A/N: This chapter finds the gang at the Senior Séance (where ten selected seniors from the year before come for alumni weekend and a party is thrown in their honor). At the party the ten seniors choose their 'royal replacements' including one King and one Queen and the party is a coronation service for the new seniors. Not a super common college party style, but it seems fitting for a little college in Maine where there's nothing much to do but party.

"You've got to be kidding me. I thought that was just a stupid joke, and you're telling me it's real?" Emma looked at Killian who handed over the envelope. This was some dedication if it was in fact a prank. Printed on heavy cardstock and designed by hand, the invitation addressed to him and her instructed them to expect a text later that day with a time and location of this year's Senior Séance.

"You know people and their traditions, Swan. No making sense of it. We don't need to attend, but I thought you might like to seeing as Graham and Ruby and Dave and Mary Margaret were invited as well." This was interesting. If what Emma had heard was true, the Senior Séance was an ultra exclusive party thrown by the previous year's seniors. At the gala there was always a crazy amount of drinking and partying and an eventual 'coronation' when the unofficial King and Queen of campus (and their court) were chosen. It set forward a system of social dominance for the rest of the school year and it sounded like a huge waste of time to Emma. Sensing this, Killian touched his hand to her cheek and angled her head up to look at him.

"We do not have to go to this, Emma. Lord knows I would like nothing more than to spend the night with you, away from the rest of the craziness." Emma smiled at what she knew to be a true statement. But then there was a knock at her door and before she could so much as answer, Mary Margaret was barging in with David close behind her.

"Did you get the invite?" Mary Margaret asked with a look of worry on her face.

"Um, yeah. Why?"

"Are we going?" Emma looked between her friend and David trying to understand what the strange warble in her voice was coming from until David supplied her with the answer.

"Last year's 'Queen' was Regina Mills." Oh shit. Regina was the original Katherine Pierce, and as far as Emma knew, the two girls had been friends. If Emma was to bet, she'd say that Regina had likely been a bully to Mary Margaret, and it was that fact that led Emma to say what she said next.

"Yeah, we're going." She tried to convey with Mary Margaret that the fear of mean girls stopped here and the message seemed to make it's way to her. "Now, real question – what's the dress code for this kind of thing?"

…

"I have to hand it to the Stepford Sisters, when they commit, they really commit. I mean seriously – separate entrances for guys and girls? What is this shit?" Ruby's own special brand of sarcasm was much appreciated by both Emma and Mary Margaret. During that afternoon's trip to the mall, the three girls had decided to treat the night like a field of study. Sure, they'd dress the part, with a cute dress and high heels, but they had made a pact. They were the resistance in what would likely be a sea of sycophants. Only right now, as they were facing some sort of stupid orchestrated entrance, the resistance felt just a tiny bit outmatched. It felt like they were surrounded on all sides by girls overly bubbly and beyond ecstatic at the invite.

"I still don't get it. You're sure there isn't like a cash prize no one told us about?" This show of bravado from Mary Margaret made Emma so proud. Snark and a brave face? Good for her, she was learning.

"Maybe they win a personality." Ruby was ruthless and while Emma laughed she shook her head.

"Hey if this is what they like, that's their prerogative. I just find it so… limiting."

"Ew, who let in the riff raff? This school's standards are seriously slipping." Emma knew that condescending voice anywhere and didn't have to turn to know it was Katherine.

"Did you just say riff raff? Because honey, if you're gonna try and insult us, put on your big girl panties and learn some better vocab." Ruby whipped her long, chestnut hair over her shoulder nearly hitting Katherine with it and the blonde girl was clearly ticked. But just then the door for which they were all waiting opened and out stepped Regina Mills and her four 'court members.'

They were dressed in evening gowns and Emma thought they all looked ridiculously out of place. This was an off campus house – okay mansion – but there was no way they were all going to a college party that called for this style of dress. The way they all held themselves too, as if they were better than the current seniors caused Emma to straighten slightly and cross her arms over her chest. She didn't like this. She didn't like this at all.

"Good evening, ladies. Just beyond this door is the Senior Séance. You have been selected from the hundreds of girls in your class to attend because despite your unfortunate class year, you are slightly less peasant-like than your peers."

"Did this witch just say peasant-like? Because if she's going in on poor people I will take out my earrings." Emma held her hand out to try and calm Ruby (who thankfully no one had heard), while Mary Margaret looked torn between passing out on the spot and sending Regina the evil eye. Meanwhile Emma broke into a smile at the thought of Ruby fighting this band of princesses.

"My court and I will be deciding at the end of the night who inherits the throne, and all that comes with it." With that, Regina removed the medallion from around her neck that had a strange floral design and a Latin inscription on it.

"Is that…" The outburst came from Katherine whose eyes had taken on a particularly menacing glare. Emma half expected her to reach for the necklace yelling 'my precious.'

"A get out of jail free card made of gold? Yes. It's the Fey Family crest and as many of you know they were some of the schools founders."

"The bearer of this crest becomes more than mere student. They can and will rule this institution. No professor, no dean, no president can stop you from what you want. All you need do is take it." Now Emma was genuinely creeped out. What the hell was with these people and wanting to operate outside the rules, and presumably the law? Emma didn't care why or how the stupid token worked. She just wanted to get in and out of this party and one piece and then pretend that the Senior Séance had never happened.

"With that in mind, enjoy the party." Regina motioned for the doors to be opened and they were. The fifty or so girls filed through the doorway behind her and the court and were greeted by the sounds of old timey music and dimmed lighting.

"This is so pretentious." Ruby said aloud and Emma and Mary Margaret nodded. Just then an actual waiter came around with flutes of champagne and Ruby's look of disdain shifted slightly. "At least there's booze. Come on, lets get some before the vultures set in." Ruby grabbed Emma who grabbed Mary Margaret in turn and they wove through the others until they were face to face with three flutes of champagne. Only they weren't presented by the waiter - they were presented by their boyfriends.

"Oh thank, God." Ruby said before hugging Graham tightly and then downing the glass of sparkling wine. Meanwhile Emma looked at Killian and felt herself quickly losing control. He looked hot, like really really hot in formal wear and she was torn between wanting to stare at him and wanting to rip off the clothes to see the body that resided underneath.

"Did you miss me, Swan?" Emma nodded and then motioned around to the rest of the room.

"This is…." But before Emma could insert a harsh censure of the ridiculousness Mary Margaret interrupted.

"The worst party ever." The guys laughed as a response and all nodded.

"Yeah, we're aware. Which is why we've all decided to stay for thirty minutes, merely out of respect for our former captains." Emma, Ruby and Mary Margaret looked at each other after David's comment. Though it would be rough, they could survive thirty minutes.

"Til then, how about a dance?" Emma nodded at Killian's invitation and took his hand as he led her to where some of the other invitees had started dancing on the marbled floor of this houses great hall. Killian pulled her to him and led them through the music that Emma had little experience with, but at least here, in the safety of his arms, she felt less confronted with the horrors of social strategy.

"I should have known you'd be good at this too." Killian grinned in response.

"Oh, and why is that, love?" Emma rolled her eyes.

"Because you've managed to be good at everything else we've done so far." Too late she realized the implications of what she'd said. And though it was technically true, the cocky smile dancing on his lips still needed addressing. To do just that, she pulled him in closer by his collar and watched as the self-assured nature of his gaze turned to desire and she felt him caving to her power play.

"It's why I keep you around." She heard him audibly gulp and then pulled him in for a kiss. She remained mindful of their audience but relished the fact that he was barely keeping himself in check and when she pulled back she saw all traces of his earlier ego gone. Instead there was just that delightful sort of awe that crept it's way in every time they were together.

"Well that and that you love me." She smiled.

"Yeah the love thing's kind of a factor." Then he surprised her by changing the style of their dancing and twirling her around until she laughed. He was so good at keeping her distracted that she didn't notice until then that a certain unwanted guest was hovering around the three couples.

"I'm so glad I broke up with that idiot. Look at him, slumming around with that tramp." Oh that was it, Emma thought and she stepped back from Killian.

"Excuse me a moment." Killian was confused but nodded and Emma turned to Katherine, tapping her on the shoulder. She was currently dancing with some senior football player whose name Emma couldn't remember.

"I'm gonna tell you this once, so listen up. Not only are you being completely and utterly ridiculous with the whole spiteful ex shtick, your opinion is completely irrelevant. If the only way you can make yourself feel better is shitting on happy people that's your fucking problem. But if you open up your mouth about one of my friend's again, I will show you why I don't get invited to ritzy parties often and drag your ass outside." During Emma's comments, the music had stopped and all eyes had turned to them. Katherine was clearly alarmed but tried to stay cool.

"Yeah, you and what army."

"She doesn't need an army. She has us." Ruby and Mary Margaret stood beside Emma making it three against one. Katherine's face was contorted in disgust and she looked like she was going to say something else. Emma made a sudden movement towards her though, unsettling her so much that the girl quickly stepped back, right on the foot of her date who subsequently dropped her to the ground. People around them laughed, but Emma gave them all a glare too.

"Nope. We're not laughing, we're learning." Emma offered her hand to help Katherine up but the girl slapped it away.

"I don't know who the fuck you think you are, but you're going to regret this Emma Swan." At the false bravado Emma laughed.

"I'm the girl who's shaming you into some semblance of decency. Now, why don't you get back to your date and keep my friends' names out of your mouth and we can all be about our business." With that Emma turned and walked away with Ruby and Mary Margaret in tow. There was a round of applause from the other students which only aggravated Emma further.

"That was brilliant, love." Killian said as he took her hand and kissed it. "But I fear the crowd may not have understood your intentions. They like a cat fight." Emma looked at him somewhat surprised that he understood.

"I don't want to fight her. She's just annoying and I want her to stop treating people this way. But treating her badly doesn't solve anything. It just continues the cycle." Killian pulled her close again and tilted her chin up to look at him.

"You are a wonder, Emma. Who cares if everyone else sees it? The people who matter do." Emma smiled and kissed him, glad that someone understood her even when she couldn't fully make out her own emotions.

She did not like Katherine at all. Hated mean girls in general, but she knew under all that bluster that no one was fully bad. We were all the product of our experiences. Maybe she had a crappy home life, or an overbearing mother. Maybe she'd been bullied or had just been given everything her whole life so as to make her a user. Whatever the root of her issues, Emma didn't want to bully them out of her. It was a hard line to walk, but she felt strongly there was a difference between defending yourself and your friends and subjecting someone to the same cruelty. She doubted Katherine saw the difference, but the intention hadn't been to hurt, it had been to warn.

"I should have guessed it would be your woman causing all the ruckus, Jones." The voice pulled Emma from Killian and she looked over to find Robin Locksley and Regina. The two were holding hands and Emma assumed that they must be a couple. If possible, Regina seemed less harsh than she had at the introduction just by standing with the man.

"She was merely keeping one of your more questionable guests in line, Locksley. Hardly counts as a ruckus." The two men broke out into smiles and hugged. Clearly they were friends, which made sense, as Robin was last years baseball captain.

"Emma this is Robin. Robin, this is my girlfriend Emma Swan." Emma nodded at him and then at Regina who was sizing her up critically.

"Pleasure to meet you Emma. And glad to see Killian got his shit together enough to speak with you." Emma looked at Killian after Robin's remark.

"Jeez, did everyone know you liked me all this time?" Killian merely shrugged and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"That took courage." The random comment from Regina pulled Emma from the cute moment with Killian.

"I'm sorry?"

"Standing up to Katherine the way you did. It took guts." Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Um, thank you?"

"Did you transfer here, Miss Swan?" Emma blinked at the girl who was maybe a year older than her. Miss Swan, really?

"Nope. Been here since orientation." Regina seemed puzzled.

"I don't know you." Emma laughed.

"What can I say? I fly under the radar."

"Well that hardly seems to be the case considering the scene I just witnessed." Emma grated her teeth but moved her hand to Killian's in an attempt to stay strong and grounded. The last thing he needed was her being rude to his old Captain's girlfriend. So instead of responding she merely plastered on a smile and looked Regina dead in the eyes. Regina's cold stare broke and a smile came through. Though it hardly seemed amiable, it was a step up from the analyzing look Emma had been on the receiving end of since she'd started talking.

"And you're friends with Mary Margaret Blanchard and Ruby Lucas?" Emma nodded and Regina looked interested. "Fascinating. Well enjoy the party." With that she pulled Robin behind her and Emma watched them go unsure of what had just happened.

"I think you might have just won over the Evil Queen, love." Killian whispered.

"Lucky me." As soon as Regina was gone, Mary Margaret and Ruby were on Emma for information and she tried to answer their queries as best she could. It wasn't until the music was cut again and the girl in question was speaking to the whole party that the three friends stopped discussing the crazy state of affairs this night had turned into.

"Everyone – it's time for this years coronation." A murmur sprang from the crowd but Emma nearly groaned. Really with this shit? Robin and his court stepped forward to call out their replacements. Emma wasn't surprised to find that David and Graham were both chosen, as were the footballer there with Katherine and the student body president. Then Robin moved forward to announce his successor.

"The King for the class of 2016 is – Killian Jones." The crowd applauded and many of the other guys in attendance cheered as Emma only watched on in horror as her boyfriend was brought up to the makeshift stage to receive his title. Robin presented him with a similar medallion to the one Regina had shown them, but Emma watched as Killian accepted it and opted to put it in his pocket instead of around his neck. Though surprised, Robin found it amusing and slapped him on the back before stepping away to let Regina take the lead.

"This year's choices were a tad…. Surprising, but I think we'll find that the chosen are worthy." Everyone in the crowd raised their glasses in salute as the girl's court made their announcements. Both Mary Margaret and Ruby were chosen, and both girls look like they'd been kicked when their names were called. No joyful tears from those two, though the other two girls chosen had broken down with them.

"And our Queen of 2016 is… Emma Swan." She'd sensed it was coming but Emma still felt her stomach drop. Fuck that, she didn't want to be anyone's Queen, and she certainly had no intention of hosting a bunch of stupid parties for the hoity-toity of the school to feel superior to other people. She looked to Killian who seemed to understand her problem. Then she watched as he took the medallion from his pocket and handed it back to Robin.

"On second thought, I think I'll have to pass on this royalty business."

"Same here," Ruby and Mary Margaret chorused at the same time. Then Graham and David made their excuses to and the five of them hopped off the stage to join Emma.

"Let's get out of here, love." Killian whispered and Emma felt this wave of relief she didn't think was possible inside the walls of this lavish home.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" The yell came from Katherine and Emma merely shrugged.

"Are you sure about this, Emma?" Regina's voice lacked its earlier coldness but she as definitely surprised. Emma nodded.

"Not really my style. Thanks for the invite though." And with that the six friends left and stepped out into the cool fall night.

"So… now that we've abdicated. What do we do now?" Graham asked. Emma looked to Killian.

"Do you still have that key?" He smiled and nodded.

"Everyone, I think it's a perfect night for a little star gazing." The others responded excitedly but Emma made one last request.

"Can we stop for grilled cheese on the way though? I'm famished."

"As you wish, love."

Post Note – Hey guys! The next chapter will be the six of them at the observatory! It was originally going to be one really long chapter but I think it actually works better split up. Anyways, thanks for reading!