Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: After seeing a post talking about the CS 12 Days of Christmas, I thought that it might be fun to give it a shot since I love CS and I enjoy writing Christmas stories. So I've decided to take a little break from All We Ever Wanted in favor of attempting to do the CS 12 Days of Christmas. The idea is that every day has a theme and you're supposed to try to come up with something that fits said theme over the next 12 days. I'll be honest and admit that I don't know if I'm going to be able to do all 12, but I'm going to try. Today was the first day and the theme was workaholic/business rivals during Christmas. This leans more toward the workaholic side, though not completely. You'll see. If you're reading All We Ever Wanted, a few of these one shots will take place in that world. This is not one of them. This is an AU that takes place in Storybrooke, which is just a regular town. So no magic. No fairy tales characters. Just a regular town. Mary Margaret and David are not Emma's parents in this AU, just her friends. Hope you like it.
Rating: K+
"This is insane," Mary Margaret Nolan complained.
She was sitting at one of the outdoor tables at the town diner, Granny's, with one of her best friends, Emma Swan while they used menus as shields to hide their faces. It was part their effort to track the every move of Emma's longtime boyfriend, Killian Jones. It was almost Christmas and there were any number of Christmas related things that Mary Margaret would much rather be doing. Like baking cookies or going ice skating or building a snowman. But no, she'd been dragged into this crazy reconnaissance mission. One that involved following Killian all throughout Storybrooke.
Something strange was going on, Emma had said when she'd recruited Mary Margaret. Killian was the Captain of a fishing boat, but after weeks of bad fishing had decided to end his fishing season early. He'd been struggling to break even fishing and it didn't seem worth it to keep working so hard for no profit. So he'd decided to end the season early and give his crew a nice long break for Christmas. That wasn't what Emma found strange.
No, what was strange was that Killian usually had a lot of free time when his fishing season ended. Not so this year. No, this year it seemed as if was just as busy as he'd been during the season. Perhaps even more so. Whenever Emma tried asking him what he was up to, he changed the subject. Every single time. The most she'd gotten out of him was a vague comment that he was busy. Thank you, Captain Obvious, Emma thought.
Busy doing what? That's what Emma was dying to know. As Sheriff of Storybrooke she was used to leading investigations and figuring out the truth. Used to solving mysteries and she was determined to solve this one. Especially after trying her luck at asking her friend and deputy David Nolan, Mary Margaret's husband, if he knew anything about what was going on with Killian. A brief look of something resembling panic had appeared on David's face before he quickly answered by saying that Killian was just busy, that's all.
Busy. That seemed to be the word of the Christmas season. David knew something. That was perfectly clear. How did Emma know? David had deliberately avoided making eye contact with Emma had said it. In Emma's experience, there were mainly two kinds of people who avoided eye contact. Those who suffered from social anxiety and those who were hiding something. And David certainly didn't suffer from social anxiety. He also happened to be one of Killian's best friends, right after Emma. Whatever was going on with Killian, David knew. Emma would bet money on it.
But he wasn't talking. Leaving Emma with no choice but to enlist Mary Margaret on this mission. She would get to the bottom of this. They'd started out their morning by meeting at practically the crack of dawn to hide out on the docks near Killian ship, the Jolly Roger. They'd waited in the cold for what had felt like forever until Killian had emerged. They'd waited until he'd gotten a safe distance away and then began tailing him. Leading them to Granny's where they had been freezing ever since watching Killian go inside.
"I have to know what he's up to," Emma Swan protested, shooting her friend a look.
"So you've decided that stalking him was the way to go," Mary Margaret said.
"We're not stalking him!" Emma argued. "Not exactly."
"Emma, we are literally following his every move. If this isn't stalking, what do you call it?" Mary Margaret asked.
"It's...we're...okay, we're stalking him! But it's for a good reason. I have to know what's going on," Emma said.
"I'm freezing," Mary Margaret complained. "That's what's going on."
"With you, maybe," Emma said. "I have to know what's keeping Killian so busy. What's he doing?"
"At the moment I'd say he's probably enjoying a nice hot coffee inside Granny's," Mary Margaret suggested.
"Yeah, but he hasn't been spending all his free time here. So where has he been? What has he been up to? Who is he seeing?" Emma asked.
"Okay, hold on," Mary Margaret frowned. "Who he's seeing? Emma, you don't think he's cheating on you, do you?"
"No," Emma answered.
"No?" Mary Margaret asked.
"The thought did cross my mind, given my history," Emma admitted. Several of the men she'd dated had cheated on her causing her to build walls around her heart in an effort to protect herself. She hadn't made it easy for Killian when he'd first expressed an interest in becoming more than friends. She'd kept him at arms length, too scared to let him get too close lest she give him an opportunity to hurt her. Her heart had been broken too many times already.
And yet somehow Killian had managed to break through her defenses. He'd proven himself to be a loyal man, steadfast and true. When Killian loved someone, he did so with everything he was. He had never given Emma a reason to doubt his faithfulness to her. Not until he'd started acting so strangely. Cheating had indeed crossed her mind.
But upon further thought, she'd dismissed the idea. There were some things Emma knew deep down in her bones to be true and among them was the knowledge Killian was a great many things, but a cheater was not one of them. She said as much to Mary Margaret.
"Good," Mary Margaret smiled at her. "I was about to say. He's crazy about you."
"Yeah, well," Emma said, flushing a bit. "That may be true, but he is keeping something from me. And we're going to find out what."
"Are they still out there?" Killian asked, taking a leisurely sip of his coffee while David peered out the window.
"Yep," David nodded, grinning. "They've gotta be freezing out there! Though I do think it's cute that they're so devoted to their mission."
"Indeed," Killian nodded. "You should have seen them trying to hide behind a stack of crates on the docks by my ship. I should have grabbed my camera."
"You do realize that they're going to follow you around all day, right?" David asked.
"I don't mind," Killian shrugged. "I can think of worse things than having a couple of beautiful lasses following me around all day."
"You know you could just tell Emma what you've been up to," David pointed out.
"Aye, but where's the fun in that?" It was Killian's turn to grin as he snuck a glance out the window. He lifted his coffee cup in their direction in salute. "And now if you'll excuse me, I must get going. I'm due at the library."
"Killian's coming!" Mary Margaret hissed, peeking out from behind her menu. "Oh!" She ducked back behind the menu as Killian stopped, looking this way and that suspiciously. "Don't move," she whispered to Emma.
Killian chuckled to himself as he watched Emma and Mary Margaret out of the corner of his eye. To think that they thought they were being inconspicious. For heaven's sake, they were in broad daylight and hunched behind a pair of diner menus. He shook his head, grinning as he went on the way.
"The suspect is on the move," Mary Margaret muttered. "What?" she asked, noting the look of amusement on Emma's face.
"I thought you thought this whole thing was stupid," Emma said.
"Yeah, well, you haven't given me any choice," Mary Margaret shot back. "So I may have well have some fun with it. Now are we going to follow him or what?"
"Let's go," Emma said. They got up and headed out of the outdoor seating area, quickly looking around before spotting Killian walking further down the sidewalk. "Let's go." They followed him down the sidewalk, occassionally ducking behind buildings or trashcans whenever Killian would stop for whatever reason. Finally they came to the library and watched him go inside.
"He's going into the library!" Emma said.
"The library?!" Mary Margaret exclaimed in mock horror. "My God, he could be spending all his time." She paused for dramatic effect. "Reading! Oh, say it isn't so, Killian! Say it isn't so."
"Are you done?" Emma asked, though her lips twitched at her friend's dramatics.
"Sorry," Mary Margaret said with a sheepish grin. "Should we go in?"
"Absolutely," Emma nodded. They headed into the library, where Mary Margaret suggested that they split up, offering to take the kid's section. Emma gave her another nod and headed in the opposite direction.
Mary Margaret watched her friend walk away and then walked over to the kid's section where she found Killian. "Ah, so you've decided to reveal yourself, I see?" Killian said, smirking at her. "And what of my lovely girlfriend?"
"I told her I'd take this section," Mary Margaret told him.
"Does she suspect anything?" Killian asked.
"Only that you're up to something," Mary Margaret answered. "She has no idea what. So can I see it?" she asked, looking up at him with a look of excitement on her face.
"I haven't gotten a chance to pick it up yet," Killian answered, amused when her face fell. "You should know that seeing as how you've been following me around."
"And freezing to death, I'll point out," Mary Margaret said. "She's determined to figure this out. You know how she gets."
"That I do, lass. That I do," he agreed. "That's one of the reasons why I love her."
"Aw," Mary Margaret beamed at him. "You two are so sweet. You're going to make her so happy."
"That's the plan, yes," he said.
Emma, meanwhile, was growing increasingly frustrated. Killian was nowhere to be found. The library wasn't that big, so where could he possibly be? Maybe Mary Margaret had had better luck. Emma was just about to head to the kid's section, but stopped when she heard someone calling her name. She turned to find her friend and head librarian Belle French walking towards her with a friendly smile on her face. "Emma, hi!"
"Hey Belle," Emma smiled back. "You haven't seen Killian around by chance, have you?"
"Oh sure," Belle nodded, checking her watch. "Story Time is just about to start."
"Okay," Emma said slowly, giving her an odd look. "And what does that have to do with Killian?"
"You mean you don't know?" Belle asked, seeming surprised. "Killian's been helping out here lately."
"What are you talking about?" Emma asked, confused.
"He really didn't tell you?" Belle asked, sounding surprised.
"Didn't tell me what?" Emma wanted to know.
"Emma, Killian's been working here part-time since his fishing season ended," Belle told her.
"He...what?" Emma gaped at her friend. This didn't make any sense.
"I can't believe he didn't tell you," Belle said. "Here, let me show you something." She led them over to the children's section. Along the way there were signs advertising Story Time. They came to the end of the bookshelves to find a group of children sitting on the floor. And there in the Storyteller chair sat Killian. Reading them The Polar Express. Emma's jaw dropped.
"Our regular story time lady has been has been recovering from a broken hip," Belle told Emma in a hushed voice. "Killian's been filling in for her."
"Killian's the new story time lady?" Emma asked, shocked.
"He prefers to think of himself as the storytelling pirate, but yes," Belle said with a giggle. "For the time being. Look at him. He's so great at it. The kids just love him." Emma couldn't help smiling as she watched him. His voice was so warm and soothing and the kids in attendance were hanging onto his every word. Mary Margaret came up to them while they were listening.
"I was just about to go find you," Mary Margaret told her, smiling. "So this is what he's been up to. Reading to children. How sweet."
"Yeah..." Emma frowned, turning to walk out of the kid's section. Mary Margaret and Belle exchange a look of confusion before following her.
"What?" Mary Margaret asked as they caught up to her.
"Why wouldn't he tell me about this?" Emma asked. "Why keep it a secret? "
"I don't know why he wouldn't tell you," Belle frowned. "Maybe he's been distracted by all the work he's been doing. I mean, he's been here and then there's the deliveries he's being doing for my father. Maybe he-"
"Deliveries?" Emma interrupted, incredulous. "He's been doing deliveries for your father?" Belle's father, Moe, was the town florist.
"It's only been for the past two weeks," Belle said quickly. "My father twisted his ankle and has been having a hard time getting around. So Killian's been delivering flower arrangements whenever he can. He said he needed the extra money."
"Extra money?" Emma asked. She seemed to grow more confused with each new detail she learned. "What does he need extra money for?" She held up her hand at the look of helpless confusion on Belle's face. "And why didn't he tell me about any of this?"
Belle let Emma and Mary Margaret hide out behind the front desk when it was coming to the end of Story Time. They waited, listening to Killian say goodbye to Belle and then watching as he left the library. Emma counted to twenty and then motioned for Mary Margaret to leave.
They ended up following Killian to Marco's woodworking shop. Marco was the town repairman and by eavesdropping by the corner, they learned that Killian had helped Marco out a couple of times and was now receiving payment. Emma's brows shot up as she heard Marco praise Killian for all his help. She had no idea that Killian had any skills in woodworking, but then again, she knew that he took care of most of the repairs on his ship himself. And now he'd apparently helped Marco finish a couple of important projects.
Emma listened to the two men wrap up their conversation and watched as Killian walked away. This time leading her and Mary Margaret to Game of Thornes, Moe French's flower show. A short while later they watched Killian driving away in the company van.
"Off to make a delivery, I guess," Emma frowned.
"You're not going to make us follow the van, are you?" Mary Margaret asked, wincing at the idea.
"No..." Emma trailed off. "I don't know what to do now? Do we wait here? Or should I just head back to the Jolly to wait for Killian to get back?"
"No!" Mary Margaret replied, quickly. "You don't want to do that."
"Why not?" Emma asked.
"Who knows how long Killian will be out doing deliveries," Mary Margaret pointed out. "You could be waiting there all afternoon."
"Yeah, but," Emma started.
"Why don't we go get something to eat at Granny's?" Mary Margaret suggested. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."
"Yeah, okay. Let's go to Granny's," Emma agreed.
Upon reaching Granny's, Mary Margaret excused herself to go to the restroom. Once she got out of the main dining area, she reached out her phone to call her husband. "Yeah, it's me," she said when he answered. "Are you at the Jolly yet?"
"Yeah, I just got here," David said on the other end of the line. "I'm about to get started. Where are you?"
"At Granny's about to have lunch," Mary Margaret said. "I'll keep Emma busy. You get the boat ready. What time did Killian want Emma there?"
"He said six," David answered.
"Do you know if he got it yet?" Mary Margaret asked.
"He told me that he was going to pick it up while he was out making deliveries," David told her.
"Oh, this is so exciting!" Mary Margaret exclaimed.
"Yeah, yeah, you just keep Emma occupied and make sure she's at the boat by six," David reminded her.
"I will," she assured him. "Love you."
"Love you too," he answered.
"You really had me going for a while there, you know," Emma said to Mary Margaret some time later. They'd finished lunch at Granny's and after heading back to Game of Thorns and finding the truck still missing, Mary Margaret had suggested that they head back to her and David's loft.
"We can make some cookies while we watch a Christmas movie," Mary Margaret had said. "Killian will be done with his deliveries by then." It had taken a little more convincing, but Emma had ultimately agreed. They'd done pretty well. Emma now knew that Killian had taken on some additional jobs because he needed the extra money and that was something. It was a start.
Emma would track him down later and find out the rest. Like why did he need the extra money? And why hadn't he told her? She might've been able to help him out.
In the meantime, she was tired of being cold and Mary Margaret had been a good sport putting up with this reconnaisance mission. So why not do something her friend wanted? It was sometime after they'd gotten to Mary Margaret and David's loft that something clicked into place. Why Mary Margaret would agree to something she found so ridiculous.
Now Mary Margaret shot her a wary look. "What are you talking about?"
"You had me thinking that you had no idea what Killian was up to," Emma said, studying her closely. "But that's not true, now is it?"
"What makes you think that?" Mary Margaret asked, avoiding her gaze.
"You knew that Killian would be done with his deliveries by the time we were done watching the movie," Emma said.
"That...I was guessing," Mary Margaret stammered.
"Yeah, so was I." Now Emma grinned at her. "Your reaction just confirmed it. You know what Killian needs the extra money for, don't you?"
"I...that's..." At Emma's pointed stare, Mary Margaret sighed. "Oh alright! I do. But I've only known for a couple of days, I swear."
"I knew it!" Emma exclaimed. "So come on. What's he need the money for?"
"Killian made me promise not to spoil the surprise," Mary Margaret said, firmly. "And I'm not going to. Trust me, you don't want me to."
"Okay," Emma said, thoughtfully. "What can you tell me? Come on, you have to give me something." Mary Margaret sighed again.
"Killian wants you at the Jolly by six," Mary Margaret said. "That's all I'm going to tell you."
"He wants me at the Jolly, eh?" Emma asked. "Does that mean I'm finally going to find out what he's up to?"
"Are you going to help me with these cookies or not?" Mary Margaret replied.
"Okay, fine," Emma agreed. "What do you need me to do?"
Emma felt her breath catch in throat as she caught sight of the Jolly Roger. There were strings of lights wrapped around the railings and up the mast. As Emma boarded, she saw that there were lit tealights scattered strategically around the deck. There was soft music playing, though Emma wasn't sure from where.
"Killian?"
"Up here, love." Emma turned to find Killian up on the quarter deck, looking as handsome as ever.
"What's all this?" she asked, waving her hand towards all the lights.
"Part of your suprise, of course," he smiled as he came down to join her. "Tell me, did you have fun following me around today?"
"You knew?" she asked, the look of surprise on her face making him chuckle.
"'Course I knew. You weren't nearly as subtle as you thought you were. It was adorable," he said.
"Yeah, well," she said, flushing. "Are you going to tell me what this is all about?"
"Why, I needed some extra money," he answered. "To buy a very special Christmas present."
"You did all of this for a present?" she asked.
"Aye," he nodded. "Your present."
"You...this was all for me?" She gaped at him. "You took on three jobs to buy a present for me?"
"I did," he nodded.
"Let me guess, I'm going to have to wait until Christmas to see this special present," she said.
"That was original plan, yes. But I saw how irritated you've been at my being so secretive and decided that perhaps it'd be better to give it to you sooner rather than later," he admitted. "Besides, it's only a couple of days early. And I knew that once you talked to Dave about it that you'd be relentless."
"David knows what it is?" she asked.
"That he does," Killian confirmed. "He's also the one who helped decorate my ship while I went to make my purchase."
"Killian..." Emma looked from him to the ship and back again, slowly. "What's going on? I mean, this is beautiful and all, it really is. But..."
"You are beautiful," he corrected her, making her roll her eyes even as she smiled. "And this," he held up a small gift bag, "is for you."
"All this work for something so small," she said, shaking her head at him as she took it.
"Just take a look," he said, looking uncharacteristically nervous now.
"Okay, let's see what was so important you needed extra money for." Emma's breath caught in her throat as she peered into the bag and back him, her jaw hung slightly open. "Killian," she whispered. She reached into the bag and pulled out a ring box, letting the bag fall to the deck.
"Open it," he said, his voice thick. Emma took a steadying breath and slowly opened the box to find one of the most beautiful diamond rings she had ever seen nestled inside.
"My darling Emma," Killian began. "Loving you comes as naturally to me as breathing. I feel like that is the reason why I was put on this earth. To love you. I was put here to cherish you and to protect you. And to ensure that you would never be along ever again for, if you'll have me, I promise to spend forever by your side."
Killian kept his shining eyes on hers as he slowly dropped to one knee. "Emma Swan, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?"
"Yes, Killian," she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks as she sank to her knees. "Yes!" Killian's face lit up with one of the most radiant smiles she had ever seen as he slipped the ring on her finger. She flung her arms around him as soon as it was in place, pressing her lips to his in a tender kiss.
It was going to be a very Merry Christmas.