A/N: Hey everyone! So this chapter brings us to the gala I hinted at last week. As such it's going to give us another CS moment and a bit of a confrontation about what exactly is going on between them. Of course there's also some more Ruby humor, the appearance of Emma's parents, and some mutual CS pining (because who doesn't love that?). Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!
"Thank you all so much for coming out tonight. I know it's hardly the easiest thing for most of you to make it here given your hectic schedules, but I can promise you a pleasant evening if you just bear with me a moment."
The room filled with applause and good humor at the mayor's words and Emma clapped along even though she saw right through Arthur King. He might have some real ideals underneath it all and a want to change this city for the better, but King was a politician through and through. Emma could read his want for more than a simple mayorship all over him, from the meticulously tailored tux to the carefully chosen wife who appeared adequately doting. Maybe it was wrong of Emma to be this cynical, but she swore she could see in the mayor's wife's gaze that any love between the pair of them cooled a long time ago, leaving nothing but political aspirations and public appearances to keep up.
"This city is a place near and dear to every one of us. We all work to see it safe and protected, to see it changing for the better, and moving towards a future we can all defend. But sometimes, we have to put the city aside and shine a light on the good people who make any of our progress and continued stability possible. We are blessed in Boston to have the best of the best in our fire and police departments. You do us all a great service and tonight we honor that."
"God this guy is laying it on thick. When's he up for reelection?" Ruby whispered and Emma smiled, loving that she could always depend on her best friend to see things her way.
"November," Emma confirmed.
"There we go. So we've got a solid six more minutes of him verbally making love to us all, AKA six more minutes of waiting to drink this champagne. I did not pregame enough for this." Emma bit back a laugh at that and looked over at Ruby curiously.
"You pre-gamed for a work function?" Emma asked, not sure if she admired her friend's boldness or pitied her desperation to not be sober at this gala.
"No, thus my problem. I clearly should have but I didn't realize this guy was such a windbag."
Ruby wasn't wrong in her assertions, and her guess of how long the mayor would go on talking was scarily accurate. Right at the six-minute mark King finally raised his glass up, allowing everyone else to do so before toasting both departments and giving them the freedom to move about the space. It was a relief to not be at attention, and Emma felt herself losing some of the tension in her shoulders even if she would never be fully relaxed here in this room with all these people.
"I still can't believe you're wearing red," Ruby murmured happily and Emma groaned, looking back down at her dress.
The gown was gorgeous to be fair, and bold in both color and cut, but Emma still considered it the enemy. It was too formal and expensive for her to not worry about it, and it also had the added bonus of drawing people's attention since the moment she walked through the door. What Emma wouldn't give to be in jeans and a t-shirt or even her work clothes right now, but if she'd shown up in that her mother might have died from shock and then subsequent despair, and they couldn't have that.
"I still can't believe I let you convince me to. You know it kind of looks like we're matching, right? I figured when you said 'wear red' you'd lay off it for one night." Ruby completely ignored Emma's statement and looked back at the crowd of people, prompting Emma to do the same.
Emma knew she should be used to events like this by now. The excess and the showiness were a part of necessary fundraising and 'public imaging' for the city and for its rescue forces, but it just didn't feel natural. Despite her having been a guest at these things for years, she always felt like she stuck out, and not just because of how different she looked from her normal state. Tonight was also one of the only nights a year when that the BPD and the BFD crossed paths in such a setting, and when that was the case, the talk of her relationship to her parents always flared back up again.
No, Emma. We are not going down that road. They only have the power to make you feel inferior if you give it to them. Screw what everyone thinks.
"If you keep fidgeting like that, people are gonna know you're uncomfortable and you'll lose your badass reputation, which means I will lose my badass reputation."
Ruby's words pulled an eye roll from Emma instinctively, but she knew her friend was right. Emma needed to get it together and not because of what everyone would think, but for one person in particular. Her mother was moving about the crowd currently, schmoozing and entertaining everyone she met and it would hurt her to see Emma looking so uncomfortable. Mary Margaret Nolan was an exceptional police officer, truly inspiring in so many ways, but she was also built for the top brass. She could charm anyone with that hopeful yet forceful personality of hers and she had such high hopes for Emma to someday walk that same path. Meanwhile Emma doubted she'd ever aspire to such a future. She wanted to make a difference on the ground, not in policy or public affairs as both her parents did.
"Is it really badass to wear four inch heels you can't run in and a dress so tight your lungs might collapse? I couldn't even bring my side arm, Ruby. I might as well be naked," Emma said and Ruby practically cackled she was laughing so hard. People began looking over in their direction and many gazes lingered on the two of them once they made their way here, which made Emma tenser.
"Yes, Emma. Dressing to kill is the definition of badass, and you will see that as soon as we get a little booze in you. Come on. I know a guy."
Ruby pulled Emma with her from the swarms of people in the ballroom to the bar and saddled up to it with complete control. Emma had seen this routine a million times before from her friend and it always ended in Ruby getting exactly what she wanted. Ruby flashed a warm, inviting smile to the slight, middle-aged bartender who looked a little shell shocked and then made her needs known in a friendly, borderline flirtatious manner.
"Hey Archie. I need you to hook me up with the best champagne you guys have got. Whatever the mayor's having. None of that normal stuff they give us commoners," Ruby's words pulled a small smile from the man she offered them to.
"There is nothing common about you Detective," the man offered in a sheepish tone, but Emma gave him kudos for saying anything at all. He didn't seem brave enough for it by the looks of him, but awkward or not he managed and Emma had definitely watched men crash and burn harder with Ruby plenty of times.
"So you'll do it?" Ruby asked and Archie pushed his glasses further up his face before nodding and giving them a signal that he needed a moment.
"You are so bad, you know that?" Emma asked when the man moved down the bar and Ruby looked stricken.
"Who me? I'm just giving the man a little spice in his life tonight, Emma. Now he gets to tell people he flirted with the best looking woman in the city." The hyperbolic words immediately prompted a laugh from Emma. Ruby wasn't actually so full of herself, but she did know her worth, which was a critical character trait to be a woman in their line of work and climb the ladder of success.
"So if Graham asks again about the competition I shouldn't mention this guy?" Emma rebutted.
"Hardly. Besides, Graham is not happening." Ruby was totally full of shit to the point where she could barely keep a straight face.
"I think the gifts he sent to you at the station all week tell a different story," Emma pointed out as Archie handed them their flutes and Ruby thanked him sweetly before leaving him once and for all.
"What would say something is Graham getting off his ass and making a real move. I mean I like chocolate as much as the next girl, but I like sex more." Ruby's cavalier phrasing had Emma almost choking on her drink, but she kept it together in the end.
"Jesus Ruby. You could at least have the decency to lower your voice," Emma claimed, looking around the room to make sure no one had caught that.
"What? It's true," Ruby said earnestly.
"I would ask what 'it' is, but I take it by the look on my daughter's face that you've thoroughly scandalized her." Emma closed her eyes for a second, willing herself to keep her cool with her mother here now before turning to face her.
"Just doing my job, Ma'am," Ruby said with a grin and Mary Margaret smiled in return before looking to Emma with a happy expression and misty eyes.
"Emma, honey, you look so beautiful tonight."
Immediately some of Emma's tension about the evening dissipated. Her mom was a certifiable legend in this department with the decorations and amazing case record to match. She was the picture of strength and proof that a woman was just as capable of being a hero and donning this uniform as any man, but Mary Margaret Nolan always allowed herself to be vulnerable, especially with her daughter. Those happy tears and the look of pride were frequently apparent in Emma's life, and they were a balm of sorts for so many of the insecurities Emma had grown up with and started her career in law enforcement carrying. Even now that Emma was older and wiser, that look of love from her mom was a powerful thing.
"Thanks, Mom. Did you lose Dad already?" Emma asked as she accepted her mother's hug.
"Not likely. You know your father. He's always got an eye on things. I'm actually surprised that he's not here right now. I don't usually make it this long in a conversation without him turning up."
Emma grinned at that, knowing it was true. Her parents might be independent people with their own careers and interests, but the love between them was strong. Even all these years later Emma believed they had as much passion and pull to each other as they always had. It was a beautiful thing for sure, but it also made everything that much harder for Emma. Knowing love like that existed meant comparing each relationship in her life to an impossible standard. Lightening never struck twice, and her family had probably already used up its true love quota by now.
"Looks like he got cornered, poor thing," Ruby said and all three women looked over to see her father appearing painfully bored beside Arthur King. The mayor was chattering away happily and Emma's father was staring their way, clearly wanting to be with his family and not his new boss.
"Oh David. I better go rescue him. Emma, you know the rule. Make sure to come say goodbye to your father and I before you go…"
"Or next time I have to make the rounds with you. Got it Mom," Emma replied evenly. Mary Margaret smiled warmly and took Emma's hand in hers squeezing it lightly before looking back at Ruby.
"I'm assuming I can trust you to help Emma have some fun, right Ruby?" Emma stifled an eye roll at the planning going on around her like she wasn't even here.
"Not exactly an easy task, but I think we'll manage," Ruby offered jovially and Mary Margaret smiled once more before making her escape to go and save her husband. "Alright. Now that we've got the necessary parental check-in out of the way, I say we do a little damage. She practically begged us to after all."
"And how exactly do you propose we go that?" Emma asked, partially intrigued and partially terrified as she finished her glass of champagne.
"We've got two options – swarm the waiters bringing the food out and steal all the shrimp cocktail for ourselves…" Ruby sounded almost wistful at the prospect and Emma laughed genuinely at her friends' constant need for food.
"Or…?" Ruby looked disappointed for only a second before her eyes lit up with amusement and a wicked sense of plotting. Oh crap. Emma knew that look and where it turned up, trouble usually followed. She definitely should have chosen the shrimp idea.
"You know the sixty-first are here tonight, right?" Ruby asked and Emma felt her tummy flutter at the mention of the specific department. She played it cool though, not wanting her friend to have any more fodder for the teasing she'd been dishing out ever since they ran into that false alarm last week.
"Oh? I didn't realize it was their year."
"Bull shit! There's no way your Dad didn't mention it at your family dinner Tuesday, but I'll let that slide. You know what them being here means, don't you?" Ruby asked as her eyes scanned through the crowd. Emma felt her nerves flaring more with every second that past.
"That you can finally put Graham out of his misery and give him the time of day?"
"Maybe. But I was thinking more along the lines of you finding Sergeant Sexy and telling him how you've been day dreaming about him all week."
The reference to Sergeant Killian Jones sent that same thrill and surge of butterflies through Emma that it had every time Ruby teased her this past week, but on the outside Emma was stony and gave absolutely nothing away. She had perfected her poker face by now, but she had to admit even the mention of Killian tested its strength. After all, Ruby was right. Her mind had been problematically prone to wandering towards him this week, and in both down time and in the field she'd found her still largely mysterious foreign acquaintance popping into her thoughts more than he should.
"Now you've really lost it," Emma tossed back, still attempting to sound unaffected.
"Have I? So if you saw him tonight you're telling me there'd be no spark. Everything I saw on the fire escape was just a one time thing?"
No it definitely was not. Emma had no doubt in her mind that if she did see Killian again she'd feel that same zing of awareness and rush of adrenaline, but that didn't mean she was willing to air that out to anyone. Actually, she was rather excited to just avoid it forever and pretend it never happened rather than opening herself up to something between them only for him to pull back. And he would pull back. As soon as Killian drew the connection between her and her father he'd be nothing but professional and polite and the idea of that made her heart ache in an unfamiliar way.
"All you saw on the fire escape was two people who were working the same case. It's that simple."
Ruby's eyes immediately moved from watching Emma lie to glancing at the ceiling with a feigned level of concern. It caused Emma to furrow her brow and ask what her friend was doing.
"I'm waiting for the smite from God because that was a hell of a lie, Emma. Really a doozy."
"Screw you," Emma shot back and Ruby laughed again before her eyes stopped on something in the crowd and her smile grew.
"I won't, but he totally will. Damn, Sergeant Sexy cleans up nice."
Emma's heart thumped loudly in her chest and she felt the butterflies in her stomach spiraling a bit, but she was almost helpless in what came next. Her head turned of its own volition and when her gaze caught on Killian across the way, she felt his appreciative look down to her core. The heat in his gaze was undeniable, and even at a distance Emma found herself flushing with the unspoken promises that his look held. She wanted to linger in this interlude forever and then step forward to him and beg for more, but she was caught where she was, just waiting for something – anything – to happen.
"Whew. We are very lucky this place is filled with firefighters because you two are going to burn this place down with all that chemistry. Yikes!" Ruby professed, the teasing in her voice more than evident.
Emma pulled her eyes from Killian (though it was surprisingly hard to do so) and she searched for a weapon of her own. She didn't have to look far, because right at that moment Graham was approaching them from the other side of the room. And the best part was Ruby had no idea so she could be the one all flustered and full of jumbled nerves for once. Ruby definitely deserved it too after all the jokes she'd tossed Emma's way all week.
"Detective Lucas," Graham said when he arrived and Emma bit back a laugh when Ruby actually startled. It was an almost impossible feat to sneak up on Ruby but Graham had done it and now he was about to show her why making him wait might not have been the best idea.
"Shit! I mean… hey Lieutenant. Enjoying your evening?" Ruby asked in a tone of voice that wasn't as controlled as she wanted.
"I will be once you dance with me."
"Oh – uh – well I -,"
This was too rich. A stuttering Ruby - who knew that was even possible? Definitely not Emma, and she watched as the surprise and yearning on her friend's face grew more pronounced when Graham took her hand in his and silenced Ruby's mutterings completely.
"I'll take that as a yes. Emma." Graham didn't so much as look her way but he nodded his acknowledgement of her being there while keeping his eyes trained on Ruby. Then he brought Ruby to the dance floor leaving Emma behind and still reveling in the turned tables.
Emma watched them go and couldn't help but love this. It felt like the sweetest of victories after the almost constant torment from Ruby over Emma's interaction with Killian that the past few days had brought. But the satisfied 'I told you so' feeling gave way to a shiver of anticipation after only a moment when a familiar voice addressed Emma from behind.
"We meet again, love," Killian said, and though his words were low Emma could have sworn they drowned out ever other sound in the ballroom. She hesitated only a moment before turning to him, trying to get her bearings, but she wasn't ready to see him like this.
Up close he was even more attractive, and though Emma knew she'd always have a soft spot for the way he'd looked in his gear the other day, this look easily rivaled it in the hotness department. A well-fitted suit was usually a boost to any man, but with one so handsome as Killian it was frankly unfair. He looked clean cut in his official blues yet still a bit like a bad boy with a swagger no guy should be allowed to wield, and Emma found it hard not to let her gaze linger on the way the lines of the suit highlighted the body she'd already noticed before. Not that his face was any easier to take in without giving herself away, but damn it she had to try.
"Sergeant Jones," she replied, hearing the gravel that had set in her voice that wasn't there mere moments ago.
"Killian, please." The sincere request falling from Killian's lips made Emma's mind spin that much faster, but she clutched at something to say that would hopefully move her past this haze of inopportune attraction.
"Are you settling in alright at the sixty-first, Killian?" Emma asked, purposefully emphasizing his name. She didn't expect the flash of fire that seemed to burn in his blue eyes when she said it, but it only stoked the sense of wanting more in her when it appeared.
"Aye. It's a good house in a passionate city. I've yet to see anything in my travels that I haven't appreciated. Some things more than others." Emma felt like he was alluding to the moment that they met with the way he looked at her so intently, but before she could ask him directly, he pivoted. "But forgive me, I didn't make my way here to bore you with the details of my assimilation."
Emma felt a frown coming on. She wouldn't be bored to hear about his week. Actually she found herself wanting to know more about Killian and whether he was liking it here. Then she saw the change in his expression and she realized that whatever he was after was no doubt more important than a rundown of his last few weeks.
"So why did you?"
"To tell you that you cut quite the figure in that dress, and to ask you to make me the envy of every man in this room and dance with me."
Well shit. When he put it like that…
….
God she's lovely.
The word didn't do Emma justice in this moment or in any moment really. Killian knew from the first time that fate brought them together that Emma was the most beautiful woman he had ever met, but standing here looking nothing short of magnificent in a red dress, with those golden curls of hers pinned back but lose around her face, she was something else entirely. He'd had his eyes on her since the moment she walked in the door, and for the first twenty minutes or so Killian had to fight to keep himself in check. It took everything in him not to cross the floor to her immediately, but he waited, watching to make sure that no one bothered her, or worse, asked her to dance when he had ideas of keeping him all to himself tonight.
Now he was waiting again, having just asked her to dance and the few seconds it took for Emma to respond to him were raddled with a whole host of emotions for Killian. The guiding one was a lack of patience. He felt strung out already from the sheer amount of waiting he'd done up to this point. All week he had Emma on the brain and he'd been debating seeking her out before now, but he reasoned that with a woman like Emma, the key was playing the long game. He couldn't rush her into anything for risk of scaring her off, and the idea of Emma ever truly running from him hurt worse than the days he'd gone without so much as a word or glance of her.
Even his proposal just now had been a risk. It was a bold statement and hardly guarded in his intentions, but there was a need from deep in Killian's soul to be completely honest with Emma. She deserved nothing less than the truth, and he could also sense that she valued honesty above all else. Those knowing eyes of hers spoke to an unwillingness to face deception, and her vigilance hinted at her having been hurt before. Killian wanted nothing to do with injuring Emma in any way. In fact he wanted quite the opposite, and he believed he might begin to proctor that with a dance, if only she would say…
"Yes."
Her one word reply changed everything. One moment Killian had been wrapped up in the chance that Emma might say no, and the next he was elated, reaching for her hand and finding that same thrum of need jumping to the surface when their fingers met. It was a bloody miracle honestly that he even managed to decipher where the dance floor was once they touched, but through some higher power he got them there and then pulled Emma further into his arms for the dance he'd been dreaming of all evening.
Fantasy in no way matched the real thing, however, and as he held Emma closer to him, Killian marveled at his stroke of good fortune. Emma was sublime, a taste of heaven itself, and there was no thought in his mind about who her family was or what the word around the firehouse was when she was in his arms. All that he had room for in his life in this moment was Emma, and he tried to find words to keep her engaged when she surprised him with her own comment.
"I can't believe I agreed to this," Emma murmured, stoking that tiny bit of anxiety inside of him.
"Regretting your choice already, love?" Killian felt his breath catch at the possibility but the small smile and the shake of her head that followed put him back at ease.
"No I just don't really dance. Honestly I didn't think I could."
That claim perplexed him greatly, for as far as Killian was concerned, Emma was the single best dance partner he'd ever had. She was light on her feet, swaying in perfect time to the band that was playing before them, and she was just close enough to tantalize him into a state of near frenzy, while being far enough away to keep things appropriate for their surroundings. Had she not been leading the charge on that part in particular, Killian didn't know how far he'd go. This moment felt like everything and yet only the barest taste of what they could have given the chance.
"Seems to me you're a natural," Killian countered and Emma's smile grew.
"Or maybe I just have a good partner," she teased lightly and Killian felt pride flood his chest.
"I'll take all the compliments I can get. They'll be useful later when I try and convince you to have a drink with me."
A flash of wanting moved across her expression but it was quickly covered up in a show of guardedness. Killian felt Emma give a little sigh that spoke to disappointment. He wanted to know what could have possibly brought those walls of hers back up. Had he said something? Had the invitation for a drink been too much too soon? Whatever it was, Killian would fix it. He could learn what he'd bungled up and make up for it, if only Emma gave him the chance.
"Let's just stick with the dance for now."
The thought of ending this with just a dance cut Killian more than he could say. He might not know Emma very well at this point, but he felt absolutely certain that he was meant to. She was important, different, a bright spot in a world that for him had been largely filled with sameness, and he didn't want to turn away from that light now that he'd found it.
"Is this your way letting me down easy and kindly telling me you're not interested?"
A less enthusiastic man would have let Emma's statement stand without asking for more information, but Killian was in this too deep to just let it be. If Emma truly didn't want him he'd accept that, but the signs to now had pointed to her being interested and if there was even a chance that she could care for him as he had started to already care for her then he wanted to seek that out.
"No I just – there's some things about me that I don't think you realize."
"Things?" he asked, looking for some more clarity and Emma looked away, taking the comfort those green pools in her eyes brought him every time they were cast his way.
"It's complicated." Emma's voice was filled with a sadness and a level of resignation that made him hurt for her. Killian hated seeing Emma in a state of defeat, and he wracked his brain about what could cause walls like these.
"Is this about your parents?" he asked and her eyes immediately flew back to his.
"You know?!" Emma replied, clearly astounded.
"I do, but I fail to see how they should impede us if you feel as I do."
"And how do you feel?" Emma asked, her voice barely a whisper, her walls slipping lower as she did whether she realized it or not. Killian's hand that was at the small of her back ran lightly against the material of her dress, provoking a shiver he felt coursing through her body.
"Like walking away simply isn't an option, love. There's something here, at least on my end."
This was another risk for Killian, confessing his desire for more between them and the intensity of his feelings this early in the game, but the pay off was exceptional when Emma's smile returned and she leaned a little closer to him. In that moment Killian knew he was addicted to this, to bringing Emma any kind of happiness. It felt as remarkable as successfully navigating a fire. Like getting every man and woman out of a hazardous building and then getting his brothers and sisters in uniform home safe after a bitter battle with the flames. It was hope incarnate and Killian found himself swearing then and there that he'd do whatever it took to give Emma causes to smile just like that as long as he could.
"I-," Emma's words died away as the rapid click click click of a camera went off beside them and both Killian and Emma turned to the perpetrator now focusing his lens on them.
"Oh shoot. I didn't mean to interrupt you two. Just ignore me." Killian gritted his teeth.
"We'd be glad to, once you turn around and find another subject."
The man with the camera paled slightly and then shook it away, mumbling that he already had a great shot before scurrying away. Killian had a second of worrying that he'd been too gruff until Emma's throaty chuckle sounded to his ears and he looked back at her and her smile that had reappeared so easily.
"Not bad. Did you ever consider being police? You've got the bad cop routine down pat."
"I think I'll stick with where I am, love," Killian said and Emma's smile turned sultry.
The air between them thickened and Killian felt a need to hear Emma's next words and know the thought behind those emerald eyes. Did she know that he was speaking not only of his job, but of his vicinity to her as well? She must, for her expression right now said a thousand words without uttering a sound.
"Mind if I cut in, Jones?" The statement from beside them made Emma jump but Killian stood his ground as he saw the man who'd asked was none other than Chief Nolan.
Killian had met his district commander once before and the interaction had been nothing but pleasant. David Nolan was known for his tenacity and his dedication to this force above almost all else. A decorated officer who rose through the ranks organically, Chief Nolan was beloved by most every man and woman in the BFD. He was known for being fair and just and for looking out for each one of his team across the city, but right now the kind collectedness Killian recalled was nowhere to be seen. Chief Nolan's mouth was set in a hard line and he bordered on glaring at Killian.
"Not at all, sir," Killian said easily as he stepped back from Emma and met her gaze. "Thank you for the dance, Detective."
"See you around?" Emma asked just as Killian was about to leave and the hope that simple request prompted was profound. It told him that Emma wanted another moment like this, hopefully one that wouldn't be so easily interrupted. Killian nodded at her and then more seriously at her father before retreating while he still could.
It didn't escape Killian's notice on the way to the bar that there were more eyes than usual on him as he cut through the crowd. As a new member of the fire force with a notable title, stares were to be expected, but this was something vastly different than anything Killian had faced before. By the time he reached the bar, ordered a drink, and the bartender placed the glass of rum in front of him, Killian counted more than a dozen nosy neighbors no doubt wondering at his dance with Emma. Let them all wonder though. What he and Emma had shared was none of their bloody business.
A low whistle from behind him alerted Killian to Will's arrival before the man so much as said a word and Killian geared up for some sort of commentary. It would be expecting too much of Scarlet to ask the man to keep his thoughts to himself, and in the end Killian didn't mind setting the record straight with Will. There was a difference between speaking to a friend and pleading his case to a bunch of total strangers.
"You might just be the ballsiest bloke on the whole effing squad, mate. What the hell were you thinking?!" Will's words were coupled with a slight shove to Killian's arm.
"I was thinking it's none of your business," Killian grumbled, shooting back the rest of his drink and waving at the bartender for another.
"You made it the whole house's business when you bee-lined for the District Chief's daughter after damn well staring at her all night." Killian had to give him that.
"Fine. You want to know what I was thinking?" Killian asked turning to Will, ready to give him the truth straight.
"That's why I asked, ain't it?" Will replied without even a hint of fear in the face of Killian's brusqueness.
"I was thinking for once I'd met someone who means something. I was thinking there's suddenly the possibility for more than just fighting fires in my life. I was thinking Emma's different, and so I don't give a damn who her parents are. Happy?"
Silence from Will passed a moment too long for Killian's liking and he turned back to his friend who had a ridiculous smile on his face. Killian was sure he'd be getting shit about that confession for a while, but he meant every word of it, and he wasn't going to deny the way he felt about Emma to anyone for anything.
"You have got it bad, mate, and trust me I get it. She's pretty enough and smart as a whip, but you know it won't be easy right? You're in uncharted terrain with this one and the going is dangerous."
That was an understatement if ever Killian heard one, and it wasn't just because of her parents. Emma was guarded, her heart hidden under layers and layers that he'd have to ease away, and that challenge would be a formidable one. Proving himself worthy of her trust and convincing her to give him a chance would likely be an uphill battle. That would have been difficult on its own, but throw in the pull her father had on Killian's career and the clear fact that David Nolan didn't appreciate any man making a move on his daughter, and Killian had his work cut out for him.
"She's worth it," Killian offered finally, sure in his decision.
"Well all right then," Will said, leaving Killian to balk at the laid back acceptance.
"That's it? No cautionary tales about how badly this could blow up in my face? No more remarks about the house and the wrath of the higher-ups?" Killian asked.
"Would it make any difference?" his friend countered.
"Not in the slightest," Killian answered honestly.
"Then no. You're a grown man. You can make heads or tails of this mess on your own. No need for me to tell you what's at stake." Will slapped Killian's shoulder in a sort of wordless sendoff and turned to go before looking back and offering one last thing. "Oh and Killian?"
"Yeah?"
"Good luck. I hope it works out in the end."
Killian accepted that and knew that Will was right. If he was to have a chance of making Emma his (and tonight's dalliance had cemented that that was exactly what he wanted), then he would need all the luck he could get, and the acceptance of one amazing woman who currently held all the cards in her hands whether she knew it or not.
Post-Note: So there we have it. Next chapter will begin that bit of fake-dating I hinted at, but for this chapter I thought a dance and a conversation about Emma and Killian both seeing some sort of future between them was enough to hold me over. I want to thank all of you who reviewed and messaged me about your excitement for this story. I hope you all continue to enjoy and thanks for reading!