To photograph: it is to put on the same line of sight the head, the eye and the heart. - Henri Cartier-Bresson
Emma scrolled through the images on the screen, her heart stuttering with each shot she saw. As usual, the images that had been uploaded were phenomenal, and she couldn't decide which one was her favourite. Killian Jones, the star photographer of The Storybrooke Photography Co., was more talented than anyone Emma had ever seen, and she couldn't resist looking at his photographs whenever he uploaded a new assignment to their server. There was just something about them that made her feel... magical. She often found herself jealous of his ability, when all she could do was sign paychecks for the staff (and privately think that, despite the large sum that Killian raked in for his photos, it wasn't nearly enough).
This particular assignment was a series of photos of Ellie Goulding, recording acoustics in Abbey Road Studio. The setting itself would have been iconic, but Killian had managed to capture the emotion in her eyes, and somehow Emma seemed to know exactly what songs were being sung in each photo. She hovered over one, clicking to enlarge the image. Somehow she just knew it was Dead in the Water. Her favourite song. She could see the anguish written plainly across her face, etched in every muscle. It was just a photograph, but somehow it seemed to move with emotion.
"Hey Emma!"
Mary Margaret startled Emma out of her daydream as she poked her head through the door to Emma's office. She quickly closed out of the photo server, pulling up her accounting sheets and trying to look innocent. She didn't want anyone in the office to know how much time she spent looking at Killian's photos.
"What's up?" Emma asked curiously.
"I was wondering if you could give me a hand organizing the office Christmas party this year," Mary Margaret answered with a sheepish grin.
"Oh, I don't know, I'm not that into Christmas and I'm definitely not a party person," Emma protested, starting to shake her head.
"Please Emma!" Mary Margaret pleaded. "Usually David helps me plan it, but he's home with the baby and –"
Emma sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing. Mary Margaret was able to convince her to do just about anything when she mentioned her husband and their cute little son. David was another photographer with the company, though he mostly focused on animals and wildlife rather than people, capturing stunning shots of nature. They had gotten married a little over a year ago, and then had their son in September. Mary Margaret had come back to work when her maternity leave ended, and David had decided to take a sabbatical to stay home and take care of the baby.
"Okay, fine, but let's not go too crazy with the party this year," Emma said, raising an eyebrow. Mary Margaret had a tendency to plan very elaborate parties, especially when it came to Christmas.
Mary Margaret rolled her eyes and laughed lightly in response.
"Christmas parties should be at least a little bit crazy," she joked as she turned to leave. "Coffee later to start planning?"
"Sure," Emma agreed, turning back to her work.
Around 4'o'clock, the post-lunchtime lull started to really hit Emma, and she found herself struggling to keep her eyes open. She had finished most of her work for the day, and what there was left on her to do list could wait until the morning. She quickly threw her belongings in her back, and grabbed her favourite red leather jacket, heading out the door. She stopped by Mary Margaret's office, tapping lightly on the frame of the door as she peered around it.
"Wanna duck out a little bit early and grab coffee?" Emma asked when Mary Margaret had looked up.
She looked hesitant for a moment, and Emma knew it was her rule-abiding nature telling her that she couldn't leave work early, but then she grinned.
"Absolutely, just let me finish this email," Mary Margaret answered.
Five minutes later, the two of them were walking down the sidewalk, heading in the direction of Granny's, the little mom & pop coffee shop they frequented. They both got oversized mugs of hot chocolate, adding a dash of cinnamon to them – a trick Mary Margaret had taught Emma early in their friendship.
"So, I was thinking," Mary Margaret said, diving straight in, "there's this renovated warehouse bar downtown that specifically does events like this. It could be a good place to have the Christmas party!"
"Really?" Emma sighed, wrinkling her nose. "You don't just want to have it in the conference room or something?"
"No!" Mary Margaret exclaimed, scandalized. "Emma, it has to be special."
"Okay, fine, fine, the warehouse bar thing sounds good," Emma said, holding up her hand in surrender. She had a feeling that a lot of this party planning would just be agreeing with whatever Mary Margaret wanted to do.
"What do you think the theme should be?" Mary Margaret asked, pulling a notebook and pen out of her bag and beginning to scribble meticulously neat notes in it.
"I don't know, winter wonderland?" Emma suggested half-heartedly.
"That's not very original," Mary Margaret replied, her expression souring at Emma's apparent disinterest.
"Are you guys talking about the office Christmas party?"
Ruby Lucas, the receptionist and organizational assistant for Storybrooke, walked toward them, a to go cup of hot coffee in her hand. Elsa Fisher-Arendelle, a junior editor, was not far behind, her intricate blonde braid nestled in front of her shoulder.
"Yep," Emma answered unenthusiastically, and Mary Margaret flashed her an exasperated look.
"We're trying to decide on a theme," she said, inviting the two women to sit down with them.
Ruby promptly took the proffered seat, tossing her jet black hair over her shoulder and setting her cup down on the table. Her bright red lipstick had left a perfect print on the edge.
"You know what you should really do," Ruby said, leaning in conspiratorially, "is throw a Killian Jones-themed Christmas party."
"Why?" Mary Margaret asked, confusion written all over her face.
"I heard he's kind of a Grinch, so it'd be funny," Ruby shrugged, taking another gulp of her latte. "And isn't this Christmas his 5-year anniversary with the company or something?"
"Yeah, it is," Emma answered, her cheeks flushing pink and warm, embarrassed to know any details about Killian Jones, let alone as many as she did.
"So that's perfect!" Ruby said, clapping her hands together. "Five Christmases with Killian."
"You could do five little stations," Elsa suggested quietly, "and put some of his photos from each year around them."
"I actually don't hate it," Mary Margaret agreed, her eyes glazing over as she grew lost in thought. "I think we could make that work."
"Glad to have solved your problem," Ruby said, standing and blowing them a kiss as she bounced away.
If Emma were writing a Christmas movie, she might have thought Ruby was a Christmas angel or something, the way she popped up and disappeared so suddenly, after achieving whatever task she was destined to complete.
"So what should the five stations be?" Mary Margaret asked Emma, pulling her out of her dreamland.
"Um... food, booze..." Emma began, ticking off the options on her fingers, "...snacks, water, and...Christmas tree decorating?"
"Okay, well the Christmas tree thing is not a horrific idea," Mary Margaret said, laughing at her friend's antics. "But what if we made it like a wishing tree? So we would half decorate the tree, and then leave some baubles and sharpies on a table for everyone to write their Christmas wish on the bauble and then hang it on the tree."
"I don't know how I feel about everyone in the office being able to read my Christmas wish," Emma countered, frowning a little.
"Okay, that's fair," Mary Margaret agreed, nodding. "What if you wrote the wish on a slip of paper and put it inside the bauble? We could get those clear ones and then have a few other decorative things – glitter, lights, etc. – to put in the bauble with the wish."
"Yeah, I actually like that," Emma conceded, a smile starting to spread across her face as she felt the Christmas spirit begin to bloom inside her.
"Okay, so that's one station down, any ideas for the others?" Mary Margaret asked, jotting the idea down in her notebook.
"Um, we could do a little photo booth thing?" Emma offered hesitantly. "Get some props – maybe a mix of Christmas and Killian-related – for people to hold, and a backdrop of Christmas lights."
"Emma, are you sure you aren't a photographer? That sounds perfect!" Emma smiled in gratitude, glad Mary Margaret liked her idea. Sometimes she secretly longed to be behind a lens, but she didn't think she really had the talent for it.
"So what else?" Emma asked, changing the subject.
"What about making Christmas cards for the kids at the local children's hospital?" Mary Margaret suggested, and Emma nodded.
"That's cute, it'll be sweet," Emma agreed, and Mary Margaret added it to the notebook.
"Okay, two more," she said, and Emma thought carefully.
"Would it be too messy to decorate Christmas cookies?" she asked cautiously.
"Maybe, but who cares!" Mary Margaret answered enthusiastically.
"'Okay," Emma laughed, sipping at the last of her hot chocolate. "Last one."
"Christmas karaoke?" Mary Margaret suggested, and Emma wrinkled her nose.
"Do we have to?" she asked, frowning.
"It'll be fun!" Mary Margaret answered. "You don't have to sing if you don't want to, Emma, but I guarantee, people always love karaoke."
"Okay, if you insist," Emma agreed, and Mary Margaret beamed.
"If I take care of all the Christmas-related decoration and such, do you think you can take care of all the Killian-related things?" Mary Margaret asked Emma, already making lists of decorations to get or bring.
"Why? It's not like I know him," Emma said, blushing lightly.
"I know, but you're not a big Christmas person, so I figured of the two..." Mary Margaret shrugged. "Why, is that a problem?"
"No, no, it's fine," Emma answered hurriedly. "What kind of things do you want?"
"Mostly just photos that he's taken, a few from each of the years that he's been here, preferably Christmas shots. And maybe a few photos of him as well if there are any."
"Okay, I can do that," she nodded. It was a simple enough task.
"And see if you can find out some details about him – favourite foods, favourite colours, that kind of thing," Mary Margaret added, chewing on the end of her pen absentmindedly.
"I'll see what I can do, but I'm not sure anyone in the office knows him that well," Emma said.
A/N: Thank you for reading! If you liked this, and would like to donate to me Ko-Fi account, please go to ko-fi dot com /owlwaysandforever! If not - I love and appreciate you anyway!
