A/N: Here we are with chapter nine on the Great Storybrooke Baking Show. This installment we'll see Emma and Killian helping Liam and Tink get their shot at being together and celebrating their own love in the only way I know how – fluffy as all get out. It's the second to last chapter and all the big happy endings will come next week, but this chapter still has it's own unique brand of cuteness. Hope you guys enjoy, and thank you for reading!
Friday nights had become largely solitary affairs for Killian and Emma in the past few months. It was the last night of sanity they had before things picked up again with the competition, and both Emma and Killian had an unspoken agreement that they preferred to spend the time together. This week though, that plan had largely gone to shit, and all in the name of securing true love.
After Emma had told Liam that he needed to find a way to make things up to Tink, Killian's brother had searched for days for the right way to let the woman know of his feelings for her. Finally, he'd managed to stumble upon a viable idea earlier in the week.
"It'll be perfect!" Liam had said when he came to dinner with Emma and Killian. "But I'll be needing just a bit more help..."
Emma probably shouldn't have been surprised when the main person needed for such assistance was herself, but any thoughts she'd had of turning Liam down were completely eradicated when she heard his idea. It was really incredibly sweet, and to Emma's estimation, might actually be impossible for Tink not to love.
Emma's role to play this evening was one of friendly liaison and distracter. So far, her job had gone seamlessly. She had invited Tink to a showing of You've Got Mail (one of Tink's favorite movies) that was screening at the local theater in town, and was on her way to meet her completely unsuspecting friend now. Emma couldn't help but think that it really had to be her to help this way. None of her friends, not Mary Margaret, Ruby, or Belle could have ever pulled this kind of con off. They'd have given something away, but not Emma. No, if Tink's excited but still at ease manner when she came inside the theater was anything to go off of, she was completely oblivious.
"Emma! Thanks so much for calling, I love this movie," the smaller woman professed and Emma smiled.
"Me too. It's always been one of my favorites. Shall we?"
The two of them moved from the ticket bay to grab snacks and drinks, even though Emma realized that very little if any of this would be consumed. She happily chatted with Tink while her friend went on and on about how much better work had been this week, and how things were really changing. But just as they were about to walk into the theater, Tink stopped, looking at Emma with sincerity.
"Do you think it's possible that Liam's been making the changes he has for me?" Emma was just about to respond that of course she did when Tink continued on, her words coming faster, meaning Emma had to strain to hear them. "Or is that like incredibly big headed of me to think that I would be the person who could change a guy like that? There's no reason to think that I would be. I mean he's kind of a player and he doesn't do serious and-,"
Emma placed her hand on Tink's arm, trying to calm her and help pull her from the mire of her worrying.
"I think the best thing you can do is keep an open mind, and maybe, if he shows you that you can really trust him, an open heart. Until then, let's go see this movie." Tink smiled and nodded, allowing Emma to lead them into the screening room.
"Wow, there's no one here. I would have thought this would kind of be a big draw. I mean it's a classic."
Emma bit her lip, trying to keep from smiling. Instead she shrugged and found them their seats right in the middle of the theater, so they'd have a perfect view. There was still some time before the movie was technically supposed to start, but the house lights went down and the screen crackled to life in front of them.
"That's weird," Tink said aloud, but when she saw what video was actually playing she gasped. This was the moment. Liam's grand gesture was here.
Damn he really outdid himself, Emma thought as she watched the surprisingly high quality cut of images together. It was a video, one Emma knew was roughly five or six minutes long, of Tink and Liam through the years they'd known each other. Thanks to a bevy of backlogged film that was taken on varying sets they'd worked on together, Liam had managed to make a master cut of moments for the two of them that were interspersed with personal videos and pictures that other members of the crew happened to have. All the while Tink sat beside her, completely silent, her hand covering her mouth as tears formed in her eyes. Emma hoped that her staying meant they were happy ones.
Eventually Liam's face came on the screen and it was a strange moment for Emma, to see the man who was almost always behind the camera before one giving his own sort of testimonial. He didn't look particularly comfortable, but there was no doubting his sincerity.
"Listen, Tink, I know I've been a fool, worse than that I've been blinded to the only thing that actually matters. The truth is I love you. I think I always have, and I know I've made the biggest mess of things, but if you'll forgive me, I'd like to ask the chance to try again, to do things right this time."
Emma heard Tink's muffled cry escape at that, and Emma reached out to take her hand which Tink squeezed tight, her eyes never wavering from the screen in front of them.
"If you think that maybe you could forgive me, Emma will tell you where I am so you can find me. I hope that you will, love, because I will never make the same mistake again. You have my word on that."
"You should say it again." Emma could hear Killian's voice in the background of the testimonial and watched as Liam ran a hand through his hair nodding.
"Right, my brother makes a good point. Just to clarify, I am in love with you and I want to be with you more than anything else."
"That's your send off? No 'good bye' or 'I promise we can watch your favorite movie that I've somewhat tricked you into thinking you could see, a thousand times?'" Liam shook his head.
"No, just I love you. The rest was a given." With that the screen went black and a beat passed where Emma waited for Tink's response.
"He did this for me?" Emma smiled at her friend, whose face though tear stricken, was so filled with hope it warmed her heart.
"Yeah, he did." Tink smiled, a laugh bubbling out from her as she stood, wiping away her tears.
"Where is he, Emma?"
Emma told her that he was waiting at Granny's and Tink gave her a quick hug before rushing out the door, presumably into the night to find her man. At the same moment that the door closed behind Tink, Emma felt strong arms wrap around her waist and Killian's voice whisper in her ear.
"Well come on, Swan, there's no time to waste if we want to see the ending." Rushing just behind Tink, Emma and Killian managed to get out and to the diner right in time to see the moment where Tink and Liam locked eyes.
Waiting for them at the window outside of Granny's were Mary Margaret, David, Belle, and Ruby along with lots of the other crewmembers from the show. None of this unofficial crowd could hear the words the couple shared, but Emma could see they were both truly happy with whatever passed between them. When Liam and Tink finally shared a kiss, a round of cheers broke out along the street outside. Tink ducked her head in a bit of embarrassment but even through the windows they could hear Liam.
"Get lost!" They all dispersed, a cloud of happiness for her friend clinging to Emma as she and Killian walked back home together, his arm slung around her, holding her close.
"You did good, love," Killian whispered as he kissed her temple when they reached the front porch of their house.
"So did you," Emma replied, pulling him closer by the collar of his jacket.
"I think we've earned ourselves quite the reward for all of our hard work." Emma licked her lips at the thought and the undeniable innuendo in his voice.
"What did you have in mind?"
Killian's mischievous grin should have been enough warning, but she didn't see his next move coming, which was to sweep her up in his arms and get them inside to their bedroom with more coordination than she herself could have ever mustered.
"Oh so that's how it is?" Emma asked purposely baiting him, as if this wasn't what she wanted too.
"That's exactly how it is, Swan."
From there, words were harder to find, for Emma was pretty consumed with Killian stripping every last piece of clothing off of her and her own need to strip everything off of him. His hands running across her skin had her already growing desire sharply spiking, and Emma arched against him trying to get this slow perusal sped up a bit.
"If it's really a reward you won't tease me," Emma argued and Killian seemed to struggle with himself for a moment, but ultimately caved to her logic.
"Perhaps a negotiation then, love. I'll give you what you want now, if you surrender to my desires later." This wasn't a negotiation as all; this was Emma getting exactly what she wanted.
"Deal."
The word had no sooner left her lips than Killian was boxing her in against the wall, the hardness of his body molding along hers. She expected him to take her then, but he had another idea, kneeling down before her and angling her body so he had access to her aching sex.
"Christ, Emma, you're already ready for me."
She nodded, seeking a way to hang on to him as her fingers dug into his shoulders. His mouth was on her in a moment's time and the way he took her with his tongue, half fucking and half minding her clit brought her ecstasy. He devoured her, and hell if she didn't love every second of it. Finally with his fingers, he brought her to completion, but he was hardly done with her. Standing once more, he simultaneously held her up and silently praised her body with roaming hands.
Before she could say anything about how good it was, or how much she loved him, Killian lifted her up, urging her to wrap her legs around him and with a solid thrust set Emma crazy. From this angle, she felt so open to him, so sensitive to every move he made, it was indescribable. The feeling that they were made for each other, and that the two of them together were the most perfect thing in the world washed over her as he continued to move inside her. Where he'd promised hard and fast, Killian certainly delivered, driving them both to their release so much sooner than Emma had even thought possible given how strongly she'd just come from his mouth. Then again, there was something about crazy romantic moments that Killian played a part in that always had her feeling this way.
Resting their foreheads against each other as they caught their breath, Emma smiled, loving that they had helped two other people get their shot at having what she and Killian had together. She was in love with a man with a beautiful heart, who knew exactly how to love her, and that was the most incredible gift. She hadn't noticed there were tears in her eyes until Killian pulled back and kissed her gently.
"Everything all right, love?" She nodded.
"Yeah, everything's perfect."
…
The next afternoon while under the baking tent once more, Emma berated herself for not being a bit more suspicious when the first bake of their weekend was a cute little 3D model made of cookies. In the aftermath of all of last night's adorableness, Emma hadn't been on the defensive. She'd still been riding a deliciously sappy, love-infused high that made the world seem brighter and warmer and better.
Boy had that been a mistake, because now the technical task at hand was far less accessible, and was something she didn't have nearly as much experience in. It was enough to have Emma's excitement for Liam and Tink wilting a bit since they were the ones throwing said toughness her way.
"Bakers, today's challenge is one of Regina's most famous recipes. This dark chocolate dome dessert not only requires the perfect bake of the interior soufflé, but a mastery of chocolate working. It's up to you, our contestants to decide how you'd most like to address that challenge since this week, we've given you no instructions."
Graham's statement for once didn't carry the weight of what actually needed to happen right now. Now was the time to be dramatic because he wasn't kidding, there was no real description on the most critical part of the bake, creating the chocolate dome. Even after the buzzer had sounded to begin, Emma stood there for a minute just contemplating what the heck she should do now. The soufflé itself needed pretty limited cooking, and Emma was certain she could handle that, as she had some experience with it, but her biggest question was what to do with the chocolate. In the end she followed her instincts, which brought her towards the tempering process.
"Can't say I'm surprised that you're the first baker starting the process," Ruby said cordially as she sidled up to Emma. Emma exhaled the breath she'd been unconsciously holding and attempted a smile to her friend.
"Don't take my momentum as a sign that I have any idea what I'm doing." Ruby laughed lightly before putting her arm around Emma's shoulder.
"Well, I'm sure you have some idea," Ruby offered and Emma could only shrug.
"Let me rephrase – don't take it as a sign that I'm moving in the right direction. I've never made chocolate stand up like this before."
Ruby nodded her understanding, shifting her attention instead to how she'd make the chocolate at all, and Emma went through the melting process and then her plan to do a rapid cool down after. It might not look as shiny or pristine as Regina's did, but Emma didn't have any other idea about how the chocolate would stay without the assistance of the cold.
"At least it's not a Gold challenge," Emma added. "Because he'd probably take this delicate work of art and insist on gold dust and a higher tower."
The laugh that pulled not just from Ruby but from the camera crew trained on her made Emma feel better, and with a glance over to Killian who was smiling at her words and giving her a look that said she could do this, Emma felt herself steady. For better or worse, she would complete the challenge, and she would just hope that she'd be deemed good enough to get to next week's final.
The time they had to complete the challenge ran down quickly, and as soon as Ruby left, Emma was immersed in the thick of trying out her chocolate domes. It would be one thing to only have to present one of these little creations, but each baker needed six at the end of the day's bake and they were all supposed to be identical.
"Damn this is hard!" Mary Margaret practically yelled out at one point, only to gain a chorus of agreement from Emma, Tiana and Killian. At least she wasn't alone in her frustration with this challenge. None of them had much time to linger on the complications though, for soon enough, time was up, and the judges were returning to the tent.
All three judges looked at the anonymously submitted displays, going down the line of four selections with critical eyes. No one had made a flawless bake, not even Tiana, who Emma had been amazed by with her chocolate work. Unfortunately, her soufflé was slightly over baked, but she did receive high praise from Regina on the quality of her dome. Emma had the opposite problem, with a great soufflé but chocolate that wasn't shiny enough, while Mary Margaret and Killian had both presented less than stellar bakes. Mary Margaret out edged Killian slightly though, for one of Killian's domes had wilted considerably and he was docked for lack of uniformity.
"Can you imagine if they'd had that challenge when there were more of us?" Mary Margaret said later, as all four contestants were taking off their microphones and retiring for the day. "It would have been a horror show. I can't even imagine David's attempt." Killian laughed at that.
"Forget Dave, love. Picture Leroy or Lance having to face such a task." They all laughed at that before Emma and Killian bid the others farewell until tomorrow. The two walked hand in hand from the tent back home.
"I guess it was naïve to think that it would all be smooth sailing. The rest of my life is just going so well, I thought this would be the same." Killian brought Emma's hand up to his lips and kissed it lightly.
"You'll forgive me if I find comfort in your words, love. My only real concern in life is seeing you happy, and if things are going well aside from this competition, I'll feel very blessed."
Emma stopped, pulling him towards her for a demanding kiss, not caring that at this point they were in the middle of a busy sidewalk. She wanted to make sure that he hadn't taken her words as complaining, because she absolutely agreed, the most important thing was them. There was absolutely no questioning that fact.
"That clear up whether I'm happy with us or not?" Emma asked as she pulled back slightly from the kiss, reveling in Killian's dazed look and still lust-filled gaze.
"Just a couple more points I want to clarify, though those are probably best studied with
a bit more privacy." A delicious shiver moved down Emma's spine at Killian's heated promise.
"So take me home then." Emma couldn't imagine how they managed to get back to the house so quickly, but once there, she decided to take a different approach to the rest of their evening. When Killian's hands came around her body, and his lips bent down for another kiss, Emma stopped him. "Do you trust me?"
"Without any doubts or stipulations, love." Emma smiled before placing a kiss on his cheek.
"Then humor me with this next part. I have an idea on how we should spend the evening."
Leading him to the kitchen, Emma surprised her sexy as sin boyfriend by insisting he sit while she make dinner. He didn't argue, but did inform her that it wasn't necessary. She must be tired after all the happenings of the day, but she wasn't. That was the beautiful part of being with Killian, he breathed a new sense of energy and life into her. With said energy, she made them one of the dishes Emma knew Killian liked best, three-cheese risotto with grilled chicken and greens.
At some point in her efforts, Killian flipped on some music and seemed to know exactly when she could take a breather from the cooking portion of the evening.
"Care for a dance, Swan?"
Emma smiled and silently accepted, stepping into his arms as the song he'd chosen swam through the speakers. She had about four minutes before she'd have to do something else, just enough time for a song together. Her hands came around his neck, and her fingers intertwined with the hair at the nape of his neck.
"Damn, I should get thrown off of baking shows every week if this is what I can expect." Emma rolled her eyes.
"We have all of tomorrow, you could come back from today." Killian shook his head.
"No, I've had quite enough of this. I've no intention of going to the finals in any capacity but Emma Swan's biggest cheerleader." Emma couldn't keep the smile from her lips at his words.
"You're kind of problematically sweet. Have I told you that recently?" Emma watched as Killian's eyes filled with heat, and in an instant she realized the error of her words. "And like crazy hot, undeniably hot."
"That's a good girl."
Emma gulped audibly as Killan's hands moved to trace the line where her shirt met pants and moved beneath to touch bare skin. His mouth refocused on her neck, bestowing strategically placed kisses designed to drive her crazy. It wasn't lost on her that after begging him for instant gratification yesterday she was the one who'd now ask for them to slow things down.
"Killian, dinner!" The last word was squeaked out as he pulled her earlobe into his mouth and nipped lightly. She felt him growl against her but pull back all the same.
"We'll be picking up here as soon as it's done, love." Damn, she certainly hoped so.
…
What made the town they all lived in so wonderful? That was the motivating question Emma held onto as she worked to complete the weekend's last event. Their showstopper in this semifinal round was a three-tiered birthday cake for the town of Storybrooke, which this year was celebrating it's 325th birthday. There were so many different things to choose from, but mostly, Emma knew that the best part about this town was the people. She'd thought it foolish to try and design a cake that had the faces of the hundreds of residents this seaside community was home to, so instead she'd gone for events that mattered most here.
Every year the town held big celebrations for a whole host of things. Some holidays were those that every run of the mill American town heralded, like the fourth of July and Memorial Day, while others were Storybrooke originals. Their founder's festival, for instance, celebrated the settlers who'd made their way here first and discovered the coast's rich abundance of resources. To celebrate nearly everyone in town got dressed up in colonial garb and pretended at least for a day that they lived in the same time as their town's founders. Meanwhile each spring the library made a big spectacle celebrating all sorts of stories. It was a great excuse for kids to essentially have second Halloween, and adults to join in on the fun dressed as their favorite characters from books. These events and more were included on Emma's Storybrooke cake, along with immaculate stenciling and design that brought everything together.
"Damn, Emma, you've really outdone yourself this time. That's some final's worthy detail there."
Emma looked up from where she was adding her fondant pieces to her already frosted cake and smiled at both Graham and Ruby who were gazing upon what she'd made with fascination.
"It does look pretty good, doesn't it?" Emma took a step back and admired her handy work. It was kind of a shame that this was being made for TV and not to be consumed by the town. "Wait a second."
Emma held up a finger to Graham and Ruby and moved from behind her section over to where Liam and Tink were more flirting than working at one of the other prompters trained on Killian.
"Hey love birds, what's the plan for these cakes?" Liam and Tink looked between each other and then back to Emma.
"Same as always, split it all up amongst ourselves and throw the rest away," Liam replied.
"What would you say to the town actually getting to celebrate with us?" Emma asked and Liam looked at Emma quizzically.
"What did you have in mind?" Emma told them her plan, which was that after filming wrapped, they could transport the cakes over to Granny's where way more people could appreciate the art and the cakes themselves.
"No offense, it's just these cakes are going to mean so much more to the town than it will to you guys. They should see the town how we see it, and it would be a nice way for you guys to thank everyone for their acceptance and patience during filming."
"You're absolutely right. I can get on planning that all out right now, if I just have the boss' go ahead," Tink replied.
There was absolutely no question now that Tink was on board that Liam would be too, but they deferred to him all the same. When he gave the quick nod of approval, Emma returned to her station and told the other contestants the news. When she'd returned to focusing on her own cake, Emma felt Killian come up to stand beside her.
"That was very good of you, Emma, to think of the town like that." She looked into his blue eyes and smiled, happy to have even a brief interlude with him like this.
"Well it's our home, and these are our neighbors. It only seems right." Not giving a damn about the cameras Killian moved closer, kissing her fiercely before he finally pulled back, whispering in her ear.
"Apologies love, my control slips away when you say things like that." Emma knew what he meant, that her bringing them together and calling things 'ours' was meaningful to him. It was big to her too.
"I know you tried your very hardest to resist my charms," Emma teased. Shaking his head while he smiled at her, Killian replied.
"A battle not easily won I assure you. I love you, Emma."
"I love you too."
With that, Killian returned to his own cake, and the rest of the day slipped by in a flurry of movement and making sure the crew had the right shots for another week's episode. The judges came in, speaking their peace and in the end, Killian was relieved of his time on the show while Tiana won star baker.
Despite what others might construe as a painful day, Emma couldn't tamper down her smile all through the rest of the evening and into the night. This show, this crazy little competition had become so much more than that. It was a vehicle that brought her new friends and new experiences. It had shown her that she actually was a skilled baker, who could rise to the challenges that industry professionals set forth. And most importantly, it had brought her to love. Whatever happened next week, Killian was the only prize that mattered in Emma's book, and luckily for her, his heart was already won.
Post-Note: I hope that you guys enjoyed, and that you're all doing well with the hiatus ending tonight. I feel like we've been waiting forever to get this show back and finally the time is now! Let's just hope we get something great for all our waiting. Anyway, thank you all for reading, and I hope you are having a good start to your week!
