It’s FanFiction Friday once again, and today I’m going to take a slightly different tack. No smut, but some good, hard dialogue. I pride myself on writing my FanFic characters in authentic voice, and I think this particular argument captures the essence of Hook and Emma beautifully.
In this scene from “Finn’s Tale” (which is part 3 of my Memory Keeper trilogy), young Finn Jones has just stepped through a portal to go and find the woman who holds the key to his destiny, much to the dismay of his mother, Emma, who has decided to voice her opinion to the lad’s father, the one and only Killian Jones.
Emma took in a deep, shaky breath, still finding it hard to believe that Finn was gone. She turned slowly away from the bush, the tears in her eyes nearly blinding her. Killian’s hand came to rest on her shoulder, but she shook it off.
“Don’t.”
Killian let out a sigh. “Come on, love. Don’t be like that.”
She held up a hand, giving him a warning glare.
“Look, I know you’re upset – ”
“Upset?” she shouted incredulously. “Oh, I’m a little more than upset. How long have the two of you been plotting this behind my back?”
He gave her a grim look. “We weren’t. Not actively, anyway. I had a feeling it would end up like this when we saw the state of the kingdom. There’s no one here with the answers he needs anymore.”
“You don’t know that.”
Killian ran a hand through his hair, then gestured across the fjord to the village. “Look around you. What are the odds?”
“We just rushed in here and then rushed him through a portal to God knows where without any prep, without any information…he has no idea what he’s up against.”
He reached out to pull her into him. “He’ll come back, Emma. He’ll find his way. You have to let go, love.”
She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “He’s our child.”
“He’s a man.”
Emma turned on her heel, and headed down the beach.
Killian turned and followed her. “Emma! Emma, wait!”
She didn’t wait. She just kept on walking. He fell into step beside her. “Look, I know you’re angry, but once we get back home – ”
“Home? I’m not going home.”
He looked at her, shocked. “What?”
“I’m staying right here until I find some answers. When he gets back, he’s going to need them, especially if he and this portal-jumping baby have a curse to break. You can either stay and help me or sail home. I don’t care either way right now.”
His eyes softened. “You don’t mean that.”
“You know what? I think I do. I’m that angry.”
His face clouded over. “So you’re going to punish me, is that it? Because I wouldn’t let you strangle him in your apron strings?”
“Strangle him! By wanting him safe? And knowing what he’s facing?” She threw up her hands. “So…what? I’m a terrible mother for wanting that?”
“I didn’t say that – ”
“It’s a wonder he survived to adulthood,” she sneered, striding off down the beach again. She didn’t get far. Killian’s hand shot out, grabbing her by the elbow and spinning her around.
“Oh no – you’re going to stay and we’re going to have this out. He was ready to go, Emma. You heard it from his own lips.”
“What does he know about anything?” she ranted. “He’s reckless. He’s impulsive. His sense of responsibility is seriously lacking. Tell me all that isn’t true!”
“Oh, it’s true enough,” Killian agreed. “And it’s still his life to live.”
“He thinks he’s on some…grand adventure! It doesn’t even occur to him that he could be killed, or seriously hurt, or caught up in some mess that could go on for years. Look how long it took us to find some peace in our lives – and we still get giant water Gods and flying babies coming in to threaten it all.”
“You can’t pick and choose his future, love,” he said with a good deal of exasperation. “And since when did we ever know what we were getting into?”
“This is different!”
“Why? Because he’s too much like me?”
“Yes!”
The word hung between them, seeming somehow louder in the stillness of the air. Emma opened her mouth, then closed it again, thinking better of what she was going to say. Killian looked away, arms rigid, jaw ticking.
“I’m going back to that village,” Emma informed him. “And I’m going to ask questions. I’m going to start with that tavern owner and I’m going to work my way door-to-door until I get some answers. When Finn gets back, he’s going to need support. If I can’t be with him, then I can pave the way for when he returns. You can stay or you can go. Your choice.”
She strode off down the beach.
He didn’t follow.
Finn’s Tale is available on Fanfiction.net or Archive of Our Own, but you really need to read the series before delving into it. This was the culmination of the entire trilogy,and the final chapter was a wonderful epilogue to it all.
Britt DeLaney 