Cap Claim: Finding Love
Title: Finding Love
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,120
Characters: Emma and Mary Margaret, with discussions of Nealfire and Hook
Pairings: Basically a debate between Swan Thief and Captain Swan, and Emma/Happiness
Summary: Mary Margaret wants Emma to find True Love, but Emma's current options leave much to be desired.
Caps in order of appearance:
Emma didn’t like to talk about personal things with her parents, and she really didn’t want to discuss her love life. Or whatever passed for it, in her case. Things were complicated enough already, after all.
On one hand, there was Neal. Her first love, the father of her child, and the man she’d once assumed she’d build a true home with. Following that blush of young love, he’d abandoned her to rot in prison, reunited with her unexpectedly in New York, had a fiancée, been shot (and presumed killed) courtesy of said fiancée, re-appeared randomly in Neverland, and swore to always keep fighting for her. Oh, and he was Rumpelstiltskin’s son to boot. Odd that that was the least of her worries.
And then there was Killian Jones, a stand-up Naval soldier-turned pirate-turned…whatever he was now. He’d swapped between being her enemy and her ally far too many times to count, and quite frankly, she was tired of trying to keep up with him. The fact that he was also Captain Hook, a character in one of her least-favorite Disney movies, was merely an afterthought.
To make matters worse, both men had known each other back in Neverland, with Hook being an almost surrogate father to young Baelfire...before Bae discovered Hook was responsible for breaking up his family and held a death grudge against his real father. Oh, and hanging out in Neverland for God only knew how long made them both at least one or two hundred years her senior, give or take a few decades.
Forget complicated. This was re-freaking-diculous.
The point was, she had enough issues on her own, thank you very much, but Mary Margret was clearly determined to make up for lost Mommy time, whatever Emma wanted. After all, she reasoned, they’d talked about their relationships when they were just friends and roommates, so what was the difference now?
Everything, in Emma’s opinion, but that didn’t seem to deter the former princess.
“My mother talked to me about my future marriage when I was just a child,” Mary Margaret pointed out. “At least you’re fully grown now!”
Emma rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but somehow I doubt your conversations with your mom went beyond the idea of making political alliances with some nearby prince.”
“Actually, you couldn’t be further from the truth,” Mary Margaret replied seriously, catching and holding Emma’s gaze with her own. “My parents made a love match, and they were both determined that I would have the same opportunity. My mother told me many times that not only would I never be forced into a marriage I didn’t want, she forbade me to marry a man I didn’t truly love.”
“Oh. Well then.” Emma turned away, her cheeks flushing slightly. She knew nothing of her grandparents, expect for the fact that Cora had murdered Eva and Sydney had offed Leopold (with Regina’s subtle assistance), but knowing what she did of her parents, she couldn’t really argue that True Love was a Family Thing.
“I don’t need to choose either of them,” she repeated firmly, more to herself than her mother. “I already told them I chose Henry, and that hasn’t changed.”
“And Henry should absolutely be the most important part of your life,” Mary Margaret hastened to assure her. “Anyone who says differently isn’t worth listening to. But Emma…” She hesitated. “Your love for Neal or Hook - or whoever you end up with - won’t impact your relationship with Henry. And that love…you shouldn’t deny yourself that love.” She tilted her head. “Unless you truly don’t care for them, of course. Is that the case?”
Emma wished she could lie, but she’d never been good at it. She was pretty sure she didn’t love either of them, at least right now, but she did…care. She had to.
If she hadn’t cared about Neal, she wouldn’t have been so devastated when she thought he died, after being shot by Tamara and falling through the portal. Her grief had been so sharp, so overwhelming, she’d almost followed him down the glowing green hole, just to spare herself the pain of living. Only Henry had kept her going. Henry, and the need to protect him and Storybrooke from Tamara and Greg and their vision of destruction. She knew her pain, and the heightened emotions it gave her, had allowed her to reach deep into the recesses of her hidden magic to assist Regina in destroying the diamond trigger. She might not have been able to do so, otherwise.
And Hook…Well, he was a bit more complicated. A true rogue, a pirate in every sense of the word, he could be completely selfish and self-centered, switching sides whenever it suited him, and yet other times, Emma looked at him and saw a kindred spirit. She’d found herself wrapped in his strong arms more than once, and half the time she found herself struggling to break free, while the other half she fought to get closer. He was a nomad, as she had been, finding a home amongst the sparkling waves of the ocean. It was a life she certainly understood.
Sighing, Emma scuffed the toe of her boot against the floor, feeling like a foolish teenager who had two potential prom dates and couldn’t decide between them. The eternal choice all women faced, she supposed. Neal - supportive, steady, a man willing to be a father and put down roots for a family. Hook - the consummate bad boy in leather, with a pirate ship instead of a Harley, able to take her on adventures she’d only dreamed of. Literally.
The problem was that right now, Emma wanted both…and neither. For so long she’d depended on no one but herself, and she wasn’t willing to relinquish that self-sufficiency just yet. Not even for love.
As though she’d heard every one of her daughter’s thoughts, Mary Margaret made a soothing noise and placed her arm around Emma’s shoulder. “You’re right about one thing. You don’t have to decide now. Maybe not ever. Just…” She smiled slightly. “Just don’t close yourself off to love entirely, ok? You deserve to find it, whenever the time comes.” Her smile grew. “Because the stories really are true, Emma. Love is the most powerful magic of all.”
“Yeah. I guess it is,” Emma murmured, sighing softly.
Maybe she would let herself fall one day, when the world wasn't crashing down all around her and she had two seconds to breathe. But for now...for right now...she allowed herself relax ever so slightly, and leaned into her mother’s comforting embrace.
For right now, this love was enough.
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,120
Characters: Emma and Mary Margaret, with discussions of Nealfire and Hook
Pairings: Basically a debate between Swan Thief and Captain Swan, and Emma/Happiness
Summary: Mary Margaret wants Emma to find True Love, but Emma's current options leave much to be desired.
Caps in order of appearance:
Emma didn’t like to talk about personal things with her parents, and she really didn’t want to discuss her love life. Or whatever passed for it, in her case. Things were complicated enough already, after all.
On one hand, there was Neal. Her first love, the father of her child, and the man she’d once assumed she’d build a true home with. Following that blush of young love, he’d abandoned her to rot in prison, reunited with her unexpectedly in New York, had a fiancée, been shot (and presumed killed) courtesy of said fiancée, re-appeared randomly in Neverland, and swore to always keep fighting for her. Oh, and he was Rumpelstiltskin’s son to boot. Odd that that was the least of her worries.
And then there was Killian Jones, a stand-up Naval soldier-turned pirate-turned…whatever he was now. He’d swapped between being her enemy and her ally far too many times to count, and quite frankly, she was tired of trying to keep up with him. The fact that he was also Captain Hook, a character in one of her least-favorite Disney movies, was merely an afterthought.
To make matters worse, both men had known each other back in Neverland, with Hook being an almost surrogate father to young Baelfire...before Bae discovered Hook was responsible for breaking up his family and held a death grudge against his real father. Oh, and hanging out in Neverland for God only knew how long made them both at least one or two hundred years her senior, give or take a few decades.
Forget complicated. This was re-freaking-diculous.
The point was, she had enough issues on her own, thank you very much, but Mary Margret was clearly determined to make up for lost Mommy time, whatever Emma wanted. After all, she reasoned, they’d talked about their relationships when they were just friends and roommates, so what was the difference now?
Everything, in Emma’s opinion, but that didn’t seem to deter the former princess.
“My mother talked to me about my future marriage when I was just a child,” Mary Margaret pointed out. “At least you’re fully grown now!”
Emma rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but somehow I doubt your conversations with your mom went beyond the idea of making political alliances with some nearby prince.”
“Actually, you couldn’t be further from the truth,” Mary Margaret replied seriously, catching and holding Emma’s gaze with her own. “My parents made a love match, and they were both determined that I would have the same opportunity. My mother told me many times that not only would I never be forced into a marriage I didn’t want, she forbade me to marry a man I didn’t truly love.”
“Oh. Well then.” Emma turned away, her cheeks flushing slightly. She knew nothing of her grandparents, expect for the fact that Cora had murdered Eva and Sydney had offed Leopold (with Regina’s subtle assistance), but knowing what she did of her parents, she couldn’t really argue that True Love was a Family Thing.
“I don’t need to choose either of them,” she repeated firmly, more to herself than her mother. “I already told them I chose Henry, and that hasn’t changed.”
“And Henry should absolutely be the most important part of your life,” Mary Margaret hastened to assure her. “Anyone who says differently isn’t worth listening to. But Emma…” She hesitated. “Your love for Neal or Hook - or whoever you end up with - won’t impact your relationship with Henry. And that love…you shouldn’t deny yourself that love.” She tilted her head. “Unless you truly don’t care for them, of course. Is that the case?”
Emma wished she could lie, but she’d never been good at it. She was pretty sure she didn’t love either of them, at least right now, but she did…care. She had to.
If she hadn’t cared about Neal, she wouldn’t have been so devastated when she thought he died, after being shot by Tamara and falling through the portal. Her grief had been so sharp, so overwhelming, she’d almost followed him down the glowing green hole, just to spare herself the pain of living. Only Henry had kept her going. Henry, and the need to protect him and Storybrooke from Tamara and Greg and their vision of destruction. She knew her pain, and the heightened emotions it gave her, had allowed her to reach deep into the recesses of her hidden magic to assist Regina in destroying the diamond trigger. She might not have been able to do so, otherwise.
And Hook…Well, he was a bit more complicated. A true rogue, a pirate in every sense of the word, he could be completely selfish and self-centered, switching sides whenever it suited him, and yet other times, Emma looked at him and saw a kindred spirit. She’d found herself wrapped in his strong arms more than once, and half the time she found herself struggling to break free, while the other half she fought to get closer. He was a nomad, as she had been, finding a home amongst the sparkling waves of the ocean. It was a life she certainly understood.
Sighing, Emma scuffed the toe of her boot against the floor, feeling like a foolish teenager who had two potential prom dates and couldn’t decide between them. The eternal choice all women faced, she supposed. Neal - supportive, steady, a man willing to be a father and put down roots for a family. Hook - the consummate bad boy in leather, with a pirate ship instead of a Harley, able to take her on adventures she’d only dreamed of. Literally.
The problem was that right now, Emma wanted both…and neither. For so long she’d depended on no one but herself, and she wasn’t willing to relinquish that self-sufficiency just yet. Not even for love.
As though she’d heard every one of her daughter’s thoughts, Mary Margaret made a soothing noise and placed her arm around Emma’s shoulder. “You’re right about one thing. You don’t have to decide now. Maybe not ever. Just…” She smiled slightly. “Just don’t close yourself off to love entirely, ok? You deserve to find it, whenever the time comes.” Her smile grew. “Because the stories really are true, Emma. Love is the most powerful magic of all.”
“Yeah. I guess it is,” Emma murmured, sighing softly.
Maybe she would let herself fall one day, when the world wasn't crashing down all around her and she had two seconds to breathe. But for now...for right now...she allowed herself relax ever so slightly, and leaned into her mother’s comforting embrace.
For right now, this love was enough.