I didn't expect for this to be finished and posted before the weekend, but you guys are lucky I had nothing to do between classes today. Also, just wanted to give a huge thank you to everyone who's given me positive feedback on this story so far! I definitely wasn't expecting any of it, but it's what motivated me to throw myself into this second chapter despite finals taking over my life.

The first thing Emma registers when she wakes up is the sunlight that's shining directly into her eyes. She groans and yanks the covers up over her face; why weren't her curtains closed? That's when she hears the singing coming from the kitchen, and sits up quickly in her bed. And that's when it hits her: this isn't her bed. More importantly, this isn't her apartment.

She let out a sigh of relief as the events from the previous day came back to her. It was much more reassuring to remember that Killian had taken her in, especially compared to the prospect of trying to figure out what stranger she could have went home with the night before.

Emma got up and tried her best to make Killian's bed look like it had the night before. She worried her bottom lip nervously as she looked it over; hopefully was decent enough for his liking. He seemed to be on the neat side, whereas she was doing well if she thought to make her bed once a week. Other than feeling as if she was overstepping her boundaries as a guest, this was one reason she would have rather taken the couch. (Although she had to admit, his mattress was much softer than the dull one she'd been sleeping on for years.)

She had every intention of going to see what Killian was up to in the kitchen when she caught sight of herself in the mirror hanging above his dresser and cringed. What started out as a messy bun the night before now looked like a bird's nest had formed on the top of her head. Not the best impression to make first thing in the morning, she thought to herself as she took her hair down and worked through the knotted curls with her fingers.

Not that she was trying to impress Killian, despite how good looking he was. Emma had been there and done that enough to know that a pretty face wasn't worth throwing caution to the wind for. He seemed to be genuinely nice (and even somewhat sweet) from what she had seen so far, and it wouldn't exactly hurt her to have another friend, especially since she was so bad at making them in the first place. But friendship was all she had to give, despite anything that could possibly make her want otherwise.

Emma quickly braided her hair into a loose plait and went to find her new almost-friend. She opened the bedroom door and was greeted by the smell of bacon and eggs frying as she made her way into the kitchen. Killian was in his pajamas at the stove cooking said eggs and bacon, humming the same familiar Christmas tune she'd heard him singing when she first woke up. "Good morning."

Killian turned around at the sound of her voice, and it was everything she could do not to laugh. If his hair had been on the messy side before, it was nothing compared to the case of bedhead he was sporting now- and seemed to be completely unaware of. He looked more like a five-year old boy than a grown man. "Hello, Swan. Sleep well?"

"Yeah, I did. I would offer to help you," she tells him, gesturing to the food on the stove, "but I think we both know that's a lost cause."

He laughs as he drops another bacon strip down onto the frying pan. "No worries, lass. It's actually nice to have someone else to cook for, for a change." He doesn't say it, but Emma detects a bit of sadness in his voice, most likely a sense of loneliness she's all too familiar with this time of year.

She takes a seat at the kitchen table, watching him put the finishing touches on their breakfast. 'I'm sorry your flight was cancelled. I bet it sucks not being able to go home for Christmas."

"It does feel strange not being there to celebrate...have been every year since I was born, even after I moved away." He brings two plates of food to the table, setting one of them in front of her. "But better safe than sorry, I guess. Even though flying out today wouldn't have been a problem after all." He rolls his eyes a bit, which causes her to notice that while there was still plenty of it on the ground, the snow had stopped falling and the sun was out. So much for a blizzard.

Emma took a bite of her eggs and held back a moan; despite what he said the night before about not being much of a cook, the man clearly knew what he was doing in the kitchen. "Wow, these are amazing," she mumbled through a mouthful of food.

He chuckled at her reaction, which made her blush a bit; she'd always been a bit too enthusiastic over good food. "They're nothing special, but I'm glad you like them all the same. Is there anything particular on your agenda today, Swan?" he asked a moment later.

She shrugged. "Not really. I'd normally be working, but I usually try to take a few days off for the holidays, even if I don't plan on celebrating. Plus, I really don't feel up for chasing anyone in the snow either," she admitted. "What about you? I should probably think of something to go do so I won't be in your hair all day."

"Nonsense, love. I'm afraid I don't have plans myself since I wasn't expecting to be here for the rest of the week. In fact," he continued, taking their now empty plates over to the sink, "I was just thinking earlier about what to do for my first American Christmas..although it feels as if I'm a few years too late," he laughs, running a hand through his hair, making it even messier than it was before.

"If it makes you feel any better, I've never really had the full American Christmas experience either...and this is coming from an American."

Killian pauses for a moment, then casts a hopeful glance in her direction. "We could change that, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"Do all the typical things you're supposed to do at Christmas, or, at least what they do in all the movies, anyway. Go see the lights uptown, bake cookies, perhaps buy a few gifts for one of those toy store drives that gives them to underprivileged children. Hell, I'm even up for getting a tree and decorations to liven up this place."

She can tell by the way his eyes have lit up that he's completely serious about all of this. (It's actually kind of adorable, even though she'd never tell him as much.) And yet, everything he's described is typically the sort of scenario that she would run far, far away from. It's the same reason she turned down the multiple offers to spend Christmas with David and Mary Margaret with their families in Maine- as much as she loves her friends, she didn't know how to be around their storybook romance and perfect family and not feel suffocated, like she didn't belong. Blame it on her less than favorable upbringing or the heartbreak that's kept her from feeling at ease with almost anyone, but having someone to spend the holidays with, let alone a special list of traditions to complete at that, is so foreign to her that she's not sure how to react.

The part of herself that she considers logical and isn't willing to let someone hurt her again is telling her to get out while she still can and go back to her own apartment, heat or no heat. But the part that's always been lonely and desperate for more out of life can't bring her to let go of the opportunity while it's there and waiting for her.

That's when she realizes he's waiting for her to say something. There's an unsure expression on his face, eyes wide and lips pursed together as if he's hoping she won't laugh at him and reject his idea altogether.

"Okay," she finally responds after praying she won't regret this. "So, where do we start?"

-/-

After going back to her apartment for a shower and a change of clothes, she's back at his kitchen table half an hour later, waiting to see just what Killian has in store for the two of them today. She shivered and took a sip of the hot chocolate she'd brought over from her own kitchen. She had told Killian she'd be fine showering in her own bathroom without hot water (an attempt at not inconveniencing him any more than necessary), but she'd regretted it the minute she stepped under the freezing cold spray.

"I'll be ready in just a moment, Swan!" she heard him call from his bedroom.

"That's fine." Emma picked at the hem of her white sweater as she finished her drink, hoping the leggings and boots she'd paired with it were suitable for whatever she found herself doing later on. At least her red leather jacket made it look as if she'd made an effort to be festive for once.

Killian appeared in the kitchen just a moment later. He'd obviously combed his hair in what she guessed was an attempt to tame his earlier case of bedhead, but something told her he'd be running his fingers through it sooner than later and making it a mess all over again.

"Alright, Swan. We ready to go?" he asked, pulling on a leather jacket of his own.

It was all she could do not to stare at her neighbor in the rather snug pair of jeans he had chosen to wear. She felt a blush coloring her cheeks and began picking at her sweater again, hoping he hadn't noticed. 'Yep. So, when are you going to tell me just what we're doing?"

"Now, what fun is that, love? It takes away the element of surprise," he replied as they left his apartment. "Alright, alright," he conceded after seeing the skeptical expression on her face. "If you must know, I thought we would start off by stopping at Granny's Diner down the street, if that's alright with you. I don't know that it qualifies as celebrating, but the peppermint hot chocolate she serves this time of year is enough to celebrate for."

"If this peppermint hot chocolate is anywhere nearly as good as her grilled cheese, I'm sold."

-/-

"Admit it, Swan. I was right."

Emma sighed as she took a sip of her peppermint hot chocolate. "You were right. It's amazing." She scolded herself for being a loyal customer for months, and not even knowing that the drink was on the menu around the holidays.

They were sitting in a corner booth at the diner, sharing an order of onion rings with their hot chocolates. (He'd made fun of her for ordering the strange combination at first, but was stealing food off of her plate as soon as the waitress brought them out.)

She's not unaware of how they must look to those around them; from the outside, they could very well mirror a happy couple who's preparing to spend their first Christmas together, rather than neighbors who hardly interacted before yesterday and still barely knew each other. Even the waitress, who she recognized as the owner's granddaughter, had whispered something along the lines of "Hang on to that one, he's a keeper," when she'd gotten up to use the restroom a few minutes ago. The comment itself hadn't surprised her nearly as much as the memory that it triggered along with it: she still remembered the moment when someone had randomly made a similar comment to her about Neal over a decade ago when they'd only been together for a few weeks. (If they only knew.)

If Killian's having similar thoughts, he doesn't let it show, only makes a comment about his protective older brother as he replies to one of his texts. "I told Liam the blizzard was a false alarm, and he still wants to make sure I'm alive and well every five bloody minutes."

"I'm sure he just wants to know you're alright," she tells him. He may be annoyed by his brother's constant worrying, but she can tell he still appreciates that Liam cares about him. Emma can't help but be a bit jealous of the relationship they seem to have with each other; she's always wondered what her life would be like if her parents had kept her, and she'd gotten to grow up with a sibling or two.

Killian sighs. "Aye, I suppose you're correct. So, are you ready for Christmas shopping?" He takes the last onion ring left on the plate, earning him a death glare from her in response."I believe the toy story a few blocks away is doing one of those toy drives I mentioned earlier."

"If you weren't talking about getting Christmas gifts for poor kids, I'd probably slap you for stealing my food."

"And damage this face?" he asks, pretending to be offended.

Emma rolls her eyes. "Yeah, modesty definitely is not one of your best traits, Jones," she tells him as they leave Granny's.

-/-

For it to be the day before Christmas Eve, the toy store is an absolute madhouse. "You'd think more people would try to buy their kids presents sooner than this," she mutters to Killian as they squeeze through the line at the front of the store to get to the bin for the toy drive. At least the bin is nearly full, and the sight of all the gifts purchased for less fortunate kids warms her heart. She knows all too well what it feels like to have Christmas come and go like it's just another day that's nothing special. It surprised her at first that Killian was so eager to participate in something like this, which makes her wonder if his childhood possibly reflected her own in some way.

There are papers pinned to a sign above the toy bin, each one focused on a particular child and their interests. Killian grabs two off of the sign, taking one and giving her the other. A little girl with blonde pigtails and big, brown eyes grins back at her from the grainy photo printed onto the page. Hopefully, whatever she picks out today will cause that same smile come Christmas morning. She notices Killian has coincidentally picked the flier for her sister, which results in the two of them making their way around the store in order to find gifts. She enjoys it more than she expected to. Not that she was dreading the idea of doing a good deed, but seeing just how invested he is in all of this is nearly enough to make her see him in a completely different light...and think about the last time she was in any type of situation that involved children.

He's in the middle of rambling about some toy that looks like one he and Liam had as kids when he notices she's staring daggers into the Barbie doll in her hands. "Emma? Are you okay?"

How is she supposed to answer that? 'Yeah', she thinks to herself. 'It's just that seeing you so eager to make children you don't even know happy on Christmas reminded me of the fact that my jerk of an ex left me over the same subject around this time of year'. Instead, she gives him a weak smile and says, "I'm fine."

If he doesn't believe her, he takes the hint not to press the subject.

They finish finding what else they need and make it through the checkout line fairly quickly despite the large crowd that's at the store. Before she knows it, their gifts are deposited in the toy bin, and she's trying not to let him see just how many emotions this task has stirred up.

"What next, Jones?" she asks as they walk out of the toy store.

"More shopping. But for us this time; I need a Christmas tree."

She tries not to laugh at the mental image of fitting a normal sized Christmas tree in their small scale apartments. "What, are you going to drag a huge tree back to our building?"

He shakes his head, laughing. "No. Although I wish that were possible, I was thinking something smaller. And artificial."

They're just a few blocks away from the store when they come across a large group of teenagers having a snowball fight in the park with what's left from yesterday's storm.

"Swan?"

"Yeah?"

She should have been smarter, should have seen it coming the minute he raised an eyebrow and gave her one of those sneaky grins he wore so well.

"Duck."

Emma moved out of the way just in time to miss the large snowball he'd thrown her way, which hit the tree behind her.

"Oh, so that's how you want to play?" She grabbed a handful of snow to make one of her own and managed to hit the side of his head. "Don't dish what you can't take, Jones," she teased when he made a face after she landed another one on his right shoulder.

Emma never would have thought months of chasing bail jumpers would give her advantage in a snowball fight of all things. Killian sent two more in her direction, both of which she dodged, before eventually throwing his hands up and surrendering. "Okay, I get it, Swan. You win this one."

"I guess this means you've learned not to underestimate me?" she smirked as they left the park and resumed their walk to the store.

Killian shook his head, chuckling despite his annoyance at her just minutes earlier. "I think any man would be a fool to underestimate the likes of you, love."

-/-

When Killian had shown interest in getting decorations for his apartment, she was expecting a small tree, a few ornaments, and maybe a string or two of Christmas lights. But the amount of things he's got loaded into their shopping cart already has her feeling somewhat overwhelmed, and he's not even finished yet.

There's the three foot tall Christmas tree he's picked out, enough lights and ornaments to decorate both of their apartments with, the snowglobe he wants to put on his coffee table ("Don't judge me, Swan; I just like it), not to mention the obnoxious Santa hat he's just stuck on top of Emma's head. "If you expect me to wear a costume for Christmas, you're gonna be thoroughly disappointed," she warns him, putting the hat back on the shelf.

"You wound me," he gasps dramatically, earning him what's got to be the third eye roll from her since they arrived at the store. "Okay. no silly hats."

She shouldn't be surprised when he starts looking through the huge rack of stockings on display in the middle of the store.

"You realize there are no fireplaces in our building, right?"

"I'll get a fake one."

"Oh my gosh, Killian."

He shrugs. "It won't look right without stockings, now, will it?." He ends up selecting two generic looking ones, both red with white faux fur trim along the top, not unlike the Santa hat she just refused to wear just minutes ago. \

She throws another one in the shopping cart when he's got his back turned to her. Two stockings looks too domestic, and far too homey for her comfort. Three didn't have as many implications, and felt like she'd be playing it safe. Safe, she can deal with. Killian raises an eyebrow when he sees her addition, but she blurts out, "I don't like even numbers" before he can ask. If he thinks her behavior is any bit as ridiculous as it seems, he doesn't mention it.

Emma somehow succeeds in talking him out of the fake fireplace, reminding him that he's going to have trouble finding somewhere to store the things he's already got come the new year. "We'll hang the stockings off the side of the kitchen table or something," she tells him, aware of how absurd the idea sounds.

What starts out as a bit of excitement over decorating his apartment for Christmas quickly turns into dread when she realizes they're going to have to drag every bit of this in the snow back to their building. Emma hadn't felt the need to drive her car since she didn't expect to come back with so much, and there isn't a cab in sight. She makes him carry the tree, which means she's forced to juggle almost everything else. ("I so would not do this if you weren't putting me up for Christmas.") At least she convinced him to wait until tomorrow to come back and get the ingredients for the Christmas cookies he wants to make. "We're taking my car," she insists. For once, he doesn't argue with her.

After what feels like forever, they finally make it back to their building. Emma doesn't think either one of them has ever been so grateful to live in an apartment complex with an elevator; carrying their load up two flights of stairs isn't exactly something she wanted to tackle.

"Okay, Jones," she sighs, unceremoniously dropping the bags on his couch when they're in his living room. "I think it's safe to say you owe me a drink."

"I couldn't agree more." Killian disappears into the kitchen and comes back with two beers in hand, giving her one and taking the other for himself. They down their drinks while unpacking the load from the store, deciding to take on the Christmas tree first since it's bigger than anything else. Even though it was made up of several pieces, resulting in it being much harder to put together than either of them anticipated, the tree fit perfectly in the corner of the living room. Adding the lights and hanging a few too many ornaments is enough to give a whole new feel to the space.

It's when they're putting up the stockings (which end up hanging in the kitchen like she suggested, and looking every bit as silly as it sounds) that Killian opens Pandora on his phone to the first Christmas station he can find, letting the sound of Nat King Cole singing "The Christmas Song" fill the apartment. She hasn't heard the song in years, and just like several other things today, it takes her back to a time and place that she's tried for so long to forget about. Instead of being twenty- eight and in her neighbors apartment, she's eighteen and spending the holidays in a cheap motel room all over again. The main difference between the two, however, is the company she's now sharing, and she still hasn't fully convinced herself that it's safe to put her trust in Killian. She thought it would be all right to do just that the last time, and look where that got her in the end.

The station switches to "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," and Killian's impersonation of Burl Ives pulls her out of her reverie of thoughts. He's intentionally trying to sing it badly, and Emma can't help the giggle that escapes her lips despite her conflicting emotions. "As much as it pains me to tell you this, I believe I would stick with legal work," she tells him, laughing again at the fake pout he gives her in response.

The two of them spend the rest of the afternoon decorating the apartment and debating on who has the worst Christmas karaoke skills. (It winds up being a tie; neither one of them was meant to sing.) They order pizza from Emma's favorite place downtown and eat while watching Die Hard, which they've both seen before.

"Is this really a Christmas film, though?" he asks half an hour into the movie.

"It's festive enough to count."

She comes to the conclusion that they're too old for their ages when they both find themselves yawning by ten o'clock again, not unlike the night before. She repeats the routine of going to her apartment to change and get ready for bed, coming back in another pair of flannel pajamas, her hair once again in a messy knot.

Killian is already dressed for bed and setting up his bedroll on the couch when she comes back. She begins to make her way to his room, but pauses and finds herself looking back and forth between her neighbor and the bed that is certainly big enough for two people.

Emma must be out of her mind considering the worries that were consuming her thoughts just hours ago, but it doesn't stop her from asking the question that flies out of her mouth. "Killian? We're both mature adults, right?"

"Aye, I suppose so." The look on his face makes it clear that she's caught him off guard with her question.

She nods her head toward his room. "You shouldn't have to sleep on the couch again. There's plenty of room for both of us in here."

"Are you sure, Swan? I wouldn't want to overstep any boundaries."

"I wouldn't have brought it up if I wasn't sure. And you wouldn't be overstepping boundaries; I'm convinced you can't possibly be a serial killer now," she laughs.

It looks as if he's about to object when she adds, "I know your couch can't be that comfortable, Killian. Don't lie to me."

She can tell by the way he sighs that she's right. "If you insist, love."

It's not nearly as awkward as it should be considering how long it's been since she's shared a bed with someone: about as long as it's been since she's done anything else that she's reflected on today. She goes to the left side of the bed after hearing he doesn't have a preference, crawling under the covers while he goes around the apartment and ensures everything is locked and turned off that's supposed to be. She's facing away from him when he enters the room but feels the dip of the mattress as he lays down beside her.

"Goodnight, Emma," he says before turning off the bedside lamp and leaving them both in darkness.

"Night," she replies, exhausted from the day's events.

Within seconds his breathing evens out, telling her he's sound asleep. As tired as she is, her thoughts from earlier come flooding back all at once. She should avoid taking any chance that she's wrong about him and the kind of person he is. But everything in her is dying to trust him, to find out if there's something there that's actually worth putting her heart out on the line for.

She only wishes that this Christmas will be unlike all the ones before as she finally gives into sleep, anxious to see what tomorrow will bring.

Thank you for reading! Reviews/feedback are again appreciated :)