I'd like to extend a hearty welcome to the people who've joined the fun due to Tumblr's CS AU week. Hello, glad to have you aboard.
The characters, as usual, still belong to Kitsis and Horowitz but now it's time to play.
"Tell me again why you invited him?"
Emma looked over at Mary Margaret who was placing the last of the candles on Henry's birthday cake. Glaring back down at the onion dip she was mixing she was at a loss at how to answer the question for the twentieth time.
"To be nice?" She answered uncertainly. "I don't know! We were talking and I was helping him with some orchids and I got caught up in what it was like to get to know someone."
Mary Margaret quickly looked up at her. Emma could feel her gaze boring into her as she kept her focus on the bowl in front of her.
"So, you like getting to know him?" Mary Margaret asked carefully.
"Yeah, I mean, it's nice talking to someone who hasn't heard all my stories," Emma tried for a joking tone.
"I haven't even heard all your stories," Mary Margaret mumbled, turning back to the cake. "I'm glad you're putting yourself out there, though. You can't keep your heart locked up forever you know."
"Oh, Mary Margaret, it's not... I don't think… that's not what I meant," Emma stuttered trying to stop Mary Margaret's train of thought. "He's an okay guy, once you get past the flirting, but nothing is going on. He's just someone new to talk to."
"Okay, okay, no need to get upset," Mary Margaret placated. As she turned back to the cake she frowned. "You know, it probably would have been easier to buy the number candles instead of trying to place all these little ones."
"There's only twelve of them," Emma teased as she used a chip to clean off the spoon she had used to stir the dip.
"I know, but I'm having a hard time deciding where to put them."
"Maybe I just like watching you try not to destroy my beautiful cake decorating masterpiece. Do you know how long it took me to figure out how to lay out the fondant right?"
Mary Margaret looked down at the cake that Emma had made for the party. It was actually three separate cakes decorated to look like Captain America's shield, Iron Man's helmet, and Wolverine's fist, claws out and all. It had taken months of practice and a few lessons at the bakery to get it right. She fully anticipated to be eating cake for dinner for the next two weeks but it was worth it to see the look on Henry's face when he had seen them on the counter.
Emma had been quietly preparing for Henry's party all week. It was the first time she was able to buy almost everything on his wishlist, a new phone notwithstanding, and the first time she had given into his pleading for a big party. In the past she had limited it to one or two friends, for her own sanity and her work schedule. When she had told Henry that he could invite anyone he wanted and that it could be a pool party, if he wanted, he had been over the moon. His excitement had been enough to tamp down the stress at putting the whole thing together.
She had also been using the party preparations as an excuse to not over analyze her interaction with Killian the week before. Emma had only stopped by the studio to see if Ruby wanted to grab a drink at the Rabbit Hole but Jefferson had let her know that Ruby left early for a date with Graham. She had caught sight of the bouquet of closed buds at her station as she was leaving, the ones that she had complained loudly and emphatically about when they had been delivered that morning. It had been a lucky thing that she ran into Anton when she did because her annoyance had really gained a head of steam when she left the parlor and saw Killian's truck parked out front.
Anton had been quick to slide the blame for the delivery onto Killian with a delighted smile on his face. It had thrown her at first, why the owner would encourage a customer to confront a worker instead of taking care of the complaint himself. He mentioned that the man in question was still in the shop and she was welcome to go in. Before she could blink Anton had laughed heartily and walked away, leaving her even more confused standing in front of his flower shop.
Figuring she could dwell on his behavior later she had entered the shop and her irritation at Killian flared up when she saw the beautiful bouquets lining various shelves and work tables in the shop. There hadn't been a bell or chime on the door to announce her presence, so she had been able to approach him and finally be the one to get a firm grip on whatever conversation they were going to have. Her confidence in her plan faltered when she saw him sitting at one of the work tables hunched over an orchid.
He'd been wearing a short sleeved white shirt and she was able to get a better look at the tattoo on his arm, a heart with a dagger and some writing on a scroll. It wasn't the ink that had her rethinking her approach, it was the sight of his left hand that made her hesitate.
Emma hadn't dwelled much on the glove he had been wearing on the Fourth, in fact she thought it was part of his Merry Men costume that he had decided to keep on for whatever reason. The sight in front of her raised many questions in her mind but she did understand one thing: Killian went to great lengths to conceal his missing ring and pinky fingers and the gnarled scar tissue that was in their place. She knew, how she did she'd never know, that he would be extremely uncomfortable with her inadvertent discovery. With a split second decision she had decided to confront him, as planned, and not draw attention to his injury unless he did.
When Killian noticed her and she started complaining she immediately noticed the stiffness of his shoulders and the forced casualness of his movements. It wasn't until he crossed his arms, hiding his hand and tattoo that he was able to relax marginally. Her curiosity piqued but she knew it was neither the time or the place for her to go digging into his past. Emma knew far too well that prodding someone for answers was the best way to get them to never tell.
The rest of the night was something Emma had never really experienced. The quiet acceptance of her quasi-confession to avoiding him at the party, the way he gently explained why he sent her the half in bloom bouquet and then offered her a replacement struck a chord deep in her. That he would do not only explain his motives and then offer her something else without question was something she wasn't used to. She was used to fighting tooth and nail to get the things she felt she deserved.
Her volunteering to help him was both an apology for her outburst and a way to discover the man behind the plants and flirty winks. As they had worked and talked he became more fluid in his movements, almost as if he stopped worrying about hiding his injury. She hadn't been lying when she told Mary Margaret that it was nice to get to know someone. The push and pull of information that colored in the details of a person's life was something she hadn't experienced in a long time.
Even the brief mention of Henry's absent father hadn't upset her too much. He must have picked up on her feelings, though, because he then quietly shared a part of his own past. Something in his voice and his mention of Robin's history gave Emma a big clue to the kind of man he was. She still had no idea what happened but she was sure that the loss of his fingers and the meaning behind his tattoo were the reason Killian had moved to Storybrooke.
"Emma!"
Mary Margaret's hand came to a rest on top of hers, stopping her from absently eating another dip covered chip.
"Ah, was I zoning out?" Emma said sheepishly as she half-heartedly offered the chip to Mary Margaret.
"Just a little," Mary Margaret laughed as she grabbed the chip. "You should probably make more dip if you want anyone else to have some."
Emma looked down at the bowl and saw that a good amount was missing. She had a weird habit of snacking through her thoughts as she puzzled something out. Usually it happened on late nights helping Henry finish a school project he neglected to mention until the day before it was due. She would send him to bed and then stay up munching on a bag of pretzels until they were gone and the project was finished. It had been a while since she had done it for something to do with her personal life, the last time it happened Regina had offered her the partnership and she had devoured a bag of cookies that were hidden in Ruby's station. Ruby still hadn't forgiven her.
"It's a good thing I bought extra sour cream," Mary Margaret remarked as she slid a tub of it across the counter. "Although, I thought David would be the one eating all the dip."
"Very funny, David hates it and you know it," Emma grinned as she opened another mix packet.
"Yeah, but I hope to change his mind someday."
"You two have been together since college and you haven't done it yet. I think it's about time to give up on that dream," Emma smirked as she began stirring.
"I'll never give up the hope that I can steer him onto the path of delicious snack foods. It worked with you," Mary Margaret sounded smug as she dug through her cupboards. "Where is that punch bowl?"
"You made David put it in the cupboard over the fridge because 'We never use it and there's no point in it taking up useful space,'" Emma quoted in a falsetto voice.
"I don't sound like that!" Mary Margaret huffed as she walked across the kitchen to open the sliding glass door leading out to the backyard.
It was only an hour before the party was scheduled to start but Emma was fully aware that David and Henry were already in the pool. They had given her and Mary Margaret the flimsy excuse that they had to make sure the water wasn't too cold and that all the new pool toys needed to be tested before the guests showed up. Emma had played along because she knew they would be more of a hinderance than a help in getting everything set up.
"David, I need your help!" Mary Margaret yelled sticking her head out the door. A distant shout carried into the house that Emma recognized as her son. "No, you can stay in the pool Henry, just don't drown."
"That's comforting for a mother to hear being said to her kid," Emma deadpanned as she pushed the bowl of newly mixed onion dip away. "Really makes me feel safe leaving him with you two."
"He's twelve now, he can handle himself," Mary Margaret said, ducking back into the kitchen.
"Twelve, I still don't believe it. I feel like it was just yesterday he was sneaking into my room because the monster under his bed wanted a cookie. Now he's sneaking into the kitchen to get one for himself," Emma sighed wistfully, looking out the window over the sink and catching a glimpse of Henry jumping into the pool.
"He's still your little boy Emma, just not as little as he used to be," Mary Margaret said quietly coming up to her side.
"I know, he can almost reach the cookies without getting a chair now. I've taken to hiding them in cracker boxes or old coffee cans."
Mary Margaret pulled Emma into a one-armed hug as they watched Henry climb back out of the pool and get ready to jump back in. They turned together as David slid open the glass door and stepped inside.
"What's up?" David's smile faltered as he caught sight of them. "Is something wrong? Whatever it is we can fix it."
Emma laughed as she watched Mary Margaret roll her eyes. David had slung a towel around his waist but it was doing little good as he dripped water steadily onto the linoleum. His gazed darted from Emma to his wife and relaxed when he saw that they were perfectly fine.
"Be a prince and grab the punch bowl from the cabinet over the fridge," Mary Margaret said sweetly as she frowned slightly at the water pooling at David's feet.
"You mean the one that we never use and I had to put it there because it took up valuable space?"
Emma had to stifle her laugh with her hand as Mary Margaret glared daggers at the two of them.
"Yes, that one. Hurry up, you're dripping all over my floors," she barked, grabbing a kitchen towel and throwing it at his feet.
"It would be an honor, my lady," David said as he bent into a deep bow, water from his hair contributing to the growing puddle on the floor.
They spent the next hour preparing the rest of the food and setting it up on the tables in the back yard. David and Mary Margaret's yard was small compared to the acre of lawn behind Regina's house but Emma preferred her friends' backyard to her boss'. Emma had told Mary Margaret that the first time they had gone to Regina's house together. Mary Margaret had shot her a skeptical look but Emma was serious.
The house the Nolans lived in was in the middle of a neighborhood that could easily be in the background shot of Leave it to Beaver. When Mary Margaret had shown Emma the listing online, in between sharing her wedding Pinterest boards, she'd drug Mary Margaret out of the loft to see it in person. Emma had been amazed that the picture online wasn't photoshopped and told Mary Margaret to put a bid on it as soon as possible. She couldn't imagine them living anywhere else.
Over the years they had remodeled the kitchen and relandscaped the front and back yards but kept the rest of the house pretty much the same. In a gesture that had surprised Emma they had decorated one of the spare rooms for Henry to use. She had immediately told them it was too much and they just as quickly shut her down, telling her that even though he wasn't their nephew by blood they felt as though he was anyway and he had every right to a space in their house. Emma had needed to take a walk around the block so she could regain control of her emotions.
She had repaid them by painting the room they used as an office to look like a forest glen dappled by sunlight. Mary Margaret had been overjoyed to find the clusters of snowdrops along the baseboards on her side of the room. They both silently acknowledged the field of buttercups Emma had added at the last minute for what it was: an acceptance that they were a family together.
"Hey, Emma! Did you want the presents out there or inside?" David was yelling out at her from inside the house.
"Out here!" She yelled back from out on the patio as she unwrapped plastic utensils and placed them in cups. "We wouldn't want the whole party to be dripping all over Mary Margaret's pristine floors."
"You're right she might ban us from the house altogether!"
"Don't think I won't," Mary Margaret's voice floated out from the master bedroom window. "I know that Henry would be more than happy to have you stay at the loft for a few nights David."
"That'd be great!" Henry called from the pool. "We could play the new game Mom got me!"
"And what makes you think I got you a game?" Emma asked, turning in Henry's direction. "Let's take a break from the pool for a bit until the rest of the party shows up."
"I know you got me a game because you kept asking me what it was called and then you took a picture of it at the store when you thought I wasn't looking" Henry said happily as he splashed out of the pool and grabbed a towel from the pile Mary Margaret had left on a chair.
"Do you know everything I got you?"
"Well, I know you also got me some clothes but left those boxes at home because I didn't see them in the car and you didn't get me a phone because August told me to pretend I wasn't sad. I'm not because he said he'd get me one for Christmas," Henry chattered away happily as he grabbed a handful of chips.
"Good to know we can keep secrets around here," Emma said flatly.
"I don't know what the rest of it is, though. And I don't know what Aunt Mary Margaret and Uncle David got me. Plus all the people that are going to be here will be bringing presents too!"
"Hey, what did we talk about on the way over here?"
"That it's not just about the presents, it's about having fun with my friends," Henry spoke as though by rote and rolled his eyes but was smiling the whole time. "You also said to be nice to Roland even if he follows me around all day again and not to forget to think about what I'm going to say before I say them."
"Exactly, although I could have gone without the eye roll, kid. Now sit down and I'll get David to start grilling some hot dogs so you don't just eat chips and dip for lunch," Emma said pushing him gently towards one of the empty tables. "Do you want the works on your hot dog?"
"Yeah, but no onions or relish and only a little bit of mustard but a lot of ketchup."
"Okay, extra onions and relish with half a bottle of mustard and no ketchup. Got it."
"Mom!"
Emma laughed as she stepped into the house to grab the hot dogs and the cook from the kitchen. Mary Margaret joined them outside, dressed in an airy cover-up over her bathing suit and armed with a can of spray on sunscreen that she immediately set about spraying them all from head to toe with. With Mary Margaret on the attack Emma stole back in the house to change into her own suit and a white floral print dress that she'd had for so long it couldn't even be considered worth wearing in public, so she'd taken to wearing it as a cover-up.
Party guests started showing up almost the moment Henry finished his two hot dogs and Emma was glad she'd gotten him to eat when she did because he quickly became a ball of activity. Among the classmates from the previous school year Henry had also invited a few new friends from the summer program. A chorus of shouting kids welcomed the new arrivals as they entered the backyard through the side gate and soon Emma could barely hear the person standing next to her.
August had shown up with Jefferson and his daughter Grace and they were almost immediately followed by Regina and Robin with Roland shyly hiding behind Robin's legs. Ruby had strolled through the gate soon after with a giant box in her arms and winked at Emma's disapproving glare. Twenty minutes later Emma was still watching the gate at the side of the house, even though she knew all the invited guests were there. All but one.
"You know, staring at the gate doesn't make people show up any earlier. It's kind of like waiting for a pot of water to boil," David spoke nonchalantly from Emma's side.
"When was the last time you boiled water? Aside from trying to figure out how to melt snow faster," Emma bit back, turning away from the gate she was definitely staring at to look at him.
"I've been known to cook up some mean spaghetti every now and then. You'd know if you and Mary Margaret would release me from the bonds chaining me to this grill," David pointed his tongs down at the barbeque in front of him.
"I guess we would, but then who would grill us the best hot dogs in all the land?" Emma smiled.
"The young squire Henry has to earn the mantle sometime. Perhaps it's time for me to take on an apprentice."
"Perhaps, but probably not today," Emma said, leaning around David to watch Henry talking excitedly with his friends, waiting for the all clear that they could enter the pool having finished eating a bit earlier.
"So, if this guy doesn't show up do I have permission to punch him in the jaw?" David asked offhandedly.
Emma's head whipped quickly back to look at him, "What! No! Why would that even be something you'd think about doing?"
"You haven't really dated anyone since I've known you and..." David faltered as he caught sight of the look of exasperation on Emma's face. "Okay, what did I get wrong?"
"I'm not dating anyone," Emma ground out, turning around to glare at Ruby and Mary Margaret were admiring the cakes on the table across the patio.
"Oh, sorry, I just assumed," David touched her gently on her shoulder, causing her to look at him. "It's not their fault, they didn't say anything. I just overheard Mary Margaret on the phone and jumped to conclusions."
Emma sighed and buried her head in her hands. This was one of the reasons she had been second guessing her invitation to Killian. In a small town like Storybrooke the rumor mill was always running and it seemed she was caught up in the current.
"It's okay, David," she mumbled. Not wanting to be the black cloud at her son's party she plastered on a smile, lifted her head, and called out to the crowd of people, "Alright, I think the munchkins have waited long enough. No roughhousing, no running, and no splashing someone who isn't already in the pool. Go for it!"
The yard filled with the sound of shrieking kids and a loud Tarzan yell from Henry as he jumped headlong into the pool. A few of the braver adults joined them quickly organizing a game of Marco Polo. Emma turned towards the pool and watched with amusement as David abandoned his grilling duties to get back in, pushing August in as he walked by. She felt her smile relax as she listened to Jefferson calling out and the chorus of kids and adults answering while she pulled the last of the hot dogs off the grill and closed the lid.
"Sorry I'm late, Swan, my ogre of a boss decided we were obligated to take in a shipment of apple tree saplings and then go over each one to ensure the grafts would take hold."
Emma looked over at the voice coming from over her right shoulder. Killian was watching her carefully, still dressed in the camel colored cargo pants and forest green polo all the workers at Anton's Harvest wore. She was surprised to find that she was annoyed with his tardiness but still oddly excited that he had shown up. Then she caught sight of the carefully wrapped present in his hand.
"I said you didn't have to get him anything," she said, eyeing the package accusingly.
"And I said I'd be here gift in hand and here I am," he opened his arms as though he were presenting himself to her. "A tad overdressed but I hope I'm forgiven."
"As long as that isn't a pair of tickets to a location halfway across the world or a phone then you're forgiven," Emma said as she poked at the box in his hand.
"Damn, I knew I should have taken a gift receipt when I bought those exact things. Shame to think they'll go to waste. Unless I can persuade you use the tickets to run away with me," Killian waggled his eyebrows at her as he shook the present gently under her nose.
"Whatever's in there definitely doesn't sound like plane tickets and even if they were what makes you think I'd go anywhere with you?" She said incredulously as she snatched the box from him.
It was slightly heavy for its size and when she had grabbed it from him she had felt a couple things shifting around inside. She motioned for him to follow her across the patio to the table laden with presents.
"Don't take this the wrong way but we both know you don't back down from a challenge. I have a feeling you've got the same attitude about an adventure," Killian waited for her to look up at him, mischief dancing in his eyes. "I can assure you, love, going anywhere with me is always an adventure."
Emma rolled her eyes and placed his gift on the table with the others.
"So what's in the box, Blue Eyes?" She asked crossing her arms.
"Well, it's not Gwyneth Paltrow's head, I can guarantee that much," he winked but Emma could see the tips of his ears turning pink. "I may have asked Robin what an appropriate gift would be. He told me that I was safe getting anything comic book related. I think safe is a bit of an understatement."
Emma watched as he looked around the yard at all the party decorations. Aside from the cakes there were streamers and balloons in red and gold, purple and green, and black and red. A large pinata, made to look like Captain America's shield, was hanging from a branch on the elm tree in the back corner of the yard. Emma had even found plates, napkins, and cups featuring the Avengers on sale the month before and had cleared the store out of everything they had.
"Yeah, it's pretty much a guaranteed obsession for anyone Henry's age. We've seen the latest movie three times. I had to put my foot down after that," Emma said indulgently. "I've been told that another one is coming out next month so I'm already mentally preparing for it."
"Wise idea, Swan. I haven't seen many of the films but the ones I have were fairly impressive. I got the lad a couple of comic books. I wasn't quite sure which ones to get but there were rave reviews for this one writer's take on Hawkeye. I hope that's okay," Killian was looking at her with a seriousness that belied the easy tone of his question.
"He doesn't have anything Hawkeye so it'll be perfect. Why Hawkeye though? Most people just gravitate towards the ones that have their own movies."
The tips of Killian's ears started turning pink again and a light flush crawled up his neck. Emma watched in fascination as he rocked on his feet and wouldn't meet her questioning gaze.
"I had read the reviews but I wanted to make sure it was a worthy gift. I may have downloaded a few issues to check," he glanced up at her quickly before his eyes darted to look at where she had set his present. "I ended up reading all that was available. There's something I quite liked about an ordinary man dealing with a shit life who still stood side by side with heroes to fight the good fight."
There were very few times that Emma had found herself speechless, especially when it came to dealing with men. Killian had put extreme thought and care into the gift for her son, whom he had only met once and with embarrassing results. It was so far beyond the realm of her experience that she only realized she was staring at him with her mouth agape when he glanced back at her and a look of panic flashed across his face.
"Apologies, Swan. I should have consulted you first but I didn't have a way to get in touch with you, aside from calling your studio. I'll just take this…" Killian reached for the gift but Emma quickly grabbed his hand, absently noting it was his left one.
"Don't you dare. Trust me when I say he'll love it," Emma squeezed his hand gently and then let it go. "So, are you planning on changing or will you be trudging around the party in that the whole time?"
"If you wanted to get me out of my clothes so badly you didn't need to use your son's party as an excuse, love," Killian smiled toothily as she huffed out a laugh. "I have a change of clothes in my truck but I didn't want to assume I'd be allowed to stay."
"I invited you didn't I? Go get your stuff, Hawkguy, the bathroom is down the hall and to the left."
Killian's face lit up as he caught the reference. She winked and pushed him on the shoulder, turning and propelling him back towards the gate. Smiling she realized that being the subject of town gossip wasn't too bad, not when the person she was linked to was the guy throwing her a smile and a wink as he walked out of the yard.
A.N.: I've posted a rough floorplan for the Nolan house on my Tumblr in case anyone is curious and yes, it's Matt Fraction's Hawkeye that Killian gets for Henry. A great comic that I recommend that everyone go out and read if you haven't already. BTW I'm also insanely jealous of the theme of Henry's party, I would totally throw a Marvel themed party if I had the room for more than two people in my crackerjack box apartment.
