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whimsicallyenchantedrose · 9 months

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Christmas Reruns 2023 Day 17: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Merry Christmas if you celebrate it and happy holidays if you don’t! One of the things I love about Christmas is watching reruns of all the old classic Christmas movies–Christmas is a big time for nostalgia. A few years ago, I decided to incorporate that tradition into my fandom life and post my CS holiday reruns. So here you go! Enough holiday (mostly) fluff to get you to New Year’s Day. (With a new story posting on Christmas Day.)

Rating: G

Word Count: 5090

Other chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Notes: This story was written for 2019’s CSSS. (Is it just me, or does 2019 feel like it was about 85 years ago?) It should hopefully be obvious from the story itself, but this is a canon divergence from 3x20. It’s been a minute, so a quick reminder of what was going on in our favorites’ lives at this point in the story: Zelena cursed Hook’s lips so that the next time he kissed Emma, she’d lose her magic. She threatened to kill Emma’s family, starting with Henry, if Hook told Emma about the curse. Hook then decided to send Henry to New York where he’d (hopefully) be safe, but before that could happen, Zelena’s monkeys attacked. With the help of Emma and the Charmings, Hook was able to defeat the monkeys, but not before Zelena showed up, told everyone about the curse and promised to kill Henry. Emma and the Charmings are furious at Hook for keeping the curse secret. This story takes place in the following episode just after Hook and Emma head to the farmhouse to confront Zelena. Divergences for this story: 1. Snow hasn’t yet gone into labor. 2. Zelena and Rumple aren’t waiting for CS at the farmhouse. 3. It’s Christmas Eve. 4. Blizzard.

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

Emma stomped into the farmhouse, ripping off her thoroughly snow-covered beanie and scarf and tossing them to the floor. Of course she was trapped in the freaking Wicked Witch of the West’s creepy farmhouse–with Hook–on Christmas Eve–because of course she was! That’s the way her life worked anymore. Why’d she ever let Hook talk her into taking that memory potion in New York? Her life was good there. No monsters. No over-the-top fairy tale villains. No magic. Just her and her son living their lives and being a normal family.

Granted, none of it had been real, she’d almost gotten engaged to a flying monkey and a part of her, even during the best moments in New York, felt like there was something missing, but that was beside the point! She and Henry had been happy. Was it really such a terrible thing to want to be happy?

Why the hell did Hook have to show up and destroy it all?

“We’re in luck, love,” the man himself called out cheerfully as he stepped inside and then, with some difficulty, closed the door against the bitter, howling wind. “Zelena may be wicked, but at least she’s practical. She left a nice, neat pile of firewood on the far side of the house. Perhaps being stuck in a blizzard is’t the ideal way to spend Christmas Eve, but at least we’ll be quite comfortable.”

She rounded on him, wanting nothing more to wipe the smile from his face with a swift right hook. “Not ideal? Not ideal?! Hook, my son, my parents, my baby brother or sister and the whole town are in danger from a crazy witch who wants to go back in time and wipe out my entire family line. I think we’re a long way past not ideal.”

The smile slid from Hook’s face. “It was not my intention to be flippant, Swan, but we must deal with the situation at hand. You will be of no use to your lad or the rest of the town if you freeze to death, and at least we have the means to prevent that.”

“But Henry–”

“Will be fine,” Hook reassured, striding across the room until he could place reassuring hand and hook on her shoulders. “He’s with Regina, and even at the height of her villainy, she loved Henry. Protecting him will be her number one priority.”

Loathe as she was to admit it, Hook was right. After the whole debacle yesterday–the storybook bringing back Henry’s memories, Zelena showing up and exposing Hook’s whole kiss curse situation, Zelena promising to kill Henry, Henry and Regina breaking the curse with True Love’s Kiss, the revelation of how the curse was cast in the first place (she still couldn’t believe her mother had actually crushed her father’s heart to cast it!)–Regina’s first act was to place a number of complex protection spells over Henry and every location he frequented. Henry would likely suffer no lasting damage.

But Emma hadn’t wanted to take any chances. With Regina protecting Henry, and with Emma’s brother or sister still showing no signs of coming out to greet the world, Emma decided she was done playing defense. It was high time she take the fight to the Wicked Witch. It was time to end this. So armed with her magic and her faithful pirate, Emma had stormed out in the direction of Zelena’s farmhouse.

Stormed, it seemed, being the key word. It began snowing just before she and Hook left her parent’s loft, and by the time they reached Zelena’s place, they were dealing with a full on blizzard.

Really, being home was the least Zelena could do given the fact Emma was giving up Christmas Eve with her son to kick her ass, but no. She couldn’t even give them that. There was no telling where Zelena and her Dark One puppet had gone, but it was clear they were not at home.

Emma hoped the witch froze solid in the blizzard.

Killian busied himself arranging the logs in the fireplace and then tried–without success–to start a blaze with the lighter he’d found lying upon the mantle. Emma watched him struggle for a while, before growling, pushing him aside and calling on her reserves of anger and frustration to produce a fireball that soon had the fire blazing merrily.

“Bloody brilliant, love,” Killian murmured in obvious awe. Despite herself, Emma felt her confidence soar in the wake of Hook’s constant, never-wavering faith in her.

“You know Swan, it could be worse,” Hook said with a wicked grin. “At least you’re trapped with a dashing rapscallion like meself. There are any number of ways we could find to amuse ourselves that I can promise would be very enjoyable for both of us.”

When he waggled his eyebrows in that ridiculously over-the-top way of his, she lost it.

“Are you freaking kidding me right now?” she nearly shouted. “We’re stuck here, my family’s in danger, a psycho witch and her equally psycho Dark One sidekick are still on the loose and all you can do is flirt!”

Growling, she turned to the fireplace, and tossed another fireball at the kindled wood for good measure, furious beyond belief at Hook, at Zelena, at the situation and, if she was being totally honest, at herself for the secret thrill that went through her every time he made outrageous or suggestive comments to her while giving her that look. There was nothing between them! There never would be. She wouldn’t let it.

The farmhouse was silent for several moments, save for the crackling of the fire, and Emma eventually turned back toward Hook. The look he gave her was a little too knowing, a little too understanding. When he’d come for her in New York, he’d told her he knew her better than she knew herself, and though she hated to admit it, it was true. It was a little unnerving how very well he understood her.

“Swan, what is this really about?” he asked simply.

Emma growled. “What do you mean, ‘What’s this really about?’ Did you forget about a certain green bitch with an insane grudge against her sister?”

“Of course not,” Hook said patiently, “but despite being snowed in, we are in no worse straights than we were yesterday. You heard it yourself from your mother when you used your talking phone to let her know of our whereabouts. Your family is fine, and Zelena hasn’t been seen since our confrontation in the boat house. I reiterate. What’s this really about?”

Emma glared at him for a long moment, before she finally sighed and dropped rather dramatically onto one of the ornate armchairs before the fire. “It’s just…it’s just Christmas is Henry’s favorite time of year. That kid loves Christmas. Every year back in New York–and then in Boston before that–Christmas Eve was special. We made a tradition out of it. We’d sit before the tree drinking cocoa, reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’, singing our favorite carols. Sometimes he even managed to talk me into letting him open a present or two. It was the one night I never, under any circumstances, accepted a case or worked on one I had ongoing. Christmas was for us.”

Emma felt the tears threatening at the back of her throat and she swallowed roughly, doing everything she knew to keep them from spilling over. “And now, here I am on Christmas Eve, separated from him. The kid’s going to be crushed.”

“Love,” Hook said gently, “the lad has a kind heart and a good head on his shoulders. He understands the circumstances are beyond your control. He knows how much spending this night together means to you, and he knows you’d never willingly miss spending it with him.”

“You know what the worst part of it is?” Emma asked bitterly. “The worst part of it is, as you’ve pointed out to me multiple times, none of it was real. It didn’t happen. It was nothing but the pleasant fake memories Regina gave us.”

Killian took ahold of her hand, and in a move that shocked even her, she let him. “This past year, the lost year, was real. Trust me love, Henry understands why you weren’t with him during the first ten years of his life. He knows you didn’t abandon him. He knows you did what you had to do to give him a good life.”

“Maybe,” Emma said, a lone tear breaking free and flowing down her cheek despite herself.

“Definitely,” Killian said with conviction

The lights flickered once and then went off completely, pitching the farmhouse into darkness, save for the flickering light from the fire. Despite it being merely late-afternoon, the storm outside seems to have eclipsed the sun entirely.

“Fabulous,” Emma said with a groan. “As if being stuck in a witch’s farmhouse on Christmas Eve wasn’t bad enough, now we’ll probably freeze to death without the heat.”

“I rather doubt that, Darling” Hook said with a flirtatious quirk of his eyebrow. He slid his tongue along his bottom lip in a way that had Emma’s pulse racing, before invading her space and whispering the last bit. “I’m sure we can come up with a way to keep warm.”

Emma leaned into him, actually leaned into him for a moment, before shaking herself out of it and taking a deliberate step back.

“Stop, Hook, just…stop!” she said through gritted teeth. “This whole thing is your fault! All of it! We were happy in New York, and you had to barge in and destroy it for us. Then we get back here, and you manage to get yourself cursed–joke’s on Zelena by the way. If she was smart, she’d have chosen to enchant the lips of someone I’d actually kiss. Then you decide to take matters into your own hand instead of telling me about the threat to my son. Hell, this is probably part of the plan too, isn’t it? Get me alone, stranded in a blizzard and then try to seduce me.”

She’d hurt him. She saw that clearly in his face for the space of two heartbeats, and then that hurt coalesced into anger. “Despite what you may think of me, Swan, I’ve not yet developed an ability to control the weather.

Without another word, he stomped to the door.

“Where are you going?” she yelled after him, fire still flashing in her eyes.

“To gather more firewood,” he answered, voice hard.

And with a fierce slam of the door, he was gone.

For long moments after the door slammed after Hook, Emma continued to seethe. Why was her life the way it was? Why couldn’t she just be normal? Why couldn’t she go back to her pleasant, comfortable life in New York with her son? When she told people she was going back after this whole Zelena situation was over, why did they all look at her like she had just stated her plan to kick puppies? This was her life, and she could live it as she pleased! It was her prerogative to do what she felt was necessary to protect her son. Where did Hook get off trying to convince her to stay with her family–and with him?

It’s not like she’d never see her loved ones again. They’d still visit, and her family was welcome to come visit them. But she was done. She was done being the “savior”, done going after psychotic fairy tale villains, done being everything to everybody. And most especially, she was done dealing with a pirate who made her heart race in a way she couldn’t control.

She’d done the whole “falling in love” thing before, and she had no intention of doing it again.

But as the minutes continued ticking past, Emma’s anger began to fade, and concern took its place. Hook had been gone a long time; way too long to just gather up firewood. What if….what if she’d finally driven him away? What if he’d actually left her this time?

A sick feeling took up residence in the pit of her stomach at the thought. She wanted to tell herself she didn’t care; that she was glad he had finally stopped pestering her, but she couldn’t lie to herself anymore. Hook had become much more than an ally to the heroes’ cause. He’d become a friend, quite possibly the best friend she had. He was her confidant, her support. His endless faith in her gave her confidence when she no longer had faith in herself. And the fact that he was so drop dead gorgeous and romantic that her insides turned to mush whenever he looked at her couldn’t be denied, at least not in the deep recesses of her heart where the truth resided.

Truth was, he’d been everything she needed during this whole stupid Wicked Witch business. Despite what she might have said to him, she knew he pushed her not to further his own romantic interests but because he genuinely wanted her to find happiness.

And what did she do? Time and time again, she pushed him away. Time and time again she reforged the wall around her heart, trying to drive him away with cruel, cutting words.

Had she actually succeeded this time? Was he ready to give up on her like everyone else had? Gods, how was she going to handle it if he had? Through everything, he’d been a constant in her life. Why did she always do this? Why did she always push away the people in her life that meant the most?

A small kernel of hope still lived inside her, reassuring her that he’d never abandoned her before, he wasn’t going to start now.

But that thought brought with it an entirely new concern. What if something happened to him? What if he was lost, freezing to death in the blizzard? What if Zelena was lying in wait for him? What if…?

As the minutes continued to pass, increasingly more fantastical worries about what may have happened to him took up residence in her mind until Emma feared she’d go crazy with the worry. She was just on the point of going after him, when suddenly the door swung open, the furious blizzard winds blowing in both Killian and a fair amount of snow.

Without a word, Killian deposited an arm full of firewood beside the fire and then stepped outside to grab one more thing, before firmly closing the door again and shaking his head and shoulders like a wet dog.

The relief that suddenly flooded Emma was so strong that she couldn’t help herself. She threw herself in his arms and buried her nose in his icy cold neck. He was here; he’d come back to her. He was okay.

For a moment, Killian stood still, but then his hooked arm came around her, and he hugged her to himself as tightly as she clung to him. “Swan?” he asked.

Emma stepped back, wiping at her suddenly damp eyes. “I’m sorry, okay?” she said, voice wavering with the emotion still at the back of his throat. “I thought you’d left, and I get it. The stuff I said to you–it was over the line and I’m sorry.”

Killian took a quick step back, unmistakable hurt back in his eyes. “You thought I’d left? Emma, haven’t I proven to you by now that I’d never leave you?”

“I know!” she was quick to reassure. “It was stupid okay? I just–I don’t know; I got scared, and when I get scared–” she shrugged. “Wounds from the past tend to linger.”

His face softened. “Well they needn’t with me,” he said gently. “I’m not so easily driven away.”

She smiled at him, a small, tenuous thing, but then the item in his hand caught her eye. “Is that a pine tree?”

Killian smiled again. “It’s not much, I’m afraid, but it was the best I could find in this tempest.”

“You got us a Christmas tree?”

Killian suddenly turned away, scratching at the back of his ear. “I thought about what you said, Swan, about the traditions you are missing with your lad today. I know it’s not the same as spending the day with him, but I thought–” he shrugged self-consciously, “I thought perhaps it would make your holiday marginally less bleak if we recreated some of your favorite traditions ourselves.”

For the second time that evening, Emma threw her arms around Killian. “That’s one of the most thoughtful things anyone’s ever done for me.”

“I aim to please.”

******

Two hours later, Emma and Killian sat with each other before the fire, steaming mugs of instant hot cocoa in hand. Emma smiled, looking over at the tree that they’d managed to decorate with bits and baubles they’d found scavenging through Zelena’s house (and leaving quite a mess in their wake, which felt rather satisfying). Phase one of “Operation Christmas Cheer”, as Emma decided to call it in honor of Henry, complete, they’d turned their pillaging to the kitchen, managing to put together a haphazard meal of bread and cheese that Killian had toasted over the fire. It was Emma who found the box of instant cocoa mix in Zelena’s cupboard, and, resourceful as always, Killian had heated it over the fire in a small saucepan.

Meal prepared, they’d raided every bedroom and closet, bringing all the pillows, blankets, comforters and afghans they could find and arranging a nest for themselves before the fire.

“I’m afraid we’ll need to bed down for the night here before the fire, Swan,” Killian said, once again scratching at his neck. “With the storm still raging fiercely, we’d freeze in any of the bedrooms.”

Truth be told, Emma thought, as she bit into her grilled cheese sandwich, though she missed being with Henry, this Christmas Eve wasn’t turning out half bad.

They ate in companionable silence, and when the last crumb had been consumed, Killian turned toward her with a smile. “Are you ready for your story, Swan?”

“Story?” She asked.

“Of course,” he answered. “That was an integral part of your Christmas Eve tradition, was it not? Reading with your lad?”

Emma smiled. “It was, but don’t worry about it. It would be too much to ask that the Wicked Witch would keep any Christmas books around.”

“No matter,” Killian said, settling more comfortably onto his side of their blanket nest. “I’ve no need of a book.”

“Oh really?” she grinned. “How are you going to manage to read me a story with no book?”

“I’ve all I need up here, love,” he said, pointing to his head. “Sit back and prepare to be transported into the holiday spirit. ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house…”

Emma’s jaw dropped. “Wait, you know ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’?”

Killian gave her a mock offended look. “I do read, Swan. Quite extensively in fact.”

Emma smiled, laying upon her pillow and pulling a comforter up to cover her. “Well, by all means, then, continue.”

As Killian’s voice droned on, reciting the story of a man awakened by the arrival of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve night, Emma felt her eyelids become heavy, and before she knew it, she was drifting off to sleep, not visions of sugar plums, but visions of a thoughtful pirate that she just might be starting to fall for, dancing in her head.

************

Christmas morning dawned clear and bright, the blizzard finally at an end. Emma woke to bright sunshine streaming through the front window. For a moment, she was disoriented, wondering where she was and how she’d gotten there, but then the previous day rushed back to her. Going after Zelena, the blizzard, being trapped in the farmhouse, taking out her frustration on Hook, being afraid Hook had left her, being overjoyed when he returned, his thoughtful Christmassy gestures.

Still thinking of Hook, Emma gradually became aware that she was quite warm and comfortable–and that was all thanks to the man who was currently spooning her, his strong arms holding her close. They’d gone to sleep with a respectable amount of space between them; how did they wind up in each other’s arms?

For a moment, Emma wanted to run. This was too close, too intimate, too–much.

But the more Emma thought about it, the more she realized she didn’t want to run, not anymore, not from this man. He’d been proving himself to her over and over again since Neverland. In the past few weeks alone, he’d been her rock as all this Wicked Witch crap had been going down. He’d found her in New York–somehow; she was still fuzzy on the details–restored her memories, brought her back to her family, contributed an excellent strategic mind to planning sessions, been one of the best listening ears she’d ever had.

And then the harder to swallow stuff. In these early morning moments, she could admit to herself that though some of the things he said to her were uncomfortable, they were uncomfortable truths. Walsh’s presence in her life proved that she couldn’t get away from the fairytale crap, not really. The fact that Henry had his memories back meant she couldn’t take him back to New York, at least not without a hell of a fight–with him, with Regina, with her parents, with everyone. He’d spoken the truth to her about all of it, even at the risk of her turning on him completely. It was the mark of someone who truly, genuinely cared.

And all the while, she’d treated him like something nasty she’d stepped in. She’d pushed, and pushed and pushed, but he’d stayed by her side. He’d been so patient with her, he really ought to qualify for sainthood.

It was Christmas, the time to be with the ones you loved. The time to tell them what they truly meant to you.

She turned over in his arms and ran a hand over his stubbly cheek. Still caught up in sleep, he mumbled “Swan” on a fond sigh, before opening his eyes–and then jumping to his feet faster than any person she’d ever seen.

“Swan!” he said, face flaming. “My apologies love. Not that I didn’t enjoy waking up with you in my arms, but I had no intention of taking advantage.”

Emma smiled, rolling her eyes fondly. “Sit back down, you Victorian drama queen. You didn’t take advantage. Somehow we just–ended up like that over night. Besides; I kind of liked it. You’re warm.”

Killian did as she asked, sitting cross legged beside her as she sat up to mirror him. “Just warm, love? I’ve it on good authority that I’m hot.”

Emma laughed, playfully swatting his arm. “Do you ever run out of these cheesy lines?”

“Haven’t yet in my three hundred years of existence.”

They laughed together for a moment, but then Emma turned serious, remnants of her musings of the morning still very much in mind. “Hook, I think we need to talk.”

The smile slid from his face. “As stated in Neverland, love, I find when a woman says that, I’m rarely in for a pleasant conversation.”

“You might be surprised this time.”

“Aye?” he asked, brow raising in interest.

“I just–” she started, not sure how to even go about untangling all of the thoughts twisted up in her head. “I get it; I get why you didn’t tell me about the lips curse thing. I get that you were trying to protect Henry the best way you were able in an impossible situation. I’m sorry I jumped down your throat about it.”

“You were concerned for your lad,” Killian said. “I quite understand being angry at finding someone was keeping something about his welfare from you.”

“It’s not that,” Emma said, “or at least not just that. Hook, I trust you; I really do. I know you wouldn’t deliberately hurt Henry. It’s just–hearing what Zelena threatened and what she did to you, it just brought it home again that I’m not enough. Even with the whole savior thing, I can’t do a damn thing to help my family. Zelena knows if she takes my magic, I’m useless.”

Killian straightened, frowning ferociously down at her. “I cannot abide that kind of talk about the woman I–well, the woman I care for, particularly when it is blatantly false. Emma, you are enough. You’re more than enough, and it’s because she knows it that Zelena is going after you. She said something similar to me. She told me that she wants me to take away your magic, the thing that makes you special, but she was wrong as well. Your magic isn’t what makes you special. There’s not a bit of you that isn’t extraordinary. Swan your determination, your goodness in the face of a difficult childhood, your strength and courage. All of it make you who you are. All of it convinces me without a doubt that even without your magic, you could defeat Zelena.”

Emma felt like a ball of warmth surrounded her, suffused her at his words. She loved him. She’d never admitted it to herself before, but nonetheless it was true. She loved him, and she was done hiding behind her walls.

And she was certainly done letting villains try to determine her love life.

“Killian, can I ask you a question?” she asked.

“Anything, love.”

“Back in New York, when you first came to my apartment. That was True Love’s Kiss you tried, wasn’t it?”

There was the scratching at his neck again. “Aye. I knew it was a long shot, but I had to try.”

“So you…you love me?”

His eyes widened. “Swan, if you haven’t realized that by now, I don’t know what to tell you.”

“No I mean, you truly love me, like curse-breaking true love?”

“For my part, aye,” he said, looking directly in her eyes. “There’s no doubt in my mind, but for True Love to break a curse, it must be reciprocated. New York proved that it is not, as is your prerogative, of course.”

Emma was silent for a moment, gathering her courage. Finally she met his eyes. “True Love’s Kiss also doesn’t work when one party doesn’t remember the other.”

He stared at her incredulously for a long moment. “Are you saying you think we share True Love?” he began, apparently unable to finish the sentence.

Emma shrugged. “I mean, I don’t know. How could I? But–I’m willing to test it out. Are you?”

He swallowed hard. “Gods know how badly I wish to kiss you, Swan, but are you sure? Your magic is part of who you are. I cannot be the reason you lose it.”

“You won’t,” Emma said, scooting forward and invading his space. “I think this will work, but even if it doesn’t I know that there’s nothing our family can’t accomplish. With or without my magic, Greeny doesn’t stand a chance. So what do you say? Are you willing to take a leap of faith?”

In answer, Killian leaned forward covering her lips with his own. Emma sighed into the kiss, everything about it felt right. Come what may, she was not denying herself this pleasure again.

Emma had just tilted her head to deepen the kiss, when suddenly a shockwave burst forth from their joined lips and suffused the entire farmhouse. She pulled away. “Hook–was that–?”

His face a mask of awe, Killian answered. “I think so. Give it a try, my love.”

Emma concentrated her emotions, directing them toward the place within her where her magic had always been. Continuing to focus, she waved her hand, and suddenly a fireball shot forth, reigniting the fire that had burnt down to mere embers.

“True Love,” she said in shock. “It’s true love.”

“Aye that it is,” Killian said, moving toward her once again. “The question is, what are we going to do about it?”

“Well, for starters, this,” Emma said, surging forward with enough vigor to knock him to the floor. Emma took his mouth with the kind of wild abandon she’d never even imagined displaying. He gave back as good as he got, his hand tangling in her hair and his hooked arm molding her to himself.

Emma’s hand had just moved to unclasp his vest when suddenly the farmhouse door opened and Leroy burst through, walkie talkie in hand. “Relax your majesties,” he said. “I found ‘em. They’re at the farmhouse sucking face like a couple horny teenagers.”

Emma sighed in frustration before getting to her feet and then offering Killian her hand.

“You know, Swan,” Killian said when he was back on his feet. “I think someone needs to muzzle that dwarf.”

Emma giggled, as the sound of her father’s shocked “WHAT?!” on the other end of the walkie came through.

She shrugged. “What can I say? It wouldn’t be Christmas without a little family drama.”

“True enough, love. Shall we adjourn to your parents’ loft and face the music together?”

“Absolutely,” Emma answered, taking his hand and lacing his fingers with hers. “Together is how I see us doing a lot of things in the future.”

NEXT CHAPTER->

#christmas reruns 2023 #cs ff #captain swan christmas fanfiction #my fanfiction #'twas the night before christmas

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kazoosandfannypacks · 1 year

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"Last Chance" by kazoosandfannypacks

Pairing: Captain Swan Rating: General Word Count: 1K Summary: Killian had been hoping to tell Emma about his feelings for her at some point this Christmas break, as their friends visited with her brother. As the holiday came and went, Killian feared he may have missed his chance. Fortunately for him, one last Christmas decoration has yet to be put away- and it may be just what they need to break the ice. Tags: au, fluff, captain swan, one shot, modern au, christmas, snowing, first kiss, oneshot, college au Author's notes: This one's based on a prompt that @everything-person sent to the discord a while back! It was probably jsut after Christmas when it was sent, and I wrote it not long after that, but it sat in my drafts for a while. After a poll revealed y'all wouldn't mind a Christmas fic in May, I've decided today would be an awesome day to post it. I hope you guys enjoy it! Shoutout to @booksteaandtoomuchtv for betaing! Taglist:@zahara@kmomof4@jonesfandomfanatic@booksteaandtoomuchtv@jrob64@tiganasummertree@anmylica@teamhook@undercaffinatednightmare@gingerchangeling@lonelyspectator@caught-in-the-filter @ultraluckycatnd @cs-rylie @silver-the-phoenix @pawshapedheart [if you’d like to be added to or removed from this list, hmu in my dms or askbox!] Also on Ao3!

Killian smiled at Emma across the room as she took down the decorations on the tree, just like he'd smiled at her when she'd helped put them up, and like he'd smiled at her when they'd helped her sister-in-law make cutout cookies, and when they'd all gone caroling and got hot chocolate afterwards, and when they exchanged gifts on Christmas morning, and when they all sat down for a Christmas dinner- and really, like he'd been smiling at her since the day he met her at a campus-wide fall festival- one that he'd almost decided not to attend; one that she'd've skipped out on if her friends hadn't dragged her along.

But how fortunate was he that he'd gone, and that he'd somehow fallen in with her friend group there, and how readily they invited him to join them at various activities afterwards. Already they'd celebrated a few birthdays together, set up a trunk for trunk-or-treat, gone on a few hikes- and now they'd even celebrated Christmas together.

It really was kind of Emma's brother to invite him and some of their other friends to stay over the week for Christmas. It was nice to get away from the dorms for a bit to celebrate a small town Christmas.

It also would've been the perfect opportunity for Killian to tell Emma how he felt about her. Christmas magic in the air, blanket of snow across the town, the lights, the excitement, the merriment, the wonder- but as Killian helped her brother, David, take down the last string of Christmas lights, he realized he'd probably missed his chance at a Christmas miracle. Tomorrow they'd head back to school, back to classes and teachers and homework- back to normal.

And, unfortunately for Killian, his normal life only involved liking Emma from a distance.

"And it looks like another family- and friends- Christmas is officially in the books." David said, wrapping up the last string of lights.

"Thanks for having us," Killian said.

"Our pleasure," David said, "the more the merrier."

"Allow me," Killian said, taking the string of lights from David, "you've already done more than enough for us."

"Alright."

A bright green tote labeled "XMAS LIGHTS" sat just between this room and the living room- where Emma had been taking the last of the decorations off the tree. Killian wondered if he could steal another glance at Emma without anyone noticing, but his glance revealed she was coming that way, with a string of lights of her own to put away.

"Here," Killian said, walking past the tote to take the string of lights from her.

"I can get it," she said, holding out the string of lights at arms length away from him.

"It's really no trouble at all," Killian said. He stood in the doorway between her and the box of lights, and when she tried to walk past him, he sidestepped into her path. She tried again, and he blocked her again, and again, and the same result.

She sighed as she handed him the bundle of lights. "You really are taking the fun out of this."

"Am I?" Killian asked with a smug smile.

Mary Margaret interrupted their conversation to yell something past them both, to David.

"Oh, David! We still need to take the mistletoe down too!"

Killian knew which doorway the mistletoe hung in almost too well- he'd seen David catch his wife standing there a few too many times- and it happened to be the very same doorway that Killian and Emma were now standing under.

"No," Emma said, "I already…."

She looked up at the ceiling almost confused, like she hadn't expected the mistletoe to be right where it had been for the last two weeks, so much so Killian almost didn't expect it to be there either. But Killian looked up too, and sure enough, there was the mistletoe, right above himself and Emma Swan.

"This is almost too good to be true," Killian thought. Fate had given him one last chance at a Christmas miracle.

"I thought I took that down," Emma said.

Killian swallowed the lump in his throat- it was now or never.

"Swan?"

"Yeah?"

"We're under the mistletoe," he said, trying not to chicken out as her eyes met his, "and there's this tradition…."

"Do Christmas traditions still count after New Year's?" Emma asked.

"I sure hope so." Killian thought.

"The last chance of the season," he said, "may I?"

Emma smiled and nodded, and Killian's heart skipped a beat as she said, "Yeah."

He closed his eyes and leaned forward, meeting her lips with his for the most perfect moment of his life. Her lips touching his was like a meteor shower, or a firework- beautiful, entrancing, dangerous- and done and over with way too soon. He pulled away, smiling, wishing he could've made that moment last longer, but not wanting to push her further than she was willing to go.

He thought his heart was beating so loud she could probably hear it, but realized instead that the sound was their friends clapping. He didn't turn to look at them though- in that moment, all he wanted to see was Emma.

"Is that the best you got?" Emma asked.

"What?" Killian asked.

"It's like you said," Emma said, taking from his hands the bundles of lights that had gotten them into this beautiful mess in the first place. She threw them aside, probably landing them somewhere near the tote they belonged in.

"What?"

"'Last chance of the season-'" she said, "might as well make it a good one."

She placed her hands on his neck, stood up on tiptoes so her lips were parallel with his, then whispered, "May I?"

Killian couldn't get out much more than a nod and a breath that sounded almost like a "yeah," not even seeing this moment coming in his wildest daydreams- Emma Swan asking to kiss him.

She slid her hands down to his collar and pulled him closer, drawing his lips down into hers in a kiss that blew the last one out of the water.

He placed his hands on her waist, trying to experience everything he could in this moment- his lips exploring hers, her body in his hands, the lingering taste of gingerbread in her breath, a subtle pine smell, her warmth- holding her closer than he'd ever dared dream she'd let him. He was so lost in the moment he didn't even hear their friends cheering around him as he wrapped one of his hands further around her side, resting her neck in his other, pulling her into a dip and holding her as tightly as he could, pulling her even closer as he kissed her.

For the past three months he'd been watching her from a distance, wishing he could tell her how much she meant to him, wishing he could even just take her hand, ask her to get coffee, hold her at a dance, walk her back to her dorm and kiss her goodnight. And now that he had her in his arms and had her lips on his, he had three months of catching up to do, and one kiss to do it in. Every moment spent pining from a distance equalled another ounce of passion and love he needed to communicate in this kiss.

But as all good things have to, this kiss came to an end. Emma pulled away, her hands still on his neck, her eyes still sparkling in reflection of his, her breath still lingering on his lips. They both breathed heavily, still lost in their own little world a moment longer, until he gently stood her upright again.

"Wow," he whispered, hoping his voice wouldn't be drowned out by the cheering of her friends around them. "Swan, that was…."

"I know," Emma whispered, a look in her eyes that said it still wasn't nearly enough.

But she shook her head and blinked back to reality, and he as well noticed the crowd of spectators around them. Then he looked back down to Emma, her cheeks flushed with the most perfect shade of red he'd seen that whole Christmas season.

She smiled as she let go of him, albeit a bit awkwardly, and he watched her walk away from him, not taking his eyes off her until she'd walked out the back door and disappeared from view. The rest of the group, apparently, had decided the show was over and got back to whatever they'd been doing before Killian's life changed forever like that.

Killian ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath, leaning against the doorway to brace himself and his thoughts. He'd just kissed Emma Swan. He'd practically made out with her- and if he could do that, what was stopping him from finding a moment with her later, telling her how he felt, asking her if she wanted him to be something more to her.

He smiled as he took down that fateful mistletoe plant, now filled with hope that maybe things wouldn't be so normal when they got back to school- or maybe normal would be something even better now.

Maybe he hadn't missed his chance with Emma after all.

#captain swan #once upon a time #killian jones #emma swan #ouat #fanfiction #cs ff #david nolan #mary margaret blanchard #snowing #christmas #college au #modern au #first kiss #cw kissing

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the-darkdragonfly · 2 years

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Old Times' Sake - A Captain Swan Tale

Merry Christmas!!!!

This is a little angister than last years (haha - it's been a year, hasn't it?) but it's also kinda cute...

Thank you to @donteattheappleshook for fixing all my problems (imaginary, grammatical, and real). Love you babe.

♥️♥️♥️

Blasted, bloody Christmas.

Killian hated Christmas.

Hated having to come back to the town which had left so many wounds on his soul. Hating watching his brother and father pretend they were happy to spend time together.

Killian didn’t pretend.

He brooded and drank and fucked Emma Swan in the small room above the diner he had eaten at every Sunday as a child until the day his father decided he wanted a different life and left them for a nurse who had taken care of him after the accident, leaving behind two young boys.

He nodded at her offer, hands finding her hips as she pushed back into him- do you have something against palatable alcohol, Swan?

It had started simply enough, like most things did...

Read the rest here on A03.

♥️♥️♥️

Tagging:

@elizabeethan @donteattheappleshook @sailtoafarawayland @teamhook @wefoundloveunderthelight @caught-in-the-filter @batana54 @ultraluckycatnd @veryverynotgood @snowbellewells @hollyethecurious @jrob64 @kmomof4 @artistic-writer @gingerpolyglot @xarandomdreamx @justanother-unluckysoul @zaharadessert @jadehowlettthewolf @xsjax @karlyfr13s @tiganasummertree @wyntereyez @klynn-stormz @onceratheart18 @rkrbirdgirl @ouatdaily @blowmiakisscolin @courtorderedcake @winterbaby89 @pirateprincessofpizza @superchocovian @deckerstarblanche @jlsadphoenix @alexa-fangirl-forever @stahlop @undercaffinatednightmare @lostintheskyfaraway @anmylica @motherkatereloyshipper @last-tsarina @lfh1226-linda @hookedmom @yikes-00 @midnightsuki

#Old Times' Sake #A Captain Swan Tale #the darkdragonfly #captain swan fanfiction #captain swan fanfic #ouat #Merry Christmas #emma swan #killian jones

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anmylica · 2 years

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Something About December (Throw a Wrench in Your Plans)

Summary: Killian and Emma have been secretly dating for close to a year, only none of their friends know it. They’ve agreed to keep it a secret until they know it’s real, but what happens when Emma’s brother, David, starts to become suspicious? One thing is for sure, this Christmas will be one that none of them forget!

Inspiration for this fic: @xarandomdreamx and @kmomof4 encouraged me to write this fic (fondly referred to as the procrastination fic) based on a prompt in the CSMM Discord that said: “Christmas prompt: Emma and Killian have been dating about a year or so but they kept it secret because Killian is Emma’s brothers best friend. So Christmas comes around and they have to act like they haven’t been sleeping together so David won’t give Killian a black eye for Christmas.” My idea was based on the Buzzfeed article where someone wrote about how they knew two people were dating (“At a place I worked at about 25 years ago, my co-worker had dropped her screwdriver, and our boss picked it up and stuck it in her pocket. Later that day, my buddy said, 'She did not flinch or look away from what she was doing when his hand went to her pocket — his hand has been in that pocket before.” —u/CathyTheGreatsHorse). I also blame @everything-person and @teamhook for this fic, as they were the ones who either came up with the prompt or encouraged me to add another WIP. I’m debating adding a part 2, as I couldn’t work my other ideas into the narrative, but we’ll see!

This is my (surprise) gift to them, but also to the fandom as a whole. May your days be merry and bright!

The title is also from a Christina Perri song, in case you recognize it!

Read Here on AO3

Tagging List:

@kmomof4

@snowbellewells

@sotangledupinit

@tiganasummertreemertree

@zaharadessert

Let me know if you want to be added to the Tag List for future updates!

Read under the cut!

Something About December (Throw a Wrench in Your Plans)

David tried really, really hard not to disturb his sister before 9:30 in the morning on her days off (and let’s be honest, he tried not to disturb her before he had to on days she wasn’t off anyway), as Emma “Swan” Nolan wasn’t a morning person in any interpretation of the word. But his wife, and Emma’s best friend, Mary Margaret Nolan, wouldn’t hear of his excuses and forced him to brave his sister’s wrath and bring her her favorite leath jacket (that she had inconveniently left at his place last week and thus subsequently nagged him to death about delivering it to her). He rolled his eyes, but he liked to remain on his wife’s good side, so he reluctantly agreed to run it over to her early on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

He had just parked his truck, thankful that he didn’t have to work today himself, when he saw her door open. ‘Good,’ he thought, ‘she’s already awake. I won’t have to slay the dragon today, after all. This makes this easier.’

He was just about to open his door when he saw his best friend and fellow sheriff’s deputy, Killian Jones, step out of Emma’s apartment. He stopped in his tracks, his hand on the handle of the door and poised to throw it open. He stared at the sight before him, turned his eyes briefly back to the dash to check the time, and then turned his eyes back to his best friend and his sister. He watched as Emma followed Killian out, wearing nothing but the button down shirt he could have sworn he saw Killian wearing yesterday while they worked their shift and a pair of socks. Killian turned and gave his sister a long, slow, lingering kiss. The kiss lasted so long it made David feel awkward, as if he were about to get a show he didn’t ever want to see. Finally (at last) Killian pulled away and left, getting into his vintage Shelby Mustang and waving as he did so. Emma waved back and stood staring in the doorway as he pulled out of sight. Once she couldn’t see him, she disappeared back into her appartment.

David stared at the closed door dumbfounded. What had he just witnessed? He hadn’t seen them together before this. He wouldn’t ever have said they would have been attracted to each other before this. (That was a lie; all the rest of his friends had commented numerous times before that you would get an explosion if you lit a match anywhere near them, but David refused to accept that as truth.) Did any of their friends know about this? Surely not. Mary Margaret couldn’t keep a secret to save her life, Ruby couldn’t hold back gossip this juicy (her words, not his), and, although discreet, Belle would have told Mary Margaret. David doubted that any of their other friends, though probably not Victor, would even care about this revelation. (Again, this was a lie. Liam, Victor, Graham, Eric, and Jefferson were all highly invested in the not-Killian-and-Emma ship.)

How long had they even been together, for that matter? Or were they even dating? David was going to break every single bone in Killian’s body if he were putting one over on his sister. The bro code had to be honored, in this case. There was no way Killian was getting out of the consequences.

David sat so long in his truck pondering this new revelation that he was startled to see that thirty minutes had passed. Deciding that this was plenty of time to wait, he got out of his truck and delivered his sister’s jacket, though he didn’t say a word about what he had seen. He needed more information than what he had to go on, at present. Surely there had to be another explanation? When Emma answered the door, he greeted her the same as he always did and presented her her red leather jacket.

Nope. Everything was just fine. He was not going to automatically assume they were boning just because of circumstantial evidence. He was going to wait for further proof.

“Dude, they’ve gotta be fucking,” Victor exclaimed later that evening. Their group of friends had all met at the Rabbit Hole for their traditional post-Thanksgiving get together. Some years they had it at one of their places, but no one had felt like staying in, so they all agreed to go to the best bar in Storybrooke.

“Who?” Demanded Liam, turning to look at who Victor was pointing at.

“Killian and Emma,” Victor replied. “Look at them! All cosy playing pool together.”

Belle frowned. “How does this indicate they’re together?”

“Look how close they are! I only get that close to girls I’m trying to persuade to go home with me.”

David examined the amount of space between his friend and his sister. They might have been closer than strictly necessary, but that was because another group was playing pool at the next table over and were on the same side as Killian and Emma. They weren’t any closer than anyone else.

“It doesn’t look that close to me,” Liam dismissed skeptically.

“No, not right now, but I swear just a second ago they were like this,” Victor insisted as he pressed as close as he could to Mary Margaret, who shrank back away from him instantly, making a face. “You don’t get that close unless you’re banging.”

Mary Margaret scoffed. “Must you be so disgusting?”

Ruby laughed and Graham grinned. DIsgusting and sleazy were Victor’s middle names.

Victor cast a roguish grin towards Mary Margaret. “It’s a talent,” he replied flippantly. “But I still stand by what I said.”

Liam’s brow furrowed as he contemplated the picture that Killian and Emma presented. “I haven’t seen him with anyone since Milah. He’s brought a few home for the night, but nothing serious.”

Belle nodded in agreement. “It’s been the same way for Emma. We all know how Neal turned out.”

Silence fell over the table as they all agreed, remembering how badly Neal and Milah, who were brother and sister, had screwed over their friends. Neither lived in Storybrooke anymore, and it was a good thing, as David was willing to bet that many of their friend-group would have had criminal records if they had stayed in town.

Victor nodded sagely. “Yes, well, be that as it may, they’re doing the dirty.”

Everyone rolled their eyes in response, but no one at the table deigned to reply.

“Who’s doing the dirty?” Elsa asked as she had just walked up, shrugging off her ice blue coat as Liam jumped up to help her.

“Killian and Emma!” Victor announced triumphantly.

Elsa rolled her eyes. “How on earth did you figure that?”

Victor pointed at them. “Behold!”

Elsa and the group turned to watch Killian and Emma again. Killian seemed to be mocking a guy’s stroking technique from the next pool table over while Emma had collapsed against the table in tears from laughing so hard. Killian was laughing at how much Emma was laughing, but this was nothing different from how they had acted in the past. Elsa turned back to Victor with one eyebrow raised as if to say, ‘Is that all you’ve got?’

“Oh yes,” Elsa replied as she sat on Liam’s lap, “they’re getting it on right as we speak.”

Victor huffed in frustration. “I’m telling you, they are!”

Graham pulled out his phone. “Let’s do some research,” he responded. “Let’s find out what the Internet says.” He ran a quick search on his phone. “First: do they make a lot of eye contact?”

Everyone turned to evaluate how much eye contact the two were making. Neither looked at the other very long.

“Alright, next: do they seem closer in general?” Graham continued. They group fell silent as they thought about it. David silently watched the others shrug, but he didn’t say anything. He wasn’t sure if what he witnessed counted as closer, anyway. One by one, they all shook their heads.

Graham nodded his head. “Are they sharing lingering looks?”

They all looked up to see Killian checking out a brunette in a short mini skirt who was jumping up and down and Emma eyeing a guy at the bar.

Graham shook his head. “Doesn’t look like it. Do they communicate in a secret language?”

Mary Margaret was the one who answered that. “They’ve always communicated in a secret language.”

Liam nodded his head in agreement. “Ever since they were in school together. Even when he was with Milah and she was with Neal. That hasn’t changed.”

Everyone nodded. Victor mused, “Yeah, I can see that one.”

Graham turned his head back to his phone. “They become very protective of one another.”

Belle was the one who answered this. “They’ve always been protective of one another. Remember what happened with Neal?”

Everyone winced and David laughed. Neal had cheated on Emma back in high school with a girl named Tamara, and Killian had kicked his ass. This was right before Killian found out that Milah had gotten pregnant by an older man in the community, Robert Gold, and was planning on eloping with him (he was one of the richer men in town). Once Killian had found out, Emma was quick to take up for him in return. They’ve always been that way with each other. After thinking on it, David wondered if maybe that should have been a hint to him then that there was something between them.

Graham said the next item on the list. “You will see them together more and at odd times.”

Ruby shook her head. “That’s inconclusive since they both work such crazy schedules. And they’re always together or with us in a group.”

“They suddenly have more to say to each other,” Graham continued.

David and Liam shook their heads. “The last conversations we’ve had have been about the usual stuff. He hasn’t mentioned Emma at all,” Liam said. David agreed.

“She hasn’t mentioned him to me either,” Elsa replied and the other ladies agreed.

“They tease each other more or they choose their words more carefully.” Graham looked at everyone, but they shook their heads.

“They’re smiling and happy all the time.”

Mary Margaret tilted her head as she thought about this one. “Maybe? Emma does seem happier recently.”

“So does Killian, but he’s been talking about a lot of good happening at the station,” Liam added.

Graham nodded his head. “So that’s a possibility. What about avoiding each other?”

Everyone shook their heads. If they had started avoiding each other, none of their friend group had noticed. David wondered if the lack of mentioning the other recently counted as avoidance, but he kept silent.

“Alright, last one. Have they started touching more recently?”

Victor started vigorously nodding his head. “Dude I just saw Killian’s hands in Emma’s pockets and they were standing right beside each other!”

They all turned to look back at Killian and Emma. Neither was beside the other, and they were taking drinks out of their glasses. Everyone turned and looked at Victor in disbelief.

“Not right now, I mean earlier! When I decided they were getting lucky with each other!”

Elsa scoffed. “Oh, you decided. Suddenly it’s all becoming clear.”

Liam shook his head. “You can’t just decide these things Victor, we’ve been over this!”

Ruby rolled her eyes as Victor protested, “I’m telling you, it was real what I saw!”

Everyone picked up their glasses and took a drink with no one bothering to say anything in response to Victor’s whining. Emma and Killian were making their way over with newly refilled glasses.

“I have emerged victorious!” Killian announced to the table as he sat in his abandoned chair, Emma coming behind him rolling her eyes.

“He won by a scratch,” she corrected.

“That’s not all I win by a scratch, Swan,” Killian winked at her, causing Emma to roll her eyes.

“Well, win with that brunette over there by a scratch,” she threw back. “I’ve got to head out, I’ve got research to do for my next job. I’ll see everyone later?” Emma surveyed the table. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

“Emma! Don’t forget that we’re doing Dirty Santa at our place on the 10th,” Mary Margaret added. “I meant to tell everyone, so I guess I’m telling all of you now.”

Emma nodded and waved at everyone, grabbing her jacket. David watched carefully to see when Killian left, still suspicious of their dating status. After about ten minutes, Killian said his goodbyes as well, citing an overtime shift he was picking up in the morning. David knew this to be true, so it didn’t seem too off for him, but he also wondered at how close in time Killian’s leaving was to Emma’s departure. There were a lot of signs that seemed to point to Killian and Emma being a thing.

David wondered what he should do next.

It turned out there wasn’t much he could do next to confirm what he suspected, as the flu began to go around the station and he had to start covering extra shifts. He and Killian began working overtime trying to fill in where they could, with Graham (who was the sheriff) filling in on the road with the rest of the deputies as needed. After almost two weeks of this, things finally slowed down to where they could resume their normal shift work. Killian and Emma hadn’t, as far as David knew, spent any time together outside of what they already did at work.

Emma also worked for the Storybrooke Sheriff’s Office, but as a detective who investigated murders or cold case files. Her schedule was a bit different from theirs, but every now and then, she had to fill in on shift work the same as everybody else. The recent flu endemic meant that she was pulling more road work than usual, and she was patrolling more with David. This was how he had known that Emma and Killian hadn’t seen each other much, as they were all pulling overtime. None of them were at home much, so there was no way for them to see each other outside of work, right? And David never saw them flirt while on the job, at least not recently. They had quit their ridiculous flirting-on-the-job stuff almost eight months ago.

It made David very happy that his best friend and sister finally saw fit to cease making everyone else so uncomfortable. It was very considerate of them, really.

On what Graham had sworn to them was their last shift of pulling double duty, Emma had collapsed into a desk in the bullpen. “If I have to arrest another drunken guy from The Rabbit Hole, I’m going to scream,” she announced.

David laughed. “At least we’ll have everyone else covering for us while we get some time off.”

“That’s the only good thing about this,” she agreed.

Their conversation was interrupted by Killian coming in bearing coffee and a box of donuts. He wordlessly handed David a cup, to which David muttered, “Thanks,” and set the box down. He proceeded to hand Emma her cup, which she took without a word of thanks, and she opened the box.

“There better be a bear claw in here,” she said as she pried open the top.

Killian chuckled. “Oh there is,” he laughed in return. “And one for me as well.” He handed her a napkin, which she took without any mention of gratitude, and handed one to David as well. David did express gratitude again, and they all dug into the donuts.

Killian and Emma joked around like always, but David was silent.

He couldn’t imagine not telling someone who wasn’t Mary Margaret thanks for something they had done for him, and he knew that his and Emma’s parents had instilled better manners than that. By this point, he was ninety percent sure that Victor Whale’s summation of events between Killian Jones and Emma Nolan was correct.

But he didn’t receive confirmation until the night of the Christmas for Friends party at his and Mary Margaret’s house that they did every year.

It was still very early in the evening, and not everyone had arrived at David and Mary Margaret’s place yet. Though Ruby, Graham, Victor, Emma, and Killian were there, several other couples had yet to arrive, including Killian’s brother and his girlfriend, Elsa. Emma was helping Mary Margaret with a few last minute details while Killian and David set up the drinks bar. Everyone was chatting lightly together, laughing, and enjoying the first gathering in a few days that they had gotten to arrange.

After placing the ice in the bucket, Killian took his phone out of his pocket to call his brother to find out how much longer it would be before they arrived, only to discover that it was dead.

“Bloody hell, I forgot to charge my phone before I came over here,” he cursed. David was just about to offer his phone to Killian to use, but his sister beat him to it.

“Here, use mine!” Emma handed it to Killian, who took it (again, without a thank you, David noticed) and stepped outside.

The conversation inside the loft continued as it always had, with everyone laughing and snacking before the rest of their friends arrived. Killian came back in after a moment.

“Liam says he and Elsa are about five minutes from here,” he announced once the door shut behind him. “He said to make sure his favorite cookies are ready to go, Mary Margaret.”

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes. “They’re right where I always put them.”

Emma laughed and kept stirring the homemade dip she had just gotten ready. Both of her hands were too messy to take her phone from Killian. David watched as Killian slipped her phone into her pocket without a word; David also noticed Emma’s distinct lack of reaction at Killian’s hand going into the front right pocket of her too-tight jeans.

He wasn’t going to say anything. He finally had the confirmation that there was something going on between them, and that was all he really needed. David glanced around at everyone else, but no one else seemed to have noticed anything. He was the only one who realized there was a romantic (or something like that) relationship between his sister and his best friend. Obviously they felt the need to keep it a secret, so he wouldn’t be the one to rat them out. Nope, he was the one who could keep secrets in his relationship. Had it been Mary Margaret, she’d have already announced it to the world. But he didn’t need to do that. They would tell the whole group when they were ready.

“You’re fucking my sister,” David said loud enough for everyone to hear. They all stopped and looked at him. Emma turned and gave him a strange look, and Killian looked up from the tray of cookies with what could only be described as a deer-in-the-headlights expression.

“What?” Victor asked. “Who’s fucking your sister?”

“Wait, what?” Ruby asked. “Is that really what he said?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what he said!” Victor replied.

“Pardon, mate?” Killian asked.

Victor looked at Killian. “Is he talking about you?” Killian looked back at Victor helplessly.

“You sorry son of a bitch. How dare you try to take advantage of Emma?” David continued, starting to feel really angry at the secrecy.

“Who’s taking advantage of me?” Emma asked indignantly.

Victor gave a leering look. “I’d have taken advantage if I could have gotten it,” he responded to her, earning a disgusted look from both Emma and Killian.

“It’s a good thing you never could have ‘gotten it,’” Killian snarled back.

“Hey, I’ve never made it a secret that I’d have gotten Emma in the sack if I could have,” Victor shot back.

“Are you sure you’re not on call at the hospital? Because you’re about to have to go there,” Killian retorted as he took a step closer to Whale and angled his body to be slightly in front of Emma’s.

“Oh, I think you’ll be the one there before me,” Victor responded, instinctively stepping forward at Killian’s challenging tone.

“Touch him and you’ll have more to deal with than him,” Emma responded to Killian being threatened.

“Killian Jones is about to have more to deal with if I have anything to say about it,” David cut in. “How long have you been screwing my sister?”

Killian looked back at David. “Mate, I have no idea what you’re-“

“I saw you at her house!” David cut him off. “You left at 7:30 in the morning for an overtime shift the Saturday after Thanksgiving! Emma is never up before 9 on weekends she’s off! And she opened the door wearing nothing but your shirt that you had worn the day before!”

Everyone’s heads had been turned to David, but once he commented on his sister’s state of dress, all eyes swerved to land on Killian, who was growing a bit red and had his jaw clenched.

“How do you know that?” Emma asked.

“I was there outside your apartment! Remember that I brought you your favorite red jacket back? I saw you kiss! I stayed out in my truck for thirty minutes after he left wondering what was going on, why neither of you had said anything!”

Emma and Killian fell silent, as the rest of their friends looked on in abject curiousity. David stared at them hard. No one said anything.

Belle, Will, Liam, and Elsa arrived, opening the door and letting themselves in without knocking. They had been friends for so long that they no longer felt the need to follow the standard niceties. They were all laughing amongst themselves, but that laughter quickly died upon their entering the room.

Each of the newcomers surveyed the loft. The atmosphere was tense and expectant. They slowly filed in, wondering what kind of minefield they were entering.

“Is everything alright?” Liam asked tentatively.

“Dude! You just missed it! David just accused your brother of doin’ a little bow chicka wow wow with his sister!” Victor enunciated his words by doing a lurid dance, making sure to gyrate his hips as he spoke. Ruby had to cover her mouth to muffle her laugh, and Graham had to look down at his feet. Mary Margaret rubbed her forehead in exasperation. David scowled at Victor.

Liam frowned. “He what?”

“Actually, we don’t really know what happened.” Mary Margaret shot a warning look at her husband. “David just made a baseless accusation.”

“What kind of baseless accusation?” Liam asked.

“He claimed that Emma and Killian are sleeping together,” Ruby said to fill him in.

“It’s not baseless! He put her phone in her front pocket!” David exclaimed. Everyone stared at David’s exclamation.

“Oh, yeah, that’s a hell of a sign, innit? Putting someone’s phone in their pocket is always how I determine how someone is doing the deed,” Will stated. Killian scoffed and shook his head, but before he or Emma could say anything, Belle piped up.

“No, I think David actually has a point, here. People don’t do that unless they’re very close.”

“I’m sure there’s a more reasonable explanation to that action. Maybe Emma told Killian to put it in her pocket?” Liam suggested.

David shook his head. “I was watching them. She didn’t say a word.”

Killian by this point had clenched his jaw and Emma could see the muscle twitching in his jaw (which, if she were being honest, was insanely attractive to her). She knew things were about to boil over very quickly, ruining their Christmas party, if something didn’t give soon. She crossed over to him and took his hand in hers. He looked at her for a long moment, and for that one moment the room faded away. Killian visibly calmed down with just that connection.

David watched their silent interaction, and in that instant he knew. Nothing he said or did would stop what was unfolding. No matter what else was said, his best friend and his sister were more serious than everyone was making it out to be. He took a deep breath and counted to ten, zoning out of the conversation continuing around him, Emma and Killian not being able to get a word in edgewise.

Perhaps this was why they hadn’t said anything yet? Perhaps they knew what would happen if everyone in their group of friends found out before they were ready to tell people?

“YOU GOTTA SEND ME DOWN A MISTRESS FOR CHRISTMAS! I WANT A WOMAN IN RED WITH A BOW IN MY BED!” Victor started half-singing, half-shouting in response to something David hadn’t heard from Will, who was laughing.

“The only bow around here is gonna be the one they have to tie your bandages with, Whale!” Killian shouted in return, though not nearly as loudly as Victor was wailing.

Victor paid him no mind as the girls all rolled their eyes or put their heads in their hands. “MISTRESS FOR CHRISTMAS! I CAN HEAR YOU COMING DOWN MY SMOKE STACK, YOU WANNA RIDE MY REINDEER AND RING MY JINGLE BELLS!” He resumed the suggestive dance around the loft.

“What are you, twelve?!” Emma sneered. “Grow up, Whale! This is why we haven’t told anyone yet!” She looked very upset, tears forming in her eyes, and David knew he had just fucked up majorly with her.

Victor didn’t stop his antics, carrying on butchering the song and everyone started to get irritated. David had finally had enough. He yelled as loud as he could, and everyone stopped.

“Victor, if you can’t comport yourself properly you need to leave,” he said. Then he turned to Emma and Killian. “How long has this been going on?”

“Almost nine months,” Killian answered.

“That long?!” Ruby exclaimed in disbelief, but she was quickly silenced with a look from David.

“Aye, that long. At first, it was so new and we wanted to see if it was something that would last, and then once it became apparent it would, we enjoyed not having to worry about all of this,” Killian waved his hand around to indicate the chaos that had taken off this night.

Emma looked at Killian, who looked back at her.

“We’ve both been interested in each other for longer than we care to admit. I hate that it took us this long to give us a chance,” she said.

“We alway said you two would be perfect together,” Belle responded, smiling gently.

“Yeah, we are,” Emma and Killian shared smiles.

“It’s crazy because I don’t think any of us realized a change in how you acted,” Elsa added, trying to make sure the conversation stayed on a more serious note. “We all probably suspected something at various points, but the two of you never really changed towards one another.”

Emma shrugged and Killian responded, “We just continued as we were. I guess when you’ve been in love for so long, nothing really changes in how you treat each other.”

David nodded and they all fell silent for a moment. Finally Will piped up, “I thought this was supposed to be a party? Have we finished with the Killian-and-Emma-sitting-in-a-tree nonsense, or are we going to carry on with that some more? Because I would really like to get to the gift-giving portion of our evening.“

Everyone started laughing and the serious atmosphere was broken. Everyone started mingling, separating into groups as they finally moved past the confrontation.

David moved closer to Emma and Killian, who had retreated and were standing quite close, having their own conversation. David hated to interrupt, but he felt he owed them an apology. He had this bad tendency to fly off the handle once his temper was lost, and he had definitely lost it today.