This is a stand alone story but it is also a semi-sequel to my one-shot Beyond Survival. You don't have to read that one to enjoy this one but it does offer a little background information. As usual I don't own these characters, Kitsis and Horowitz do. I'm just taking the characters out to play.
Emma was starting to have second thoughts. Which wasn't normally like her but seemed to be happening a bit more than she cared to admit. It didn't help that when Emma let slip to Mary Margaret what her plan was all she got in return was a look of chagrin and a shake of the head. Then, apparently, her mother had mentioned something to David because as they were leaving with Neal he just smiled like he knew exactly what Emma was getting herself into.
Despite having only been gone for fifteen minutes Emma almost wished her parents had stuck around a bit longer. She was filled with a nervous energy that only served to question what the hell she was doing. Instead of dwelling on it, however, she marched into the kitchen and turned on the radio, fiddling with the dial until she picked up the rock station broadcasting out of Derry. It was right in the middle of their throwback hour and it seemed that eighties hair bands were the feature flavor. It worked out perfectly for her because the guitar riffs, somewhat melodramatic themes, and intense vocals were the perfect thing for drowning out her thoughts.
Turning up the volume Emma pulled her long blonde hair back into a ponytail and started moving around the kitchen, getting things ready to the sound of Bon Jovi singing about living on a prayer. She shook her head at the ridiculous sentiment and at how quickly she remembered all the words she put some popcorn in the microwave. Van Halen replaced Bon Jovi as she grabbed a bowl and some glasses from the cupboards over her head. Grinning to herself she continued getting things ready for her night in with Killian.
It had been a week since Operation Heartache (it was all Henry's fault she started coming up with code names for everything) and Leroy hadn't once come running down the street yelling his head off about some kind of danger. In fact, the only pressing matter was wondering if it was time to get the oil changed on her bug. She really hadn't been keeping up on it's maintenance lately.
The relative peace and quiet had been a welcome break from what she had come to accept as the norm for Storybrooke. Killian had taken her and Henry out sailing earlier in the week. She had to admit that he was a hell of a captain, when there weren't storms or mermaids to interfere. Even his insistence that she wear a bright orange life vest hadn't curbed her enjoyment of the day. Henry had snickered at her as she fumbled with the straps but stopped suddenly when Killian handed him one as well. Emma had quickly realized that Henry hadn't been wearing one on his previous trips but let it slide with just a stern look at the two of them before turning her attention back to her own vest.
The beeping of the microwave brought her attention back to the task at hand. Dumping the popcorn into the bowl she smiled to herself as she realized that she was taking advice from both her dad and Killian. They had told her to enjoy the good, quiet moments because those were the moments to live for and recently she had been stockpiling them up.
After taking the full bowl over to the coffee table she double checked that her laptop was still queued up to the right spot. No matter what magic she encountered she was still in awe of how amazing the internet service was in a town that had been created out of thin air by a curse twice. She could make a fortune if she cracked that magical secret.
As she returned to the kitchen her doubts started trickling back in. It wasn't like she was doing anything devious or tricky, per se. It was all in good fun and if he couldn't take a joke, well there were worse things in life. Still she glanced back at the living room apprehensively. A drink, that's what she needed. Just a little sample of liquid courage to bolster her up. God, she was acting like a nervous teenager and it was so beyond normal for her.
As she poured out what she felt equaled a shot of tequila into one of the glasses the perfect song came out of the radio's speakers . Not bothering with a lime wedge or salt she tossed it back as the echoing vocals filled the room. Emma poured herself another shot as her hips started moving to the beat of the drums. She had spent many nights in bars trying to lose herself and for some reason when Pour Some Sugar on Me came on it helped her do exactly that, lose herself.
Moving around the kitchen dancing with herself she finished grabbing what she thought would be good for a movie night. Extending her hand gracefully with a sway of her body she snatched a bag of candy off the kitchen island and then turned and bent at the waist she slowly dipped down to grab a bottle of rum from a lower cabinet, still moving with the beat. Slowly raising herself up she placed the items next to the glasses stopping only to take the second shot. She sauntered over to the fridge she opened the freezer door, tipping her head back and closing her eyes as the cold air flowed over her heated face.
The song was reaching its conclusion as she swiveled her hips and was reaching for the ice tray when she heard a creak of the floorboards. Gasping she spun around and in the process knocked half the contents of the freezer to the floor. Standing at the center island was Killian, blue eyes blazing with enjoyment at the show she had been unknowingly putting on. She could feel the blood rush to her face and quickly dropped down to pick up the bags of frozen vegetables, popsicles, and the ice tray she had been originally been aiming for.
"Don't stop on my account Love," the lascivious tone combined with Killian's lilting accent made Emma want to grab the frozen peas and bury her burning cheeks in them.
"How long have you been standing there?" Arms full she avoided making eye contact and started shoving things back into the freezer.
"Long enough to wonder why you thought you couldn't dance back in the Enchanted Forest. Although, I must say, that whatever it is you were doing is far beyond a simple waltz."
"Ha ha," she said sardonically, finally turning around to face him crossing her arms to hide her embarrassment. "I never said I couldn't dance. I just never learned how to waltz at the school dances I didn't go to."
"Well, I for one, mightily enjoyed it. Is that what you have planned for us tonight?" Killian asked, lifting his brow and winking at her.
Blood rushed to her cheeks again as she remembered some of the things that song had led her to do. A small smile tugged at her lips thinking that she might want to do some of those things with Killian. Before he could read her thoughts on her face she gestured over to the living room where her laptop was open and the bowl of popcorn is waiting.
"Nope, I thought we could watch a movie and enjoy a quiet moment together," she emphasized the word quiet and was pleased to note that he got the hint when he glanced around the empty loft.
"Why, Swan, if I didn't know any better I would say you've lured me here under false pretenses. A movie? I may not know what that is but the lack of company is most encouraging," he said as he wagged his eyebrows suggestively.
"Slow down there tiger. Just because Henry is at Regina's and my parents have decided to have a date night doesn't mean we have free reign."
Killian smirked at her and she distracted herself from his lips by grabbing the candy, glasses, and bottle of rum from behind her. Balancing them in her hands she motioned for Killian to follow her with a jerk of her head. His lips curled up into a full smile and gamely sauntered over to the couch half a step behind her. She was quickly enveloped in the smell of the sea that clung to his clothes. He must have come straight from the docks and for some reason it made her smile, steadying her nerves better than the tequila and dancing had.
Setting the stuff down on the table Emma turned around and stepped directly into Killian's arms. He rocked back in surprise but quickly wrapped his arms around her burying his nose in her hair. Sighing she relaxed further into him hearing his hum of appreciation rumble through his chest.
She slowly became aware that Killian was swaying her gently in time with the song playing on the radio. Strains of Journey came floating across the loft and Emma rolled her eyes as she realized what song it was. Despite her amusement she couldn't help the feeling of warm contentment spreading out from her core. At some point one of them had grabbed the other's hand and held them clasped between them near Killian's heart. Emma wasn't sure which one of them did it as they spun in a slow circle in the living room, but it didn't really matter.
"And that marks the end of our Throwback Power Hour with Faithfully by Journey. Join us tomorrow same rockin' time same rockin' place 103.8 WTRD Derry" The sudden cutaway to the dj's broad confident tones startled Emma and broke whatever spell they had been under.
Stepping out of his arms she looked up at Killian finding him smiling gently down at her. "Thank you for the dance your highness."
Before she could come up with a response he bent down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. It didn't last long but it still left Emma a little light headed as she walked back to the kitchen to turn off the radio. By the time she returned Killian was on the couch having poured them both a healthy measure of rum and was curiously peering at the bowl of popcorn.
"It's called popcorn and you eat it," she told him as she grabbed a handful, munching on it as she perched next to him.
"I figured as much," he intoned as he picked up a kernel to inspect it closer. "I just wasn't entirely sure how well it would compliment the rum."
"Right, because your palate is so highly refined after 500 years of living on the high seas. Just trust me, it's better than sea weed or kelp or whatever you might have snacked on."
"Very funny Swan. I'll have you know that sea weed is actually quite satisfying if prepared properly," tossing the kernel into his mouth he smirked at her and reached for the bowl again.
Emma just shook her head not knowing whether to believe him or not. She could get used to this quiet moment thing, especially watching Killian try for subtlety as he eagerly grabbed another handful of popcorn. Without saying a word she got up and went into the kitchen to make another bag.
"Now are you going to tell me what a movie is or am I about to be pleasantly surprised?" he questioned through a mouthful of popcorn.
"Oh, um," the question threw her. She knew that Killian had never seen a movie but it didn't occur to her that he wouldn't even know the basic concept of what a movie was. "Do you remember that night at the station where we watched that tape with Ingrid on it?"
"Aye, that was was quite a shock."
"Yeah, no kidding," she brushed off the restored memories that threaten to surface with a wave of her hand. "Anyways it's like that but different. Were there plays back in the Enchanted Forest?"
"Plays?" he looked at her confused but trying to keep up.
"No? Okay, I'm taking it no plays... Oh! You know Henry's book?" She said snapping her fingers in inspiration.
"The one filled with everyone's stories?"
"Yes! A movie is a story that's acted out for people to watch. Kind of like what Henry does to entertain Neal."
Emma watched as he tried to piece it together when the microwave beeped behind her. Figuring it would just be easier to start the movie and hope he wouldn't ask too many questions she pulled the bag from the microwave and went back to the couch. She bit back a laugh when she noticed that the popcorn bowl was half empty and Killian was absentmindedly eating as he tried to puzzle things out.
"Don't strain yourself," she smirked at him as she dumped the fresh bag into the bowl. "We wouldn't want you busting a circuit up there."
"I can only assume you're talking about my mind. Don't worry Swan, I do believe my good looks and undeniable charm will be more than sufficient for overcoming a 'busted circuit.'"
She just shook her head and smiled as she sat down, trying not to upset the now overfilled bowl. Killian solved her problem by picking up the bowl and sliding to the left. It suddenly dawned on her that whenever she sat next to Killian he made sure she was on his right side. The side without the hook. She filed the information away for a later time, no need to bring it up and potentially ruin the night, and grabbed her laptop off the coffee table.
"So what story are we about to watch Love?" He asked eagerly.
"Well, um, it's a movie that I used to watch when I was younger," she said, trying to figure out how to avoid telling him exactly what it was. "I haven't watched it in years but I thought you might like it."
He looked surprised that she took into consideration what he might enjoy out of a movie. Even if he had no clue what it was. Turning back to her laptop her apprehension flared up as she dragged a finger over the mousepad to wake it up. The screen remained black except for the title of the movie. She knew the instant Killian's read it because he stiffened slightly and slowly turned to look at her.
"Swan," there was a hint of warning to his voice that was hard to discern beneath the rampant curiosity. "What story is this?"
"Well, you asked me once what you were like in the stories I grew up with," she pressed play and set the laptop back on the table. "This seemed like the easiest way to show you."
She glanced at him just as the word 'Hook' faded from the screen. From the look on his face she knew the rest of the night would be interesting, to say the least.
