Stretching out her fingers, she stared at the gold ring.

It felt heavy and unfamiliar, the digits beside it struggling to accommodate the band's width; the metal dug into the fleshy part of each finger. She wondered if it she would ever get used to it.

But it was not like she had to wear it all the time anyway.

"Em?"

She smiled automatically, lifting her head up at the sound of Will's voice. "Yeah?"

"You want some more champagne?"

"Sure," Emma nodded, balling up her fingers as she felt Killian slip back into the seat next to her.

Will filled the four glasses. Both men had removed their ties and below the table Emma had slipped off Belle's borrowed shoes.

"I think we need a toast," the other woman announced, lifting up her glass. "To the future," she announced with an enigmatic smile.

"To the future," Emma echoed softly, tipping the rim of her glass against Belle's, then Will's and finally Killian's, taking a sideways glance as the two crystal stems clinked together, her eyes lingering as he took a sip, the liquid bobbing down his throat.

Her husband's throat.

In that moment she realized that however false and fake this was, however temporary the state of their union - they were married.

Taking in a shaky breath, her chest suddenly felt tight. She wanted to rip off the silk and lace shift that Belle had helped her choose the day before, it seemed like the only way that she would be able to breathe again.

"Excuse me," she stuttered, moving to her feet.

"You alright, love?"

She stared, wide eyed at the source of the concern. Killian's brow was creased, his eyes questioning her further than his words allowed.

Emma shrugged, "Yeah, just a little warm in here… I need to go freshen up."

Registering Will and Belle's unsubtle glance, she tossed Killian a brief smile before dashing, barefoot, to the ladies restroom at the other side of the restaurant.

The washrooms were the fancy type, with an annexed powder room, filled with large, dazzling mirrors and soft lighting. Emma sank into the first chair she found, avoiding her reflection.

"You forgot your purse-"

She locked eyes with Belle as she let the door close behind her. Thankfully it was mid-afternoon and the Friday rush was yet to begin, so they had the space to themselves.

Not quite sure what to say, she silently accepted the purse and opened it, pulling out cosmetics as Belle sat in the chair beside her.

"So - this place is nice, right?"

"Yeah?" Emma nodded automatically, opening her compact and dabbing powder onto her nose.

Belle tutted and rocked her head from side to side. Emma knew she was about to get the third degree. Her friend was nothing if not predictable in her actions.

"Alright, spill."

Emma tapped her foot a few times, debating flat out lying about the cause of her unease. But Belle was almost as good at spotting a lie as she was, so instead she sighed and pursed her lips.

"I'm married," she gulped, finally looking at herself in the mirror, seeing the fear in her eyes that she had hoped wasn't there for all to see.

Belle shrugged, "Technically…" she replied, wincing a little as she smiled tersely. "But it's not real - real real, I mean."

Puffing out a breath of warm air, Emma buried her face in her hands.

"I know," she huffed through her fingers, "And I know we talked about all this, and how we had to make everything seem as authentic as possible-"

Damn it, she would not cry.

A small hand rested on her shoulder, "But this isn't how you pictured it."

Sniffling a little, Emma laughed at herself, feeling all at once ridiculous and emotionally raw.

"No, no it's not," she agreed, shaking her head.

"Oh, Em…"

She found herself being bundled into the smaller woman's arms, spanning the gap between the two chairs as she pressed her face into the crook of her neck.

"I'm being stupid," Emma insisted, sniffling a little more, glad the prickling of tears at her eyes had abated and blinking away the remaining stinging sensation. "I mean it's not like I have any family to care… Or even that I wanted to get married someday-"

Belle took hold of her shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"Look, this is all normal. The whole marriage thing is drilled into us from when we're little girls! Princess needs her prince! Barbie needs her Ken! If this didn't strike a chord with you I'd be more worried."

Though still frowning, a smile began to lick at the edges of her lip. "So you don't think I'm being ridiculous for getting a little emotional?"

With a pointed look, Belle ended the conversation.

"Okay," Emma nodded.

"You're too hard on yourself, you know that? Remember why you are doing this."

Emma turned back to the mirror, running her fingers through her loose blonde curls and tilting her head.

She was doing this for her future. She was doing this for her.

And for a friend she had know for a little shy of two months.

"And I have to admit, that kiss looked pretty hot. That has to be at least a teeny benefit, right?"

Feeling her cheeks turned pink, Emma's mind turned back to the kiss they had shared at the end of the ceremony. Her toes curled and a shiver rattled down her spine.

"It doesn't hurt," she admitted as she picked up her lipgloss, dabbing it on her lips where she could just about still feel his mouth on hers.

/

Four and a half weeks earlier

He'd brought pizza, she'd provided hard liquor.

Sitting around her tiny dining table, they had been discussing the logistics of this crazy plan over hot slices of pepperoni, washed down with gun and juice.

"What on earth made Belle think of this, anyway?"

Across the little round table, Killian shrugged, wiping away a speck of pizza sauce from his lip with his thumb. "I'd had a bit of a grumble to her and Will over coffee a few weekends ago, and the next thing I know I'm getting a call from her screaming over the phone that she has the answer. She said something about a movie, or a TV show…?"

"Green Card? The Proposal?"

"No idea," he replied, with a roll of his eyes. "But damn, she was convincing."

"I get that," Emma chuckled, reaching for another slice. "Do you think we could really pull this off?"

"Perhaps," he admitted, dipping his gaze to the table between them. "It's not without risk, but from the research I've done it should be relatively simple."

Chewing thoughtfully, Emma lay back in her chair, her jeans already a little tight from too much pizza.

"Can I ask you a question?"

He nodded.

"Why? Why go to all this effort, Belle said you used to work at some prestigious college in London."

He balled up the paper napkin that was on the table beside his plate, running his tongue along his lips as he raised his brows together.

"My life is here. I've been at Columbia for five years now. I've nothing to go back to."

"No one?"

Killian shook his head. "No family to speak of. I've grown comfortable here and the idea of being forced to leave…"

"I get it," Emma replied, "I mean, I'm not from here. I grew up mainly in Kansas. But New York just has this kinda pull…"

"Exactly," he added. He suddenly looked a little nervous, pressing his palms against his thighs, a lock of unruly black hair falling over his forehead (making him look kinda cute, innocent almost, which surprised her as every other part of him was very male and very adult). "So, what do you think? Are you in?"

Maybe it was a moment of insanity, but as she stared into his blue, blue eyes she saw nothing but honesty and hope, and she knew then that she would be able to trust him.

"Sure, let's do this."

His smile in reply was enough reward for the moment.

And as he began to talk in more detail about the process, Emma tried to stop her mind wandering and thinking of all the ways this could go wrong.

/

After steeling her nerves - and her erratic emotions - with a well-crafted Manhattan, Emma found herself relaxing somewhat.

So this wasn't the most conventional situation. So she was posing for kinda-fake wedding photos with a guy she had known for just over a month. So she was technically defrauding the U.S. government for financial gain. Did it really matter?

It's not like it was going to hurt anyone.

Killian was a nice enough guy, and handsome (she'd give him that) but she saw reflected in him her own single mindedness and emotional distance.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Smiling, Emma glanced at Killian as he reappeared at their booth. They'd ditched midtown when the evening crush began, catching a couple of cabs down to the East Village. The bar had been Will's suggestion, a place that was 'in' right now he'd said. The doorway had been hidden down a side street, its opening covered by a red velvet curtain. She'd been skeptical about its curb appeal, but once inside they had found a chilled, laid back atmosphere with dim lights and cozy booths.

"You looked a little lost in thought."

"Just reflecting on the day's events," she admitted as he joined her on the booth's leather seating.

"Any regrets?" he asked, a hit of trepidation in his tone.

Perhaps she hesitated a little too long in her answer, or maybe she imagined the shadow of uncertainty that crossed his face.

"No," she insisted, reaching to take his hand from where it lay on his knee, "I know why I'm doing this and I accepted the risks. Let's just cross our fingers that this whole thing works out?"

He nodded softly, lifting up his glass and tapping it lightly against her own, "To things working out," he grinned.

She smiled too as she took a sip of her wine, taking just an extra second to let her eyes run over his face; the crinkles around his eyes, the pull of his lips over his teeth. A vivid memory of how it felt to kiss him sent her stomach into a somersault.

He was a good kisser.

Shaking the thought away, she looked over the booth at Will and Belle, their heads close and arms wrapped around each other. After six months together, they were just as wrapped up in one another as they had been in their first weeks. A twinge of sadness struck her: she would never have that.

"Um Emma, before I forget-"

She turned back to look at him, bathed in the darkness of the booth, his shirt buttons undone farther than necessary, dimples puncturing his cheeks-

"Thank you. This whole thing, I know it's a risk. So thank you."

Emma toyed with the gold band on her finger.

"Well, it's a mutually beneficial arrangement, right? You get to stay here, I get closer to opening my business-"

"Aye," he nodded, "When you put it like that-"

Before he could continue, they were interrupted by the sound of a high pitched shriek.

"Oh. My. God. Are you wearing a wedding dress?"

The source of the voice was a tipsy looking redhead with a Hermes handbag and expensive looking heels.

Cheeks burning, Emma remembered she'd slipped off her coat and her cream gown was rather bridal-

"Aye," Killian nodded behind her, "Married this afternoon."

(She silently thanked him for speaking, not really trusting her ability to answer that question correctly.)
"Well honey, you can't be drinking Chardonnay on your wedding night! Bartender, a bottle of Dom Perignon for the happy couple!"

It was only then that Emma registered the gaggle of ladies who accompanied their unexpected benefactor. Pulling her to her feet, they complimented her dress and whispered loudly in her ear about how handsome her groom was (she blushed deeper at this). Killian was wrangled by another couple of ladies, fawning over him as Will and Belle laughed at the scene from their position in the booth.

Bottles of champagne were brought out, crystal stems were topped up and the new found friends raised a glass together in honor of the 'lovely couple'.

Although now standing a few people away from each other, their eyes met at the toast, a strange secret smile on his lips.

It was probably from the alcohol and the atmosphere, she told herself.

Yet somehow, she couldn't help but return it.

Maybe playing pretend didn't have to be such a bad thing.

A/N: So I really struggled here! I had wanted this whole story to be in Emma's POV, but I realised writing this that this story needs Killian's perspective. From the next chapter onwards we will be alternating between the two. I for one can't wait to see what's going on in his mind!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your reviews and support! And to my wonderful beta, Nickillian/Ztofan for her reassurance, enthusiasm and brilliant ideas.