward the direction he pointed.
Liam was dancing with Thea. The young couple seemed to disagree with what tempo the dance needed to be done in. Several times, Hope noticed with a winch that her brother would step on the poor woman's toes.
"Oh God. Poor Thea. She's a brave lass," Hope sighed, "My brother really doesn't know how to dance. Believe me, I've experienced the toe-stepping a few times myself." She laughed while remembering her sweet 16 birthday, where her brother had attempted to dance with her. It had not been a success.
The music ended as Hope watched her brother's failed attempts to keep Thea entertained. But somehow, she excused herself and made a beeline for her friends. Liam went in the opposite direction, his hands running furiously through his disheveled hair. Even from a slight distance, Hope could see the frustration and tension in his shoulders as he kept his hands wrapped around his neck, casting furtive glances toward the gaggle of girls.
"Let me go talk to him," Rueben offered.
"Yeah. He might need a bit of male encouragement right now." Hope made for a quick kiss on his cheek, then said, "I'll just go talk with my parents. I still haven't told them about my magic changing."
Rueben nodded and took off toward the miserable looking teenager who was now leaving the dance floor.
Hope quickly walked over to her parents, and when she saw their raised eyebrows she quickly explained, "Rueben is talking with Liam. The poor lad still sucks at dancing. Not sure it helped him much in regards to his attempts at wooing Thea."
Her mother nodded in understanding, then asked, "So you two looked cozy out there on the dancefloor."
"Bloody hell," Killian and Hope both uttered, but for different reasons.
"Mom, could we just not talk about that, not right now." Hope glared at her mother and cast a glance at her father as well.
"Like never!" Killian chimed in and rubbed his face with his hand, obviously not liking the idea of where his wife was taking the conversation.
"Oh stop it, sweetheart," Emma said and placed her hand over her husband's heart. "Hope and Rueben are grown ups and it's perfectly natural to—"
"Stop! Please," Hope groaned; she didn't want to discuss what went on between her and Rueben and she certainly didn't need to talk about what her plans would be later this evening.
Luckily, both her parents seemed to calm down and began talking about the party. Hope finally told them about how she'd felt her magic change. This made her mother fire off some more exploratory questions and made Hope test out a few things regarding her magic. It was suddenly very easy for Hope to wield her magic, and when her mother saw this, she was astounded how quickly Hope had tapped into her magic. They both agreed they would make some time to work together with Regina to see how her magic had truly evolved.
Hope made a few rounds to catch up with more of her guests and found their group of friends not long after. Rueben joined them later and he affirmed he'd had a great chat with Liam. Hope was so pleased her boyfriend seemed to care about her wayward brother's failed attempts to woo Thea. It made her love him even more, and her plan for tonight had begun taking shape more and more in her mind. All she needed was this party to wind down so she could find some time alone with Rueben.
Once the party started to wrap up, their friends all said their goodbyes, and she made sure Rueben would hang back with her. Rose smirked when she overheard Hope speak with Rueben about him taking her home later. Hope just waved to her friends as they found their way home.
When it was only her closest family and Rueben left, she said some final goodbyes to her family.
"So Rueben will take you home?" Emma asked, looking between the couple.
"Mmhmm, he will," Hope stated and placed her hand on his chest. "We'll just hang out here for a bit and enjoy the peace out here by the water." She shrugged, hoping her mother wouldn't notice the blush creeping up her neck right now.
Thankfully, her mother only nodded and took off with Killian at her side. The pirate father did send some curious glances their way, but let his wife pull him toward the parking lot.
"Sooooo," Hope dragged out as she turned toward him, "Care for a nightcap on board my father's ship?"
Rueben blinked a few times, "As in…?"
She could see that he was trying to decipher what her intentions really were. "Come on, let me show you more of the ship." Hope blinked at him and took his hand. He followed her without another word, and when she glanced at him, she could see his brows furrowed in thought.
Reaching the gangplank, she walked in front of him and once aboard, she turned to him again. She wrapped her arms around him, looking up at his handsome features. His hair fell over his face, the gentle sea breeze sweeping around them and shifting his long locks. She combed her fingers through his hair while he searched her eyes.
"I want you Rueben," Hope proclaimed, not really sure how she'd be able to tell him what she wanted. It was new territory for her; she'd never been with anyone intimately before. All she knew was that she was ready to share everything with Rueben.
Rueben sucked in a large breath of air, then gulped it down. "You have me already."
"I want it all," Hope tried to explain as she let her hands move down over his chest, her fingers finding the top button on his shirt. When she managed to open the first few buttons of his shirt, she could see realization bloom inside his dark brown eyes.
"You sure?" he asked, taking a deep, fortifying breath as if he were trying to keep it together right now.
"Mmhmm, positive." Hope gave him a reassuring smile as she worked on his shirt.
"Up here on deck?" He asked with a chuckle, letting his hands slowly caress her arms, letting his fingers move over her shoulders. Her large blue eyes looked up at him with a smirk and she shook her head.
"Come on." She took his hand, led him below deck and entered the captain's quarters. Without giving it much thought, she flicked her wrist and lit the candles and oil lamps in the room. She turned to him again and smiled triumphantly. "See? My magic worked." When Rueben gave her a small, feeble smile, she walked up to him and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Eh, in here?" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and waved toward the bed nestled against the stained glass windows. "I mean, your father— and mother—"
"I don't care. This is the only place we have some sort of privacy." Hope said and shrugged, then pressed her body close to Rueben's and stole a kiss from his lips. He wrapped his arms around her as she deepened the kiss, her fingers working on opening the rest of the buttons, then tugging at his bolo tie. "How does this come off?"
Rueben chuckled as he reached up and unclasped the silver eagle. After placing the jewel on a nearby table, he pulled the tie off. His shirt was now fully open for her searching eyes—something she took full advantage of. She stepped up to him and splayed her hands over his torso. His skin was hot under her palms Sure, she'd seen him shirtless, but knowing she would be seeing so much more of him made her skin prickle in anticipation. Slowly, she slid her hands to his shoulders, attempting to remove the shirt from his body.
"Hold on." Within a few short seconds, he removed the cufflinks and shrugged off the shirt himself. The white garment fluttered to the floor.
Hope bit her lower lip, contemplating her next move. But with no experience in this intimate adventure she'd embarked upon, she was suddenly very self conscious. Her eyes roved over his body, then finally found his brown eyes looking at her with so much love. She shook herself out of her stupor and closed the gap between them, her hands finding his warm flesh again.
Rueben gulped. "Are you sure?" When she looked up at him, he explained, "I mean… Gods above… I want this, I've dreamed of this. But if you don't feel ready—"
"I'm ready," Hope exclaimed and placed her finger on his lips. She found some inner courage to keep going. "I want this to happen tonight, Rue. I love you." She rose up on her tiptoes to reach his mouth, her hands wrapped around his neck as they both deepened the kiss.
Once they both needed a few moments to catch their breaths, they kept their eyes locked and Hope felt her magic fizzle inside of her. Everything felt right—her connection with Rue, her magic, and her decision to take this next step with him.
"And I love you." His fingers brushed over her cheek as his eyes searched hers, his other hand skimming up her arm. Fingers danced over the neckline of her blue dress. She felt her skin pebble in goose bumps. His fingers ran over her shoulders to the back of her dress, searching.
"It has a small clasp right here." She turned around and reached behind her, pointing to the almost invisible string that connected the shoulder straps and held her dress in place. Quickly he unclasped the dress, and only because she held on to the front, did it not fall to the floor.
She felt his fingers trace the contours of her shoulder blades, her spine, and finally her intricate hairdo.
"May I?" He asked, his mouth close to her ear. When she nodded mutely, he made quick work at finding all the hairpins. Once he'd discovered them all, he placed them on the table.
Hope turned toward him, her arms still clasping the dress close to her body. She ran a hand through her now loose hair, trying to calm her growing nerves.
He grabbed her hand, pulled her closer, and leaned down to kiss her again. She hardly noticed him maneuvering them closer to the wooden framed bed. Only when the back of her knees bumped the bed, did she know where he'd led her.
Her arm was still holding on to the dress, but when his eyes searched hers in a silent question, she nodded. Taking a deep breath, she let the dress slide down her body, pooling at her feet. Easily, she stepped out of her flat shoes, now only dressed in her navy blue lace panties. Daring to look at him, she noticed him gulping as his fiery brown eyes took her in. The passion burning in his eyes gave her enough courage to step closer and press her nearly naked body against his. Her pebbled nipples brushed against his hot smooth skin. She wrapped her arms around him and splayed her hands over his muscled back, pulling him closer.
Rueben groaned at the new intimate contact, his hands finding purchase at her hips, his fingers toying with the flimsical strings that held her final piece of clothing. His mouth found hers and she felt her pulse quicken at the intensity of the kiss. She knew they would move to a different level of intimacy tonight, and with this as her focus, she found the hemline of his dress pants. Her fingers skimmed over his heated flesh, finally reaching the clasp at the front. Looking up at him for confirmation, she watched him nod and she flicked open his pants, using both hands to slide them down his legs. He helped by kicking off his shoes and stepping out of the pants that pooled around his ankles.
Both took a few moments to compose themselves, both almost naked, hearts racing and the shimmer of Hope's magic now crackling in the air around them.
"Come," Hope urged him as she took his hand and pulled him with her to lay on the bed.
Rueben followed her lead and aligned his body with hers on the surprisingly wide bed. He rested his head in one hand, the other found the warm skin on her stomach, his fingers dancing under her breasts.
"Gods you're beautiful," He said reverently as his eyes took her in. Hope felt her breath catch in her throat at his words.
"You're quite dashing yourself," She managed to squeak out while pulling him closer. "I want this."
"I love you, Hope, I want to do this right." Rueben's voice was strained as he tried to speak.
"It will be perfect," Hope assured him. She knew they both were on uncharted territory here, but she knew they'd find a way together.
Rueben kissed her, and she could feel him trying to hold back and easing them into this.
She whispered against his lips, "I'm yours."