You can stop hugging me now.” “You scared the shit out of me. I’m never going to stop hugging you.” + Daddy Charming, please
I made this into my first chapter in my Frozen Red Snowing fic!
You wait for one parent for 7 years and then 5 come along at once.- Frozen Red Snowing (David x Snow x Kristoff x Anna x Ruby)
The curse has broken and Emma meets all of her parents for the first time.
(AO3 Link.)
David pressed a kiss to his foster daughter’s forehead, she couldn’t be gone, she just couldn’t. He loved her so much, he had been in the process of trying to adopt her, she was the only person in his life. He loved her more than life itself. But now she was gone.
As his lips touched her head, his daughter’s head, magic spread out and across the town.
Images from the story book flashed in Emma’s head: Snow, David, Anna, Ruby, and Kristoff’s adventures to getting together, married, Snow pregnant, and then her birth. She watched Zelena’s curse start, David carrying her in his arms as Ruby and Kristoff helped him fight knights, Anna was helping Snow but Snow insisted she go and help David, Ruby, and Kristoff save Emma. She watched David place her in the wardrobe, he had been stabbed and was bleeding, Ruby and Kristoff were both injured, they came stumbling in trying to save David, Anna came charging in fighting knights a few seconds after them. They got there just in time to see David close the doors of the wardrobe with Emma inside. They all got a last glimpse of Emma. David was bleeding on the floor as Snow struggled in, in pain from giving birth, she fell to her knees and clutched onto him, Anna, Kristoff, and Ruby did the same as Zelena and her dark knights came in.
Emma opened her eyes.
The curse was broken.
Tears rolled down David’s cheeks as he cupped Emma’s cheek. She was so small in the hospital bed, smaller than a seven year old should be, but he remembered how much smaller and how injured she had been when she had be dropped at his apartment. But he realised now that she was his biological daughter. She had been with him for months and he hadn’t realised. She had tried to tell him, along with her friends August and Henry, but when she told him the story she had never believed that she was the baby in it. She was seven and didn’t let herself have even that amount of hope. “Emma.” He choked out. “You found us.”
“D-… Daddy?” She asked quietly.
David laughed, he couldn’t believe that she was really there, she was looking fairly weak after the sleeping curse but she was there. “Yeah kiddo.” He took her into his arms, and cuddled her tight, she hugged him back.
After a little while Emma spoke again. “Y’know, you can stop hugging me now.”
“You scared the shi-sugar out of me. I’m never going to stop hugging you.” He told her but he let go of her, smiling at her comment, he loved her personality and the way she was so sassy.
“You can say shit y’know.”
David gave her a look but he still had a small smile on his face. “I can say it but you’re not allowed to.” He kissed her forehead after she rolled her eyes. “Let’s get a doctor to check you over, you-” He sighed. She had almost died. “You really scared me, Emmy.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, it’s Zelena’s, we’ll make sure that she won’t be able to do it again.” He pressed the button to get a doctor to come. “How are you feeling?”
“…Not tired.”
“That means the opposite then.” David chuckled. He heard a sound of feet approaching but saw that it was just a nurse entering the room. He looked back at Emma. “Your mommies and other daddy are going to be so happy to see you.” He promised her.
Emma looked up at him uncertainly.
David frowned seeing that she didn’t believe him. “We’ll go find them soon, you seem better so you should be able to go to home, but if you can’t then I’ll get someone to tell them that we’re here. I just wish that I’d remembered to pick up my cell.” He also wished he could get the sight of Emma passed out after eating a poisoned turnover out of his head.
“I’m sorry.” She said again. “You should go and find them, you’ve not seen them properly in years, I’ll be fine on my own.”
“I’m not leaving you on your own, kiddo.” He told her gently, he stroked her hair until the doctor came in, even when she was there David made sure to stay close to his daughter. “And they want to see you too. We all want you. You’re our family.”
The doctor checked Emma over and made sure that she was okay to go, she insisted that takes it easy over the next couple of weeks.
Once they were out of the hospital David strapped her into her booster seat in his truck and he started to drive towards the centre of town keeping his eyes peeled for any sights of his spouses.
They came across Kristoff first. David quickly got out of his truck and helped Emma out before running to reunite with his husband.
Emma stood back a little, watching her fathers kiss, she couldn’t believe that she actually had fathers now, and mothers, she kept waiting for one of them to realise that she wasn’t theirs. She was trying not to get her hopes up but she also felt terrified that they might decide that she wasn’t the right fit.
She was trying to stay calm when she suddenly realised someone was crouched in front of her, Kristoff, she remembered how kind he always was to her and how he gave her extra ice cream and toppings when she and David went there. She chewed on her thumb, an old habit she had quickly grown out of when she had been bullied about it by other children, but she need the comfort of it now. She felt David take steps closer to her and place a comforting hand on her back.
Kristoff looked at Emma with tears in his eyes, he couldn’t believe that she was his little girl, the one he had been talking to for months without even knowing, the one he had been so excited to raise. “Hey monkey.” He smiled warmly at her, feeling proud when she looked a little less scared at his warm tone, and the nickname he had called her during the curse. He had never realised just how green her eyes were. He had only been this close to her once when she had been born, he had taken note of every one of her features, her eyes had only grown more vivid with time. “You have your mommies’ eyes, all of them have green like yours, but I think yours are even brighter. And you got your blonde hair from me and your other daddy.” He could see her smiling a little but he could also tell she wasn’t sure what to do or say. “I don’t think that you’ve grown much since you were a baby.” He teased.
Emma poked her tongue out at Kristoff but she also smiled. She hesitated for a few seconds before tentatively wrapping her arms around Kristoff. “Thanks for all the extra ice cream.”
Kristoff chuckled and wrapped his arms back around his daughter. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “No problem, monkey, anytime. You can… You can come there with me sometimes if you like, I’ll pay you in ice cream.”
Emma beamed and automatically looked back at David to check it was okay, as she had done often when David was just her foster father, it was easiest to think of him as her father. And despite not wanting to get her hopes up she couldn’t help but hope that the story book was true she was their daughter.
David gently squeezed Kristoff’s shoulder comfortingly, but his husband smiled up at him in understanding, they all knew that it would take some time for Emma to be comfortable. “I think it sounds like a good idea, I heard that Sven came over during the curse with us, I’m sure that your dada will introduce you to him if you ask him.”
Emma looked back at Kristoff with a beaming smile. “Really? You have a Sven like in the movie?”
Kristoff chuckled at least the movie version of him wasn’t too bad, he had a feeling that David wouldn’t like the movie version of Snow White’s Prince Charming. “Yeah, I have a Sven, but he’s much more awesome than he is in the movie. And I know that he already loves you, so much, but not quite as much as me, mama, daddy, mommy, and mor.”
“What’s a mor?” She tiled her head to the side.
“Its, erm, where me and Anna are from, Arendelle, we speak English but we also speak a couple more languages like Norwegian. Mor is another word for mom. It’s what Anna’s name is, was, gonna be.” He watched Emma slowly nod. “But you can call us by those names or by our names , whatever you feel comfortable with.”
They heard their names being called and they all looked to see Ruby and Anna running towards them. Emma stood to the side again as her parents all reunited.
“Hey little bean.” Anna beamed looking at Emma, tears rolled down her cheeks as she hugged Emma. “You were right! You’re so clever, you figured it out! ”
Emma tentatively wrapped her arms around Anna, she had known Anna during the curse, not quite as well as she had known Ruby and Snow, but she had spoken to Anna often enough that she was comfortable with her. Anna had been one of the only ones to indulge her in the belief of the curse, all of her parents had, and Henry’s mom Regina, her step-grandma she supposed. “Morry.” She whispered, mostly to herself, but she felt Anna stroke her hair and cuddle her closer in response.
“That’s right baby.” Anna whispered back. She smiled at Emma changing it slightly, she thought that it was perfect.
“She went to hospital.” Ruby frowned, she crouched down and her eyes examined Emma as Anna finally let her out of the hug, the curse had broken and her werewolf senses were back. She could smell the disinfectant along with the unique smell of a broken curse. She looked at David who gave her a look back to let her know that she was okay. “Are you okay pup?” She gently stroked Emma’s cheek.
Emma chewed on her thumb again. She nodded her head. “Yeah, I’m okay, my… my David helped me.”
Ruby smiled at the seven year old, she had heard Emma calling David that during the curse, she had clearly been wanting to call him ‘my dad’ even then. “Good. Can I… Can I hug you?” She could tell that Emma was feeling a little overwhelmed, she was meeting her parents, and she had been in a coma. It was a lot. “It’s okay if you don’t want to.” She assured her, she wanted to hug her baby more than anything, but she wanted her to want to do it not out of some sense of obligation.
Emma wrapped her arms around Ruby almost as soon as she had finished her sentence. She had been hugged by Ruby during the curse, sometimes she or Snow would watch Emma if David desperately needed them to, if he was called in for an emergency at work. “You smell like cinnamon.” Emma said after a while, Ruby didn’t just smell like that she also smelt like berries from either her shower gel or her shampoo, but the scent just reminded her of meeting Ruby for the first time when David took her to get a hot chocolate with cinnamon.
Ruby breathed in deep. She still had the faint smell of baby. She cuddled her close. She was her baby, her Emma. “Is that a hint that you want some hot chocolate, pup?” She teased and felt Emma shrug against her. She kissed her golden curls. “I’ll make you the best mug of hot chocolate and cinnamon you’ve ever had, we just have to wait a couple of minutes, your mommy’s on her way. We had all split up to look for you and your daddy, we didn’t know that you were in the hospital.”
Emma pulled back a little. “How do you know she’s on her way?” Her head tilted to the side, she had said it so certainly, and made it sound as though she knew it would be within a couple of minutes.
Ruby paused, she looked back at her spouses, letting them see the fear for a fraction of a second. She had had this conversation with several people over the years, only people she had to tell, and it was not too surprising to her that many of those people acted negatively. “You know the story book pretty well, right?”
“Henry and August read it to me… I liked the pictures best.”
Ruby smiled warmly at her. “Well, I don’t know if you heard about this, but I’m, I’m a werewolf.” She held her breath in fear that Emma would be disgusted or run away screaming.
Emma was silent for a beat. “Woah, that’s so cool!”
Ruby beamed. “Thanks pup, it also means that even when I’m a human my senses like my sense of smell are really good, so I can tell where people are. Like your mommy, who is right…” She trailed off knowing that Snow had reached them. She grinned as her spouses parted so that Snow could see Emma, they all knew that Snow and David would reunite the same as they all had with each other, but that Snow needed to see Emma first. She had been the only one to not have seen Emma go through the wardrobe, she had held her when she was born, but by the time she got to the nursery the wardrobe was empty and Emma was gone.
Snow paused, her breathing hitched as Emma turned around to face her, tears filled in her eyes as she saw her baby again. She started to run to close the gap between them, and when she reached Emma she fell to her knees and cupped her face in her hands so gently that she was barely touching her. “My baby.” She whispered.
Emma tried to refrain from chewing on her thumb before nervously asking Snow a question. “Is it really all real?” She had grown close to Snow during the curse, she hadn’t taught Emma but she had taught August and Henry whom Emma was close to, Snow had looked after Emma for David some times. Emma looked from her mom to her four other parents who were stood behind where her mom was crouched in front of her. “You’re all my mommies and daddies, really, really?”
“Yes baby, this is real. We’re really your mommies and daddies.” Snow promised. “And we’re never, ever, going to be apart from you again.”
Emma let Snow pull her into her arms. Emma buried her head in the crook between her shoulder and neck. She started to cry, silently and unnoticeably, the way she had automatically learnt to do growing up in foster care.
Snow and the others didn’t notice Emma crying, she just looked like she was cuddling close, but Snow rocked her a little automatically calming the child. “I love you so much. We all love you more than you can imagine.”
Eventually Snow stood up and smiled at David, he was the only one she hadn’t reunited with now. “Charming.” She smiled as his hands went to her cheeks. “You found me.” Her voice was slightly teasing as it always was when she said that line, she knew what he would say in response.
“Did you ever doubt I would?” He kissed her gently at first before they deepened it, the same as he had kissed his other wives and his husband, they were finally all reunited.
The adults started to discuss which of their places they would be staying in, David felt a weight against his leg, clinging onto it. He placed his hand on top of Emma’s head and had a short but silent conversation with his spouses using only their eyes.
They took a couple of steps away from David and Emma. It killed all of them knowing that Emma was only attached to David, they knew she liked them all, but she was uncertain at the moment and they knew that it would take some time for her to be able to trust them.
David crouched down so that he was eye to eye with his sleepy daughter. He cupped her cheek with his hand. “How you doing kiddo?”
Emma shrugged her shoulders avoiding what he really meant. “I’m not tired.”
David chuckled, this was something they were always having to talk about, Emma was stubborn and insisted she could take care of herself no matter what, he was always having to remind her it was his job to look after her. “It’s way after bedtime, princess, and you need to rest. Now, I have a question for you: We’re going to go home now, but we need to decide which one, we can go to ours, or we can go to mommy’s, it’s a lot bigger and we could move the mattresses to have a big sleepover together.” No matter where they spent the night there was no way she was leaving their sight for the next fifty years. “I have your backpack with your blankie and some clothes and other bits in my truck so you don’t have to worry about that. It’s up to you where we go.”
Emma leant forward so that she was leaning against him, her thumb went to her mouth and this time she didn’t even care that everyone could see her, she felt David wrap his arms around her and he picked her up.
David stroked her hair and rocked her soothingly. He kissed her forehead. “I know, baby, it’s been a long day. I know this must be hard, but it’s all going to be okay, I’ll be right there with you the entire time. Do you remember my promise to you when you first came to live with me? I’ll always look after you and make sure that you’re safe. You just have to let me. Deal?”
Emma looked into his blue eyes, as he willed her to believe him, and she did. She knew that he loved her, completely, but she was still terrified that she would do something to mess it up. But she was too tired to care about that right now. “Deal.” She agreed. She could feel herself growing sleepier, she sighed gently, and led her head against his shoulder trying to stay awake. “Can we go to mommy’s?” She murmured.
“That sounds like a good plan to me kiddo.” He kissed her head again and walked back towards his spouses. “Now, who should we make ride in the bed of my truck instead of the seat, Emmy?”
“How come I have a feeling I’m going to end up being the one?” Kristoff piped up. He knew that they were one seat short of getting them all inside David’s truck, and he was the only one to have brought a car.
“Because we love you?” Snow offered fluttering her eyes and leaning against him.
“I mean… I think we should make the dog…” His eyes twinkled mischievously.
“Ooh.” David chuckled knowing he was going to be in trouble.
“You are so going to be the one in the doghouse.” Anna told him wrapping her arm around Ruby’s waist.
“I will get my own back, stable boy.” Ruby promised playfully. Truthfully she was so happy that they could finally be reunited and they could finally tease and joke with each other again. Ruby shot a smile at a very sleepy Emma who was watching them, she wasn’t tense, which was good as it meant she knew that they weren’t really fighting. “What do you think, pup, Dada has to ride in the back and he gives us all ice cream tomorrow?”
Emma looked at Kristoff and saw him smiling, she knew it was safe for her to answer freely, she looked back at Ruby and grinned properly, her smile was identical to David’s. “Yeah.”
They all smiled at Emma sounding less scared or uncertain than she had all night.
“Okay, cheeky monkey, you can help me scoop everyone’s then.” Kristoff told her watching her smile at getting to do that job.
“We should get going.” Ruby told them. “The sooner we do the sooner we make sure a certain someone gets some rest.” Her eyes flickered to Emma who was close to falling asleep in David’s arms.
They began to walk, Anna and Ruby had their arms around each other, Kristoff held onto Anna and Snow’s hands, and Snow rubbed her hand down Emma’s back as David carried her, Emma was facing down the line at all of her parents, she didn’t want to lose any of them.
“I’ll make some hot chocolate and cinnamon when we get home. I make it better than mama.”
“Only because I taught you how.” Ruby pointed out.
“Yes, but I make it extra chocolatey.”
“Chocolatey’s good.” Emma stated she watched Snow beam with pride and felt a warm feeling in her chest. She was proud of her. Her mom was proud of her.
Once they reached the truck Ruby climbed into the front passenger seat while Snow raced to be able to sit next to Emma’s car seat in the back, Anna sat next to Snow, the two cuddling up slightly. Anna found Emma’s backpack, David had packed for the hospital, and held onto it carefully so they would remember to take it inside.
“Be careful Kris.” David worried watching him climb onto the truck bed, he wasn’t about to lose his husband, though he knew it was fairly safe… safer than the horse races they used to have as kids.
“Always Davey.”
David rolled his eyes at the nickname but smiled as he placed Emma into her carseat and made sure she was strapped in tight.
“Let’s go home.” David told her kissing her forehead.
Emma let her eyes drift shut as soon as David climbed into the driver’s seat, she knew that she had all her parents now, they were together and safe. They were going home. They would never again be separated.
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A Date for the Holidays (and everyday too would be nice)
Summary: Tired of the constant backlash from her family about being single, Emma finds herself striking an arrangement with a roguishly handsome stranger at the mall the day after Christmas. Now she won’t have to be alone for the holidays. Emma and Killian agree to be each other’s dates, no strings attached, no commitment, no pressure. Just two friends getting together to appease her annoying family and get his brother off his back. It’s the perfect setup really...until sticking to the holidays isn’t enough. What happens when they both want more?
Holidate AU
A/N: So I watched the Holidate the other night and couldn’t stop thinking about how much fun it would be to turn this into a CS fic. So here we are. This probably won’t be too long, I’ll be getting back to my wips soon, just needed a break, but probably 4 or 5 chapters or so. Hope you enjoy! Thank you to the ladies on Discord for your encouragement and enabling ;-)
Thank you to the lovely @veryverynotgood for beta reading!
Catch up: Ch 1 // Ch 2 // Ch 3 // Ch 4 // Ch 5 // Ch 6 // Ch 7 // Ch 8 // Ch 9 // Ch 10 // Ch 11
Also available on: AO3 // FF.N
Chapter 9
Halloween
“Stop eating all the chocolate! You’re gonna be sick!”
Emma groans, shoving another mini-sized candy bar into her mouth as Elsa ties the laces of her black leather corset so tightly she’s sure her cousin’s trying to kill her.
“Get ready and suck!” Elsa pulls tight again and turns them toward the bed. Emma reaches out her hands, holding herself up as she bends over the bed, allowing Elsa to trap her in this torture device.
“I am so excited!” Anna says giddily with a grin as she plops down on the bed. “This is my first adult party since the kids!”
“Are you sad Kristoff isn’t coming?” Emma asks curiously.
Anna shrugs. “Yeah, but it’s only one night. He’s taking the kids trick-or-treating.”
“Okay, ready? Suck.” When Emma does what she’s told, Elsa pulls a little too hard on the laces.
“Oh, Jesus!” Emma shoots up, holding her stomach. “When did Halloween go from dressing up like a princess,” she pants and pushes up her breasts higher in the corset, “to dressing up like a whore?” She especially feels slutty considering her cousins’ very modest costumes. Elsa is Queen Victoria and Anna is dressed as her half-sister, Princess Feodora.
“I don’t know, sixth grade?” Elsa guesses.
“What’s a whore?” Daisy asks from where she’s sitting on her aunt and uncle’s bed with her cousin, Arya.
Anna’s mouth falls open, her eyes wide as she tries to explain. “Uh, somebody who gets paid to play with boys.”
Arya perks up. “I wanna be a whore!”
Daisy nods excitedly. “Me too!”
“Okay. Just remember, the house gets fifty percent,” Elsa jokes to her daughter.
Anna claps a hand over her mouth, trying not to burst into laughter as the kids frown at her in confusion.
When Elsa finishes with the corset, Emma sighs in relief and goes over to check out her reflection in the full-length mirror. She’s wearing a bar wench costume, which includes a white, off-the-shoulder top with long, flare sleeves, a choker around her neck and a high-cut bustle skirt, showing off the black fishnet stockings on her legs and knee-high leather boots.
“This is what I get for putting Killian in charge of costumes,” Emma grumbles as she tries to adjust her corset. Her top is very low cut and shows off a little too much cleavage for her liking, so the best she can do is hoist them up to make them look more appealing.
Why did she let Killian talk her into this?
🎃🎃🎃
Fog floats through the room and All the Rage by Allie X blasts from the speakers as Emma and her cousins make their way through the crowd of gyrating bodies all dressed in costumes.
Emma rolls her eyes at her aunt Ruby, who brought Graham as her holidate. She’s dressed as a nurse, and he’s dressed as a doctor. Like seriously, what kind of douchebag dresses as their actual profession for Halloween?
Suspecting where Killian might be, Emma heads toward the bar, and sure enough, he’s already downing a glass of rum with Liam.
Holy hell.
When Killian said he was dressing as Captain Hook, she was expecting breeches, a red jacket, a permed wig and curly mustache. But he's wearing neither of those. His jacket and pants are made of black leather, there’s a hoop in his ear, which looks so fucking hot on him, and he’s wearing a red vest and white dress shirt, exposing a provocative amount of chest hair. He also has a tricorn hat on his head, but it doesn’t have a feather sticking out of it.
He’s the sexiest version of Captain Hook she’s ever seen.
“Ahoy, Captain,” Emma greets, approaching the two brothers, her cousins following behind.
She no longer cringes when she sees Liam since he’d sincerely apologized to her last month, saying he was just looking out for his brother. He admitted he wrongly pointed a finger at her for the Fourth of July fiasco, and she had forgiven him.
Killian turns toward her, his jaw dropping as his eyes scroll up and down her form.
“That’s Captains,” Liam corrects, emphasizing the ‘s’.
Emma arches a brow, taking in his navy-blue uniform and ridiculous bicorn hat. “What are you supposed to be, Cap’n Crunch?”
Liam rolls his eyes and Killian chuckles. “Ha ha, funny lass. I’m a British naval captain.”
“Glad to see your costume fits…” Killian notices thoughtfully, making a show of admiring Emma’s wench costume with a big smirk as he gestures toward her with the fake hook on his hand before finishing his compliment, “perfectly.”
“Yeah, well, try telling that to my spleen,” she groans, adjusting her corset for the millionth time.
“Your discomfort is a cross I’m willing to bear,” he says with a wink and a crooked smirk.
Her cheeks heat, and a smile tugs at her lips before she realizes they’re staring at each other. She shakes herself out of the daze she’s in and introduces her cousins to Killian’s brother. “Liam, this is my cousin, Elsa, and her sister, Anna. This is Killian’s brother, Liam.”
Liam already has his eyes on Elsa as he removes his hat and bows like she’s an actual queen. “Greetings, Your Majesty.” He takes her hand and presses a kiss to the back of it.
Elsa blushes and smiles, pressing her free hand to her chest. “You can just call me Elsa.”
“Any queen in particular?” he asks, eyeing the crown on her head.
“Queen Victoria.” She turns toward Anna. “And this is her half-sister, Princess Feodora.”
He tries to kiss Anna’s hand like he did Elsa’s, but she shakes her head and steps back as though he’s trying to kiss her on the lips. “No, thank you. I’m married.” She gently pushes Elsa forward. “But my sister here is very much single,” she makes sure to inform Liam with a big grin.
Elsa turns her head to scold her sister in disapproval before Anna excuses herself and heads through the crowd.
Liam chuckles awkwardly, his cheeks red as his eyes return to Elsa. “It’s nice to meet you, lass.”
“Likewise. You seem nothing like the self-righteous asshole Emma described you as,” Elsa points out deliberately.
Apology clouds his face as he looks at Emma. “Well, she wasn’t wrong. I was very much a dick.”
“But he apologized,” Emma reminds her.
He looks at Elsa again and scratches behind his ear, the same nervous tick Killian has. “So, um, would you care to dance with this self-righteous arse?” he asks nervously, sticking out his hand.
Elsa laughs, slipping her palm in his. “Sure why not?”
After Liam and Elsa walk away, Killian returns his gaze to Emma. “Drink?”
“Immediately.”
🎃🎃🎃
“Great party, Audrey,” Emma compliments when they finally cross paths with the host.
She gives her an Are you seriously kidding me? look. “It’s a complete disaster! Who fills a place with this much dry ice?”
“But it’s fun,” Killian comments, trying to look on the bright side, “And scary and…” he gestures at her shiny gold dress when he’s at a loss for more adjectives to adequately describe the party decorations. “I love your costume.”
“I’m so embarrassed!” Audrey grumbles, looking down at her outfit. “We’re supposed to be Beauty and the Beast.”
Leo comes up behind her, shouting, “Happy Halloween, party people!”
Emma furrows her brows as she scans her brother’s costume. He doesn’t look like any beast she’s ever seen before. He's dressed in black and is wrapped in what appears to be a burrito shell. “What are you supposed to be?”
“Uh, a taco. Duh!” He points between him and Audrey. “Taco Bell, get it?”
Audrey shakes her head in frustration. “No, I’m Belle, not a bell.”
Killian chuckles. “Just look at it this way—you could just pass it off as a funny pun.”
Emma scans the room as she takes a sip of her third Haunted Orchard Cocktail. Unlike her mocktails on the Fourth, there’s nothing virgin about her drink, as it has tequila and hard cider. And either she’s had a little too much to drink or her ex and his girlfriend are heading toward her. She gasps and whips around to glare at her brother. “You invited Neal?!”
“I wasn’t in charge of the guest list,” he grumbles at Audrey.
His fiancé shrugs. “I didn’t invite him. I invited Tamara. We went to high school together. How was I supposed to know she’s dating your ex?”
Emma furrows her brows at Audrey. “Wait, you two went to high school together?”
“Yeah, she was in the same class as me.”
Emma’s face pales. Oh, God. If Audrey’s twenty, that means…Tamara’s even younger than she thought.
Emma wants to crawl into a hole and hide, but before she gets the chance to run away, Neal and Tamara are already in front of her.
“Happy Halloween!” Neal greets, wrapping his arm around Tamara.
“I love the slutty costume!” the woman says with a big grin. She and Neal are dressed as Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, and Emma can’t help but notice the very round, very prominent, close-to-bursting belly underneath her green dress.
“Thank you…I like yours too.” Emma gestures toward what she hopes to be a fake pregnant belly as part of her costume. “I mean, that fake belly’s incredible. You look really, really pregnant,” she laughs, trying to shove down the hatred and disgust she feels for her ex.
“Not fake,” Tamara corrects, looking over at Neal.
Emma’s eyes widen in horror, and suddenly, she can’t breathe, the corset seeming to press even tighter around her ribcage.
That bastard got her pregnant?!
“Due in two days.”
“I just couldn’t keep her at home,” Neal says with a chuckle.
Tamara shakes her head and swats his chest. “I already told you, baby, this kid’s not gonna change our lives.”
Anna bursts out laughing from behind Emma, which surprises her because she didn’t know her cousin was standing there. “That’s adorable.”
Tamara smiles skittishly, obviously not understanding what’s so funny. “Thank you.”
“Wow…” Emma’s still trying to process this, her mind spinning. “Pregnant…” She turns to look at her cousin, laughing, even though she’s dying inside. “She’s pregnant!”
Anna nods. “I know. She’s adorable. Wanna get another drink?” she asks, ushering Emma away.
“Congrats,” Emma calls out to the expecting parents as she walks past them, still in complete disbelief. “Congrat-u-lations. I am so happy for you! Wow!”
Anna drags her to the bar so she doesn’t make any more of a fool of herself than she already has.
Emma spins around, throwing her hands up in the air. “She’s fucking pregnant?! How is this even possible?! She’s my brother’s age?!”
Anna orders them some cocktails and hands her one. “Here, drink this.”
Emma accepts, guzzling it down like it’s water and then slamming the empty glass on the bar top.
“You need another drink,” Anna suggests.
Emma shakes her head. “Oh God, I don’t feel so good,” she groans, clutching her stomach. She’s on the verge of hyperventilating, the room is spinning and she feels queasy. “I really don’t feel well. I’ve had about fifty mini-size candy bars, four Haunted Orchards and my ex-boyfriend has impregnated someone fifteen years younger than him!”
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Anna says, rubbing her back as Emma grips the bar counter.
Killian comes up behind her and places a hand on her shoulder. “Are you alright, love?”
“No! I am not okay!” she snaps, spinning toward him. “This is what I get for letting you trap me in this torture device!” She tugs at her corset again, trying to make it feel less tight as Anna and Killian both eye her in concern.
“Do you want me to take you home?” her cousin asks.
Emma nods, but before Anna can respond, Killian offers, sensing she didn’t actually want to leave yet. “I can take her.”
“I-I can,” she assures as Killian wraps his arm around Emma and leads her away. “I can. It’s just...I mean, if you’re volunteering.”
“It’s fine.”
“You really don’t have to do this,” Emma mumbles, feeling bad for taking him away from the party.
“Holidate rule number three—leave no holidate behind, remember?” Killian calls an Uber, and when they arrive at her place, he climbs out of the car and turns around to help her out. “Come on, love.”
Emma grabs her clutch and literally crawls out, feeling too tipsy and nauseous to stand on her own two feet. “Just leave me here,” she pleads, not wanting Killian to have to take care of her.
“Nope.” Killian shakes his head and kneels down to help Emma up. “We’re gonna go.”
“Please leave me!”
“No need. I’ve carried beer kegs much heavier than you.” Before Emma can even wonder what he means by that, he picks her up and throws her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes, carrying Emma inside her apartment building. “Come on, we’re almost there.”
Emma groans, feeling too drunk and miserable to protest any further as Killian carries her to the elevator before finally setting her down on her feet and pressing the button.
Emma braces her back against the wall so she doesn’t fall over. She can’t believe she let that asshole, Neal, affect her this much. She was doing fine until she met his girlfriend in February at the candy store. Tamara was certainly not pregnant back then, and now she’s about to pop out a baby?!
Wait.
February?
“Oh my god!” she cries out when realization washes over her. “It’s Halloween!”
Killian furrows his brows, his voice full of confusion when he raises his hook. “Hence the costumes.”
She counts on her fingers, reciting the months between February and October. Yep, just as she suspected. “They did it on Valentine’s Day!” she screams, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Everyone did it on Valentine’s Day.”
“I didn’t do it on Valentine’s Day!”
“Neither did I,” Killian recalls as the elevator dings and the doors slide open.
“They barely even knew each other when they started procreating!”
“I know, love, he’s a wanker,” Killian says as he helps Emma into the elevator.
She buries her face in her hands. “Oh my God, this is so embarrassing!”
“Trust me, I’ve seen much worse.” he tries to assure her, rubbing her back as Emma presses the button to her floor.
“How could this get worse?!” She can feel the bile rising in her throat as the elevator ascends. At first, she thinks she’s just imagining it because she’s thinking about Neal with Tamara and the age gap between them and how sick it makes her. She’s also had so much chocolate and alcohol, it’s affecting her brain, along with her stomach.
Her eyes widen when she realizes she’s about to vomit. She feels a stab of pain in her stomach, and she claps a hand over her mouth when she starts to gag, trying to force it all down. Suddenly feeling very warm, she tries to pull her top away from her skin to cool down, but then she’s rudely reminded she’s still in this goddamn corset. And she doubts it will give way when she has to puke her guts out.
“Untie me,” she says quietly, her face paling.
Killian stares at her in confusion as she shuffles over, turning her back toward him and trying to reach for the laces of her corset. “What?”
“No questions! Just untie me!”
“Okay…” Killian grabs her waist, pulling her toward him before he reaches for the laces, trying to do as he’s told. Quickly realizing the hook just gets in the way, he hangs it on his belt and tries with two free hands. “What is all this?”
“Hurry!”
“I’m trying, okay? I’m trying.”
Another pain shoots through her stomach, and Emma knows she doesn’t have much time. “You know what, just rip it.” She hops around, trying to tug at the fabric, but it won’t budge. Killian keeps close behind her, trying desperately to untie the laces, but not having any luck. “Just rip it.” She braces against the rail as Killian starts pulling on the corset, trying to tear it off her as she moves her hips toward him. “Rip it. Just fucking rip it off!” she shrieks as the elevator doors slide open, revealing an elderly couple staring at them in horror. But she can certainly understand why. Killian’s standing behind her, trying to pull off her clothes as she’s bent over the elevator rail.
Thankfully, the doors close before the couple can step in.
As soon as the elevator reaches her floor, Emma scrambles out, Killian hot on her heels, working on the laces again.
“You’re locked up like Houdini in this thing!”
“This is all your fault!” Emma cries out as she frantically makes her way down the hall, digging through her purse for her keys.
“Almost got it!” Killian assures after he’s finally able to loosen the laces.
They stumble into the apartment, Emma falling over, Killian still latching on to her from behind, trying to get the pesky corset off. While Emma’s in a very compromising position and he’s trying to take her clothes off—something she’s thought about a hundred times since she met him—this wasn’t exactly how she envisioned this moment.
She finally reaches the bathroom and pushes the door open, vomit rising from her throat.
“I got it!” Killian cheers, holding up the corset in success as she slams the door shut, not wanting him to see her like this.
She bolts for the toilet, but before she can reach it, her stomach is convulsing, vomit is spewing out of her mouth and she’s slipping onto the floor with a scream. “Oh, no!”
“Did you make it?” Killian asks through the door, his voice full of concern.
“Go...away! Go away!”
🎃🎃🎃
Emma has never felt so humiliated or mortified in her entire life as she sits in the back corner of her bathtub, tightly hugging her knees, her hair pulled into a messy bun. To think, she started off the night as a sexy bar wench and now she’s naked, cold and covered in puke, the runny mascara making her look like a raccoon. And to top things off, she had to tell Killian, the most gorgeous man she’s ever met, that she slipped in a puddle of her own vomit. Now he’s holding the showerhead over her back, gently rinsing the vomit off of her.
This night couldn’t possibly get any worse.
“Don’t look at me,” she groans, but not because she doesn’t want him to see her naked. She just doesn’t want him to see her at her very worst. She feels pathetic.
“I’m not looking.”
She glances over her shoulder to see if he’s telling the truth. Sure enough, he’s looking in the other direction with the slightest hint of a smile on his face as he shakes his head, making her smile too, despite the situation.
Once she’s clean and in much more comfortable clothes than that god-awful corset, Emma slips into bed and removes the hair tie, letting her long wavy hair fall loose around her shoulders.
Hearing a knock on her door, she looks up to see Killian slowly walking into the room in the pajama pants she got for Christmas, holding out a mug. “Peppermint tea.”
She sits up against her pillows and accepts the drink as Killian sits down on the edge of the bed.
“Helps with nausea.”
“I have peppermint tea?” She arches a brow as she stares into the hot liquid and takes a sip.
“Sort of. It’s just crushed Altoids in boiling water.”
“Hmm.” It’s not bad, actually. She sets the drink on her nightstand and turns toward him again. “So, um...I’m guessing I’ll be an anecdote you tell at parties now? The woman who…” She sighs, her voice quivering and eyes watering with tears. “The woman who…” She tries once again but can’t get the words out.
“The woman who slipped on her own vomit on Halloween?” Killian finishes with a small smile.
“Oh God,” Emma whimpers, pulling the comforter over her head and turning to her side to hide her tears as they fall down her cheeks.
She feels the bed dip a little when Killian climbs in next to her.
“Don’t worry. I’m not gonna tell anyone, okay?”
She pokes her head out. “Promise?”
“I promise,” he says sincerely.
She turns around to her other side to face him and wipes her tears. “Thank you,” she whispers, looking up at him.
He flashes a smile as a comfortable silence settles over them. Emma gazes up at him as he stares at the ceiling, sighing. He looks so handsome, his dress shirt still revealing an ample amount of chest hair she wants to run her fingers through. But instead, she closes her eyes and sniffles, wanting to forget this day ever happened, except for the part when she falls asleep next to Killian with his comforting scent wafting around her.
When she wakes the next morning to the sound of birds chirping and dogs barking, the first thing she sees is Killian’s face, which is only an inch away from hers. She blinks the sleepiness from her eyes and turns her head, noticing his hand on her shoulder. When her eyes return to his handsome face, he’s opening his eyes and quickly removing his arm with a quiet apology.
They share a laugh, their eyes locked on one another as the side of her head sinks into the pillow again. Suddenly, all the air is sucked from her lungs, and she can’t breathe as she stares into Killian’s deep blue eyes that seem to set her entire body on fire. She can’t imagine she looks even close to decent; it’s nothing like those movies where the woman wakes up, looking like she's just stepped out of a page of Vogue magazine, with her makeup all perfect and not a hint of sleep on her face. But Killian doesn’t seem to mind her appearance; in fact, he seems to be just as captivated by her as she is by him.
He leans forward to kiss her, but Emma pulls back, covering her mouth with the comforter.
“I have morning breath,” she points out.
He chuckles. “I don’t care, love.”
She laughs when she remembers him saying the same thing after she went down on him and he wanted to kiss her.
He reaches out and removes the blanket from over her mouth, his words melting away her nerves as he closes the distance between them.
As she moves in to meet him halfway, she’s glad she brushed her teeth before she went to bed last night.
Killian cups her cheek in his hand as she closes her eyes and moves her lips against his, allowing herself to give in to him.
His lips are even softer than she remembers, and she cards her hand through his disheveled hair, wanting so much more of him. This kiss is different from any other kiss they’ve had. Lust and a need to be close to someone fueled their previous kisses. But this one... this is so much more than that. There are feelings involved—real, actual feelings. Her heart is pounding in her chest, and she hopes he can’t hear it, but she wouldn’t be surprised if he could. Emma parts her lips, her searching tongue sweeping inside his mouth to find his, pulling a groan from his throat at the connection that sends a shiver down her spine.
When she wraps a leg around his hip, he pulls her flush against him, letting her feel how incredibly hard he is. She moans as he rolls Emma onto her back and settles between her legs. She grinds against him, eliciting a low growl from his throat as he releases her lips to leave a scorching hot trail of kisses and nips down her neck.
Killian pulls away just long enough to tug his shirt over his head and toss it to the floor. Emma bites her bottom lip as she admires a shirtless Killian with a raging hunger in his deep pools of blue. She sifts her fingers through his chest hair as he leans in to capture her lips again, his fur even softer than she imagined. Her hands glide up his firm chest and broad shoulders, her arms wrapping around him, pulling him closer. He rocks his hips against her, his erection grinding her center through their pants. He feels so good like this, and she can’t wait to have him inside of her. He pulls back once more, helping Emma remove her pants, and he takes her panties with them, throwing the obtrusive clothing to the floor.
Killian takes her foot in his hand and presses a soft kiss to her ankle, his gaze sweeping up her legs and finding her aching core, which is already soaking wet.
“Fucking hell.” His voice is husky and low, his eyes never leaving her pussy. He makes a trail of soft kisses up her leg, and she wants to grab him and have him inside her, but he has different plans.
He presses a soft, wet kiss to her nub, his hot breath warming her skin. Emma whines as Killian parts her thighs and settles between her legs, her heart slamming as he licks up her slit.
“Holy fuck.” She runs one hand through his hair and grabs the sheet with her other one as he eats into her, his tongue soft and warm and talented on her sensitive bundle of nerves.
When she moves her hips, riding his face, she’s rewarded with a rough growl and a speed that has her already panting. “Killian…”
Her fingers tighten around his hair and the bedsheet as he slips his finger inside her and tongues her harder, nibbling softly and sucking on her clit. Everything he’s doing to her is making her head spin as she rests her legs over his shoulders. She peers down at him, and her eyes connect with his. The intensity of his stare as he feasts on her like she’s his last meal takes her breath away.
She didn’t have many partners who could make her cum with their tongue, but Killian has her on the edge after a matter of minutes. She moans loudly as he adds another finger, and her walls clamp around his digits.
“Killian, fuck!” She explodes in his mouth, her body shuddering as a powerful orgasm rips through her. He tries to hold on to her a little longer, but she pushes him away, unable to take anymore.
So he removes his fingers and slips them into his mouth, groaning and telling her how good she tastes.
She’s still trying to recover when his wet lips make their way up her body—her nub, her waist, her stomach. He pushes up her shirt and kisses the valley of her breasts before kissing her lips. She moans when she tastes the tang on his tongue. It makes her want him even more.
Reaching between them, she tugs at the waistband of his pants, and Killian pushes them off until his dick springs free. The mere sight of his thick, aching cock prompts her legs to fall open for him, her breathing still ragged from her orgasm as she waits in anticipation, her heart thudding in her chest.
She crooks her finger, silently calling him over, and he eagerly complies, crushing her lips with his. As soon as she feels his warm cock sliding through her folds, she moans in his mouth and knows if she doesn’t have him soon, she might combust. She snakes her legs around his back and winds her arms around his neck as Killian effortlessly flips them over so she’s on top. She’s straddling his lap as they both rise together, him in a sitting position as he presses soft kisses over her chest. She whimpers in his mouth when she feels his hard dick at her folds and she moves her hips, seeking more friction.
Killian grabs her frame, breaking the kiss to whisper against her lips, his voice completely shattered, “Condoms?”
Emma nods and reaches for her nightstand drawer, pulling out one of the condoms she’s had for far too long. Once she rolls the rubber down his length, she raises her hips, bringing the tip of his cock to her entrance and sinking down, moaning at the delicious feeling of being filled.
He groans and buries his face in her neck, holding her tight as she rolls her hips, her hands roaming his back. Killian tugs at her shirt, and she lifts her arms so he can pull it off of her. Once it’s gone, he captures a soft nipple and slowly sucks each one until they’re both stiff peaks in his warm, inviting mouth.
“Oh God…” She arches her back, running her fingers through his thick, gorgeous locks of hair as he laps at her breasts with his tongue and nibbles and sucks to his heart’s content.
“Fuck, you’re so bloody gorgeous,” he groans, burying his face in her breasts, breathing in her scent, his lips worshipping her like she’s a goddess.
She’s never felt so cherished before…so loved, like nothing else in his world exists.
Only her.
He wraps his arms around her frame, aiding her movements as she rides his cock, their bodies writhing impossibly close in each other’s arms.
Having sex with this man, the same man who spilled his green juice all over her at the mall, is so surreal. She’s known him for ten months and he’s been there for every holiday as her fake boyfriend, her date and also as a friend. And now they’re making love in the middle of her bed, their sounds of pleasure echoing off the walls.
Killian rolls them over so Emma’s head is lying against the pillows as he rams into her, lifting her leg and holding it in place.
She kisses his neck and shoulder, his thrusts becoming deeper, harder and faster.
“You feel so good, love,” he groans in a raspy voice as she rolls her hips up to meet his.
“You do too,” she whispers in his ear, digging her nails into his arms and back as if he’ll take her to Heaven. He just might.
Her eyes roll back when he rubs her clit in addition to his thrusts. He kisses her hungrily as she feels another climax building.
“Killian, I’m about to—” Her walls clench around his cock as another wave of euphoric bliss crashes over her, causing Killian to jerk his hips fast and hard, chasing his own orgasm with a drawn-out groan.
“Emma…” He explodes inside the condom, burying his face in her neck, breathing hoarsely into her hair as his movements slow.
When he pulls out, he falls onto the bed next to her, the two of them lying side by side, staring up at the ceiling, covered in a sheen of sweat.
“Wow...” he manages after a moment, his voice raspy. “That was…”
“Yeah...” Her heart is slamming against her ribcage as she tries to wrap her head around what just happened. She didn’t know sex could even be this good. Her legs are shaking, the room is spinning and both of them are panting, trying to catch their breaths.
After Killian forces himself out of bed to dispose of the condom and clean both of them up, he rejoins her in the bed, pulling the blankets over them and holding her close as she rests her head on his chest.
He kisses the top of her head, and a comfortable silence fills the room as she tries to decipher what this means. Do they go back to being friends or holidates or whatever they were before, or do they become something more? She has no idea. She knows she can trust him to not break her heart.
She imagines what it would be like to fill his bathroom with all her girly crap, have him find her bobby pins in odd places when she’s not there and share a panini maker with him, along with a bedroom, and call his place home. She imagines what it would be like for him to be so completely in love with her, he can’t help but be cheesy and drop a knee at midnight on New Year and she imagines actually having babies with him and finally making her mother a grandma. She imagines turning this holidate thing into something more permanent because she thinks she’s falling for him and can’t imagine what it would be like to spend a holiday without him.
Fuck.
Is she actually falling for him?
“Do you want some coffee?” she asks, shoving down her feelings for him.
“Sure, love.” He caresses her cheek, a small smile playing along his lips.
She wishes she knew what he’s thinking. Does he feel the same way about her that she does about him? “Unless you’d rather go. I mean…I—if you want…I…don’t feel obligated to stay.”
He sits up, looking down at her in confusion. “You want me to leave?”
“No,” she replies quickly, sitting up and securing the blanket around herself. “No, I just…” She bites her bottom lip. “I just mean, Halloween’s over, right? So I’d understand if you wanted to leave.”
Killian cups her cheek in his hand, his thumb brushing over her skin. “Well, I don’t wanna leave.”
Emma gulps, unable to breathe under the intensity of his gaze. “Okay.” She laughs nervously, trying to ease the tension in the room. “I’ll just get that coffee now. Be right back.” She climbs out of bed, grabbing her robe from the floor and tugging it around herself as she leaves the room.
Once the coffee is done brewing, Emma pours his into a mug and adds cream to hers before bringing the mugs to the bedroom. He sits up again, leaning against the headboard as he accepts with an appreciative smile. They sip their beverages in a rather awkward silence. Suddenly, such an easy friendship has shifted into something else, and neither of them knows how to act or what to say to each other.
An incessant pounding on her front door pulls Emma from her thoughts, and she shares a look with Killian, not knowing who could be here. She sets her coffee on the nightstand and gets out of bed, leaving the room.
The knocking doesn’t subside until she finally opens the door, revealing a very frantic Elsa.
“I kissed the navy captain!” She storms into the apartment, pulling off her jacket and purse, setting them on the couch.
“What?”
“The navy captain!” Elsa repeats, looking like she’s on the verge of hyperventilating. “I kissed him! We were standing in line at the party last night after we danced, waiting for the restrooms and then suddenly it happened!” She takes a deep breath. “We kissed!”
Emma lifts a brow, not knowing what the issue is. “And that’s a bad thing?”
Elsa paces the room, toying with her fingers. “Well no, he’s handsome and single and rather charming when he’s not being a self-righteous asshole, but...”
“So, what’s the problem?”
Elsa stops in her tracks and shrugs. “The problem is I haven’t kissed anyone since…” She pauses, but doesn’t really have to finish her sentence for Emma to know where she’s going with this.
Emma takes her cousin’s hands in hers, looking her dead in the eyes. “Do you like Liam?”
“No…yes…I mean, I don’t know. I barely know him.” She pulls away, throws herself onto the couch and buries her face in a pillow. “It’s been years since I’ve dated and yet I almost had sex with the naval captain in the restroom!”
“Wait, you almost had sex with him?” Emma runs a hand through her disheveled hair and hears boots clunking across the floor. When she looks toward the noise, she sees Killian entering the room, now fully clothed in his leather pants and the rest of his costume from last night, carrying his hat in his hand, a small smirk tugging at his lips. He obviously heard their conversation. “Good morning, Elsa.”
She freezes and sits up, forcing a smile on her face as she turns to face Killian. “Hi. I was just…telling Emma about this dream I had last night.”
“Right,” Killian says with a wink before gesturing to the door with his pirate hat. “I was just leaving.”
Just before he reaches for the knob, Elsa throws herself off the couch, glancing between them. “Am I interrupting something?”
“No,” Emma insists with a shake of her head.
At the same time, Killian answers with a “Yes.”
“We were just having coffee,” Emma assures her cousin, crossing her arms.
“Well, maybe I should come back after you’ve had...coffee.”
Killian waves off her suggestion, but Emma can tell by the look on his face, he doesn’t actually want to leave. “You should stay, and I’ll go. You seem really upset about your…dream.” He meets Emma’s eyes. “Okay?”
Emma stays silent, only holding his gaze for a few seconds before looking away. She feels torn because she doesn’t want Killian to leave, but she also wants to be here for Elsa. Kissing someone and almost having sex with him since her husband passed away is a huge step for Elsa.
Killian waves before pulling the door open. “Bye, ladies.”
Emma waves with a cheerful smile, trying to hide the disappointment in her gut as he heads out. “See you at Thanksgiving!”
The look on Killian’s face—the devastation mixed with disappointment and hurt written all over his expression—makes Emma’s heart clench. And she desperately wants to take back her words. But it’s too late, because Killian is already shutting the door behind him.
“Thanksgiving?” Elsa furrows her brows.
Emma squeezes her eyes shut, realizing her mistake. Elsa doesn’t know he was just her holidate. She thinks they were actually dating. Emma heads to the kitchen, knowing they have a lot to discuss. “Want some coffee?”
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