It was a crisp, clear day the 23rd of October. Emma Swan found herself shuffling through the colorful dead leaves on the ground on her way home from the Sheriff's station. Storybrooke had been a blissful few weeks of peace since returning from Neverland and then dealing with a new curse. It was nice to be able to finally breathe. She waved to Ruby who stood outside of Granny's diner as she walked by.

Ruby called, "Tonight is gonna be awesome." Emma gave her a thumbs-up before stuffing her hand back in the pocket of her jacket. She was still not used to the fact that an entire town was celebrating her birthday. Had it really just been a year since she had made that wish on a blue star candle? She shook her head in disbelief.

The apartment door was open when she arrived home. David was already inside, rushing around to get things ready for the party. "Hey Emma," he said with a grin. "Mary Margaret is going to be home with Henry soon. We're going to have a quick family celebration before we head out to the party."

"Okay," she said, feeling slightly flustered. It was getting easier to accept that she had her parents back in her life (especially after Neverland), and that there were people in her life who cared about her. She pointed in the direction of her room. "I'm going to start getting ready."

"Ohh, you look beautiful sweetie," Mary Margaret said. Emma examined herself in the mirror. She had her usual skinny jeans and boots on, but she traded her usual leather jacket for the thick cream-colored wool sweater that Mary Margaret had given her for her birthday. It would keep her warm for the party, which she was thankful for.

"Thanks," she said with a small smile. "It was a perfect present, thank you." She set down and unplugged the hair curler. She had missed having curls – it was a luxury she hadn't had for months, ever since the curse broke.

She followed Mary Margaret back to the kitchen, where Henry was finishing up a piece of her birthday cake. "It's not too late to change your mind," he said, licking the back of his fork. She had to give it to her kid: he was quite manipulative.

She placed her hands on his shoulders. "Sorry kid," she said. "Adults only. Ask again when you are 18. Or better yet, 21, since there's going to be alcohol. Besides, Regina would have my head if I let you go."

With a forlorn sigh, Henry hopped off of the barstool. "Okay."

She nudged his shoulder with her own. "Hey, thanks for the present. I loved it." His face lit up into a grin.

"Really?"

"Absolutely. Now c'mon, let's get you to your mom's before we start running late."

"I think we found it," Emma muttered to herself, pulling her Bug to a park behind David's truck. The night was officially dubbed "Emma's Birthday Bonfire Bash", and it was down a one-lane gravel road in the middle of the woods. A large but well-managed bonfire was roaring at the center of a clearing. Dozens of people were milling about, and all managed to shout "HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA!" in unison the moment she stepped into the clearing. She laughed, thanking everyone, and made a beeline to Ruby.

Ruby had brought a cooler full of hotdogs to roast, and she was busy setting them up with the remaining light of the setting sun. "You promised me some alcohol?" she asked on a laugh.

She grinned her wolfish grin. "Patience Emma Swan, the night is young." Then she leaned over to whisper, "I brought some hard apple cider." Emma grinned at her and went to help set up a line for roasting hotdogs.

Everything was in full swing. Someone had brought an iPod dock and hooked it up to speakers and was playing music she had never heard before. She had already consumed two hotdogs, and was considering going back for thirds at some point. The party was fun, but Emma found herself searching amongst the faces for a specific one. After a while she gave up, accepting that he wasn't going to show. With a certain, inexplicable sadness, she retrieved her first cup of cider.

It was stupid, really, her desire for him to be there. Not that she would admit this to anyone else, but he had really proven himself in Neverland. She was not used to someone putting her first, yet through the duration of their unpleasant stay in the stagnant realm, he only ever did. She could never thank him enough for all the things he did to help rescue her son, and for always having faith in her. It was for this reason that she was let down that he did not even attend her birthday party.

She milled around among the citizens of Storybrooke, attempting to be social (but mostly to distract herself). At some point in her socializing she set down her half-consumed cup of cider and never saw it again. After several minutes of catching up with Ashley, Emma retrieved her second cup of cider. She had taken one sip of it when a voice came up behind her. "You're not going to save any for me, lass?" She startled and nearly sent her cup of cider spilling. She whipped around, eyebrows drifting up.

"Hook!" She said in surprise.

"Aye," he said, taking the cup from her hand and giving it a whiff. "Cider?" He shrugged before consuming the rest of it.

"Hey, I was drinking that!" She said indignantly, but a laugh followed.

"You're looking lovely, Swan," he said, his gaze lazily taking her in, and damn it, she felt butterflies in her stomach.

"Thanks," she said. "It's been months since I've had a chance or a reason to dress up. This is kind of the first real birthday party I've had." And with that positive note...

He gave her an understanding look. Before he could say anything she blurted, "Roasted marshmallows. Have you had them?"

He blinked at her sudden change in direction. "Roasted what?"

"Come here," she grabbed the edge of his sleeve, not daring to actually grasp his arm, and tugged him towards the food. She took one of the sticks that she and Ruby had gathered, and shoved two giant marshmallows on it. She handed it to him, and he took it with a flabbergasted expression on his face.

She fixed one for herself and then walked closer to the fire, holding it over it from a safe distance. He attempted to copy what she did, eying her curiously. After several moments she said, "Uh, Hook watch it-" He had leaned his stick too close to the flames and his marshmallows caught fire, rapidly turning black. "Quick! Quick! Blow them out! They might be salvageable!" She found herself laughing hysterically at his confusion as he blew out the flames. She gave them a quick lookover and said, "Nope. Toss 'em." Hers had browned nicely, so she delicately pulled one off and handed it to him. "Just shove it in your mouth."

He dubiously took it from her and stuffed it into his mouth. An eyebrow went up and he attempted to say around a mouthful of marshmallow, "Bloody hell."

Emma stuffed the other one in her mouth, moaning in delight. It had been years since she'd last eaten one. She pretended not to notice the way Hook had stared at her from her sound of enthusiasm. They then proceeded to eat half a dozen more each before feeling sick from the amount of sugar.

Eventually they found themselves away from the rest of the crowd, sitting in silence on a log at the edge of the woods. Emma had a fresh cup of apple cider in her hands that she sipped on periodically. She couldn't stop gazing at the stars; they shone very bright, and they were familiar. It wasn't the alien sky of Neverland, but the beautiful sky of home.

"Beautiful," she heard Hook mutter from beside her.

"Yeah," she murmured, continuing to gaze at the sky.

She felt a finger slide beneath her chin, turning her head so that she faced him. She had been looking at the stars, but Hook only had eyes for her. She felt her breath catch in her throat. In the darkness his eyes were nearly black, yet she had never seen them shine brighter. Brighter even than the stars shining above them.

"Oh," she said breathlessly, as though that was all the explanation that was needed. Then she leaned forward and kissed him.

This kiss was very unlike the kiss they'd shared in Neverland. This one started slow and gentle, like dipping a foot in the ocean as they tested the waters. She unconsciously carded her fingers through his hair, sliding her hand down to grip the back of his neck. His hand was tangled in her hair, pushing her closer to him. Eventually they broke apart to breathe, but their faces were still pressed against each other.

"Maybe not a one time thing," Emma mumbled, and Hook's soft laughter ghosted across her face. She smiled at him.

The moment was broken when she heard someone calling her name. She turned and found Mary Margaret searching for her. "Over here," Emma called, already walking in her direction. "What's up?" she asked when she reached her.

Mary Margaret tilted her head, gazing at her curiously. "You're flushed. Are you alright?" Her eyebrows went up and she smiled mischievously. Of course she would notice.

"Yes, I'm great," she said. "Are you heading home?"

"David and I are staying at the Inn tonight, remember?" She asked, and Emma nodded. She had tried to forget, as a matter of fact. "You'll have the apartment to yourself. Sorry to abandon you on your birthday." She didn't sound sorry. Emma wasn't sure whether it was because she was finally having a night with her husband or whether she was suspicious of the redness on her daughter's cheeks and the swollenness of her lips. She wasn't sure she liked either option.

"It's fine," Emma said, giving her mother a hug. "I've had enough socializing for today."

"Drive safe," David said to her when he walked up to get Mary Margaret.

"Always do," she said, waving goodbye to them. She checked with Ruby to see if she wanted any help cleaning things up, but Ruby insisted that she leave it to them; it was her birthday after all. Emma nodded and said her thanks, taking note of the friendliness between Ruby and Dr. Whale.

Huh, she hadn't thought about them. They could actually work, if they became a thing.

Hook was already walking in the direction of the gravel road when she started to head towards her car. "Did you walk here?" Emma asked in disbelief.

"Well, yes."

"You idiot," Emma said drily, "I could have given you a ride. Now get in the car."

"Is it wise to be driving a vehicle after drinking cider?" Hook questioned, yet he still slid into the passenger seat.

She buckled her seatbelt and turned the vents on high to warm them up. Due to her car's age, the heating and A/C system took a while to start working. "I didn't drink enough to be inebriated," she said when she finished meddling with the vents. "Despite getting three cups of it, I probably only drank ¾ of a cup." She gave him a faux-serious glare. Her third had been forgotten after their kiss.

The kiss. She couldn't lie to herself: she was most assuredly attracted to the pirate. However, she would not admit this to anyone else. Not anytime soon. She had to figure out her own feelings before she went announcing them to everyone. Was it love? She wasn't certain.

The ride back to town was mostly silent. When she parked in front of her apartment, she shut off the car and glanced anxiously at Hook. His gaze was steady on hers. He looked as though he was about to say something, so she cut him off before he could utter a word. "Would you like to come inside?"

He looked briefly troubled, so before he could answer, she grabbed his coat lapels and kissed him again. She did not hold back – this kiss was hungry like the one they shared in Neverland. After the briefest of moments he responded, kissing her just as enthusiastically.

When they broke apart to breathe, Hook muttered, "You were saying?"

Emma allowed herself five seconds to reconsider her offer, especially because of what it would mean now.

1

She was allowing her walls that had protected her for so long to come down

2

For her, this would be more than just a one-night stand

3

This was Captain fucking Hook

4

No. This was Killian Jones.

5

He meant more to her than she had ever thought, and this both frightened and thrilled her.

"Come on," she said, and he followed her into the apartment. She wasted no time, immediately rushing to him for another kiss. She began to push off his leather coat, and he in turn helped her out of her new sweater. She pulled him up the steps to her loft room, where they resumed the quick removal of clothing, all the while punctuated by kisses. Emma was left standing in her bra and panties when she went to remove the contraption on his arm that held his namesake.

He froze. "Emma..." he said, and she could hear the anxiety in his voice.

She pulled him down to sit on the bed beside her. "If you don't want me to, it's okay," she told him softly. She had never seen him look so troubled. It was understandable, however, especially since completely removing it would expose his old injury – something she doubted many people, if anyone, had seen. It would leave him vulnerable.

"No," he sighed at long last. He held out his arm slowly, allowing her to unbuckle and slide off the leather.

She smoothed her hands over his forearm in reassurance, and leaned down to kiss the curve where his hand should be for good measure. His intake of breath made her look up and meet his eyes. Their lips met once more, and they both tumbled onto the mattress, a tangled mass of limbs smelling of campfire smoke.

Note: This story is the first part of a series of oneshots. So keep an eye on my profile for more. You can also find me on AO3 and tumblr under the username iamladyloki.