CS One Shot - based loosely on the first CS scene of 4x05!
Elsa had been pacing back and forth for the best part of an hour. Emma understood why - she had hardly been the picture of serenity when Henry had been missing, so she knew how frantic Elsa must be still not knowing the whereabouts of her sister.
But man was it starting to drive her stir crazy.
"Hey," she said, gently, reaching out to grab Elsa by the arm, "Why don't you head out for some fresh air? Pacing the corridors of the Sheriff's office can't be doing you much good."
Elsa exhaled, her beautiful blonde braid falling over her shoulder. She looked completely exhausted.
"I just… I feel so…"
Her eyes were glassy and shining with tears, for the third time that morning.
"Useless?" Emma prompted.
"Exactly."
It was an odd moment - Emma rarely felt the urge to hug people (other than Henry, and these days a certain charming pirate), but right in that second she just wanted to hug Elsa. They were just so similar. She just and no more controlled the impulse, and instead, did what she did best.
"We will find her," she said, her tone calm and collected, "You're doing everything you can, so cut yourself some slack, okay? Why don't you go for a walk round the block and meet me at the car in ten minutes."
Elsa looked uncertain, but cabin fever seemed to get the better of her as she nodded, and started to walk out of the door. As she was leaving, the sound of footsteps in the corridor reached them, and Elsa's entire body language changed, like she was automatically ready to defend herself against an attack.
Her hand was raised when Killian appeared from around the corner.
"Wow, careful lass, it's me!"
His eyes flicked quickly from Elsa to land on Emma, that flirtatious smile instantly lighting up his face and sending a shiver through her entire body, from her head to her toes. Part of her hated admitting that - she had never been one for that giddy, loved up nonsense in the past, not even really at the height of her relationship with Neal. But something about him - the combination of the bond they had formed, and his complete and utter faith in her, coupled with the leather, the quirked eyebrow, the undeniably stunning face and the knowledge that he knew exactly how to kiss her to make her forget anything else existed - made it difficult to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. He'd always given her butterflies, right from the beginning. Initially, they'd been distrusting butterflies, flapping their wings in a panic, trying to warn her not to fall for the charm. Over time though, things had most definitely changed.
She snapped out of her reverie, realising she was grinning at him like an insane person, and quickly returned her attention to Elsa, clearing her throat and tucking her hair behind her ear.
"And Elsa, when I said go for a walk round the block, I meant a walk round the block. No disappearing off into the woods like someone convinced you to do last week."
She refused to make eye contact with him, but her pointed comment drew a smirk from him, knowing she was still angry with him, but falling for him quickly enough to let it go… this time.
"Understood," said Elsa, a guilty look playing across her face. The poor girl had apologised about a million times for running off. Clearly, like Emma, she had difficulty trusting people.
With that, Elsa turned and walked out, nodding at Killian, who by this point was leaning against the doorframe, his eyes burning holes in the top of Emma's head as she scrambled around the desk, shuffling paperwork to make herself busy.
It didn't take him long to get bored of being ignored, and he quickly made his way across the room, reaching her in seconds and sitting himself comfortably down on the edge of the desk. When he snatched the folder from her grasp she was forced to meet his gaze.
How on earth did he always manage to look so damn good.
She swallowed the smile that was toying with her lips, and did her best to keep her voice steady, as she sauntered round the desk to stand in front of him.
"I need that, captain," she began, her voice so much lower than she had intended, "Give it back."
He lifted his reattached Hook (she was still sure there was more to that than he was letting on) and pressed the cool metal under her chin for a split second.
"Gladly."
He held the folder out towards her and the moment she grabbed it, he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her towards him.
"But don't you think I deserve a reward for giving in quite so easily?"
His voice was barely a whisper, his stubble grazing her cheek as he whispered in her ear.
She found herself reaching round to drop the folder on the desk behind him and drawing her hand back to rest on his chest. It was, she couldn't help but note, the first time they had managed to be alone since the end of their date.
Her thoughts drifted back to standing outside the loft, wrapped up in his arms, his mouth on hers, wishing more than anything that she had her own place.
But thoughts like that would let him win right now, and she hadn't had her fun yet.
She tilted her head up to meet his eyes, the fierce blue of them so intense it almost knocked the air out of her. She ran her hands up to his face, tracing the outline of his jaw.
"Definitely," she whispered back, matching his smirk.
He leaned in towards her and it took every ounce of her self-control, but she managed it. She squirmed quickly out of his arms and bolted across the room to lean against the cool bars of the now empty cell, after letting Will go free earlier that day.
"Your reward is another date. Tomorrow."
He petted his lip at her, the way he had done in Neverland just before she lost all of her willpower and kissed him senseless for the first time.
"But Swan," he said, his tone light and playful, "That deprives you of my presence for a whole twenty four hours. That hardly seems fair to you."
He was walking towards her and she couldn't take her eyes off him. Jokes aside, the thought of spending twenty four hours without him right now was torturous. But she had things to do.
He finally reached her and she found herself instinctively grabbing on to the collar of his jacket, pulling him close enough to feel his breath on her cheek, but not close enough to kiss.
"True. But since you'll be spending the day teaching my son how to sail, I think your reward will have doubled by then. That'll give us both something to look forward to."
His eyebrow quirked, in that way she found so dangerously attractive, and he moved closer, placing his hand on her hip, and catching his hook loosely round one of the bars.
"Indeed it will."
For a moment they were enveloped in silence, and she couldn't help but lean into his embrace. She was quickly beginning to feel so at home in his arms. The sexual tension seemed to take a back seat, not disappearing, but just simmering beneath the surface as she relaxed into him, her head tucked into his neck and his lips skimming her forehead.
"You okay?" he asked, his voice suddenly tinged with concern.
She nodded against his chest, and then pulled back to meet his eyes.
"Yeah, fine. It's just this whole Snow Queen situation, it's giving me a massive headache. And, you know, Regina still isn't talking to me. So there's that…"
She trailed off, looking to the floor and sighing. The Regina situation was really starting to worry her. Aside from feeling guilty, since she and Regina had felt like they might have been on the verge of actually becoming real friends, she hated what this was doing to Henry.
Once again, the cool metal of his hook touched her chin, tilting her face towards his.
"What can I do, Emma?"
It was such a short sentence, but filled with such utter sincerity it practically melted her heart. She couldn't resist him.
Wrapping her arms around his neck she pushed herself as close to him as she possibly could, and pressed her lips against his. His hand was quickly cradling the back of her head and he was kissing her so passionately, so intensely, that she momentarily forgot what was worrying her. All of her energies were focused on pouring all of her appreciation into the moment.
When her thoughts jumped back to the end of their date, she felt herself shifting, spinning them around to press his back against the bars. Her sensible, rational brain, however, seemed to break through. This really wasn't the time or place.
She pulled back, feeling the slightest pang of embarrassment as he grinned at her, that devilishly charming look that came over his face when she showed how obviously she now reciprocated his feelings. It was going to take a little while for her to realise that now, with the first date officially under their belt, it was totally okay for her to do this, and to be open with him. Perhaps just not here and now…
"I think, you've done all you can do for now," she finally replied, her breath still uneven and her hands settled on his shoulders, "But thank you."
He smiled and nodded, understanding that when it came to some situations, there really was nothing he could do. The Snow Queen wasn't one of those situations. Regina, however, was.
"Fair enough, Swan," he said, letting go of her waist and wandering towards the desk, lifting the phone that had fallen out while he was sitting there, and slipping it into his pocket.
She glanced at the clock. Ten minutes had certainly passed, and Elsa would be waiting.
"I have to go and meet Elsa…"
"... and I have an appointment to meet young Henry at the pier."
The thought of the man she was clearly falling in love with spending a day with her son gave Emma a strangely warm feeling in her chest.
"Make sure he wears a life jacket."
She met him at the desk, and he skimmed his fingers across the side of her face.
"Of course I will."
He leaned in, inching closer and closer to her face without touching her.
"Shall I walk you out, love?" he asked.
She definitely needed a second to compose herself before seeing Elsa - who undoubtedly would have guessed what was going on in here, but there was no point in making it worse by leaving the office flushed and flustered.
"I have to lock up. You go ahead, I'll catch up with you later."
Either he was more easily fooled than she thought and he bought it, or he understood her reasons and for once didn't use them as an opportunity to flirt. Instead, he just shrugged, and closed the gap between them before he spoke.
"In that case, goodbye for now," he whispered, leaning in to drop the lightest of kisses to her cheek bone.
She watched him walk away, throwing a glance at her over his shoulder, complete with heart-stopping smile, as he left the room and walked off down the corridor.
No-one had ever had quite this effect on her. And, judging by her pulse's response to a kiss on the cheek from him, she doubted anyone would ever again.
Now, to pull herself together and find that Snow Queen.
Thanks so much for reading - reviews are very, very welcome! Getting feedback from fellow CS-shippers (and all other OUAT devotees!) is amazing!
