"Thanks for watching the twins for me, David. I owe you big time."
"It's not a problem, little sis. You know I love taking care of my niece and nephew."
Listening to his roommate's conversation with his sister over the phone, Killian grinned to himself as he sat on the couch next to him and bounced his own one-year old nephew, Ian, in his lap. He recently moved in with David after a bad breakup with his girlfriend. They were old mates from college who kept in touch over the years and when Killian told David that he had been kicked out of the apartment he shared with Milah in Boston and needed a fresh start, David offered him his spare bedroom in Storybrooke.
"Can you be here at six o'clock on Friday?" he heard Emma ask David.
The phone must have been set to maximum volume because Killian could hear every word. He also heard the conversation when David made plans with his girlfriend for that very same night. He wondered how long it would take for David to figure it out.
"Yeah, I'll be there."
Killian didn't know a great deal about the reputable sister David always went on and on about, but he did gather a few things from their conversations and family photos. Emma worked as a bail-bonds person and had golden blonde hair like her brother, only a lighter shade, and glowing green eyes. She was two years younger than David and had been through a messy divorce about a year ago. Her husband had left her with a broken heart, a massive amount of debt and pregnant with two beautiful twin babies; a boy and a girl. Killian hadn't met them in person, but during the two weeks he had lived with David, he'd seen pictures that probably amounted to a lifetime's worth of memories. They were now eight months old and the boy, Henry, had brown eyes and a patch of brown hair from his father and the girl, Haley, had green eyes and blonde hair that matched that of her mother's.
"Perfect. Thanks again. You're a huge life-saver."
Killian held out Ian at arm's length above his head as he made silly faces at him, causing the little lad to giggle with joy. He brought his nephew back and kissed his small forehead before he turned him around to sit him in his lap, a hand on either side of him to hold the one-year-old up. Killian watched his nephew every chance he got and since his brother was a four-hour drive away now, it wouldn't be as often, but he cherished every moment of it and couldn't understand why Liam and Elsa said he was a handful. Their son was an absolute angel under Killian's watch and he assumed it was because he was such a great uncle.
"It's my pleasure. I'll see you Friday."
When David hung up, he set his phone on the coffee table with a relaxed expression, still clueless of the mess he had gotten himself into. As he sat back into the couch and turned on the baseball game, Killian contemplated how long he should wait to tell David that he had doubled-booked his Friday evening. For the last two weeks, that night was all David had talked about, being that it was his and Mary Margaret's anniversary. And now, that evening had seemed to be lost upon his mate, unless he had planned on bringing the twins with him, which was highly unlikely.
"How is that sister of yours?" Killian asked curiously with a hint of mischief in his voice. He had yet to meet the lass, but knew very well of her beauty. In fact, he thought he might use this situation to his advantage with the hopes of being embraced by her presence. If he didn't tell David that he already made plans, then Emma would show at their doorstep on Friday assuming he didn't figure it out himself.
"She's fine. She just has to work Friday night to catch a bail-jumper and her regular babysitter will be out of town, so she asked me go over to her place to watch the twins," he replied, his eyes still engrossed in the game.
Killian's smile quickly fell in disappointment. Well, that idea was off the table so he might as well spill the beans.
"And how do you think Mary Margaret would feel if you brought the twins on your romantic dinner for two?"
He could tell David wasn't paying much attention as he nodded and hummed in agreement. Killian shrugged as he stood up with Ian still in his arms. It was David's funeral after all, so why should he care anyway? He started to walk away as he spoke more loudly with one final attempt to get his roommate's attention.
"When you see Margaret on Friday, tell her I said hi, will you?"
"Okay, I will."
Killian waited two seconds for his words to sink into to David's brain.
"Wait, what?" David finally turned his head to look at Killian.
"Your two-year anniversary dinner with your girlfriend is this Friday. Tell her I said hi."
As Killian left the room, he heard an "Oh crap!"
A grin slowly came across his lips as David put his face in his hands, sighing before he followed Killian into the kitchen.
"Killian, what I am I going to do? I already told Emma I would babysit."
Killian gave a reply as he felt his roommate's eyes burning into him, seeking answers. "I don't know mate." He retrieved a bottle and filled it with milk for Ian before he looked up to see the pleading look on David's face and knew exactly what he was going to ask him before he even opened his mouth.
"What if you watched the twins for me?"
Killan sighed at that. It wasn't like he was completely opposed to the idea, but he didn't think Emma would approve of a stranger watching her babies.
"Come on, Killian, you've been helping with Ian since he was a newborn and you're great with him. Besides, it's only for a few hours."
"David, even if I wanted to, what makes you think she's going to agree having a stranger look after them?"
David nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're probably right. The regular babysitter she has now had to jump through hoops to gain Emma's trust with the twins and she's one of her good friends."
"See, she's never going to agree to this," Killian said, convinced that if Emma found it hard to trust a good friend then there was no way she would trust one of David's friends.
After David chewed on that thought for a moment, he finally gave a response. "Well maybe she doesn't have to know."
Killian raised a brow and looked at his roommate as if he had gone completely mad. "No bloody way, Dave. I am not babysitting your sister's twins without her consent."
"Come on. It's only for a few hours. I'll show up to her house and when she leaves, you can take over while I take Mary Margaret to dinner. Then, I'll come back before Emma comes home. She'll never have to know."
"Absolutely not. I wouldn't feel right about it. And besides, what if she came home early?"
"She won't. She will be going out of town. And she really needs this job to support Haley and Henry."
Killian cursed his roommate inwardly for pulling out the sympathy card. He couldn't exactly say no to that without looking like a complete arse, but he offered one final argument. "Still, what if something goes wrong, David? What if something happens and I have to take them to the emergency room."
"Nothing will go wrong. Come on, Killian. If you do this, I'll take over the cleaning for a week. I'll do the dishes and the vacuuming. I'll even do your laundry."
Killian let out a heavy sigh as his resolve started to weaken. He did like the idea of helping the lass out and not having to do laundry in return.
"Please, Killian. Just do this for me."
As Killian fed Ian his bottle, he couldn't believe that David was actually trying to talk him into this... and he couldn't believe that he was actually agreeing to this. "Fine. But if we get caught..."
"We won't get caught. And if we do, I'll take all the blame."
"You're bloody right you will," Killian mumbled as he thought about what a bad idea this was and how if Emma came home early and found him there, it was definitely not a way to make a good first impression on the lass.
/-/
Friday came around and Killian became extremely nervous and anxious to just get the night over with. Although, his nerves had nothing to do with his abilities to take care of two babies. That part, he was comfortable with. Being in a strange apartment and taking care of them without the knowledge of the mother was the part that made him tense. He wanted to tell David he was backing out and almost did about a hundred times, but then he thought if he did, he would wreck the whole evening for either David or Emma. If he backed out, David would either have to cancel his plans with Mary Margaret or tell Emma he couldn't babysit. And he knew that Emma needed that job to be able to pay the bills and he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if she missed that opportunity because of him. Still, he didn't feel right about invading her home and handling her babies without her knowledge. He took in a deep breath as he knocked on Emma's door.
David answered it and let him in, showing him to the nursery. "Thanks again, Killian."
Killian grumbled to himself as they walked in and approached the two cribs. Looking over the sleeping baby girl, his eyes lit up, a small smile pulling at his lips. The tiny lass was on her belly, wearing a pink onesie with princesses printed on the fabric as she sighed softly, her eyes shut tight and her tiny fingers balled into fists on either side of her head.
"This is Haley. She may look like an angel when she sleeps but don't let her fool you. She can be quite the grump when she's awake and when she's not happy, she lets you know," David informed him with a light chuckle and started looking around the room and under the cribs for something.
Killian's smile only got brighter as he watched her sleep. If there was one thing he was good at, it was knowing how to calm a crying baby. He had done it many, many times with Ian. In fact, Liam even envied his younger brother for his undeniable ability to do so when he couldn't do it himself.
"She usually sleeps with her stuffed penguin but I'm not sure where it went."
"That's okay, I'll find it," Killian assured him. It would give him something to occupy himself with and ease his nerves while the twins slept.
"And this one is Henry."
Killian turned around and approached the other crib where Henry was sleeping peacefully.
"He's much more easier to please and usually sleeps a lot more than his sister."
Killian nodded as he watched the lad in awe. He was in a similar position as his sister and was clad in a blue onesie with yellow ducks and holding a stuffed teddy bear. Killian's nerves seemed to dissipate from the sight of the sleeping babies as strings pulled at his heart. Whoever this ex-husband of Emma's was proved to be a complete git for missing out on the chance to be a father to the precious gems before him.
David showed Killian where everything was that he would need for the babies and gave him their feeding times before they walked to the front door.
"If you have any questions, you can call me but I don't think you'll have any problems."
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine," Killian assured him, but he was more or less trying to convince himself of that.
"I know it will be. And thank you, again. I'll be back in three hours."
"Alright, now go." Killian shooed him out the door before he locked it behind him.
As soon as David was gone, he felt his nerves slowly taking over again as he scratched behind his ear and headed to the nursery. He checked on the twins to make sure they were still sleeping before he came back to the living room to sit on the couch. There was a baby monitor sitting on the end table as he drumbed his thumb on the arm of the couch, unsure of what to do next.
After a moment, he remembered that he told David he would find Haley's penguin, so he got up to search for it. He looked under the couch and in the closets and everywhere else he could think of, but there was no sign of the stuffed animal.
As he came back into the living room, he heard the first cry over the monitor and immediately went into the nursery to Haley's crib. She was stirring awake as her tiny mouth opened to let out a strangled wail. After he carefully picked the young princess up and cradled her in his arms, the crying ceased and a big, open-mouthed smile took over her face. His heart melted as he watched her big, green eyes light up and he flashed her a charming grin, slowly swaying her in his arms.
"You're not a grump like your uncle says you are," he murmured in his soothing baby voice.
Haley let out a small laugh as she reached her hands out to him. Offering his finger, she wrapped her tiny hand around it as he walked over to Henry's crib. He was still sleeping as Killian peered over the railing. "What do you say, little love, shall we leave the room to let your brother get some rest?" he asked as his eyes reverted back to her. She responded with another giggle and as he walked out of the room, he decided that it was one of the best sounds he's ever heard.
After he gave Haley a bottle of formula milk, he laid her back into her crib before he went back to Henry, who was now crying relentlessly. The sound broke Killian's heart as he picked him up, holding him against his chest as his hand supported the little lad's head. He lightly bounced him in his arms but he continued to cry until Killian fed him a bottle.
The rest of the hour went by smoothly as he changed them before wrapping them in fresh diapers and secured their onesies. They were sleeping peacefully again as he quietly left the room and went to sit on the couch. He decided to click on the television to pass the time, turning the volume on low before he set the remote on the arm of the couch. An hour passed before he reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone to see if he had received a text from David, but there was none.
As he put his phone back in his pocket, his elbow knocked into one end of the remote, causing it to spin slightly and fall into the tight crevice between the arm and the couch cushion. His hand went to reach for it and as he felt around for it, he stumbled upon something else. It was furry and soft as he grabbed a hold of it, bringing it up from the couch. A small smile curved his lips as he saw that it was Haley's penguin. Turning off the television, he stood up and went back into the room where the babies were still asleep. He reached into the crib, laying the stuffed animal next to Haley's face so that she would see it when she woke up.
Not wanting to disturb them, he quietly left and as he stepped into the hall, carefully shutting the door, he heard the jingle of keys and the creaking sound of the front door open, followed by footsteps. Killian let out a sigh of relief as he walked down the hall, leading him into the living room. His roommate was ten minutes earlier than planned, which was fine with him. As much as he actually enjoyed watching the twins, he was glad this night was coming to an end.
"Thank goodness your here. I was worried your sister would come home early." As he stepped into the living room, he stopped dead in his tracks when he realized that the blonde standing at the door was not the one he was expecting. Clad in a skin-tight, red dress and black stilettos, long locks spilling over her shoulders in soft curls as a look of terror came over Emma's face. His throat quickly went dry as he panicked internally, trying to figure out how to explain why there was a stranger standing in her apartment. His mouth opened to speak but there were no words.
Emma was wordless as well and her face went white, and he knew a thousand thoughts must have been crossing her mind, like if her babies were alright and why he was there. Did he hurt them? God only knew what she must have thought.
Killian reached out a hand in defense as he was finally able to speak. "Lass, I know what you must be thinking, but please let me explain-"
Before he could finish, Emma took off running to her left, toward the kitchen. He could no longer see her, but he heard noises, mainly the sound of steel clanking against steel. When she came back into the living room, she held up a frying pan with a threatening look on her face.
"You better have a damned good explanation of who the hell you are and what the hell you are doing in my apartment before I call the cops," she finally spoke in a mild but threatening tone, obviously trying to hide the fear in her cracked voice.
He put his hands up in surrender as he looked to the floor and moved away from the hallway entrance, so as not to block the way to the nursery. "Go ahead, lass. I deserve it."
He couldn't see her face, but he could sense Emma's confusion as she slowly stepped forward. "You're not going to explain yourself?" she asked.
"I really have no excuse, except that I should have never listened to that damned brother of yours who talked me into this."
There was a brief pause before she replied. "You know David? Where is he?" she demanded as she came closer, ready to strike him with the pan. "And what have you done with my babies?"
"They're fine, love, and sleeping peacefully in their cribs, I promise you."
"First of all, I am not your love and secondly, why the hell would I trust you with your promises?"
"You shouldn't. You don't know me, but I would never harm them. You can go see for yourself. David asked me to watch them while he took Mary Margaret to dinner for their anniversary."
He waited a long moment for her to hit him over the head, but instead, he heard Emma lower her arm, feeling her intense gaze studying him carefully before she finally spoke again.
"You're Killian?"
Feeling a huge wave of relief come over him, he slowly raised his head to meet her stare as a slow grin crept over his lips. "So you've heard of me?" It came out a bit more smug than he had intended and resulted in an eye roll.
"He told me he had a new roommate, that he went to school with you and your name was Killian. That was it. That shouldn't really surprise you," she told him, the anger and fear being replaced with annoyance.
"Aye, you're right. Apologies, lass."
Emma ignored him as she moved to walk into the hall. He stood there waiting while she checked on the twins and when she finally came back to stand in front of him, she looked at him in awe.
"You found Haley's penguin? I've been looking for it for days. Where was it?"
"It was in the couch cushion. I only found it on accident."
"Well, still, they're both actually sleeping for once," Emma said, surprised. "Usually when I come home, David or Ruby are struggling to put them to sleep.
Killian shrugged as though it was no big deal.
"And you feed and changed them?"
"Aye. I gave them each a bottle and fresh diapers. Henry was starting to get a bit of a rash so I rubbed some diaper cream on the lad."
Emma's eyes started to soften, her mouth slightly agape and her voice more calm as she spoke. "You did all of that?"
"Of course I did. What kind of babysitter would I be if I left them hungry and unattended to."
"I just meant that I didn't know you had any kids or experience with them to be able to take care of them like that."
"Well, I don't have any myself, but I'm an uncle to a one-year-old and I watch him frequently."
Emma's expressions were completely relaxed by then as she offered him an appreciative smile. "Thank you."
That's when he actually began to look at her - really look at her. The air was calm and her expressions weren't taken over by fear or anger and he realized that the photos he had seen of her did no justice to her actual beauty. From her green eyes that sparkled and pink lips slightly pursed to the soft curves of her body and her smooth, milky skin. She was mesmerizing to say the least.
"It's not a problem. They were absolute angels. I'm just sorry you had to come home to find a stranger in your home with your little ones like that."
To that, she gave him a quizzical look, seeking more answers. "Yeah, about that, why didn't David tell me he couldn't babysit tonight?"
"I think he just didn't want to disappoint you is all. And he was afraid you wouldn't be too keen on having someone else watch them."
"So, instead he lied to me and had you watch them behind my back?"
"He just didn't want you to worry, love. He cares for you a great deal. I can tell by the way he speaks of you."
"Still, I wish he would have told me."
He nodded. "I agree."
"So why did you go along with this then?" she asked curiously.
He scratched behind his ear as he tried to come up with an answer to that. "Well, not quite sure. Except I just wanted to help you both out. And I love watching my nephew, so taking care of babies comes naturally to me and I rather enjoy it."
She seemed to accept that answer as she nodded and reached into her purse that she had set on the end table after she came through the door. "Well, let me pay you."
Killian put his hand on her arm to stop her. "No need, love. Especially since I gave you a scare. And besides, I didn't do it for the money."
"Well still, I owe you something for your taking such good care of them."
He ran his fingers through his hair as he thought of a different way for her to repay him. And then the words flew out before he could stop them. "How about instead, you let me take you out to dinner?" he asked with a hopeful grin.
Her features fell as she shook her head. "Sorry, I don't date. After getting knocked up by an asshole husband who just took off one day without a word and served me with divorce papers, I've kind of sworn off men. Plus, I'm too busy being a mom and trying to provide for the twins to worry about dating."
Killian felt like an idiot at that, to say the least. Why he thought there was even the slightest possibility that she would have said yes after such a traumatic heartbreak while trying to raise young children by herself was beyond him. "Apologies, love. I shouldn't have asked. Please forgive me."
She simply nodded, accepting his apology.
"Well I should let you rest before the twins wake up again. Take care, Emma." He started towards the door, reaching for the knob before her voice stopped him.
"Wait. What if I paid you to babysit?"
He shook his head as he turned back around. "I told you, I can't accept your money."
"No, I mean, what if I paid you to watch them on a regular basis? It would only be a few hours on most nights, sometimes longer depending how long it takes me to catch my leads."
Killian gave her a small smile. "I would gladly watch them for you... but I still can't take your money."
"I have to pay you for your time. I would feel bad if I didn't at least give you something."
He nodded his head in surrender. "Alright. How about you pay me a dollar an hour? That I would gladly accept."
"You sure that's all you want?" she asked for confirmation.
"Aye. I told you, love. I enjoyed taking care of them. That's enough for me."
"Okay, fine. A dollar it is. Can you be here tomorrow at six?"
A wide smile pulled at his lips as he gave a nod. "Aye. I'll be here."
Before anything else could be said, the front door flew open and David quickly came through it, out of breath. "Sorry I'm late. I lost track of ti-" He froze when he looked to see Emma staring at him with a death glare as she crossed her arms. David flashed her a weak smile that was half apologetic and half 'Oh shit, I'm in trouble' as though he were a five year old who just got caught coloring on the walls.
Neither of them spoke as Killian watched Emma's jaw clench and he had to admit to himself that she looked absolutely adorable when she was mad, but he was not willing to stick around to watch the rage that was about be descended upon his roommate.
"Well, I should go now. I'll see you tomorrow, Emma." He started towards the door and when he approached David, he patted his shoulder and spoke quietly as he grinned to himself. "Good luck, mate."
/-/
The weeks flew by as Killian continued to babysit the twins while Emma worked. He took them for walks to the park in their double stroller on almost a daily basis and grew very fond of them. He almost hated to leave when Emma came home at the end of the day, so he would stay and chat with her about the jobs she did.
Two months had passed when Emma didn't come home until really late one night. Killian had a long day from taking the twins around town in the strollers and they were all completely exhausted. When she came through the door, Emma's heart melted at the sight before her. Quietly stepping over to the couch, she watched with a twinkle in her eye as Killian was sprawled out over it. Haley was laying on his chest with a protective hand on her small back while Henry was curled up in his other arm. The three of them were sleeping soundly and Emma just didn't have the heart to disturb them, so she very quietly leaned over and pressed a kiss to each of the twins' foreheads before she moved to walk away. Before she could, a hand grabbed hers, lightly pulling her back.
Killian was in a sleepy haze as he slowly squinted his eyelids open to the sight of the gorgeous green eyes that were staring down at him. His heartbeat picked up as she awaited for him to say something and he graced her with a warm smile before finally managing to speak.
"Where's my kiss, love?" he asked playfully in a quiet voice so as not to disturb the twins. He was very much expecting an eye roll in return, but was taken by surprise when, after a moment of her silent stare, her lips lowered to his, kissing him softly. He thought he might be dreaming at first, but after it finally sank in that she was actually kissing him, he responded by moving his lips slowly against hers as he combed his fingers through her strands of golden locks. He felt sparks shoot through his body, making his skin tingle as he smelled the sweet scent of her perfume and tasted her cherry lips. One of her hands rested on his warm chest just above Haley's head and the other reached to cup his stubbled jaw as she parted her mouth for him and he became completely consumed with feelings he hadn't felt for anyone in a long time.
Brushing her nose against his, Emma tilted her head, his stomach filling up with butterflies as their teeth and tongues made contact. Her tongue was warm and delicious as they deepened the kiss, his heart fluttering in his chest. She sighed pleasantly when she finally released him with a light nibble on his bottom lip.
"That was..." he breathed in almost a whisper as he chased the lips that started to pull away from him.
"...A thank you for everything you've done for my babies," she murmured in a wrecked voice, finishing his sentence. She slowly straightened herself, looking over him, her cheeks flushed with a light shade of pink.
"I told you, love, it's not a problem," Killian assured her as he took her hand in his, looking into her jaded and weary eyes. His heart clenched as he realized how exhausted she must be. Even though he took care of the twins while she was away, she was still out chasing bail-jumpers and when she came home, the twins woke her up throughout the night.
"Why don't you get some sleep, Emma," he suggested. "I'll stay with the twins until morning."
"Killian, I couldn't ask you to do that."
"You're not asking. I'm offering."
She chewed on her bottom lip, contemplating the idea. "I could use a few hours of sleep. Are you sure about this, though?"
"Very sure. Let me do this for you."
"Well, if you insist. But at least let me give you an extra dollar an hour for staying over," she insisted as she offered a smile. "And I won't take no for an answer."
"Alright, love," he agreed, too tired to argue as he gave her a weak smile. "Now go sleep. I've got this," he assured her.
"Thank you. I really don't know what I'd do without you," she said, lowering her free hand to caress his cheek.
"Well, you don't have to worry about that, Emma. I'm not going anywhere."
She gave him a warm smile, almost disguising her sleepy expression. She released his hand and started to turn and walk away before she stopped herself, looking back at him.
"You know, I was thinking maybe I should get David to babysit again. He's been wanting to see them anyways."
Killian's heart constricted as his features fell, fearing that their kiss had crossed a line, making her reconsider him as the twins' babysitter.
"Do you not want me to watch them anymore? Have I done something wrong?"
Emma's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Of course not. You're amazing with them," she assured him as she knelt on the floor in front of him, clutching onto his arm. "I was just thinking that David could babysit for one night so that I could take you up on that date... that is, if the offer's still on the table..."
Killian couldn't help the wide grin that threatened his lips as his hand went to the back of her head, his fingers interweaving through her hair, pulling her down to him before answering her with a another kiss. It was only brief this time, but was meant to say more words than he could ever be brave enough to muster to this woman. Over the months, they had become very close and he became attached, but Killian made no moves to press her into going on a date with him after she had rejected him. What he had with her and the twins was more than he ever could have asked for already. When their lips unlocked, he pressed his forehead to hers and finally gave a verbal reply in case his actions weren't enough.
"Yes... the offer is definitely still on the table."
The next morning, the smell of bacon and pancakes filled the air of her bedroom as Emma slowly opened her eyes, pleasantly awaking from the best sleep she's had since her twins were born.