I'd like to apologize in the first place to Kers, chloeswans since this was Secret Santa gift and until now she had only got the first part. Originally, this fic was only going to have three chapters, but, it seems that it won't be like that anymore … Considering how slow I'm writing maybe when this story reaches the Christmas part, we will be actually celebrating Christmas… Anyway, I hope you like it.

This is unbeta's so all the many mistakes are mine. saraswans Thank you as always, for believing in me and my writing and pushing me to continue doing it.

Killian saw Emma again the very next day, when he returned home from work. Trusting that their tentative approach from the previous day would have served to smooth things over between them, he dared to joke with her, using the term girlfriend to address her. The glare Emma directed at him had the immediate effect of erasing from his lips the grin that had accompanied his words, sending them back to the starting point. Or even further.

Luckily for him, Killian barely saw Emma in the next few days, so he almost managed to forget about their crazy plan and continue with his normal life, only the tiniest vestige of their kiss lingering on his lips. That memory only came to haunt him at night, in the solitude of his bedroom, while his mind recreated the moment and his brain created wild fantasies from the damn kiss. The fact that he was aware that she was probably lying in bed on the other side of the wall did not help keep his unbridled imagination at bay.

Their brief interactions had been limited to some small gesture of the head in acknowledgment or greeting and the exchange of a couple of words, maintaining a civil behavior, enough to not feed his fantasies.

Little he would have imagined that their relationship was about to take a new turn, and that, once again, his brother, or rather his entire family, would be the ones to blame. Killian should have known better. He should have suspected that the brief interrogation of his brother when he found out that Killian had a (fake) girlfriend would be just the prelude to the barrage he was subjected to the next time he saw his family.

He barely had time to enter the door of his brother's flat for their traditional Sunday lunch, when he was cornered by his sister-in-law Elsa and her sister Anna who didn't hesitate to let him know, maybe too enthusiastically, how they felt after hearing the news. "We're so happy for you", "Tell us everything!", "How could you keep the secret for so long?" Elsa was more moderate, but Anna's continuous stream of words caused him to feel an incipient headache coming on.

He tried to keep his composure, responding in monosyllables or with just a movement of his head, while suppressing the impulse to get out and lock himself in his apartment. He forced himself to remember the reason he was carrying out the bloody plan. It would always be preferable to see his family happy and excited, with wide smiles and a glimmer of anticipation — or maybe hope— in their eyes, instead of the scrutiny to which he was subjected at times, the melancholy smiles and the looks of concern at best, or charged with compassion at worst.

Even so, he couldn't stop a thought from wandering in his head, a reminder that those smiles of joy for him would have an expiration date, that this farce would end sooner or later and that he was a bastard and a coward for lying to his family in something so important instead of facing his demons once and for all.

Just as a wave of guilt approached, threatening to overwhelm him, he peered at his niece Olivia, and, showing off his cowardice, he slipped away and sought refuge in his niece and the rest of the children, trusting to distract his mind for a while by entertaining the children and allowing himself to be absorbed by their incessant energy and their contagious laughter.

Luck continued to accompany him during lunchtime as his family's interest in his love life was forgotten, adults too busy trying to make sure their children ingested the food instead of using it as throwing weapons in the pitched battle that the little rascals had organized around the table.

These meals were always a bit wild, several conversations interspersed among adults, children screaming or fighting with their siblings or cousins — Anna and her husband Kristoff also had two small boys —spilled glasses, food dropped on the floor... Maybe the majority of single adults in their thirties would try to evade being part of this kind of messy events, but there was something appealing in the midst of such craziness, and it was the feeling of belonging, of being part of something that had been denied to all of them for a long time. He was able now to enjoy the warmth of a family and get carried away by the desire to live so contagious that the children gave off, getting his mood always improve even though he ended the evening with a headache caused by such irrepressible and noisy energy.

What Killian hadn't counted on was that calm came always after the storm. Once they finished lunch, the younger children went for a nap while his niece Olivia and Josh, the eldest son of Anna and Kristoff were entertained with a movie, which left the adults a quiet moment to chat peacefully. Just what Killian didn't need at all.

He didn't even have time to take a sip of his coffee when the inquiry began. Killian had no choice but to arm himself with patience and rely on his ability to improvise, while cursing inwardly for not having prepared some answers in advance. What the hell was he thinking?

"Well, little brother, I believe you have something to tell us. Don't think that I haven't realized how you've slipped away before." Elsa was the first to speak, while giving him an expectant look.

"It's younger. In law." Killian pointed before letting out an exaggerated sigh, not hiding his irritation at the way Elsa was addressing him. He already had enough with his bloody brother, thank you very much. Elsa simply rolled her eyes and then raised an eyebrow, as an indication that she was waiting for an answer. "I suppose your husband has already informed you of everything there is to know. I've been seeing someone for three months. She has been invited to spend the holidays with us and she has accepted. End of the story."

"End of the story? Not at all, not when we don't even know the beginning. We want details, Killy." Anna almost bounced excitedly in her seat.

Killian hated that Anna used that term of endearment with him, just as his sister-in-law had ended up emulating his husband and used the term "little brother" more often than not, something that made him almost cringe. He was aware that it was an affectionate term but it did nothing to mitigate that feeling of being like a small child who had to be cared for.

Hi did not have the slightest desire to expand his explanations, but Elsa didn't even give him time to reply, continuing with the interrogation, to his dismay. "Yes! We want to know everything, such as her identity. Are you dating your neighbor, the blonde girl? I think we've met her in the hallway once, she seems nice."

Nice... He wouldn't describe Emma as a nice person, but rather a bit of a badass, at least with him, but that was part of her appeal, wasn't it? She was tough, enigmatic and at the same time stunning... He noticed how his cheeks began to burn, while a warm sensation spread through his body. Stop! He needed to stop imagining Emma and focus on the conversation if he didn't want to embarrass himself and look like a schoolboy with his first crush.

"Aye, Emma has been my neighbor for several months. Something else?"

"Of course, we want to know how it all began. Tell us and give us some juicy detail." Anna insisted as she rubbed her hands together causing him to roll his eyes while her husband snorted. After letting out a sigh of resignation, he began to tell their story.

"It was Roger's fault. He slipped into her apartment and she's allergic to cats. She didn't take it well and let's say the relationship didn't get off to a good start, but then things seem to have turned out just fine."

"Oh, an enemies to lovers story, isn't that cute?" Anna grinned at him. "And with a kitten involved. It's like a romantic novel, isn't it?" He repressed the impulse to raise his gaze to the ceiling begging for mercy. Little did he know that his particular ordeal had only just begun.

From there on, the two women of the family began to ask him more specific questions related to both Emma and their relationship, to which he had no choice but to seek improvised answers, while making a mental note in a desperate attempt to remember all that information for the future.

"What's her favorite color?"

Who cares? "Yellow." The image of her yellow beetle parked always occupying the best spot just in front of their block of flats came to mind.

"Have you met her family yet?"

"She doesn't have any close relatives." He only remembered a tall brunette woman visiting her flat. Which led him to wonder what was the true story of Emma Swan. She always seemed a lonely woman. Maybe she also had a traumatic past? For some reason that possibility caused a strange sensation to settle in the pit of his stomach. He would have to ask her at some point if he wanted this farce to succeed.

"Is she addicted to TV shows like you?"

He couldn't suppress an incipient smile appearing on his face before answering, "Oh yes." Of that, he was sure. The wall that separated the two apartments was so thin that he only need to remain silent to listen to what was happening on the other side. He could confirm that she spent hours in front of the television.

"Do you share musical tastes?"

Hell no . "No." He was more into the rock bands of the 80s and 90s while she kept listening to Ed Sheeran at full volume. He was sure that she did it on purpose, as a sophisticated and subtle method of psychological torture.

Something came to his mind right then. He found it a bit contradictory and at the same time quite interesting that a person as tough as Emma had a soft side at least in terms of music. He took another mental note with the goal of teasing her about that matter at the first moment he had a chance.

The interrogation continued for a while longer, while his resources of improvisation began to run out. At the moment in which even the affable Kristoff dared to launch himself a question about Emma, he knew that he had reached his boiling point. Fortunately, his brother seemed to notice his uneasiness and came to his rescue, although in that peculiar way of his that almost supposed that the cure was worse than the disease. "Well, we'll have time to meet her and ask her in person soon. I already told you so, little brother, I understand that you want to be cautious, but I know you, we all know you." Liam paused, his hand waving to encompass all the family members present. "We know that when you put your heart into something you do it completely. She is the lucky one here, don't forget it."

His lips twisted slightly in a failed attempt at a smile as a feeling of guilt crept from his stomach to form a lump in his throat. This was all wrong. He shouldn't lie to his family in this way, let alone implicate Emma in such a farce. Nobody deserved it.

"Show us some pictures, I'm sure you have several of them on your phone."

Bloody hell! His heart froze for a moment, while the palms of his hands began to sweat. Of course, Elsa would ask about the photographs. How could he have forgotten that his sister-in-law was a sucker for pictures? It did not matter if they were travel photos, selfies, or just cute images. For her, photography was a medium that allowed us to tell stories through the image. She was a photographer for a reason. He cursed himself inwardly, for being so stupid as to pretend to cheat on his family without even elaborating a plan of action. He should abort the mission just at that moment. It was the right thing to do, isn't it? But then he glanced at his family. They were looking at him with their eyes full of hope and bright smiles, something he had not seen addressed to him in a long time. He could not disappoint them once again. While taking a deep breath, he came with a makeshift answer.

"I'm afraid it's not going to be possible." He shrugged as one of the corners of his lips twisted upward in an apologetic expression. "I ran out of space on the device and had to transfer all the content to my laptop. Maybe next time."

A flash of disappointment crossed Elsa's eyes, but she recovered after a few seconds, offering a soft smile. "Maybe next time come sooner than expected. Since it seems that the thing between the two of you has become official, I was thinking that you could bring Emma next week for our Sunday lunch."

Not a chance. Especially since that meant he would have to convince Emma again. He did not even want to speculate on what she would demand in return, not to mention what a scrutiny like the one he had been subjected to would suppose for her. He had no intention of finding out. No way in hell.

"We already had plans and we won't be here next week. Even I am aware that the fewer people there are in this first meeting, the less likely it's that we frighten her to the point of making her flee."

Anna wasn't helping, certainly. The mere thought that Emma could be with him next week, sitting next to him in this very couch caused a chill to run down his spine. And not in a good way. He was so fucked up.

He left his brother's apartment late in the afternoon, without expressly committing himself to bring Emma next time. "I'll see what I can do. Let's say that she is not a very social person." It was the most they could get out of him.

While driving home, he had time to reevaluate Elsa's proposal. Maybe it was not such a bad idea. In fact, maybe it was something convenient. That first meeting would allow them to pave the way for what would happen at Christmas. He prayed to find Emma in a good mood. Or at least for her to be at home. He had the feeling that if he gave himself time to brood over the idea, he would finally chicken up and find it even harder to make the request.

It turned out that luck was on his side in that regard. As soon as he reached his door, just when he was taking the keys out of his pocket, Emma opened her own door, as if she had been invoked.

He was so unprepared to see her at that very moment that he almost makes a fool of himself when he was about to drop the keys. Bloody hell. This woman had a powerful effect on him both for good and bad. Once the first impression was over, he forced himself to put on the mask of bravado as a means of hiding his inner nervousness. To his relief, she seemed equally surprised, her eyes widening as her mouth fell open until she reacted, schooling her features and raising an eyebrow at him in an unimpressed gesture.

She was stunning, even just wearing leggins, a tank top and with her hair in a ponytail. Her attire seemed to indicate that she was not going anywhere but Killian couldn't help wondering why she had opened the door just then. Feeling that this could be a topic to push and get a reaction from her, Killian shortened the distance between him and his beautiful neighbor while his lips drew a mischievous smile.

"Hi, love, are you going somewhere or is just that you are eager to see your handsome fake boyfriend?"

Her reaction was the expected, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Or maybe it's just that I was waiting for someone..." She smirked at him. To his credit, he kept his smile, though he felt a twinge of something like jealousy in his stomach.

"Is that so?" He came even closer to her, invading her personal space, while tilting his head, his tongue darting out to wet his lips.

He had to suppress raising his fist in triumph when he saw the effect he had just caused on her. Her pupils dilated as her gaze drifted to his lips. He decided to push his luck a little more. "That would be a pity, because I happen to have a suggestion for you, something you will not be able to refuse." His voice dropped to a suggestive murmur.

Her gaze lingered on his lips for a split second until finally, her green eyes focused on his. "What do you want this time, Jones?"

It was now or never. It would be better if he didn't take the time to process the implications and just act. Summoning an act of unusual determination, he hastened to throw the proposition. "It turns out that today I've been visiting my family, like every Sunday, and they have suggested that you and I go to have lunch with them next Sunday. Isn't it exciting, Swan? Consider it a practice for when the big event takes place."

He had expected a much more explosive reaction, maybe a frown, perhaps a grimace, or even a little yelling. Instead, her reaction was much more subtle. He wasn't sure if that was a positive signal or not. Something he wasn't able to identify flashed in her gaze, and then her eyes narrowed and her head tilted a bit, subjecting him to an uncomfortable scrutiny.

"I've missed the part where this crazy plan is exciting. Care to explain how spending a Sunday afternoon surrounded by strangers, children included, while pretending to be your girlfriend may have something attractive to me?"

"The food will be delicious and my nephews and niece are quite adorable." He offered tentatively. Seriously Jones? What the hell are you thinking?

"The kids thing isn't helping, buddy."

Okay. Emma wasn't a kid person. Point to add in his imaginary list of things that he should know about Emma Swan. After letting out a heavy sigh, he had no choice but to resort to the method of persuasion had worked so well the previous time. He would have to beg.

"Come on, Swan, I've done my part of the plan so far. I'm the one who has to put up with Roger's plaintive mewling or worse, the murderous looks he throws at me when I stop him from going out on one of his exploratory adventures." Emma scoffed as she shook her head. "I'm not lying, he may be a small creature but sometimes he can be very intimidating." He was rambling, he was aware, but at least he had managed to get the ghost of a smile from Emma. Even so, she remained silent so he had no choice but to use once more the pleading tone while his lips drew a convincing pout. "Please?"

He held his breath as he tried to get distracted by the movement of her tongue licking her lips and the way her chest rose as she took a deep breath. He did not miss the soft blush that appeared on her cheeks either. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally decided to reply. "This is a one-time thing, Jones, I swear." She hardened her features as she raised a finger in warning. "Don't think that this is going to become a normal practice. You'll have to find an excuse for the next few weeks until Christmas."

"Sure. A one-time thing, just like the kiss. Got it." He managed to respond in a neutral tone and then pressed his lips together in an attempt to suppress the grin that threatened to form.

"And one more thing, do you have any cash with you?"

His brow furrowed in confusion as he groped in his pocket for his wallet. "What do you need the...?" When he looked up again he found that Emma was looking over his shoulder, while a non-subtle smirk was blossoming on her face. He turned following the direction of her gaze, meeting a delivery guy approaching with a box of pizza in his hands.

"Hi, E. Swan? I have a delivery for you." Emma gave the guy a sweet smile as she accepted the box.

"Thank you." Then she turned to him, plastering on a fake smile. "Can you pay for our dinner, honey? And don't forget the tip, since the service has been quite satisfactory so far."

Killian glared at her, but he complied without uttering a single word, especially not to embarrass the poor guy even more, who had been involved in that situation accidentally. The delivery man muttered a timid "thank you," before scurrying down the hall.

Emma took advantage of that moment of distraction to attempt to sneak away too, but he was faster. "Easy there, love. Since, after all, it's me who had just paid for that pizza, we could share it, don't you think?" He wasn't sure of the reason for that suggestion. Certainly, he wasn't hungry since it hadn't been that long since the family lunch. And having a conversation with Emma was quite a challenge. He tried to convince himself that this would be just a tactic to gather information about her so as not to make a fool of himself in front of his family next time.

"No, I don't think so. I happen to be very hungry. Also, consider it a payment in advance for what will happen next week." After giving him a triumphant glance, she closed the door in his face, without giving him time to reply.

"What the..." He remained speechless in the middle of the corridor for a few seconds, trying to process what had just happened. He should have imagined it. He couldn't prevent a laugh from bubbling in his throat at the surrealism of the situation. Was it possible that Emma had flirted with the poor delivery boy? Or was it something that only he had appreciated because she had managed to charm him in a way?

In the end, it was clear that she had managed to have free dinner at his expense and he had achieved what he intended, continue with the farce for a little longer and pave the way to make the official introduction of Emma to his family. The very idea of that next encounter caused a chill to run down his spine as his body tensed. He was not sure he could handle the situation at all. Not with someone like Emma as an accomplice.

He shook his head to get out of the trance as he pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep sigh. Once his composure was restored, he finally headed to his apartment. Before he could open the door, though, his neighbor's door opened again and Emma's head poked through the gap.

"Uh, you wouldn't have any beer, would you? I may have run out of them."

He looked towards her with some disbelief, as he bit the inside of his cheek, holding back a snarky retort. Instead, he merely nodded in resignation, trusting that her requests would not go any further. "Sure, love, how many do you need?"

"That depends on the beers you're gonna drink." There was a challenge there, both in her eyes and her voice, but Killian also detected something else, something he couldn't identify. Maybe a glimpse of what was behind the walls around her?

His brows knitted together as he gave her an inquiring look through his narrow eyes. "Does that mean I'm invited now?"

"Don't make me regret it. Are you bringing the beers or not?"

"I'll be right back." To his credit, he repressed the urge to smile like an idiot until he found himself in the privacy of his apartment. His grin widened when Roger came out to meet him. "I'm sorry mate, I'm afraid that I won't be able to accompany you at dinner today." After caressing his back, he hurriedly filled his container with food and then went to the fridge to grab the beers.

Before leaving his apartment to meet Emma again he took two deep breaths, while he tried unsuccessfully not to read too much in her sudden change of mind. This would be the first time that Emma deliberately invited him to her apartment with no other purpose than to hang out together, even if she had used beer as an excuse. That change of attitude had to mean something. He had better not waste that opportunity if he wanted to succeed next week.

Thanks for reading, let me know what you all think :)