A thick layer of snow was blanketing the town of Storybrooke and Christmas lights were adding a touch of magic to the wintery sight. It was Christmas' Eve and, in Snow-White and Charming's apartment, laughter and lively conversations were filling the air.
"Killian did it this morning," said Henry to Charming. "He's been talking about it for weeks, and this morning he finally did it: we had some grapefruit and boiled mackerel for breakfast."
"Boiled mackerel," Charming repeated, hardly repressing a laugh. Sitting at the end of the table with Henry on one side, Killian and Emma on the other side, he had spent most of the meal enjoying tales of their daily life. "How was it?"
"As disgusting as I thought," Henry replied, addressing the pirate a defiant smirk. Both of them were wearing a Santa hat.
"Not that Killian is a bad cook," Emma completed. "Actually, he can be a very good one."
"And he's nice, he let me have my pop-tarts instead," the boy added.
"I still can't believe you prefer that junk food over a good pirate's breakfast."
"Sorry Killian but I must agree with Henry on this one," said Emma. "Mackerel for breakfast isn't my thing either."
With a smirk, the pirate addressed her father who was joyfully following the conversation. "She's more into rum."
"Killian!" She playfully nudged him, both surprised and amused that he would say that.
Charming's gaze suspiciously shifted between the two of them. "I'm not sure I want to know more about this."
"For the record," Emma still added, "I can hold my rum even better than him."
"My love is a true pirate," he said proudly. "Even if I'd say you can hold it just as well as I can and not better."
"He becomes all loving after a few drinks," she revealed and his eyebrows shot up.
"Are you saying I need rum to give you a lot of little hugs and kisses?"
Throwing an arm around her shoulders and leaning against her, he peppered her face with kisses and she giggled.
"Killian, not here!" Feeling warm, she focused on his lopsided smile she found irresistible. "I meant even more loving."
He turned to her father. "She may hold her rum, but she can't handle me so well."
"Hey!" This earned him another nudge in the ribs. "You can't handle me either."
He chuckled. "Quite right, love."
"I definitely don't need to hear more about this," commented Charming.
They all laughed and conversations went on while they finished eating their dessert.
Dinner had gone without mishap and some of the guests were actually surprised by this fact as, besides Charming, Henry, Killian and Emma who were taking up one half of the table, the other seats were occupied by Snow, Belle, Regina but also Zelena. Inviting her had been Snow and Emma's idea. The whole idea of celebrating Christmas was actually theirs: there had always been something happening in Storybrooke at this time of the year but, with Snow wanting a return to normal and winter coming, Emma had asked whether Christmas was a thing in the Enchanted Forest. This was when she had learnt about Oikogeneia: it wasn't exactly the same event as it didn't involve any particular beliefs, but similar festivities to celebrate family were observed at this time of the year. Mother and daughter had decided to restore the tradition and reunite the family to celebrate both events at the same time. For Emma, the prospect of spending Christmas for the first time with those she loved was thrilling, especially when knowing that Killian also was a novice – he had barely heard of Oikogeneia, and was completely unaware of Christmas. Snow had organized the dinner and suggested Regina to invite her sister.
"My sister? Zelena? She can't be trusted!"
"She hasn't done anything wrong lately," Snow had remarked. "All she seems to want is to be with her daughter."
"We can't trust her," Regina had insisted.
"Remember. That's exactly what everyone was saying about you," Emma had backed her mother.
"But I invited you and that started to change."
"But Zelena is not me!"
"Have some faith in her. You found redemption thanks to Henry. Maybe she's following the same path thanks to her daughter. We should give her a second chance."
"Fine," Regina had yielded. "But I won't be responsible if anything goes wrong."
She had asked her sister but Zelena had refused. Days later, when Emma had walked into her and her daughter, she had brought up the subject.
"Why would you want me at this dinner? Planning on making me eat some more onion rings?"
"No, of course not." The reminder of how she had sped up her pregnancy as the Dark One had been painful. "Maybe I still feel guilty about what I did to you and I want to make things right."
Zelena had shrugged. "I don't feel bad for anything I did to you. Or to anyone."
"I know. But you're still invited." Tearing her gaze away from baby Robin, Emma had looked up. "You and I both know what it's like to grow up alone. You don't want that for your daughter."
"She's not alone, she has me!"
"But do you really want her to only have you? Ask Henry about what it was like to be the Evil Queen's son. Regina is part of our family and you're her sister. That makes you family too. You can come. Think of your daughter and join us, or be alone."
Looking down at the baby she was holding in her arms, Zelena had finally accepted.
During dinner, though rolling her eyes several times, she had caused no wrong. A pregnant Belle, who was fully supporting the idea of giving her a second chance, was the one she was the least reluctant to talk with.
At last, it was time for all to part. As agreed, Killian and Emma left Henry with Regina and headed back home. The thick layer of snow created a serene atmosphere. A child's laugh and adult voices caught their attention and, a moment later, Ashley, Alexandra, Thomas and their dog came out of an adjacent street and appeared on the sidewalk in front of them.
"Happy Oikogeneia!" said Ashley.
"Happy Oikogeneia to you too!" replied Emma. "Hey Alexandra! How are you?"
Holding her mother's hand, the little girl glanced at Emma but focused back on Killian who squatted to be at her level.
"Enjoying the snow?" Killian asked softly. "Hey, have you built a snowman? I didn't know what that was until last week, but they're pretty cool!"
Emma knew what he was talking about: Henry had taught him the art of snowmen during the past week and three snowmen were still decorating their garden. She felt like she was melting as she watched him trying to make the conversation with Alexandra. The girl kept gazing at him without saying anything.
"Ah, that's what you're interested in," Killian added when he noticed more precisely what she was looking at.
He took off his hat and handed it to her. A smile lit up her face as she took the fluffy red and white hat.
"You can keep it if you want to," he offered.
Her smile brightened and she looked up at him. "T'ank you!"
"Do you want to try it?"
The little girl nodded and tried to put on the hat over her own. Killian helped her while her parents and Emma watched in silence, unwilling to interrupt the moment.
"Here," he said once his hat was on her head. "A beautiful little princess."
She flashed him a bright smile and he playfully brushed the tip of her nose with a fingertip before standing up. Delighted, she looked up at her parents.
"That's a beautiful hat you got there!" Thomas commented, making her giggle out of happiness.
"Thank you," Ashley said to Killian who tore his gaze away from Alexandra and looked up.
"Oh you're welcome. That's just a hat."
Ashley nodded and her eyes shifted between Killian and Emma. "Well, we've taken enough of your time already. Alexandra?" She held out her hand to her. "What do you say about a chocolate waffle?"
"Yes!" She said instantly and took her mother's hand
"Happy Oikogeneia again!" said Thomas.
The family left. Overwhelmed with love because of the scene she had just witnessed, Emma was unable to take her eyes off Killian and watched him look back at the little girl.
"She's adorable," he commented.
He barely had time to turn around: as soon as he was facing Emma, she threw her arms around his neck and let her lips crash against his own. The intensity and the tenderness he replied with made her feel like she was melting even more.
"What was that for?" he whispered against her lips.
"I just… Don't need any excuse to kiss you."
"Point taken."
"Let's go home," she said, her arms still wrapped around his neck.
"I'm ready to go as soon as you're done swooning over me," he teased her.
"I'm not swooning," she denied.
This was a lie and she knew it: on their way back home, she spent most of the time gazing at the man she loved and losing herself in thoughts, appreciating how messy his hair was because of his hat and musing over the bright smile she had caught on his lips when Alexandra had beamed at him.
Killian pulled her to a stop and her lips found themselves against his own once again. When they pulled away, she glanced around and realized they were under their porch already.
"And you dare to say you're not swooning," he teased her again.
Lightly passing her tongue over her lips, Emma answered nothing and failed at repressing a smile.
"Are you going to bring the keys out or should I kiss you again?"
"Second option," she said, refusing to admit she had actually forgotten about the keys.
Killian gladly complied. They were standing under the mistletoe. Among all the traditions he had discovered during the past weeks, this one was his favorite: Granny had just decorated her diner when Emma, standing under the plant, had playfully told him he needed to kiss her. It was only after doing so that he had asked more about it and, when she had told him about the tradition, he had suggested to add some mistletoe to decorate their house.
With a sigh of delight, Emma took her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door. The first thing Killian did was to flick the switch and the living room suddenly sparkled in a thousand lights. He, Emma and Henry had spent a whole day decorating the house and placing lights wherever they could. After taking her coat and removing his own, he softly took her hand and led her toward the Christmas tree.
"Emma?"
With a move of the head, he indicated the foot of the tree and, quickly, she noticed the package.
"Killian… We agreed not to buy anything!"
"The lad told me it was one of the most common traditions."
"A Christmas tradition, not an Oikogeneia one."
"It's my first Christmas, you can't take that away from me." She didn't contradict him and he couldn't help feeling smug. But when he noticed the way she was biting her lip, he softly cupped her cheek and added, "You don't have to worry, it's nothing."
"It is something. Nothing is what I have for you. I liked the idea Oikogeneia was not about presents and just about celebrating family and spending time together. I wanted us to agree on not buying anything because…" Biting her lip while gazing at the package underneath the tree, she looked up and searched for some comfort in his eyes. "I'm not good at these things. I've never had anyone to offer anything to."
Killian brushed her lips, stopping her from saying anything more about it. "My love, don't you realize how much you've given me already? You brought up the idea of celebrating Christmas. You decided to decorate the house with all these beautiful lights. With your mother, you organized this dinner. You did all of this and showed me what Christmas, or Oikogeneia, was. But most importantly, you gave me the most precious thing in the world, and that's not only tonight."
"What is it?"
"Don't you know, Emma? Your love, of course." To him, it seemed obvious. "You reminded me what it's like to be part of a family. Living with you, holding you in my arms at night and awaking by your side every morning… how could I ask for more? I do not need any Christmas present. Not when I have you. You let me win your heart and be the one to break your walls down. No Christmas present could ever top that."
She would never get used to this; her lips slightly parted and, slowly, she tiptoed and pressed them against his own.
"I could say the same thing about you," she whispered, keeping her fingers in the nape of his neck. "Being loved by you… there's nothing better than this. I don't need anything else."
"I'm afraid that won't change the fact that there's this package waiting for you. But you really shouldn't worry, that's nothing."
"I love you."
"I love you," he repeated.
At last, she picked the present and unwrapped it. Her lips stretched into a smile when she saw what it was. "Chocolate!"
He beamed, delighted to see her smile. "See? Nothing to worry about."
"I love edible presents! And I know this kind of chocolate box. There are many different sorts of chocolate in it. The only way to find out what it tastes like is to try it. Come here."
Taking his hand, she led him to the couch and they sat down. She opened the box and selected one chocolate.
"You go first," she said, holding the chocolate in front of his mouth.
"You mean I'm the one eating your chocolate?"
"Yes! Unless you're not hungry?"
"Aren't you always saying there's no need to be hungry for chocolate?"
"Exactly!"
Killian chuckled. "That's what I thought."
Taking the chocolate between his teeth, he thoughtfully ate it.
"How is it?" Emma inquired.
"That's a good one. Dark chocolate. But I'll tell you what: I know how to make it even better."
He leant forward to kiss her cheek and went to the kitchen. He came back with two glasses and his flask.
"Rum!" he announced proudly. "Happy Oikogeneia and merry Christmas, love!"
"Happy Oikogeneia and merry Christmas! Rum and chocolate and you, that's just perfect."
"My apologies for making you wait for your chocolate." He examined the content of the box. "Oh look at this one. Heart-shaped. That's the one for you!"
He imitated her and held the chocolate close to her lips. Soon, she closed her eyes and a sound of delight escaped her.
"Milk chocolate filled with hazelnut cream. If they all taste so delicious, they might all disappear tonight."
"I don't expect them to survive tonight," Killian said with a laugh.
She picked another one and he only took a bite of it.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Well, imagine the chocolate you pick for me tastes amazing. Wouldn't it be a shame that you can't try it?"
Her mouth quirked at the corner. "Are you saying that if you happen to try the best chocolate ever, instead of eating the other half, you'll give it to me?"
"Aye. It's just chocolate, love. I don't cherish it as much as you do. Speaking of, I can't say what that one exactly is, but you should have the other half."
He led her fingers towards her own lips and chuckled as he witnessed her expression of obvious delight.
"That is ganache, and I think I never had the occasion to tell you this: ganache is my favorite kind of chocolate. Ganache, remember the name, in case you decide to buy some chocolate again."
"Noted," he said with a laugh.
They went on and Emma adopted his method, only taking a bite to leave him the other half if it was an interesting one, though she sometimes couldn't resolve to do so if it was one she considered as extraordinarily delicious.
"I never thought I'd say that one day but… I've had enough chocolate for tonight," Emma said. "Do you want a last one?"
"Let's keep the rest of the box for tomorrow night."
"Another rum-and-chocolate-and-you night to come!" she said happily.
He was on his back and she was lying on top of him. She put the chocolate box away and went back to gazing at him and playing with his hair. He slipped his left arm in her back and trailed his fingers down her arm before taking her hand.
"Do you want to dance?" he asked.
Her face lit up and she repeated, "To dance?"
"Yes. I want to dance with you. Henry showed me how to use the device to play some music. We can do that and dance. That is if you want to dance."
"I want to dance."
She pressed a quick kiss to his lips, stood up and took his hand to pull him up on his feet. He was the first one to reach the laptop.
"I think I remember how it works."
Emma couldn't explain why watching him switch it on, type the password and open a web page was so fascinating but she was unable to take his eyes off him.
"Look who's getting the hang of technology," she said with a proud smile before quickly kissing his cheek.
"You spoke too fast, love. I can't seem to remember what to do now," he admitted.
"You just need to select a song." Her hands hovered over the keyboard as she hesitated. "Maybe if we just type love songs it'll give us some playlists."
It was exactly what happened. She randomly selected one of the playlists, switched on the loudspeaker, and the song I Just Can't Stop Loving You started to play. Killian took her hand and they started to waltz.
"I missed this! Dancing with you. Royal balls must be the one thing from the Enchanted Forest that I miss the most."
"Then we should dance more often," suggested Killian. "I love dancing with you. Some of my best memories are memories of the first time we danced."
"Our first dance… That may be the moment when I stopped resisting and let myself fall for you."
"Letting me break down your walls."
"Yes." The rhythm increased and Emma asked, "How do we even dance on this?"
"Pick a partner who knows what he's doing, remember?"
"How do you know what you're doing?"
"Actually, I don't," he said with a crooked smile. "Just feel the music and follow my lead."
They swirled even more and she did her best to let him lead even during the new moves he seemed to be improvising, like making her twirl around in different ways or arch her back while leaning over her.
She found herself back against him and he sang softly in her ear, "I just can't stop loving you."
Her smile widened and she tightened his arms around herself. The song ended and the next one started.
'Close your eyes, give me your hand darling,
Do you feel my heart beating? Do you understand?
Do you feel the same, or am I only dreaming?'
"That's a slow song," Killian commented.
"We can skip it," she suggested, ready to go back to the laptop.
"No, don't. Stay here and listen to the music. Close your eyes and give me your hand."
Giving him her left hand, she placed the other one on his chest and kept her face in the crook of his neck while they executed a slow dance. Focusing on his heart she could feel beating against her hand, she followed his steps and could only think of how much she loved him.
When the next song started, Killian placed her arms around his neck and wrapped his own around her waist. Emma found herself drowning in his eyes.
'I want to spend the whole night in your eyes,
I don't know how you do what you do,
I'm so in love with you,
It just keeps getting better.'
Because she could relate to the lyrics so much, she lost herself in thoughts and her heart started beating stronger. She would definitely spend the whole night in his eyes if he let her; in these eyes filled with so much love for her.
'I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side, forever and ever.'
She was gazing at him and she knew that was what she wanted: a lifetime by his side, forever and ever. A lifetime to look into his bright blue eyes. A lifetime to admire his smile and kiss his lips. A lifetime to spend the night in his arms and awake by his side. A lifetime to be loved by him and love him in return. A lifetime to build a future with him. A lifetime to belong to each other, forever and ever.
She knew what she wanted, and she felt like she had never been so certain about anything before.
Her heart was pounding wildly when she said, just loud enough for him to hear over the music, "Marry me."
"What?"
Taken by surprise, he stopped moving and she stopped as well. They were standing in the middle of the living room. Her arms were still around his neck and they were still gazing at each other. It was one of these moments when she felt like he could drill a hold in her head if he looked at her any harder.
"Marry me," she repeated without flinching. "You're saying you don't need any Christmas present when you have me… You do have me. Forever and ever."
She caught him thoughtfully glancing at the chocolate box and she realized her words might have sounded like she was trying to find an excuse not to ever offer him a Christmas present.
"I mean, it's not about Christmas presents," she corrected, instantly blaming herself for not thinking of a better way to word it. "You said I reminded you what it's like to be part of a family, but we can do more than that – we can build our own, and we can start with getting married. We would officially belong to each other. I would be Mrs. Jones, officially yours."
His face split into a bright smile. "Yes."
This simple word made her heart skip a beat. "Yes?"
"I would love to marry you," he confirmed.
Her smile reflected his own and their lips met for a passionate kiss. She could feel him smile against her lips and he could probably feel the same. They swayed and, when she felt the armrest of the couch behind her, she let herself fall backwards and giggled as she took Killian down with her. The music kept playing.
'I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more.'
"You're accepting without even asking me to let you plan the wedding?"
"I accept unconditionally."
"Good!" Lying under him, Emma drowned in his eyes again. "Remember when I first asked you out, you said you should be the one asking me out."
"And you said I was old-fashioned."
"I never said that was a flaw."
"I know," he said with a crooked smile. "But I still accept unconditionally. We can plan the wedding together."
She nodded and once again they stared at each other.
"There is however one thing I will do." He took her hand and softly pressed his lips against her knuckles. Her inquiring look made him go on. "I may not need to get down on one knee but I am still keen to offer you an engagement ring."
"You don't need to. We will have the wedding rings."
"But we'll have to wait for these ones. Love, I'm not saying I need to. I'm saying I want to."
"Alright, stubborn pirate," she teased.
"This stubborn pirate is now your fiancé," he replied playfully. "Mrs. Emma Jones. It has a nice ring to it, despite the absence of ring on your finger."
"My fiancé," she said dreamily.
"Aye, this new title is quite enjoyable!" Thinking of something else she had said, he slightly tilted his head. "My love, when you say we can build our own family, are you saying that you want-"
"Yes," she interrupted him and lightly bit her lip. "You've always been amazing with Henry, and… When I see you with Alexandra, I just want…"
She trailed off but he completed the sentence for her. "A little Swan-Jones."
Loving how that sounded, she flattened her lips and asked in a low voice, "Would you like that?"
He looked her in the eye for a moment before whispering, "More than anything."
Gazing at the man she wanted to spend a lifetime with, considering the idea of building a family with him and imagining him interacting with a little girl who would be their daughter, Emma felt overwhelmed with love. Their eyes were sparkling with happiness.
"My fiancée," he breathed before she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down to her.
'We're knocking on heaven's door,
Almost paradise, how could we ask for more?
I swear that I can see forever in your eyes.'