Emma introduced Killian to various friends and members of her family, a bit icily, Killian thought. So, about twenty minutes into the party, he pulled Emma aside.
"You are aware that people need to think that we are in love. So let's stop with the sarcastic back and forth, darling,"
Emma smirked. "That's not a problem for me. I can do that. I can pretend to be the starry-eyed girl who is head over heels in love with her fiancé. But you will actually need to act like a gentleman."
"I look forward to that, Emma," he said softly into her ear, trailing a finger along her cheek, "and I'm always a gentleman."
"Sure you are," said Emma, rolling her eyes.
"When are we going to break the news to your family?"
"I'll pick the right moment," said Emma. "Remember, we are doing this my way."
Emma glanced over. Her friend Ruby and her boyfriend Victor were heading in their direction. "Emma, hi," she said enthusiastically.
Emma hugged her friend. "Hi Ruby, hi Victor," said Emma. "This is Killian."
"Pleasure," said Killian, shaking Victor's hand and smiling at Ruby.
"So, I was wondering, what does a book editor do?" asked Ruby.
"That is a great question, Ruby," said David, coming over to join them.
Killian felt Emma stiffen at his side, and he resisted the urge to reach for her.
"I'm curious to know the answer myself, Emma," said David.
"Hello, Dad," said Emma softly,
"This must be Killy."
"Uh, it's Killian," said Killian stiffly. He had known that meeting the father of his fake fiancé would be awkward.
"David, It's a pleasure to meet you. Now why don't you tell us what editors do aside from taking writers out to lunch and getting sloshed."
Ruby grinned. "It sounds like fun. No wonder you like it so much, Emma."
"Oh Emma's not an editor. She is an editor's assistant. Killy, here, is the editor."
"Killian," corrected Killian.
"So you're—" said Victor,
"Emma's boss," said David with a chilly smile to his daughter and the man beside her.
David shrugged. "Well, I think I need a refill," he said excusing himself.
Emma tensed as both Ruby and Victor walked away. "Your father is certainly charming," said Killian sarcastically.
Emma frowned, and Killian's expression softened. "Are you okay, love?"
"Why do you care?" said Emma.
"I just do," he said. "That was an excellent show of patience."
"Yeah, well, my patience is already gone, if you'll excuse me." Emma stomped off to follow her father.
"That was a great first impression, Dad," said Emma icily.
David turned to her. "What the hell, Emma. You show up here after all this time with this man that you hated but now you're dating him. What's up with that?"
"Dad, we just got here, can we not fight?"
David sighed. "I just never thought that I would raise a daughter who was content to sleep her way to the middle."
"Killian Jones is one of the most respected editors in New York," said Emma, "and I don't hate him."
"Oh really. Please, he's your meal ticket and now you've brought him home to meet the family. You sold out."
"Killian is my fiancé," said Emma. "We're getting married."
"What did you say?"
"You heard me, dad. Your little girl is all grown up now." She squared her shoulders and walked away, leaving David to stare after her.
-/-
"Hello everyone," said Emma, tapping on her wine glass. "We have a very important announcement to make."
Killian looked over at Emma from where he was standing beside Victor and Ruby.
She's doing this now? He thought. He crossed to room to stand beside her. "This amazing woman has agreed to marry me," said Killian, wrapping an arm around her.
There was a brief silence before everyone started clapping.
"Congratulations, Emma," said Mary Margaret opening a bottle of champagne and moving around the room to fill everyone's glasses.
Killian looked down at Emma. "So, that was your idea of a perfect moment, love?"
"I just needed to put it out there," she said quietly.
Then a man that Killian had yet to meet came up to them. "Congratulations, Emma," said the man.
"Neal, what are you doing here?"
Killian frowned. Why did that name seem so familiar?
"Congratulating you," he said, pulling her into his arms. "Your mom wanted it to be a surprise."
Emma stepped out of his arms and put her hands on her hips. "Killian, this is my ex Neal Cassidy."
"Pleasure to meet you" said Killian, his voice dripping with insincerity. He didn't know why, but he hadn't liked seeing Emma in another man's arms.
"So, you got Emma to say yes. You're a lucky man."
"I am most fortunate," said Killian, shaking Neal's hand. He had been under the impression that Emma had been casually dating a guy named Neal, in New York, only come to find that he was a man she'd grown up with. It didn't sit well with him.
"So, did I miss the story of how you proposed?" asked Neal.
Gammy looked up at them from the couch and smiled. "How a man proposes says a lot about his character."
"Actually, Emma, I was really curious about this particular story. Will you tell everyone?" asked Mary Margaret.
Emma looked to Killian. "Actually, Killian should tell it. I would hate to deprive him of the honor of doing so," said Emma, crossing the room to sit beside her mother.
"This is quite the story," said Killian with a grin. "Where should I begin?"
"At the beginning would work," said Emma with a smirk.
"As you wish, my lady," he said with a mock bow. "Well, Emma and I were going to celebrate our first anniversary. I had wanted to ask her for several weeks, but dear Emma was a bit intimidated, like a little tiny bird, by the prospect. Though I suppose I can't blame her. So I began dropping subtle hits, and she got quite a bit flustered."
Emma snorted.
"Something to add, love?" asked Killian with a cheeky grin.
She rose and went back to him. "That's not how it happened," said Emma
"See, Killian mentioned that he wanted to take me to a ritzy restaurant to celebrate our new book deal, since we had engaged a new author. Killian is about as subtle as a gun, so he thought that using a corporate dinner to mask a proposal would throw me off the trail. Of course I'd already seen the ring box and asked him about it,"
"Ah yes, she got all nervous," said Killian, "she said she wanted to get a special dress for the dinner. All day long she was chattering on about how honored she was that I had asked her to come with me."
"Oh please," said Emma, "you thought that I believed you about the corporate dinner, and you offered me the company card to get something nice to wear. I was only humoring you. So Killian and I went to the restaurant that night and I spent the entire night waiting for the ring to appear in my champagne flute or in the chocolate soufflé that he had ordered. And nothing."
"I didn't want to do anything cliché," said Killian, cutting her off, "I am far more brilliant than that, but Emma, she was rather, and understandably, put out. She said she wanted to take a taxi home, and of course, I, being the gentleman, allowed her to do so. The taxi, of course took her not to her apartment, but to mine," said Killian.
"I just wanted to go home and I turned to leave the apartment," interrupted Emma, " but there Killian was, on one knee." She then started to do a poor imitation of his accent, "'Emma Swan, I know I don't deserve you, but please, will you do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife?' and I noticed that he was holding back tears," said Emma.
"The tears were yours, Emma," said Killian, "and then she smiled at me and said that marrying me would—"
"Be just fine—" finished Emma. "Yes. That's what happened."
Mary Margaret frowned as the room filled with half-hearted sighs. "That is quite a story, Emma."
"Beautiful isn't it? Killian is rather sensitive," she said.
"Hey," said Ruby, "Let's see you kiss."
Emma's eyelashes fluttered. "What?"
"You two are engaged. Go ahead and give him a kiss," said Ruby, gesticulating for the others in the room to agree with her.
Glasses clinked together. "Give him a kiss, sweetheart" said Leroy, from the corner.
Emma sighed and took his hand and kissed it. Afterwards she laced her fingers with his. "There we go," she said.
"No," said Ruby. 'Kiss him on the mouth like you mean it, Emma."
Everyone in the room began to chant, "kiss him, kiss him, kiss him."
Mary Margaret smiled encouragingly.
Emma's cheeks started to turn red.
"You don't need to stand on ceremony, Emma," said Killian with a cocky grin.
Emma threw her hands up. "Okay," she said, leaning in and kissing him lightly.
"Boo," said Ruby. "Give him a real kiss." Everyone seconded the idea.
"How about it, darling," said Killian, tapping his lower lip.
"Oh please," said Emma. "You couldn't handle it."
"Perhaps you're the one that couldn't handle it," Killian whispered moving closer. He could see the hesitation in her wide green eyes.
But Emma Swan was not one to back down from a challenge. So she grabbed him by the collar of his dress shirt and kissed him as if her very life depended on it.
It knocked the breath from Killian's lungs. He hadn't expected it, but his hand slid through her blonde curls as he leaned into the kiss, drinking deeply from her lips.
After a long moment, Emma moved away.
Everyone cheered and Ruby wolf-whistled. "That's more like it," she said with approval.
Emma and Killian stared at each other for a long moment, both sensing that something had changed between them.
And it scared the hell out of both of them.
