Three part AU in which Emma, Mary Margaret, Ruby and Belle are out for a girl's night in Boston and decide to go to a Karaoke bar. Mary Margaret's boyfriend David meets up with them bringing Will, Robin and Killian. Emma sings "Move on" by Claire Dunn (because it's country night) right at Killian who she thinks is getting over a bad break up. Smut and such after the miscommunication is rectified.
Three drinks in brought the gang to very different places. Ruby was essentially cold sober. Where the girl put away her drinks, Emma didn't know, but she'd never seen her even close to drunk. Meanwhile Belle, sweet adorable Belle, was so consumed with music that apparently played inside her head that she couldn't stop swaying to some inaudible beat. Mary Margaret was somehow even bubblier, and a little louder than strictly necessary but she still had her coordination and for that Emma was grateful. It allowed her to enjoy the soft sort of buzz that three margaritas had granted her. No need to play the caregiver yet.
"You know what we haven't done in forever… karaoke." Ruby's words managed to bring Mary Margaret and Belle right back into the fray of girl's night. Belle looked intrigued but Mary Margaret looked down right elated at the suggestion.
"Oh my god, please! Please – let's go. I can call David and he and the guys can come meet us. It's always so fun in a big group." Mary Margaret let out a hiccup and Emma would have likely laughed if the newly proposed plan didn't cause her heartbeat to skip and nerves to flood her system. Where David Nolan, Mary Margaret's boyfriend went, Killian Jones almost always followed.
Charming and charismatic, the English born Killian had come to the states for school and stayed to start a now flourishing shipping business with David and their friend Will Scarlett. Though the headquarters of the company was in New York, the three split their time between NYC and Boston. Emma had met him a few months ago and had been saddled with this crazy attraction to him ever since. It was highly inconvenient since she was nearly positive he had a girlfriend back in New York. That fact, while extremely disheartening and an instant wall raiser couldn't deter from the way his bright blue eyes held her captive, or the way the low timbre of his voice made her weak in the knees.
"Who's with him tonight?" Ruby asked nonchalantly.
"Robin, Will and Killian I believe. He's getting over a really bad break up, poor guy." Emma was stunned for a moment and was about to ask when this happened but Mary Margaret was already dialing David.
"Hi honey, it's me. What would you say to joining us for some karaoke?" Mary Margaret's inability to stop smiling made Emma's heart hurt a bit. She was really happy for her best friend, but she was also jealous if she was honest. She wished she could find someone to love like that.
Maybe it can be Killian, her brain thought and just the idea gave her a rush. She'd never want to be a rebound girl, but she suspected that there was some attraction between them. If she was to guess, it was his commitment to his ex that kept him from … She shook away the thoughts in her mind. She wasn't the kind of girl who rooted for a relationship to end. She didn't know this woman at all, maybe she was fantastic and perfect and a saint. Maybe she was hurting, and if that was the case, Emma scheming to snatch up her ex boyfriend was bad form.
"Perfect, we'll see you guys there in twenty. I love you, bye." Mary Margaret hung up and told the other women that they were meeting the guys at Granger's just a few blocks over. They debated hailing a cab, but ultimately opted to jump on the T the two stops it would take to get there. Part of Emma wished that time would move faster so she could see him already, but she also was nervous. What if he wasn't interested? What if he was?
When they eventually reached the bar, they found out it was country night. Strange for Boston, but hey, three drink Belle and Mary Margaret were in. Emma and Ruby? Not so much.
"Let's go get a drink," Ruby pulled at Emma's arm and wove their way to the bar while Mary Margaret and Belle grabbed a table and put their names in for songs. Emma considered the listed specials when she felt Ruby's hand tightening almost painfully on her wrist.
"Ruby?"
"Hot cowboy bartender. Hot cowboy bartender." Emma followed Ruby's eyes and saw that her friend was in fact right. A tall guy with light brown hair covered with a black cowboy hat and donning a fitted black tee and dark wash jeans was manning their side of the bar. He wasn't really Ruby's type (not enough notable red flags) but Emma could see the attraction. What she didn't expect was the small squeal that came from Ruby as the man looked up and smiled at her.
"How can I help you ladies tonight?" Emma looked to Ruby who was speechless. She nearly reached for her phone to capture this moment in a picture for proof but opted to help her friend out instead.
"We'll take two Jameson's please."
"Coming right up," the man said as he smiled at Ruby who audibly gulped.
"Come on Ruby, pull it together. Where's that good old Lucas charm?" Emma's whispered nudging seemed to spark something in Ruby who nodded and cleared her throat.
"So does the hot cowboy have a name?" Ruby asked.
"Graham. How about the two beautiful ladies currently addressing him."
"This is Emma, and I'm Ruby." Ruby extended her hand across the bar after he'd placed the drinks in front of them. He quickly took it in his and Emma watched as they both seemed a bit more flushed than only moments before.
"Ruby, that suits you." Emma knew her queue to scram and grabbed both drinks, leaving some cash behind for the drinks. Ruby could handle this, her momentary muteness now seemingly over.
"They're still about five minutes out," Mary Margaret told Emma as Emma sat down with them. The reminder that Killian would be there soon, standing in front of her made her hands shake a bit. To try and ease the building tension she downed her drink. It didn't really do anything, but at least it had given her a moment of reprieve as she'd felt that the thick burn of the whiskey in the back of her throat.
"What are you gonna sing, Emma?" Belle asked and the childish lilt in her voice made Emma smile. Her friend looked so excited about the prospect of drunkenly showing the crowd in the bar why they had day jobs and Emma coveted her sense of calm. Emma had never been a center of attention kind of person. Karaoke always made her nervous and she'd never done more than some sort of group performance with Belle, Mary Margaret and Ruby.
"What country songs do we all know?" Belle shook her head but it was Mary Margaret who replied.
"No no no you have to do one yourself. It'll be fun, trust me."
"Yeah Emma, trust her." David's voice behind Emma brought her to a whole new level of awareness. She stared at Ruby's drink in front of her and considered downing it but then she heard his voice and the impulse died. Killian.
"Interesting choice of activity you've submitted us all to." He was closer to her than she'd anticipated and when she turned her head she saw he stood right beside her. While she remained quiet, the others all greeted each other and Mary Margaret shuffled them around to sit at the table. Emma managed to be between Will and Killian and couldn't remember a time they'd been so close. Her heart felt like it would beat out of her chest and that was when she was looking away from him. When he spoke to her directly and she couldn't keep her gaze averted, it went into hyper drive. He looked fantastic in a dark blue tee and jeans and if he looked this good, this casual, it made her think what he must look like in a suit.
"I'm sorry what?" Emma managed to choke out since she'd missed him the first time.
"I asked you how things have been at the shelter, love." Emma looked him in the eyes and marveled at how good his memory was.
"Things are great. We got more funding and can now take on ten more animals at any given time. The next influx is coming up from Texas in a couple of days." His responding smile was so kind (and gorgeous) she hated to look away but the small voice in her head was yelling at her to keep her hormones in check. She didn't know what the score was with Killian after all and it would be mortifying to make a fool of herself in front of him.
"I think I'm gonna go grab another drink," Emma said a bit too loudly. Killian immediately stood up as she did.
"Allow me, Swan."
"No no really it's fine. I should go find Ruby too. I left her with the hot bartender and haven't seen her since." Emma noticed the flash of something in Killian's eyes but couldn't place it, meanwhile Mary Margaret and Belle got up to claiming they needed more to drink as well. Completely wrong, and she was not letting them get more, but the company might be nice.
"He really seems to be warming up tonight, doesn't he?" Mary Margaret asked the two of them and Emma assumed she had seen the interaction between her and Killian.
"He's always really kind, though." Mary Margaret nodded.
"Well yeah I mean he's always nice but tonight he seems, I don't know more interested. Wouldn't you say Belle?" Belle nodded but Emma noted a blush on her cheeks. If she had to hazard a guess she'd say that Will Scarlett was making an impression tonight. They got to the bar and Emma was hardly surprised to find Ruby perched on a stool directly in front of Graham.
"Is anyone else getting served tonight, or has the train stopped at flirtation station." Graham cleared his throat at Emma's jab but laughed nonetheless. Good, Ruby needed a guy with a sense of humor.
"What can I get you guys? Another Jameson." Emma nodded and asked for waters for Mary Margaret and Belle. Both women took the water gratefully and then Mary Margaret resumed their conversation from before.
"I really think he's ready to move on. Finally. He deserves it." Emma's eyes found Killian's through the bar and he smiled and gave her a small wave she returned the wave with a new idea. To accomplish it, she was going to need a bit more liquid courage. She downed the glass in front of her and then wove her way to the guy in charge of the karaoke. Selecting her song, she prayed that whiskey would kick in soon and the fluttering in her stomach may be dulled even just slightly. When she returned back to the table, Killian stood and held out her chair.
"Will you be gracing us with a performance tonight?"
"Gracing may be putting it strongly. I really never sing outside of my shower. But tonight I think I want to change that." Emma saw something in his eyes resembling the wanting she felt in her eyes as she mentioned her shower and she bit her lip unconsciously. His eyes followed the motion and she let go quickly. He fidgeted in his seat a bit before speaking again.
"I can understand the instinct – to want to change I mean."
"Yeah? I would have thought you liked your life. You get to live in two world-class cities, your company is doing well, and Mary Margaret told me that you managed to buy that sailboat you showed us last month." He smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"When you put it like that… but recently my attachment to New York has been fading. I find myself wishing I was here when I'm not." His hand moved towards her, touching her arm and she thought the raw energy coursing through her at the impact would set her ablaze. "Look, Emma there's something I've been trying to tell you –"
"Do we have an Emma Swan in the house?" The MC called over the speaker system. The rest of the table pointed her out and before Emma knew it, she was being heralded to the stage at the other end of the room.
"Go get em tiger!" Ruby said as Emma passed. Emma responded by swiping Ruby's drink from her hand and swigging it back. One last attempt at calming her nerves. The polite applause of the crowd had Emma feeling a little light headed, and the spotlight made her feel overheated but she needed to keep going and to be brave.
Emma stepped to the Karaoke screen and saw the song she'd selected staring back at her. She inhaled to get her bearings then looked out into the crowd, right into Killian's eyes and started. Here goes nothing.
Sometimes I wish you'd just…
Well if I told you what I'm really thinkin, it might make you blush
Yeah, but baby, so what?
And I don' wanna rush
We've been pretending we're just friends and all that stuff
For long enough, yeah
"Go Emma!" Mary Margaret yelled from the back and Emma felt her confidence surge a bit. She felt herself pour more into her performance, allowing herself to be a bit more seductive, a bit less closed off.
I'm thinkin babe tonight
We start blurring up the lines
Go ahead, get out of your head
Think you're overthinking use your lips instead
Cause what you want I want, I think it's easy to see
I know you're a little bit shy
But if I'm gonna be honest baby so am I
You're on the sidelines wasting time when you could be winning with me
All them days over, all them red lights are green
So move on, move on, move on
Make your move on me
Now the yells to the stage were coming from more than just her friends and she heard whistling too, but still her eyes stayed on Killian who seemed transfixed. There was no denying his wanting, and it pushed Emma to a new level, one where she fully committed to the song.
I can't count on twenty hands
The nights I spent up wondering what it'd be like if you was my man
No, baby I can't
No I can't help myself
Your touch is hypnotic I want it
It aint nothing like I've felt
From no one else, yeah
I'm thinkin babe tonight
We start blurring up the lines
Go ahead, get out of your head
Think you're overthinking use your lips instead
Cause what you want I want, I think it's easy to see
I know you're a little bit shy
But if I'm gonna be honest baby so am I
You're on the sidelines wasting time when you could be winning with me
All them days over, all them red lights are green
So move on, move on, move on
Make your move on me
For this last part, Emma placed some undeniable emphasis on certain segments, namely the ones that rang true for her and Killian. She wanted more than the kind words and thoughtful remembrances. She wanted all of him and she really, really didn't want to wait anymore.
If it aint real love, I don't wanna pretend
Cause I got plenty of em, I don't need another friend
So, start comin up with some trouble to get in tonight, so
Go ahead, get out of your head
Think you're overthinking use your lips instead
Cause what you want I want, I think it's easy to see
I know you're a little bit shy
But if I'm gonna be honest baby so am I
You're on the sidelines wasting time when you could be winning with me
All them days over, all them red lights are green
So move on, move on, move on
Make your move on me
The applause was deafening as Emma dropped the mike to the ground and hopped off the stage. Before she had time to start second guessing what she'd just done, Killian was in front of her pulling her to him.
"Was that intended for me, love?" Emma nodded and his lips were on hers so fast she didn't have a second to think. She was consumed by the desire between them, felt his tongue against hers and his hands roaming, leaving a trail of electricity behind them. She craved closeness, wanted more than anything to strip down to nothing but them, but the rowdy response from the bar pulled them out of the moment.
"Perhaps we could take this somewhere a bit more private," Killian said.
"I'd like that." With that, they were off grabbing their jackets, making their excuses to the others and headed out into the beautiful Boston night.
Post Note – Smut (and thus the M rating) to come in the next installment. Thanks for reading!