Notes: Mentions of drug use and abuse, alcoholism, absent father, potentially triggering, but Emma shows up in this one! As always, thanks to @downeystarkjr for her amazing art, @sambethe and the other mods for putting together this year’s CSBB, and the creators of the show and characters, and to all of you readers for your feedback!
Chapter summary: There are a lot of downs in Killian’s life, but a few ups, too. Will Emma be able to show Killian that the ups are more important than the downs?
You kind of have to love Alice for telling the hard truths to Killian, even as your heart breaks for her to watch Killian deal with everything that’s been thrown at him. Though it is again another chance meeting that hints at the possibility for better things for him!
Summary: Emma Swan returns to her birthplace, Storybrooke, in search of a fresh start after a life marked by abandonment and betrayal. After a year there, she finds the stability she needed and also the possibility of learning about one of her passions, photography. Killian Jones, a former British war reporter with a tragic past, establishes himself in the same town as an instructor of photography, following in the footsteps of his best friends, the Nolans. What will happen when their paths cross? Will their common passion for photography help them heal old wounds?
Go read, guys! The story has a lot in store for Emma and Killian. Just be patient! You are yet to discover their mutual attraction, deepest feelings and photography classes, of course.
Ooh, check out @imagnifika great banner for @mayquita’s story, plus take a peak at Emma Swan’s instagram account! Kate brings us a glimpse of just what it is Emma sees in Storybrooke and why the town might be intrigued by her photos. The vivid colors brought together here are particularly striking and you can see why they might pique Killian’s interest.
Summary: Killian Jones has always managed tough spots in his con life… but never like this one. His brother is out of jail and convinced the only way to win his name back is to heist the casino of a major Vegas mogul, leaving Killian to do the planning. He now has to deal with a half-brother desperate to gain a name of his own, an ex-fling that carries her own torch against the casino mogul, his brother losing his mind over his ex-wife, his former mentor’s depression and the one woman he can’t get out of his mind giving him chase. Ocean’s Eleven AU
Rating: M
Content warnings: semi-explicit sexual content, law-breaking (they are thieves, liars and con men), mild violence (someone will get punched), mention of former relationships (for the main pair) and cheating (but not for the main pair)
Chapter warning: Milah is a character in this fic.
This fic would never exist without the wonderful @sambethe who convinced me to do over hot chocolate on one cold Chicago afternoon and virtually held my hand and betaed this fic for months. thank you SO much for everything you do.
A/N: A long time ago there was talk about Hook & his sea friends and a few collective posts shaped the idea of a Sea Squad. This fic is the attempt to bring that creativity to life. Tagging @queen-mabs-revenge@thesschesthair and @jvosketches as they were part of that initial thinking back in the day. If a few things sound familiar, it’s because they are based on the movie.
That was the first thought in Liam’s head as he contemplated the people gathering on Nemo’s patio, filling themselves with appetizers and passing drinks between each other.
Some of them traveled with style: Poseidon had arrived in a rented and sober black car, his suit impeccable and his face unreadable. He first hugged his daughter and was now catching up with Nemo, the two of them commanding all the attention of the patio with their poise.
Milah had arrived dressed in leather pants and a silk shirt, her legs looking long and graceful as she exited her vintage red Porsche. She and Ursula sat together at a table on the side talking, and from the way they were stealing not so subtle looks in his and Killian’s direction, Liam was quite sure what the topic was about. Milah winked at him as he glanced over at them for the third time, blowing him a kiss from afar as she did.
Everyone’s now in the room. Question is, can Liam and Killian convince them of the plan and can all of them act like a team? Also, will the two youngest members find their place? Meanwhile, we finally meet the elusive Emma Swan. Seems she’s got an interesting backstory that may just throw a wrench in all these carefully laid plans.
Meet Killian Jones. Attractive. Wealthy. Arrogant. He has it all… until he becomes aggressively unattractive outside as he is on the inside. Cursed to find someone that can see him better than he can see himself, he hides away, because who could ever learn to love a beast?
Both @initiala and @idristardis yelled at me during this chapter when they edited this, maybe you guys won’t. 😀
Another shout out to @cocohook38 for the beautiful banner, go show her love for it, here,and the amazing artwork from chapter 1, go show her love for it, here.
Please please make sure you go check out all the other stories included in @captainswanbigbang. They are all amazing and you won’t regret it, I assure you.
Chapter Four – The Long and Winding
Road
Emma wakes to a strange thumping sound and her brow furrows.
She looks around the room, lifting her head to find it still in darkness due to
the blackout curtains covering the windows. Dropping her head back down with a
sigh, she reaches out to the bedside table and picks up her phone, squinting a
bit at the bright light.
Emma’s reaction was perfect!! Of course she wouldn’t be horrified at all, I love how she was only intrigued by what she first thought was a tattoo and then she saw it as beautiful when he finally revealed himself. And poor Killian, he ran away :(( I hope they get to talk at some point. Also, I’m soooo nervous about Neal, I’m afraid he’s going to be a source of the angst and he better not touch Emma because Killian is going to hand his ass over to him if he does (on second thought, I hope Killian finds Neal first then).
And JewelHunter, they’re the cutest!! I can totally imagine them being even cuter than Snowing, and Liam writing him a super long letter every Winter ❤ cuties.
Summary:Emma doesn’t remember much of her past, all she knows is she needs to get out of Misthaven. The mysterious group called the Industrialists continues to gain power and control since they overthrew the royal family over a decade ago. Out of options, Emma joins forces with a conman Killian and his partner Ruby in their plot to pass her off as the lost princess of Misthaven. But as they travel together and Killian and Ruby try to teach her how to be a princess, Emma begins to uncover hidden pieces of her past. When threats start closing in around them will she choose to escape to safety or risk everything to find her family and reveal a dangerous secret that could change history forever?
Rating: M
Story content warning: some descriptions of violence, slow burn
Thanks to everyone for reading and liking and reblogging! Thank you so much to everyone who has reached out to tell me what you think! All the love is amazing and appreciated!
Chapter 4: Things I Almost Remember
Killian’s shoulder throbbed as he slumped back against the train car door. He slid down against cold steel walls to the floor. The wheels bumped rhythmically along the tracks sending shudders up through the car into his bones. He grit his teeth. Gods above. It felt like something was stabbing him in his shoulder again and again with each vibration. He reached back with his good hand and felt blood, warm and slick, soaking into his jacket. Damn.
The unexpected connection between Killian and Emma is a delight to see unfold in this chapter, as is the burgeoning friendship, despite themselves, between Ruby and Emma. Emma’s princess lessons appear to be beginning in earnest as Emma wonders just what she’s gotten herself into. But what is it that Killian and Ruby are hiding about their pasts? And what exactly is it that Emma may be hiding, even from herself?
Emma could remember fingers tangled in her curls, the weight of a hand settling on the small of her back, a smile meant only for her eyes. To have a soft kiss pressed against her lips, tentative and sweet, to share each other’s breath. Emma knew what it was to have someone by her side until he’d been taken away.
She’s spent near to half her life watching the horizon line, waiting for the tides to bring back what the sea once claimed.
Killian looked down at his hands, stained crimson with his brother’s blood, before staring across the deck as the pirate ship left his shattered world in its wake, and wondered what they could possibly have stood to gain from his loss.
He’s lost everything, his family, his love, even his hand. The one thing he believes he can- no, will – get back is his ship.
If no one else would do anything, Henry certainly would. He was going to save his mother, and the way he saw it, there was only one person in the entirety of Fort Charles that could possibly help him. Someone who had nothing to lose but his life, and everything to gain.
He doesn’t know much about the world beyond the stories he reads, but he’s determined to save the person he loves most.
A Captain Swan story, based on Pirates of the Caribbean.
Rating: T
Content Warnings: Violence, Swearing, Minor Character Death
AN: Thanks, as always, to my amazing beta @huffleporg and @prongsie for their help. This story wouldn’t be here without you guys.
Or so Liam always said, but Killian knew better. The man was three sheets to the wind, as usual, and no amount of Liam’s polite euphemisms would be enough to convince him otherwise. At thirteen, Killian saw a lot more than his older brother would like, and understood more than he was given credit for. He knew the man was well and truly pissed and wouldn’t see daylight for several hours more.
He also knew Liam’s task would keep him away from the forge for most of the afternoon, which meant Killian had time to play.
And we’re off! Join Hook and Henry as they take to the high seas after Emma to save her from Gold’s nefarious plans. Emma gets a terrifying glimpse as to what the reasoning behind her capture was and we can’t wait to see her reunion with Ki- err Hook! We loved those glimpses into Emma and Killian’s past and really loved how bits of both lores are woven into this story! Take a look!
Summary: Confronted with the sudden appearance of her birth parents, Emma, in a moment of panic, runs. She flees the diner, Storybrooke, the country. She finds herself a day later in the Dublin, Ireland Airport terminal wondering what the hell she has gotten herself into. With some fear, a little determination and a considerable amount of faking it along the way, she sets off on a trip she never planned on taking but needed more than she ever knew. She finds herself, she finds a Brit adrift on his own journey and finds out what home really means.
Rated: M (Sexual content in later chapters & some Irish whiskey along the way).
AN: Thank you for your continued support. I really can’t stress enough what a wonderful experience this is and it’s all thanks to you all. Would love to know what you think of this one!
Always, thanks to @shippingtheswann for the cheering and beta work (go read her wonderful story!!), @imagnifika for finding the heart of the story with her art, check out her chapter 3 set here! @halobxist & @meanderingcaptainswanmusings for everything xo. And please keep supporting all the other CSBB authors and artists. So.Much.Talent.
And now on dark narrow road in Ireland…
CHAPTER 3
“Archie, I’ll never forgive you,” Emma vows, speaking to her GPS. Her hands grip the steering wheel tightly, glancing quickly between the dark, narrow road ahead and the little picture of a car on the GPS screen suctioned to her windshield. In reality, she thinks, the road is barely more than a grassy path. She holds her breath as she slowly rounds another turn, her mirror brushing against the shrubbery on the side. She permits a quick glance to her passenger door and presses the button for her locks. She inches forward into the darkness suspecting she may never again see daylight.
Summary: After many years, rumors swirl that the Evil Queen is back and filled with more vengeance than ever. But instead of setting her sights on Snow White she goes for the thing Snow loves most, her beloved daughter Emma. For her own safety, Emma is to be transported to safety on an unassuming merchant ship, where she meets two indentured servants hoping for a way to find their freedom.
Killian’s eyes itched with fatigue as he stood with a straight back and stiff knees for the arrival of the precious cargo the captain told them they would be transporting. He shifted his weight slightly from foot to foot and wondered why all the crew members had to wait out on deck for this so-called “precious” cargo, surely only a few crewmen needed to see the object on board.
“Stand up straight Jones, show some respect,” the first mate barked at him. Killian rolled his eyes and thought longingly of his flask stowed away in his bunk. Hopefully, once all this pomp and circumstance was over and done with he could sneak below deck and have a nice long drink. He heard the hoofbeats of approaching horses, finally whatever they were transporting had arrived. He craned his neck, looking for a chest or trunk, surely something so valuable would come locked away securely.
Instead, he saw a group of six or so people riding towards them, most were wearing heavy plate armor while one seemed to be smaller and lighter than the others. They pulled up to the docks and started to dismount. He noticed that the smallest of the party was a young woman, her long hair pulled back away from her face.
“Kneel before the princess, mates,” the captain shouted as the party began to walk up the gangplank. Kilian’s mind blanched as he struggled to keep his expression, the princess? Surely they weren’t transporting the princess?
Meet Killian Jones. Attractive. Wealthy. Arrogant. He has it all… until he becomes aggressively unattractive outside as he is on the inside. Cursed to find someone that can see him better than he can see himself, he hides away, because who could ever learn to love a beast?
Continuous praise to @initiala & @idristardis for their amazing job at making me not look like an idiot 😀
Another shout out to @cocohook38 for the beautiful banner, go show her love for it, here,and the amazing artwork from chapter 1, go show her love for it, here.
Please please make sure you go check out all the other stories included in @captainswanbigbang. They are all amazing and you won’t regret it, I assure you.
Chapter Three – Yesterday
July – 2015
Killian breathes in deep, allowing the smell of the salty
air to fill his nostrils, and keeps his eyes on the waves. Though the sun is
high in the sky, the breeze from the bay makes it chilly enough that wearing a
hoodie wouldn’t turn heads, but luckily, he doesn’t have to worry about that.
With his arms folded across his chest, he watches across the
way a ship that bears his father’s company logo as it drifts toward the dock.
It’s one of the reasons Brennan purchased the house, it has a great view of his
new shipping dock despite being five miles away from the actual town, but then
again, that’s what was perfect about it.
“We can stay out here, unbothered, until we figure out a
way to fix what has happened to you.”
Wonderful chapter!! I LOVE the fact that Liam is gay and I’m so on board JewelHunter as well, and yas the first meeting!! I kept imagining Killian wearing that ski mask and making the same face Deckhand!Hook made when he bumped with Emma, I loved your nod to that.
And ugh Brennan, I hate him more with every chapter, which I don’t foresee changing much in future chapters, he’s a piece of work.
Summary: Confronted with the sudden appearance of her birth parents, Emma, in a moment of panic, runs. She flees the diner, Storybrooke, the country. She finds herself a day later in the Dublin, Ireland Airport terminal wondering what the hell she has gotten herself into. With some fear, a little determination and a considerable amount of faking it along the way, she sets off on a trip she never planned on taking but needed more than she ever knew. She finds herself, she finds a Brit adrift on his own journey and finds out what home really means.
Rated: M (Sexual content in later chapters & some Irish whiskey along the way).
AN: I am just??!! a ball of emotions after all your kind words and love for chapter 1. Thank you for making this such a wonderful experience. I hope you continue to enjoy Emma’s trip and who she meets along the way.
Always, always thanks to @shippingtheswann for the cheering and beta work (I really hope you are reading her story too!), @imagnifika for the gorgeous art, I can’t wait for you to see what she has next and @halobxist & @meanderingcaptainswanmusings for everything xo. And all the high fives to all the other CSBB artists and authors! I’m blown away, I hope everyone is enjoying everyones hard work.
And now at a small hostel in Ireland…
Chapter 2
Emma lifts her face towards the ink black sky, the misty rain, refreshing against her whiskey pink cheeks. She winds her way up the small walk, the Bushmills slipping through her veins like melted caramel. The drink keeps her warm and her movements unhurried. A blissful smile still graces her face, thanks to the earlier kindness of strangers who crowded around her little table at the pub, offering their company and shared drinks. Four days removed from her near meltdown at the airport and she finally feels some of the tension that had followed her across the Atlantic slowly ebbing away.
Emma and Killian meet for the first time this chapter, but things don’t go very well between our two favorite characters. Emma’s guarded, and Killian is… well, Killian. Not that we blame Emma considering where and how they meet. We’re eagerly awaiting to see how things turn out!
cshappybeginning 