Written for my Captain Swan Secret Santa giftee over on Tumblr! Hope you enjoy; Merry Christmas!

"Please don't hate me."

"Good morning to you, too," Emma replied, now wary to hear just why her sister in law had decided to call her so early in the day. She was in the process of getting ready for work when her phone had rang. "What happened that makes you think I'll hate you?"

She heard Mary Margaret sigh on the other end of the phone as she tried to figure out how to deliver what had to be bad news. "You remember that coworker of mine that I set you up on a blind date with a few weeks ago? Walsh?"

"Brown hair, on the short side, talks about himself constantly? Has tried to call me at least twice a week since? Yeah, I remember." It had easily been one of the worst dates she'd ever had, and that included the ones that ended with her handcuffing a guy and dragging him to the police station. She had since made Mary Margaret and David promise they'd stop trying to play matchmaker once and for all. "Why do you ask?"

(Emma already didn't like where this conversation was going.)

"You see, I was almost positive that we took his name off of the list for our Christmas party invitations," the brunette explained, "but apparently not since I got an email saying he'd be there and letting me know just how excited he was to see Emma….Please don't hate me," she quickly added again, as if she was preparing for the worst.

Well, this was just her luck. "I don't hate you, Mary Margaret"- she heard a sigh of relief- "but, really?" she groaned. "You can't just tell him the party's cancelled because David came down with some highly contagious disease?"

"I wish that would work, but it'd be a real mess when he repeats it to everyone at the office. I'm really sorry, Emma, but it's okay if you'd rather not come. No one wants you to worry about being uncomfortable."

If she had any doubts about just how bad Mary Margaret felt about this slip up, she certainly didn't now. This was her and David's first Christmas in their new house, and they'd both gone full force into planning this party for months now. She'd ordinarily be heartbroken if she thought Emma wasn't going to be there for it.

"No, it's fine," she sighed reluctantly. "I don't want to miss the party...I just have to figure out how to make myself completely unapproachable where Walsh is concerned."

"I'm willing to bet he would leave you alone if you came with a date?" Mary Margaret suggested apprehensively.

Emma frowned. "I thought you agreed to stop setting me up."

"Not like a real date! More like someone you could just show up with for the sake of fooling Walsh."

"You do realize this sounds like the cookie-cutter plot of a romantic comedy, right?"

"Maybe so, but you've got to admit it could work, Emma."

She resisted the urge to slam her head on the kitchen table she was sitting at, one, because the idea was so ridiculous, and two because she was actually considering it just to avoid any possible repeats of her last encounter with Walsh. "Okay, let's say I put this idea of yours to use- but who in their right mind would be willing to be my fake date for the night?"

"Just ask Killian; you might as well be dating alre-"

"No!" Emma cried, cutting her off. "I mean...ah, I shouldn't bother him with something like that; I don't want to inconvenience him or anything."

"You wouldn't be inconveniencing him at all since he'll already be coming; he told David and I last week that he'd be there. Not to mention it would probably give you a nudge in the right direction…"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied, now eager to change the subject as soon as possible. Emma knew if they continued to talk about her neighbor and best friend, it wouldn't be long before Mary Margaret brought up the fact that they seemed "perfect for each other."

(The truth was, Emma had been in love with him for the better part of the two years they'd known each other, but neither him nor anyone else needed to know.)

"If you say so…" her sister in law trailed off, clearly unconvinced of Emma's denial. "I have to go, but let me know if you figure something out. And don't put Killian to the side just yet."

"Fine, I won't," she agreed reluctantly. "Have a good day. Tell David I said hi."

Not five minutes after ending the call, Emma found herself taking out her phone again and quickly typing out a new message. Knowing that going along with Mary Margaret's idea was by far the most ridiculous thing she'd ever done, she pressed "send" before she lost her gumption and hoped she wouldn't end up regretting it.

-/-

Killian had just clocked in for his shift at the library when his phone began to play the theme from Indiana Jones. He smiled a bit at the sound, knowing exactly who it was, and opened the phone to read his newest text from Emma.

Are you free for lunch today at Granny's? I need to ask you something.

Well, that was odd. Their weekly lunch dates at the diner across from their apartment building were almost always on Friday's; today was Tuesday. He was eager to know just what she wanted to discuss with him, but didn't have time to ask since he knew Belle needed his help doing inventory for the new books that had recently come in. After quickly typing out a brief Aye. I'll see you at 12, Killian put the phone aside to begin his work day, already counting down the minutes until his lunch break.

He arrived at Granny's at five minutes to twelve. Surprisingly, Emma, who was usually late for everything, was already sitting at their regular booth with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands, what had to be his coffee sitting across from her on the table.

"I ordered your usual," she told him as he took off his leather jacket and sat down across from her. "I hope that's okay."

"That's fine," he said, taking a long sip of coffee. "So, how's life treating you today, Swan?"

She'd began picking at her nails, something he knew she only did when she was anxious or unnerved. "Okay, for the most part." She cut to the chase quickly. "Do you happen to remember me telling you about the awful blind date Mary Margaret set me up on awhile back?"

He paused for a moment, trying to remember the instance she was referring to. Emma took on so many terrible dates for her job; sometimes it was hard recalling which ones weren't fake. "Aye, I think so," he told her when he thought he knew what she was talking about. "The one that's been bothering you frequently ever since?"

"That would be the one." She made a face, not a surprise considering the way he remembered her complaining about him. "I've just been informed that Mary Margaret accidentally invited him to her and David's Christmas party, and he apparently 'can't wait' to see me again," she said with what was clearly fake enthusiasm.

"Well that's unfortunate, love," he agreed as the waitress came by with their orders, her grilled cheese and onion rings along with his burger and fries. "You'd think the bloke would have taken a hint by now."

"Yeah, well, I guess that would require him to have some kind of intelligence." He tried not to smile as Emma began tearing her sandwich up into small pieces; she was known for eating like a child, in both what she ate and just how she ate it. The grilled cheese would probably be crumbs by the time she was done thanks to her current mood.

"I would ask if you're planning to bow out of the party altogether, but I'm assuming you know as well as I do that your brother and sister in law would react quite poorly to your absence."

"Yeah, see, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," she said, teeth worrying her bottom lip. "Mary Margaret had the idea that he'd finally learn to back off or at least be intimidated if I didn't come to the party alone...you know, like with a date, or something."

Killian was quickly able to put two and two together, eyes widening as he realized what she was suggesting. "And I suppose that's where you would like me to come in?"

"If you don't want to, that's totally fine," she quickly spat out. "I just thought it would be easy since you were planning to go already, but don't feel like you have to or anything."

It's not that he doesn't want to- quite the opposite, really. If Killian's being honest, he's entertained the idea of dating Emma Swan for months now. They could very well be in a relationship at this point already, he thinks. Over the past two years, he's found himself doing things like putting her favorite cinnamon flavored coffee creamer on his grocery list despite drinking his own black, and letting her fill a drawer in his dresser with her own clothes for the nights she doesn't feel like going down the hall to her own apartment for one reason or another. Not to mention the fact that they both have designated toothbrushes they kept in each other's bathrooms; laziness wasn't an excuse to compromise dental hygiene, thank you very much. He's caught himself more than a few times wondering just what it would be like to be more than Emma's friend, to tell her just how he felt without fear of how she'd react, or even losing her presence in his life altogether.

That's why the only problem he faced when it came to pretending to date Emma Swan, was the idea of having to go back to normal when it was done and over with.

But none of it really matters because she's the best friend he's ever had, and he's willing to do anything she needs him to, even if this makes it that much harder for Killian to keep his feelings to himself. That's why he smiles and says, "Of course, Swan. I'd love to accompany you," without another second thought.

There's a matching smile on her face as she sighs in relief. "Thanks, Killian. I'll definitely owe you one."

"You'll owe me absolutely nothing, love. Besides, I can't wait to see the look on Walsh's face when he finally learns to leave you alone."

-/-

Before she knows it, two weeks have come and gone in the blink of an eye. The Christmas party is tonight, and she's anything but ready. It's hard to miss the shift that's taken place in her friendship with Killian ever since that afternoon at Granny's when she asked him to be her fake date for the night. Even though they've spent a fair amount of time together since, she can tell something's off about him, and wonders if his thoughts on the whole situation even slightly match hers.

Her hands shake a bit as she fastens the buttons on the back of her red dress (and no, she certainly did not choose to wear it because red was Killian's favorite color) and slips on her favorite black heels, one of the few pairs of shoes in her closet that haven't been damaged at some point while chasing down a perp. Somehow or another, she manages to curl her hair and apply makeup without making a mess of things. She knows she's overreacting; there's no reason to be nervous about any of this. It's not as if she's attending the party with a total stranger, for heaven's sake- he's her best friend, the person she trusts more than anyone, the person she truly believes won't let her down, even if everyone else in her life does. So why is she wishing she had thrown this "fake date" idea out the window and just faced Walsh alone at the party?

Because deep down, she's known from the moment she considered it that it would be more difficult than ever to keep her feelings from him at bay, just like she's been doing for the better part of their friendship. She's about to spend the next few hours walking around with Killian on her arm and introducing him as her boyfriend, the type of scenario that she's imagined for quite some time, if she's being completely honest with herself. But it's what happens next that scares her the most. They could be unaffected and go on as if tonight never happened, or everything as she knows it could easily be ruined.

As much as she knows it's going to hurt, she hopes for the first option instead. It's better than losing him altogether, at least.

Emma's been pacing back and forth across her living room for what feels like hours when she hears the knock on the door. It's one she wasn't expecting; both of them have keys to each other's apartments and are used to casually letting themselves in when they come over. She glances in the mirror for the fifth time in as many minutes to make sure there's no lipstick on her teeth and grabs her coat and purse before going to the door.

She's known from events such as David and Mary Margaret's wedding and the library's charity dance that he cleans up quite nicely. So the sight of Killian dressed in a grey button-up with a black blazer and pants shouldn't take her breath away like it does. (It looks like he's actually managed to comb his hair for once, too, she notes. He must really be taking this thing seriously.)

"You look stunning, Swan," he told her, smiling, a confirmation that she'd most definitely chosen the right dress to wear.

"You look-" the words became caught in her throat.

"I know." The smile on his face turns into a smirk. She can't help but roll her eyes as she pulls on her coat and locks the apartment door behind her.

The drive to the Nolan's is spent mostly in silence as Andy Williams sings about the most wonderful time of the year on the radio. She's making a comment about the Christmas decorations outside of a house they've just passed when she notices his hand has ended up next to hers on the console between their seats. His fingers brush hers gently when he moves to adjust the heater, and the feeling doesn't bother her nearly as much as she thinks it should. In fact, it's kind of...nice. If his thought process is remotely similar to hers, she can't tell as he keeps his eyes on the road and begins to softly sing along with the next festive song that begins to play in the background.

Neither one of them are surprised to see the driveway full of cars when they pull up in front of David and Mary Margaret's new house. Emma recalls nearly choking on her drink when she'd visited for dinner a few weeks earlier and found out how many guests they were expecting; she couldn't believe they actually knew that many people. It's obvious from the elaborate decorations and light displays in the yard that they'd gone all out for their first Christmas here, and she doesn't doubt that the inside of the house is any different. It's kind of sweet though, she smiles to herself as Killian steps out of the car and goes around to the passenger side to open her door. She can't help but wonder if she'd be just as excited if in either of their shoes, finally having a real home and celebrating the holidays with someone she loved and knew loved her just as much in return.

As expected, the house is bustling with people when she and Killian enter the front door into the foyer. Most of the crowd seems to be gathered in the living room, where a massive Christmas tree that's decked out to the nines sits in front of a large bay window.

"Emma! Killian!" Her brother spots them just as Killian starts to help her out of her coat.

"Hello, Dave." Killian smiles and shakes his hand. "Quite a nice party you have here, mate."

"Yeah, the place looks gorgeous," Emma agrees. She has a feeling Mary Margaret has told him the reasons behind their arrangement tonight, otherwise, he'd probably be giving Killian some kind of protective older brother speech like he'd done with nearly everyone else she'd dated in the past.

"Thanks. I thought we'd go crazy there for awhile, but everyone seems to be having a good time and Mary Margaret's happy at least." Emma follows his eyes to where her sister in law is talking to a redhead on the other side of the living room. The brunette catches her husband's stare and winks at him, forcing she and Killian to hold back their laughter at the blush that now colors David's face.

"I'll just, uh, take those for you," he stammers sheepishly, gesturing to their coats. "Food and drinks are in the dining room, go help yourself."

Minutes later, she and Killian find themselves joining Mary Margaret, sipping on flutes of champagne as she introduces the two of them to the couple that lives next door. Ruby and Mulan seem nice enough, but she finds it difficult to pay attention to anything they're saying, or anything else going on around them for that matter. For one, Walsh appears to be nowhere in sight. However, Emma remembered that this was also a man who showed up twenty minutes late to the restaurant the night of their date, the first of many red flags she was able to detect. But the whole purpose behind her unusual situation for the night quickly becomes the last thing on her mind; all she can focus on now is the man standing beside her.

She's not sure when his hand found its way to the small of her back, but just like their closeness in the car earlier, it doesn't make her want to up and run the way she normally would have with just about anything else. She tries not to read too much into his gestures or touches of affection. It's only part of the act, after all; it would look unconvincing to those around them if they waited to act like they were each other's dates until Walsh arrived. And not only does this newfound closeness fail to scare her, it somehow comforts her as well. It's odd that even though she's never found herself in this kind of position with him before, it's still familiar in a way, yet another obvious reminder that he's the only thing in her life that makes sense when nothing else does.

He laughs at something Ruby says, the sound breaking her reverie of thoughts. She forces herself to smile as well, acting as if she's been able to pay attention to anything besides Killian (and that perfect laugh of his that she's come to love so much). Emma's lost count of how many times someone has pointed out that the two of them have practically been a couple since they first met, or asked when they were going to "make things official already?" It's taken the process of this fake date to make the reality of her feelings come full circle, but she's beginning to think it's time to do something about it and tell him the truth before she loses her chance.

"Swan? Are you alright, love?" He's looking at her with concern in his eyes; her complicated thought process must have been more obvious than she realized.

"Yeah." She smiles at him. "I'm fine."

At least, she is until she spots someone walking over to them, the person she's been dreading the idea of seeing for days now.

"Emma! There you are."

-/-

He's never been one to judge based on looks alone, but from the five seconds he's had to look at the man who he assumes is Walsh, Killian is quickly able to get an idea as to why Emma was tired of his advances toward her. The smile on his face is all but sickening as he leers at her in her tight dress and heels. It's the reminder that this is a Christmas party in her brother's home that keeps Killian from teaching him a much needed lesson- both verbal and physical- in how to treat a woman.

"Hi, Walsh." The smile Emma gives him is so forced it's almost comical. "How are you?"

"Fine, just fine. What about you? I haven't heard much out of you since our date."

I wonder why, Killian thinks to himself, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"You could say a lot's changed since then. This one's been taking up most of my time lately," she tells him, gesturing to Killian as she leans over and rests her head on his shoulder like the smitten girlfriend she's pretending to be. "Walsh, this is my boyfriend, Killian."

The handshake Killian offers him is completely ignored as Walsh looks back and forth between him and Emma, confused. "Oh...I wasn't aware that you were seeing anyone."

She sighs and tucks herself into his side. "Well, it hasn't been very long. But I'm the happiest I've ever been." The way she looks up and smiles at him like he's hung the moon makes Killian wish (not for the first time) that this wasn't all fabricated.

"Ah. Well, then. That's good for you. If you'll excuse me, I think I see someone I know." He was gone before either one of them could say another word.

"Ugh. Let's hope I'm rid of him for good," Emma groans.

"Aye. I see why you disliked him so much. Plus, he reminded me of a monkey for some reason."

She snorted with laughter. "I won't argue with you there." It's then they both realize she's still curled up against him, and without reason since Walsh is now nowhere to be seen.

"Um," she pulls away, looking a bit embarrassed. "Do you want another drink?".

She takes the glass that's still partially full and runs off with it and her own in the direction of the dining room before he can answer.

"Oh bloody hell," he mutters to himself. They've got to talk about all of this now before she finds an excuse to push him away and deny any feelings he's now convinced she has for his.

A hand touches his arm, stopping him as he turns to follow her. "Jones! Is that you, mate?"

It's just his luck that one of the library's most frequent visitors would be at David and Mary Margaret's tonight. He likes Robin, he really does, but he knows from past encounters with him that this isn't likely to be a short conversation. He just hopes he's still got a chance at working things out with Emma before the night's over and she decides to shut him out.

-/-

She's not sure how long she's been here, standing at the refreshments table alone while everyone else mingles in the living room. She can spot Killian from here, who's been stuck in a conversation for awhile now with a man who seems vaguely familiar, although she can't seem to place him. At least he's keeping Killian from coming to find her, something she knew he would do as soon as she ran from him earlier.

As much as she knows they need to talk about all of this, she doesn't want to. Because talking about it, putting what she knows is already there fully out in the open, could either make things better, or much, much worse. The part of her that's always been scared of making herself vulnerable and getting heartbroken all over again is making its presence more obvious than ever before.

"Did you ditch your boyfriend already?"

She gasps at the voice and turns around, not expecting the person that's there, and standing much closer to her than necessary.

"Walsh? What are you doing?"

He shrugs. "Saw you in here by yourself and thought maybe you could use some company."

It takes a great deal of effort on her part to keep from taking the glass of champagne in her hand and flinging its contents all over him. "When are you going to get it? I don't like you, Walsh, I never have! Stop wasting your time on me, especially when I made it clear to you that I have a boyfriend. I love him, and no one, especially not you, is going to change that."

"Yeah, whatever," Walsh scoffs. "We'll see about that."

"I think it's time for you to go, mate." The glare on Killian's face as he suddenly appears between the two of them should be enough to make any man with common sense run for his life.

Common sense Walsh may not have, but for once, he's smart enough to back away from them and leave the room. (And hopefully the party, too.)

"Killian, thank god." She lets out a sigh of relief. "He's more insufferable than I thought."

"Did you mean that? What you said?" It's clear by the awed expression on his face as he looks at her that he couldn't care about Walsh any less now.

"What did I sa-" And then she pauses and remembers: "I love him, and no one, especially not you is going to change that."

"Emma?"

He wasn't meant to hear any of it. But maybe it was a move in the right direction and the bit of courage she needed to be honest with him once and for all.

"Yeah," she whispers, words getting caught in her throat. "I love you...I just didn't know how to say so." She turns away from him and fixes her eyes on the floor, too scared to see the expression on his face as he reacts to her confession.

"Emma Swan," he slips his thumb under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "If you don't think I've been in love with you since the day we met, then you're not nearly as smart as I thought."

And suddenly, every fear, every doubt she's ever had about any of this doesn't seem to matter anymore. She wants to make some sort of witty comment ("Let me guess? All you want for Christmas is me?") like he's known to do in almost every situation, no matter how serious, but the only thing she can think of to do is throw her arms around his neck and kiss him like she's wanted to for so long.

Maybe falling in love with your best friend wasn't such a bad idea after all.

-/-

Mary Margaret grins and nudges her husband, drawing his attention to the pair kissing in their dining room as if there isn't a house full of people around them. "Look at that. I knew it wouldn't be much longer."

She gives David a knowing look and holds her hand out in front of him. He sighs as he pulls a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket and places it in her grasp, trying to ignore the look on her face that very clearly says 'I told you so.'