Emma stepped out onto the back porch, looking up at the sky as the snow continued to fall, wrapping her red coat around her more. A smiled crept up her lips as the laughter from inside filtered through the thin walls of her parents' house. It was Christmas Eve, and they had thrown a family dinner, not wanting the next day to bogged down with the stress of cooking and making sure everything was timed perfectly. Her smile grew wider at the effort her family was putting in to making this holiday the perfect first for all of them.
She heard the door creak open and was immediately hit by his unique scent of the sea. It mixed oddly well with the winter air and freshly fallen snow. She hadn't realized how cold she was until the solid heat of his chest was pressing against her back. His chin rested on her shoulder, thumbs absentmindedly rubbing circles through her coat over her stomach. "Penny for your thoughts, love?" He asked, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.
"Are they only worth a penny?" Emma shot back, smirking to herself.
"Spent the rest of the money on gifts," he explained with a chuckle. He let the silence hang for a few moments, enjoying just holding her in his arms. Tilting his head, he watched her face, a calm over it that had escaped her for so long. "What is it?"
"I think I'm okay now," she finally said, a weight she hadn't really thought was there anymore fully lifting itself from her.
"We're you not well before?" Killian asked, a slight edge of worry in his voice.
Emma shook her head, turning in his hold to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "No. It's just…" She took a deep breath before looking up into his eyes, her fingers stroking the hair at the nape of his neck. "For most of my life, it's just been a terrible mess, one bad thing right after the other, and always being alone. After a while, I just started waiting for the other shoe to drop when something good happened, because I knew it couldn't last long. And today…" Emma smiled brightly at him, the light in her eyes shining brighter than ever. "I realized for the first time in my life, I wasn't waiting. I just enjoyed the happy times we've had this past month."
Killian's worry faded, his hand coming up to tuck a strand of hair under her hat. "You never have to worry about being alone or terrible messes again." His arms wrapped around her more, pulling her completely to him, forehead resting against hers with a smile. "You have Henry. You have your parents. You have me."
"I never thought I'd have any of this. I always thought I was meant to be alone."
"You never have to be alone again." Killian dipped his head, capturing her lips with his. Emma could feel everything he felt for her in it, and in that moment, she'd never felt more loved.
