Hello lovelies! Sorry for the small delay!
Read and enjoy!
After Emma left his apartment, Killian cleared his coffee table of the empty pizza box and empty beer bottles. He had really enjoyed their evening watching movies together just like old times.
He instantly felt her relax when she saw what he had planned for them and his heart leapt with joy when he finally saw her smile and laugh. It was nice to know that he could still get those emotions out of her after everything that had happened with them since they'd found each other again.
Everything was going well until Emma found the picture of Milah. He froze at her name, the pain in his heart still fresh as he was still mourning her death after all these years. He instinctively brushed it off, as if she were no one, when in fact she had meant the world to him.
Slowly putting his walls up, he thought about Emma and how she'd reacted when he had asked her about the last years, and how she shut him out instantly and how hurt he'd felt that she didn't trust him enough to share with him. He really wanted her to eventually open up to him, but he knew that it wouldn't be easy.
He then thought that maybe the best way to work toward that would be for him to share something painful from his past, to show her that his time away from her wasn't as peachy as she seemed to be thinking.
So he told Emma about Milah and her tragic death, and he saw the understanding that was written all over her face. She'd also lost someone, he didn't know who or how, but he really believed her when she told him she understood his pain.
When he finished cleaning up his living room, he walked toward the shelf on which the picture of him and Milah was resting. He took the frame in his hands, his fingertips brushing the beautiful and bright smile she wore. His chest tightened remembering the way she laughed or the glint in her eyes before she decided to do something spontaneous, like the time she convinced him to take a drive in the middle of the night and have an impromptu road trip because she felt like going to the beach.
Killian deposited the picture back on the shelf and felt a lump at the back of his throat. He managed to move from his spot and walked to his bed to get himself ready for sleep.
He kept thinking about Milah and Emma, two women that had so much impact in his life. Maybe it was time to let go of his lost love, and focus the pain that kept draining his energy into trying to mend his friendship with the woman that was here now.
The last thought he remembered before falling asleep was the fact that tonight he had made Emma laugh and smile, which meant that they'd both taken a big step in their relationship.
Killian woke up the next morning and went on about his usual routine before heading to work. As the day went by, he felt his eyelids go heavy as he realised that he didn't sleep as much as he thought he did.
Towards the end of his workday, he felt his cellphone buzz in his pocket. He took it out, a grin appearing on his face when he saw the person calling him.
"Dave! It's been a long time, mate." Killian greeted his friend cheerfully.
"Jones, how have you been?"
"I've been good."
"So, I'm calling you because Mary Margaret and I are having a party on Saturday at our place, and it would be nice if you could come." Mary Margaret and David met in high school and had been together ever since. They got married the previous year, finally ready to unite their love through the bond of marriage.
"Of course, mate. I'll be there. Can I bring a friend?"
"A lady friend?" His friend teased him at the other end of the line.
"Yes, but it isn't what you think." Killian said, knowing that David would automatically make a big deal out of whatever this was, knowing that he hadn't invited a girl over to meet his friends since her.
"I didn't say anything."
"But I know what you were about to."
"You know me too well. So see you on Saturday?" Killian heard his friend chuckle at the other side of the line before answering him.
"See you Saturday."
Killian ended the call, and scrolled down in his contact list, searching for Emma's number. The phone rang a couple of times, and he was about to hang up when she answered, clearly out of breath.
"Hello?"
"Emma, it's Killian."
"Hey, how are you?" Her voice sounded surprised and she seemed to be in a hurry.
"I'm good. So I'm calling you to find out if you're busy Saturday night." He asked her hopeful that she would agree.
"I'm working. Why?"
"Well one of my friends is having a party, and I was hoping you could come."
"I would love to, but I can't. Sorry." Her voice sounded disappointed that she couldn't come, which surprised Killian, since he'd expected her to take a couple of steps back and push him away. Surprised, he decided to push his luck.
"Can you ask for the night off?"
"I don't know if I can. Look, I need to go to work now, actually. I'll call you, okay?"
"Okay," Killian answered, trying not to let his disappointment show in his voice.
"Talk to you later." Without leaving him time to respond Emma ended the call.
He finished working an hour later, and went home as usual, trying not to think about Emma.
Killian kept himself occupied throughout the evening and decided to go to the grocery store when he realised he was low on food, taking the occasion to return last nights DVD's to the video store.
He came back to his apartment with two bags filled with food. He unloaded the bags and looked at the time and realised it was almost 8 o'clock and didn't feel like cooking, opting instead for take-out.
After he finished unloading the bags filled with food, he went to open the third drawer in his kitchen counter and took out the take-out menu he kept there, opting for Chinese food and ordering his usual: chicken lo mein and egg rolls.
His food arrived shortly before 9, just as he was about to settle in on his couch, deciding to eat his food as he watched The I.T. Crowd. He had just turned on his TV when his phone started to ring on the other side of the apartment.
Leaving his food on the coffee table, he went in search of his phone that he had left on the kitchen counter. Seeing the name of the caller on his phone he couldn't help the smile that crept on his face, and quickly unlocked his phone to answer it.
"Hello." He answered as he cursed himself for sounding too eager.
"Hey, Killian, it's Emma. I'm calling you real quick to tell you that my friend Ruby agreed to take my shift on Saturday." She blurted out loudly, trying to compete with the noise of the loud music and conversations that were coming from the bar.
"Okay, great. Um, I'll come and pick you up?"
"Sure. Just text me what time. See you Saturday." With that, Emma ended the call, leaving Killian smiling as he stood in the middle of the kitchen.
-/-
Saturday arrived quickly and Killian was grateful since work had been busy and had drained a lot of his energy. Fortunately, he had the day to rest before he needed to head towards Emma's apartment so they could go to David's party.
He arrived at her place and climbed the stairs that led him to her apartment, and knocked on her door when he found the numbers that corresponded to those she had sent by text.
Killian heard some hurried footsteps on the other side of the door until she finally opened it. His eyes widened when he saw her come out of her apartment as she greeted him.
Her hair was falling down on her shoulders in soft, long curls, and she was wearing a simple black dress – or at least it looked simple at first glance.
It was a sleeveless garment with a black lace overlay. The dress accentuated her frame, as it was cinched at the waist, and the skirt – which ended midway down her thigh – was flared outward and flowed gracefully and freely as she walked over the threshold of her apartment and greeted him shyly as she turned her back to him briefly and she locked the door to her apartment.
Killian didn't hear her as he was still taking in her ensemble, letting his eyes rove over her lithe frame, down to the grey converse sneakers she wore on her feet. It made him smile that even if she changed the way she dressed, even a small part of her would always be the same girl he'd always known.
"Wow, you look very beautiful." He managed to say as his eyes finally met hers, and he noticed the pink shade that appeared on her cheeks.
"Thanks." She smiled shyly at him and started to shift nervously. "It's too much isn't it? I'll go change." Emma told him as she was about to insert her key back into the lock, but Killian's hand stopped her before she could.
"No, it's perfect. You look lovely." He reassured her with a genuine smile.
They finally got out of her building and both decided to walk to his friend's place, and they spent their time talking about their week. Killian noticed the change in her behaviour; she seemed more at ease after their movie night, less tense and he noticed that she tended to smile more easily than before, which made him smile knowing that they were making progress.
Before arriving at David's house, they made a stop so they could buy some beer before getting there. They walked on the pathway that led them to the front door, and Killian pressed on the doorbell as they both waited for someone to open the door.
The door swung open and they were welcomed by his friend's wife, short-haired brunette.
"Killian!" She greeted him with a big smile as she pulled him in for a warm hug. "It's been such a long time."
"Last time was New Year's if I'm not mistaken."
"Yes, I think you're right. So who's your friend?" She asked him, as she turned around towards Emma with a smile.
"Emma." She simply said as she introduced herself with a small smile, clearly feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden.
"I'm Mary Margaret, David's wife." She told Emma as she led them inside the house and told them that they could put their beer in the kitchen.
Emma followed Killian to the kitchen as he went to put the beer in the fridge. He offered her a beer, and she instantly uncapped her bottle as he mirrored her action before they both took a sip of their drinks.
They then went to the living room where the party seemed to be in full swing. People were standing in every corner of the room, drinks in hand as music played in the background.
Killian knew most of the people there, mainly old college friends that he rarely kept contact with. He walked towards his fair-haired friend and presented Emma to his close friends.
Emma slowly got more comfortable as the evening progressed, leaving her shyness behind, the alcohol probably helping in that respect. She seemed to get along well with Mary Margaret, which wasn't difficult since the pixie-haired brunette knew how to make people comfortable. At one point, he overheard Mary Margaret invite Emma to go have some brunch with her one of these days, to which Emma agreed, surprisingly. Killian felt pleased seeing Emma laugh and enjoy herself.
Suddenly, he heard some people cheering and he heard a familiar voice greeting everyone quite loudly from the other side of the room. He turned around and saw his old college roommate sauntering around the living room.
"Robin!" Killian blurted out as he walked towards his old friend, to which his friend reciprocated as they hugged each other tightly.
"It's been a long time, mate. When did you come back from London?"
"I came back last night, actually. I texted David telling him I'd arrived and he told me he was having a party tonight. So, here I am."
"Well, it's a good to see you again." He told him as he patted him on the back.
"You too, mate. So, where's Milah?" His friend asked as he looked around him, and Killian felt himself freeze hearing her name, and realizing that Robin wasn't around when the unfortunate event occurred and wondered how he didn't know about it.
Didn't someone tell him?
Killian inhaled a shaky breath as he tried to figure a way out of here, not wanting to tell the story for the second time that week. Once was enough. Just when he was about to open his mouth, and reluctantly relate Milah's tragic story, he felt a soft small hand on his bicep, and felt his muscle squeeze under its pressure.
He turned his head towards the person touching him, and saw Emma standing next to him with a concerned look and a soft smile.
"Can I talk to you for a second?" She asked him, to which he responded with a nod. She tugged on his arm, and dragged him outside onto the patio. They both stood silently and Killian started to wonder if she really needed to talk with him, since she didn't seem in a hurry to say anything.
"What did you want to talk about?" He finally asked her.
"Nothing. I just— I overheard your friend ask you about her and thought that maybe you wanted to avoid talking about it again. I know I wouldn't want to retell the story." Killian felt his heart swell seeing what she'd just done for him, as if she understood all too well the way he was feeling.
"Thank you," He said to her softly, to which she responded with a smile. "Do you mind if we stay here for a little while?" She shook her head and they both decided to sit down on one of the small steps that led to the green yard.
They sat in silence, as they heard the muffled sounds that came from the house where people were still partying. After a while, Killian heard Emma take a sharp intake of breath before she started to speak.
"Isabelle passed away when I was fourteen." She paused as she kept looking in front of her as he turned his head to look at her, surprised with what she just told him.
That's why she deflected the subject of her parents.
"She was diagnosed with cancer and it quickly spread throughout her body. She went through a lot of treatments, and the only thing I could do was to make her last months as comfortable as I could. She was in constant pain, and it hurt seeing this vibrant, loving woman in such a state. Needless to say, I was devastated when she died." Emma paused, and he saw her take in a shaky breath, her eyes watering as she tried to keep in her tears.
"I'm sorry," He said to her, not sure what to say to her exactly. He figured that there was nothing to say, and instead scooted himself closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. He felt her sigh, and he suddenly hated himself for not being there for her, regretting never coming to see her more than ever.
"Well, you at least had Clifford." He felt her body stiffen at the mention of her foster father and he couldn't help himself but think that something happened with him.
She simply nodded, and Killian knew that she just wasn't ready for to share that piece of the story with him yet. They stayed like that for a moment, before he asked her if she wanted to go home, to which she said yes.
They went to say goodbye to his friends before they both walked towards her place as he insisted on walking her back home. She tried to convince him not to, saying she was used to coming home late at night all alone after work. Finally arriving at her building, they both stood awkwardly in front of her apartment.
"Thanks for inviting me tonight, I had fun, for once." She told him with a small laugh, to which he responded with one of his.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that."
"Okay. Well, I'll see you soon I guess?"
"Of course, whenever you want." He told her, knowing that it was best for her to take the lead on when they were going to see each other again.
"Goodnight, Emma." He leaned in for a hug before he realised what he was doing, but fortunately she responded to his move and she hugged him back.
He didn't know how long they stood there in each other's arms, but neither of them seemed to want to let go. He felt good with her in his arms, as if he could finally soothe her from all the pain he couldn't appease all those years ago, and felt like he could finally protect her from any harm.
They managed finally to untangle themselves from one another, and she told him a soft 'goodnight' before disappearing in the darkness of her apartment. He stood there, looking at her door before finally moving his feet, and walked back home.
So sorry for the small delay, I apparently had a social life in the past two weeks so I've been quite busy, and when I finally had time to write, well I was to tired to write! I finally managed to pull through with this chapter and I really hope you like it! Feedback is always welcome and encouraged since it helps me to write the story!
This chapter wouldn't be possible without the help of my beta, oncertwice.
My PM is always open for those who want to stop by and drop me message, or you can drop by in my inbox on tumblr killians-dashingrescue
See you soon lovelies!
