You don’t choose the ship, they say. The ship chooses you.
Captain Swan choose us over five years ago, and through these five years we’ve been privy to the journey from kindred spirits to actual friends, and then …to a couple, to confirmed true love, and now, in a few days, to husband and wife.
Few couples have brought us so much joy, so many beautiful moments. Few have reaffirmed the beauty that is having not just someone you love by your side, but a true partner in life. And few couples have pushed each other to grow, to become better, to be the best versions of themselves they can be, like Captain Swan has.
So today – a few days before their wedding, we celebrate their journey. We celebrate the things that make them one of our favorite couples (Ever), with these – the ABCs of Captain Swan.
A is for always
Because she will always find him, and he will always be by her side. It’s a big word, always, but when Emma and Killian say it, it doesn’t sound fake or impossible. They’ve, after all proved time and time again that forever is not just a concept, it’s a tangible truth. Nothing can separate them – not darkness, not the Underworld, nothing. And isn’t that the definition of always?
B is for Beanstalk
You never forget your first beanstalk – right? Killian and Emma have had all kinds of crazy adventures in the time they’ve known each other, and yet, nothing is ever like the first adventure, the first time their eyes crossed and they both realized that, for better or worse, they understood each other. This was the beginning of their journey, and if only for that, we’ll always remember that beanstalk fondly.
C is for Choice
Because Emma and Killian’s story is not about destiny, not about what was written in the stars before they even met, no. Instead, their story is one about choice. Choosing to be better, choosing to try, choosing to open yourself up to the possibilities. If they’re together it’s because they chose each other, time and time again. And, is there anything more important than that?
D is for (I would) Despair (If you did)
Long again, Emma once promised not to take her eyes off of Hook for a second, and he replied with – “I would despair if you did.” Ironic how, five years later, they only have eyes for each other. Wait, did I say ironic? I meant perfect.
E is for Endings
Happy endings, the kind that closed off fairy tales when we were little. And they lived happily ever after, the story would say, and now we understand that those happy endings are just the beginning of a different story. Killian and Emma’s wedding might be a happy ending, but in a way, it’s also a happy beginning.
F is for Fan
Because Hook is a fan of every part of Emma, and isn’t that what you want in a partner? Someone who appreciates you, warts and all, and someone who doesn’t expect you to change to fit him, but also someone who believes you can be better and supports you on whatever journey you might choose.
G is for Gentleman
Which Killian Jones is – despite being a pirate. And yet, for all that he’s over 300 and believes in superstitions like not seeing the bride before the wedding, he’s the good kind of gentleman, not the misogynistic I’ll do it because I’m the guy kind. And that is, without a doubt, the best thing about him.
H is for Home
Because Killian and Emma are each other’s homes. A lost boy and a lost girl finally found a place they could call their own, and they’re building it together, not in the walls of the house they inhabit or in the things they purchase, but in each other’s hearts, where they will always be safe.
I is for Iconic
Because, when we talk TV and we talk couples – you think Captain Swan. Emma and Killian (and their love) are responsible for us thinking dashing rapscallion and OTP when we hear Captain Hook instead of the animated version of our childhood, and we couldn’t be happier!
J is for the Jolly Roger
Because, for hundreds of years, that boat was Hook’s home, his lady, his love. And then he met Emma, and home became something else, someone else, and this pirate, this lost boy, gave up the thing that had meant the most to him for centuries, not to get Emma or to have a life with her, but simply for a chance to help her – to be by her side.
K is for Kisses
All the kisses – from the first one in Neverland, filled with passion, to the soft, sweet promise of a kiss Hook and Emma exchanged before he went off to sleep God knows where because it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding, these two have exchanged some epic kisses – and we’ve loved all of them.
L is for Loved
Because Killian makes Emma feel like she’s loved, and she’s worthy of that love, and Emma makes Killian feel like happy endings are possible. They love each other, and you can see it in their faces – they make each other feel loved.
M is for Moments
Because, as Charming tells Emma, there’s more to life than just looking for the next fight. You’ve got to look for the moments – making breakfast for your fiancé, date night somewhere other than Granny’s, looking at wedding venues with your parents. It’s the moments that count – and when you’re with the person you love – they’re all magical.
N is for Neverland
The place we most commonly associate with Captain Hook, and the place where this Killian Jones, our Killian Jones, fell for Emma Swan completely, the place where they exchanged their first kiss, the place where he decided living life – the possibility of happiness with Emma, was more important than revenge.
O is for Open Book
Emma and Killian, they are two peas in a pod. They understand each other – they always have, and that was even before they shared even one adventure together. And though people can become kindred spirits, these two had that going for them from the get-go, which is always an advantage.
P is for Pirate
Hook wasn’t always a pirate, but he’s come to embrace that moniker – and he even tells Archie at some point that he’s the good kind of pirate. Would he do it all differently if he could? Maybe – but pirate is who Killian Jones was for many years, and his love story with Emma might not have happened if he hadn’t become one – so, all in all, I think Killian Jones would say everything was worth it if it led him to his true love.
Q is for Quiet
Which is all they want, some peace and quiet so they can be together, make breakfast, take a stroll around the town, watch a movie with Henry, have dinner with their family. A quiet, simple life – together.
R is for Redemption
The Hook we first met wasn’t a man worthy of Emma; he himself would have told you this. And yet, people don’t fall in love with other people because they’re worthy, and when Hook fell, he did everything in his power to become the kind of man that could one day deserve her love, earn it, keep it and cherish it. That’s why we’re here. That’s why Emma is here. Because of that journey. Because of that redemption.
S is for Savior
Emma Swan is the savior – for Storybrooke, for her family, for Killian Jones, and for herself. She saved herself by choosing love, by choosing to open up her heart to the people around her, the people that loved her, and she saved others – including her true love – by just being her wonderful self.
T is for True Love
Not your regular kind of love, no, but the stuff of fairy tales, the ones little girls dream of one day finding, the kind that breaks curses and begets fairy tales. The lost girl who thought no one wanted her and the lost boy who thought everyone he loved would be taken away have found that kind of love – the everlasting king – with each other.
U is for the Underworld
Because that’s how far Emma would for her pirate – and that’s where he was willing to stay to make sure she was safe. I guess it is true what he said – he’d go to the end of the world for her, or time. And she would do the same.
V is for Vulnerable
Because, with each other, Emma and Killian shed their armors and are free with their feelings. They, after all, not only understand each other, they complete each other. They make each other better.
W is for Wedding
It might be silly, but in a way, the wedding is the final step in that elusive feeling of belonging. It’s about making a commitment in front of your loved ones, about carrying that reminder that you’re never alone in your finger. It’s about making your home in someone else’s heart – and that’s where Emma and Killian are heading. They belong with each other and to each other now – and that’s beautiful to see.
X is for X’s and O’s
Because Captain Swan doesn’t just makes us heart-eyed with their kisses, but also with their hugs, and honestly, with pretty much everything they do when they’re within touching distance. Talk about chemistry!
Y is for You
“Don’t you know, Emma – it’s you.”
“I’ve yet to see you fail.”
“As you wish.”
“Until I met you.”
“I’d pick you.”
Z is for Zelena
The number #1 Captain Swan shipper. She knew it before they did, really. An enchantment on his lips? Really? Subtle Zelena is not, and we kinda love her for it.
Agree? Disagree? Have your own ABCs for Captain Swan? Share with us in the comments below!