They had made love that night, right there amongst the centuries worth of treasure spilled out around her bed. He had draped strands of pearls around her naked flesh and encircled her fingers with precious metals and sparkling gems. The memory was one she would have to pinch herself to ever believe was real and one that would be burned into his memory for all of eternity. Since that night, every time Killian closed his eyes he saw her - kneeling on the bed, golden hair spilling down her back and not a single thing to cover her naked body except for gem encrusted gold chains and long stands of creamy white pearls - and his heart would miss a beat. The only thing Emma had insisted on was that he find a way to secure the plunders of his past, whether it was cashing them in and putting them in a bank account, placing them in a safe deposit box or installing a safe somewhere in their home... She didn't really care how he did it, but - seeing as she was the town's Sheriff - she wanted it done. Killian had agreed in order to make his Swan happy but truly had no idea what was his best option. He was not used to relying on something other than himself or his crew to secure anything of value so he'd have to seek out help. And the only help he could think of that he truly trusted with matters such as these, was David.
A few days later, during a family dinner at the Charming's loft, Killian had pulled David aside to fill him in on his little treasure problem, and to seek his best advise.
"A pirate asking a lawman for help his stolen treasure... This has to be one for the history books!" David broke into a good, hardy laughter as the idea sunk in but Killian, at the moment, was not very amused. He was trying to be serious and all Emma's father could do was laugh.
"Perhaps I brought this matter to the wrong Charming, eh mate? Maybe I should have just asked your lovely wife?...after all, she did actually bring back quiet a bit of change from the last gold doubloon I handed her for her, well, services..." There was a challenging twinkle in his eyes; one David hadn't seen since their outing to the docks just after the pirate had been released from his stay in Storybrooke's hospital. He got the message - pirates are not advise seekers, so him asking for it now was making him both vulnerable and exposed and it was definitely a feeling he didn't care for.
"For the record, you did not buy her services. Mary-Margaret just helped you pull off a miracle... And she did it because Emma is our daughter." David knew that Killian was trying to crawl under his skin and make him uncomfortable. It was his defense mechanism... But hearing him refer to his wife's help as a 'service'... like one of the wenches the pirate would take to his ship from the taverns nightly... That was just a bit more than he could swallow.
Killian nodded, he had hit his mark. Maybe now David would understand his vulnerability and irritation in his slight mocking and back down some; actually take him seriously. "Aye, it was for the love of one Emma Swan... But truth is mate, I did pay her for her time and her wares." Killian winked and drew his lips into a devilishly little grin effectively putting an end to his side of the banter - as for now he had more serious issues to tackle. Mainly that of securing his treasure I'm order to make his love happy and also put her at ease. "Now, back to the topic at hand here, Dave. Will you assist an old pirate in securing his goods in order to keep the Princess sated?"
David winced, rubbing his hand over his eyes and down his face. The pirate had gotten him a bit riled up in their back and forth sword play of words, and he'd done it on purpose. He realized that the instant he bit into the bait. The snarky innuendo had been Killian's way of exposing David's vulnerability; his way of making him understand the uncomfort he felt in asking for help with an issue that he'd never had to face before. He nodded in response as he answered. "Yes, I'll help you. I'll drop by the house tomorrow before my shift at the station."
Killian's smile was one of appreciation as he clapped his hand over David's shoulder before wandering off back to the kitchen where the rest of the family stood conversing.
One day, he thought with a laugh, I'll stop letting that man best me.
He awoke the next morning far later than usual; the sun had already risen above the horizon and from the silence of the house around him, his Swan had either over slept or left earlier than normal for the station - Killian would have waged a bet that it was the latter of the two. Emma may not have been an early riser by nature, nor was she a fan of alarm clocks, but if she had somewhere to be you could be sure that she would be there on time. Henry had spent the night at Regina's - mostly because she and Robin had taken to paying him for babysitting Roland when they decided they wanted some time alone - so there had been no reason for Emma to come up stairs this morning to get him up for school. When she did however, he could be assured that he would either be awoken by a warm body sneaking under the covers to snuggle with him for a few moments as the suns first rays broke the horizon, or he'd receive a fleeting kiss somewhere on his face as she charged through his bedroom before racing down the stairs and out the door with Henry in tow. He smiled as he lay their in his bed thinking about what their life had become. For the first time ever, things felt easy and though there was truly never a dull moment in Storybrooke, he felt contented knowing the ones he loved most were safe from the perils of the past years.
A knock at their front door jolted him from his thoughts just then, followed by David's voice calling out to tell him he had arrived. Bloody hell, Emma must have given her parents a key. "Be right down, mate," he hollered. Rolling from his bed, Killian made quick work of straightening his sheets, pulling on a pair of boxers and jeans and a well worn grey tee emblazoned with a a weathered white outline of what looked very much like his Jolly Roger. Emma had purchased it for him one day on a whim and, if he had to pick, it was his favorite article of clothing he owned. Running a hand through his hair, he swung into the bathroom to brush his teeth before jogging down the stairs.
David was sitting in the sofa in the living room playing with the remote for Emma's stereo. Flipping through her presets he found Storybrooke's classic rock station with a Lynard Skynyrd song playing on it and settled back into the massive amounts of pillows his wife had piled on the sofa. As Killian rounded the the corner into the room and sank down into the overstuffed arm chair his Swan had taken to liking, David spoke up.
"Man, this place really turned out nice... More like a home than that little loft of ours." He looked over at Killian who was smiling sheepishly.
"Guess you'll need to have a discussion with that wife of yours about it. I, for one, would certainly inquire about her services again if the opportunity arose." There were no traces of a sexual innuendo this time, David noted... And that was a welcome change. Killian smiled; he was trying.
Killian could have carried on with a bit of good natured banter for a bit but he sensed that Emma's father was ready to get down to business. "So, about this treasure you need to... secure? What kind of treasure exactly are we talking about here?"
Killian stood and motioned for David to follow him. They climbed the stairs, entered his room and once the chest had been sat properly atop his bed, he opened the lid and revealed the shining, glimmering bounty of centuries worth of plundering. To say the man's jaw dropped at the sight was an understatement - he wasn't sure what he had been expecting but obviously this was not it; meanwhile all Killian could see as he stared at the fruits of his labors was his Swan, naked, kneeling, needy and covered - quiet literally - in his pillages. A grin spread across his lips; one that David, thankfully, took as a sense of pride in his possessions and not of dirty thoughts of his daughter.
"Can't say I blame Emma for wanting this safely locked away, Killian. I'd be nervous too if I knew it was just sitting upstairs for anyone to take." David scratched the back of his neck considering the options, "Any thoughts on what you'd like to do with it."
He thought for a moment, really considering the options. "Emma seems to trust these places called banks, so maybe I should put some of it in there. I'd like to keep the gems and jewelry close; the Princess seems to fancy them some and if she decides one evening she would like access to them..." His voice trailed off before he took the conversation too far. This was her father after all. "I think I'd fancy having some turned into currency as well. Would make living in this world a bit easier."
David agreed. He also had another thought that had not seemed to have crossed Killian's mind. "Have you thought about making some purchases? Some investments for your future... A piece of land? A home maybe? Something that will gain value instead of losing it?"
"A piece of land, you say? Does this place have any of those available?..." He suddenly had a brilliant idea.