A/N: Hey all! This chapter picks up the day after the last installment, and as promised we will have some closure for Snowing, a check in from some characters we haven't seen in a few chapters, and then get back to business for CS. For those of you so anxiously awaiting Liam's return, know that we won't be getting that interaction until next chapter but I promise the idea I have in my head is worth the wait. Anyway thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!
"I really can't say enough about how great you all have been. I owe you all so much more than I can ever pay back," Jasmine professed from the other side of the dressing room door as Emma and the others waited for her big reveal.
The dress that Emma had designed and given to Jasmine was finally completed after weeks of work and a rush order that came with a hefty price tag, but when Emma saw the finished product for the first time she knew it would be spectacular. She could already imagine it on Jasmine and was envisioning the moment when Jasmine would walk down the aisle to her man and make him so incredibly happy.
Aladdin had visited with Jasmine a few times at Bliss since they took her on as a client, but he never came on an outing when the dress was in question. Instead he saved his trips here for days when seating arrangements were designed with Mary Margaret or when Elsa was finalizing her vision for the wedding cake. He was funny and likeable, and just like Jasmine said, he seemed to roll with anything. No question was too inconsequential or too overwhelming. He was laid back, and watching him calm Jasmine into a similar state was always nice. The peace they had together was matched only by the fire that simmered underneath the surface.
"Oh honey you paid us plenty, trust me," Ruby joked and everyone chuckled, but at that moment Jasmine stepped out into the showroom and shook her head.
"I really don't think I did. Not for a dress like this."
Everyone stood there totally awed of how it all turned out, and Emma had to admit she was damn proud of her work. A dress like this was no where near ordinary, and though she'd created some beautiful designs before, this one was definitely special thanks in no small part to the bride wearing it. Jasmine's excitement was uncontainable and that excitement on her face and that sense of enthusiasm couldn't be replicated. She looked radiant and ready to be married, and come this weekend she'd get the chance to do just that.
But even in that magical moment, when a bride Emma had come to truly like found the satisfaction that only a magnificent wedding dress could bring, a niggling thought played at the back of Emma's mind: This might be an amazing gown and a one of a kind piece that Emma would long be proud of, but it still wasn't one that spoke to Emma's true heart. That dress, the one that Emma looked at and saw every good thing made real in, remained tucked in a drawer in Emma's office where she took it out every once and a while, thinking about how it had once been lost and then later found by the only man Emma had ever been able to imagine a future with.
"So what do you guys think?" Jasmine asked, pulling Emma back into the present. Jasmine needn't have asked though, since the answer to that query was fairly obvious.
"I think I speak for all of us when I say that you look fantastic," Tiana said, breaking through everyone's silence with a thought they all readily attested to.
"Oh my god, totally!" Elsa agreed.
"This is really beautiful work, Ems. Truly fantastic," Ruby replied and Emma smiled before a sniffle infiltrated into the room. Without even looking Emma knew it would be Mary Margaret, but one glance in her friend's direction proved her right.
"That reaction from Mary Margaret is the best thing you could hope for," Emma said and Jasmine smiled. "Seriously, Jasmine, it's perfect and I don't use that phrase lightly."
"She really doesn't," Tiana confirmed. "With Emma there's always one last adjustment or one final piece to tinker with."
"Not this time. This time I got it right on the first try," Emma affirmed and Jasmine twirled around to the mirror once more to take herself in.
"He's going to lose it isn't he?" Jasmine asked, and everyone in the room knew that she meant Aladdin.
"Yes," they all responded in unison and Jasmine laughed, running her hand down the fine detailing once more before turning back to Emma.
"Part of me wishes I could just wear it home."
Emma had heard that from a number of her brides in the past. She wouldn't know that feeling first hand – truth be told she'd never so much as tried on a wedding gown herself despite her proximity to them – but she felt the compliment of such intense affection for an object she created deep in her soul. This validation was uplifting, but now Emma had to remind Jasmine that she was edging closer to the final destination, and that even if waiting was the last thing she wanted to do, it was necessary to get to that day they'd all worked so hard for.
"You say that now, but dry cleaning this thing is a nightmare," Emma joked and Jasmine laughed again, moving off the little stage and back to the dressing room, but just when she was about to go inside, the energy in the room dramatically changed thanks to a new arrival in the store that no one was expecting.
"Mary Margaret?"
The call for her friend's attention came from David, and immediately all other sound in the room faded. It had been less than twenty-four hours, but by now every employee in the whole shop knew about yesterday's interaction. Though they'd hired good people who were kind and considerate, Emma knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that speculation about who David was and why all that drama had happened in the first place was circulating. To see him now, bearing a bouquet of crisp white roses and a look like he'd just fought through hell itself to get here, Emma had to admit that she felt for the man.
"David," Mary Margaret's voice said with more strength than Emma anticipated. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm doing something I should have done a long time ago – I'm winning you over. I'm making things right and I'm telling you that I love you, Mary Margaret. I've loved you for a long time and nothing is every going to change that."
The silence in the room was deafening, and Emma debated either maneuvering Mary Margaret and David back to her office or leading everyone else out of this dressing room, but both Mary Margaret and David were too caught in the moment to give a damn. David was desperate for Mary Margaret to see his truth, and Mary Margaret was firm in her memories of where it had all gone wrong. The end result was the two of them sharing a whole lot more than Emma would have bargained for in front all of Mary Margaret's friends and Jasmine.
"But you don't, not really. If you did, you never would have chosen her." The gravity of Mary Margaret's statement portrayed courage Emma knew her friend was not feeling. Since the display yesterday, Mary Margaret had been a walking bundle of nerves, but right now she appeared so much more contained and controlled than Emma thought any one person could be.
"I never chose her. I'm choosing you. It's always been you, Mary Margaret. Always."
This would usually be the moment when Emma's warning bells would sound if David were lying, but there was nothing like skepticism to be found in her heart. Instead Emma watched as this man she'd only known in passing set forth to lay everything on the line with her best friend. He was a man with a purpose who felt passionately and who was speaking from his heart. It was the only reason Emma even let this all continue. One hint of David having false motives and she would shove him out the door and tell him to get lost.
"Even if that were true, you have to see how bad this looks David. Breaking up your engagement? If word of that got out it could ruin this business. Can't you see that?" Mary Margaret looked away from him for the first time, but her eyes moved to the floor and not to anyone around them.
"There was no engagement to break up, and I think you know that deep down."
David pulled out a box from his pocket that Emma immediately noted was the perfect size for a ring. He didn't open it, but Mary Margaret seemed to recognize the container and hope returned to her features again, letting Emma release a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"I told you once that the woman I married would wear my mother's ring and I meant it, but Kathryn will never be that woman. She was wearing her grandmother's diamond yesterday. It was all just a ploy to get a rise out of me, to what ends I don't know."
"Don't you?" Mary Margaret asked quietly. "She loves you, David, and you love her – or loved her I guess - enough to be planning a future seriously with her."
"I never planned for anything like what I really wanted with Kathryn. With her it was all arranged, a duty to my family. Every truly happy ending I could hope for needed one thing – you. No matter what she did, Kathryn couldn't compare to you," David confessed.
"That's not what you said that night in the park."
The park? Emma thought to herself, but she assumed that it must be a part of what went wrong all those years ago. The only park she knew of had been just outside of campus, and from what she recalled Mary Margaret and David had gone there sometimes to study.
"You mean about stringing you along as a kind of game?" David asked and Emma bit back a wince. That sounded rough, but before she could delve too deep into what Mary Margaret must have been feeling, David had an answer. "That wasn't me. You have to believe that."
"It was you, David. I saw you. Not only did I have to live through the moment of hearing you say all those terrible things, then I saw you with her… celebrating in it all, making a joke out of me and what I thought we had."
Emma took a step towards her friend at the same time that Ruby and Elsa did. It was an instinctive move to protect Mary Margaret, but they were all halted by David's earnest reply.
"You didn't see me that night. You saw James."
The look of shock on Mary Margaret's face and the subsequent realization that their friend seemed to go through prompted Emma to share a look with Ruby and Elsa. Who the hell was James? And why hadn't Mary Margaret let them kick Kathryn's ass yesterday? Clearly she was the 'she' involved in all of this, and Kathryn needed a serious reality check about how to treat people.
"Your brother? But you said he was in Europe and that you're father had cut him off and kicked him out for good. How did he…?"
Mary Margaret trailed off as David stepped closer to her, his eyes never straying for a second, and everyone else was completely ignored. Meanwhile Emma stood there almost laughing out loud. It was hardly a funny situation, but there was a certain kind of ludicrousness that came with a supposed familial misunderstanding like this. For Mary Margaret to be convinced that it was David all these years, they must look and sound very similar. Maybe they were even twins. This twist was straight out of a soap opera. Evil twins? Those couldn't be real could they? Yet there was nothing resembling a lie anywhere on David's person.
"Apparently all it took to seal the breach between my father and brother was the promise of making me miserable," David explained.
"I don't understand," Mary Margaret said and David took a step closer again, his hand clutching Mary Margaret's in his. Emma noticed that her friend didn't pull back in the slightest and she knew then that all was going to be forgiven. Maybe not right this minute, but Mary Margaret was already starting to make peace with her mistake back then and now David had an opening to make good on the claims he'd walked in here with.
"A few days before that night I broke it off with Kathryn for good. I told her that I didn't care about what the expectations were or who our families were to each other. I was following my heart to you, and I told her that I hoped she could find someone who made her feel everything that you brought into my life. Even now, having not seen you in years, I still have that feeling like this is all that matters. You're all that matters."
"David," The emotion of all of this started hitting Mary Margaret hard and David made quick work of tossing the flowers onto a nearby chair and wiping away her tears before continuing on.
"But instead of accepting things, Kathryn went to my father who reasoned that sacrificing your and my happiness was a small price for his idealized business plans. He got James on a plane and set the whole thing up, and I didn't know until yesterday when I demanded the truth from him. I broke ties with Kathryn for good years ago, so my father knows that there is no longer any hope of a merger between us and he finally gave it up after enough prodding. I had no idea that they were going to set us up like that. I can only imagine what you must have thought and how it must have hurt. I know it killed me a thousand times over to have you walk away."
"I'm sorry. David I'm so sorry." Mary Margaret barely got out the words before her voice broke, but David rose to fill the silence, holding her closer as she stroked his cheek.
"There's no way you could have known, Mary Margaret, but I should have. I saw James the next night. I knew he was in town but I never connected the dots. All this time we could have had was wasted, and it's because of me, because of my family. Because I couldn't believe the worst in three people who had shown me their true colors a long time ago."
After all of these confessions, Emma felt a host of vicarious emotions. It was heartbreaking to think of all the time that had gone by, all the years that Emma had watched her friend try and move on, never finding someone who fit for her like David had. Now they were on their way to getting another chance, but they were still on shaky ground, either heading towards two mutual professions of caring for each other, or setting down definitively different paths. Emma hoped for her friend's sake that Mary Margaret chose the first option, because Emma knew first hand how much better the world was when love was present.
"I'm not proud of the way I acted back then, Mary Margaret. It should never have been an issue. I should never have waited as long as I did to step up and be the man you deserved. But whether you meant to or not, you undid a lifetime's worth of learning. You taught me that love is something I can afford, no matter the price. Now all I ask if that you look into your heart and honestly tell me if that love could ever be returned. If not, I'll walk away. I'll leave you to whatever it is that can make you happy. But if there's a chance, even the slightest one, that you love me too, then I'll never stop trying to show you that I can be the man you believed in all those years ago."
A beat of anticipation past before Mary Margaret was in motion and pulling David down for a kiss Emma was sure was sweet for the both of them. Given everything, Emma assumed it would be their first one, but her gut was already telling her that though it might be the first, it would be one of many. Emma recognized the pulsing connection between Mary Margaret and David after all, and she hoped that the love they'd formed all those years got the chance to grow and evolve as it should have back then.
"So I'll take that as a yes?" David asked when they pulled back and before Mary Margaret could respond, Ruby gave her two cents.
"Honey, you can take that as a hell yes! Sane women don't turn down big gestures like the one you just made."
For the first time Mary Margaret seemed to notice how public this reunion had just been and her cheeks stained deep red in a blush. Emma could relate to that though, for there had been more than a few instances where Killian brought that same level of distraction to her life. Without replying to Ruby, however, Mary Margaret confirmed the sentiment.
"I can't believe this is real, but yes. We have a lot to figure out, but I do want that chance with you, David. I want to hope with you again. I went too long without it and without you."
The pure joy on both Mary Margaret and David's faces in that moment was impossible to ignore, and their happiness lit up the whole room. It was a beautiful thing to see, but when it looked like they were about to do more in terms of reuniting, Emma cleared her throat, pulling Mary Margaret's attention her way.
"Maybe you guys want to take this somewhere a little more private?" Emma offered.
"Unless you're cool with giving Ruby even more ammo than you already have," Elsa said, backing Emma up.
"Hey! I take offense to that. Besides, Mary Margaret's done for the day, so she can have all the privacy she needs." That fact from Ruby seemed to surprise their pixie-haired friend.
"Done? But what about the three appointments I have this afternoon?"
"What can I say? I'm a great multi-tasker. I moved some things around for you because you're otherwise engaged," Ruby said shaking her phone and sending a wink to David who looked back to Mary Margaret with a big grin of his own.
"Well in that case maybe we could get to that discussion you were talking about."
"Amongst other things," Ruby quipped, and everyone turned their eyes to her. "What?"
"Let them have their moment, Ruby! Jeez," Jasmine said, prompting a smile from Emma. Jasmine might be a new acquaintance, but she certainly fit into the fabric of this friendship and this moment over all.
"Alright I think that's our cue to leave," Mary Margaret said, taking David's hand and accepting the flowers he retrieved once more from the chair. "See you all tomorrow."
With that, the friends watched Mary Margaret and David depart, and once the door was closed behind them everyone broke out into a frenzy of conversation.
"Can you believe that just happened?!" Elsa asked and Jasmine shook her head.
"That was like a movie. I didn't even realize moments like that existed," she said.
"They do here," Ruby responded before pointing Emma's way. "And it all started with her."
"Me?" Emma asked, surprised.
"Yes you. Did you think you falling in love wasn't going to have an effect on all of us? When the cynical guarded friend finds her 'one,' it's kind of a sign to the Universe to get it together for everyone else," Ruby explained as if her logic was unimpeachable.
"So who's next? You and Graham? Or has Elsa met someone I am unaware of?" Emma joked.
"Tragically no," Elsa said, still looking a little dreamy eyed after all the love that had been on display just moments ago with their other friend. "But I'm comfortable being the one single friend if it comes to that. I'll just rescue a lot of animals and bake cakes until I'm old and gray, treating all your grandchildren as if they were my own."
Emma laughed at Elsa's visions of her future as Ruby scoffed and rolled her eyes. She immediately waved away the thought of any such reality for Elsa.
"It's only a matter of time. I'm telling you, I can feel it. Love is in the air," Ruby professed.
"And that love you're feeling has nothing to do with the fact that we work in this industry and get people hitched for a living?" Emma retorted.
"That's purely coincidental," Ruby said with a grin before turning back to Jasmine and leading the soon to be bride through some other last minute things she'd have to consider for the wedding this weekend. Emma took that as her sign that she was no longer needed, and when Jasmine had successfully changed, and Emma oversaw her dress being returned to where it needed to be, an idea came to her.
"I think I'm going to go out for lunch today," Emma said to Tiana as she grabbed her jacket and her purse from her office. "I shouldn't be gone too long. Just over an hour or so. Could you -,"
"Run things until you get back? In my sleep. You have fun and say hi to Killian for me," Tiana said throwing Emma a knowing smile.
"I didn't – oh forget it."
Emma didn't bother denying what her friend already knew and Tiana laughed, giving Emma one last goodbye before she headed out to see the one guy she wanted to chose, and the one who made her believe in second chances and potential happily ever afters. She just had one last thing to do to make sure all systems were a go. Emma pulled out her phone and dialed the necessary number as she walked out the front door.
"Hey Tink it's me. Can I ask you for a favor...?"
…..
As Killian arrived back from a meeting across the floor, he couldn't keep the smile off of his face. Even though it had been a routine breakdown of advertising revenue, the meeting had him in a good mood. Profits were up and advertisers were bidding at higher intervals for spots in the magazine, but even that good news couldn't take full credit for the grin across his face. No, that went to Emma and the parting words she'd left him with on the train today:
"Have a good day, dear," she'd teased, but Killian felt that endearment down to his bones. It was a snippet of what life could be with Emma if given the chance, where they were more to each other than just boyfriend and girlfriend. God how Killian wanted that, but for now Emma's light heartedness and easy flirtations were enough to make him feel like the luckiest man alive.
As he got closer to his office, Killian noticed that Tink was sitting at her desk with a big smile on her face. It seemed his happiness was going around today, and he stalled at her desk listening to her finish up the conversation that had brightened her mood.
"Okay great. See you soon!" Tink said before hanging up and then jumping when she noticed him. Well this was interesting – no one was ever able to sneak up on Tink. Something must be up.
"Someone special on the other end of that call?" Killian asked his assistant and the small woman smirked.
"Oh yeah. But don't you have a letter to get to work on, Captain Nosey?" Tink said, straightening up in her chair and giving him a stern look before pointing to his office door.
"Aye I do. Thanks for the reminder."
"That's what I'm here for," Tink replied as Killian laughed. He moved into his office at a leisurely pace and laid his jacket on the back of one of the chairs, not caring to put it away.
He knew that he should get to work now on the letter from the editor that would be needed for the next issue of Citizen NY, but Killian had other thoughts swimming around in his brain, ones that involved a certain blonde temptress whose smiles lit up his whole world. Sitting back behind his desk, Killian didn't bother pretending to draft his necessary piece and instead he put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, thinking of the look of amusement on Emma's face when he'd asked to see her tonight during their commute this morning. They were in a routine of seeing each other very often but he couldn't assume that she would give him so much of her time. Emma meanwhile found it comical that he wasn't already prepping a date, but she readily agreed, sealing it as a fantastic day in Killian's book no matter what was coming down the pike.
A knock sounded through the room a moment later, interrupting Killian's happy thoughts of Emma and his largely ignoring his work responsibilities. He looked up and found Will with a parcel in his hand. His friend studied Killian critically, but instead of making a joke about the state he'd found him in as Killian might expect, Will attempted a sorry excuse for a smile.
"Here's that packet you wanted from the graphics deparment."
Will tossed the materials onto Killian's desk with more force than was needed, and the usually prevalent smirk on his friend's face was nowhere to be seen. Killian sat up straighter, reaching out for the papers as his eyes stayed on his friend.
"Everything alright there, Scarlet?" Killian asked as Will grunted.
"Fine." That hardly sounded reassuring.
"You sure about that?" Killian asked, taking note of Will's clenched jaw and fists. When he looked back to Will's eyes, Will caved and sat down in the seat across from him, exhaling a breath.
"No I'm not fucking sure. Actually I am – I'm certain that I'm a right idiot." Well that had escalated quickly.
"What happened?" Killian asked.
"It's more like what didn't happen, mate." Killian mulled the cryptic statement over for a minute and then it dawned on him.
"Does this have anything to do with a particularly bright reporter you've been avoiding seeing socially?" Killian nudged Will into the right direction, but his friend only put his face in his hands as his elbows rested on his knees.
"She's found someone else," Will mumbled.
"Beg your pardon?" Killian asked, convinced he hadn't heard him correctly.
"She's taken, mate! She's spoken for! She's invested elsewhere! How else can I say it?" Killian looked from Will to the door, glad to see his friend had closed it upon entering. Otherwise the whole office would have just heard that.
"Since when?" Killian asked, assured that if Belle was serious about someone the subject would have come up at some point.
"I don't bloody know. Harrison asked her out for drinks yesterday and she told him she's already seeing someone. I just overheard in the break room and I don't know what to make of it. How did this happen?"
Silence descended between Killian and Will as Killian considered what Will had just imparted to him, but it was clear that he viewed the situation entirely different than his friend did. Harrison was a fine enough man, but there was nothing like chemistry between him and Belle, and Killian would guess that Belle might say something like that to let a man down easy. Until they heard it from the source herself, there should be no assumption of this being true.
"I ruined this, mate. I ruined things before they even had the chance to begin," Will said in a defeated tone. Killian, meanwhile, couldn't stand to see his friend this way.
"The way I see it you have two choices: walk away and live with the regret…"
"Or?" Will asked hesitatingly after Killian's short pause.
"Or you fight for her. You tell Belle how you feel, you lay your cards out there, and you let her make a decision."
"Are you mad?! And what if she is taken?! What if I make a mess of everything? It'd be awkward. It would starve away the little bit we do have together now."
Killian knew it sounded crazy, and he recalled the way it had been with him when he was trying to approach Emma. The situations were different of course, but the core problem was the same: Will was too wrapped up in his own thoughts just as Killian had been, and if he hadn't gotten his head out of his ass long enough to say hello and ask Emma for a date, Killian would have missed out on the best thing that had ever happened to him.
"Is this what you want Will? Are you satisfied with settling for a life as just her friend, nay her work acquaintance even? Because if you are then let things stand. Walk away, wash your hands of it, learn to move on. But if you're looking for more and if you see a future with her you have to go for it, mate. You can't just wait around expecting her to come to you."
Will let the words hang there for a while, mulling them over and deciding what to do. Killian worried for a moment that his friend would choose the coward's way out, and he didn't want that for him. Will deserved to know one way or another, and Killian did believe in his heart that there was something more than friendly admiration between Belle and Will. But there was only so much that Killian could do. The choice had to be Will's, because one way or another Will was the one who would deal with the consequences.
"As usual you're right, but that doesn't mean I bloody like it," Will said standing up and wiping his hands on his slacks. "No one ever tells you it's gonna be like this either. Everyone makes love seem a big mushy, easy thing. But this…"
"Is barely restrained chaos, aye. It gets better, mate. If she gives you the chance to make it real, it transcends everything else and anything is worth it." At least it was when it came to him and Emma.
"If I were less self-involved I'd probably dissect everything you just gave away about you and your girl, but that'll have to wait. If I don't go now I'll lose my nerve," Will claimed uneasily.
"Now?" Killian asked, surprised that his friend would make a move like this during work hours, but before Will could start reevaluating and spiraling again Killian offered a smile and a final wish. "Well good luck. She'd be a fool not to choose you."
"Here's hoping," Will said taking leave of the room and leaving Killian alone once more.
There was about a thirty second window where Killian attempted to study some of those graphics Will had brought, but then interruption came calling again in the form of another knock at the doorway. Not that Killian minded. He still wasn't presently capable of focusing as he should.
"Change your mind so soon?" Killian asked but as his eyes moved up he found it wasn't Will at all, but the woman who'd been on Killian's mind since leaving her this morning. Emma was here, and instantly Killian stood up to greet her.
"I did actually. Lunch alone just wasn't working with me today, so I thought I'd stop by, unless you're busy…" Emma said, holding up a bag of food that she'd brought along.
"I'm never too busy for you, Emma."
"Tink said the same thing when I called. Apparently I take easy priority over skype sessions with your LA affiliates."
The final pieces clicked into place for Killian as he realized why Tink had acted so peculiarly before. He appreciated his assistant's discretion though, for this was a lovely surprise and he made a mental note to thank her sincerely later.
"That's putting it lightly," Killian agreed and Emma chuckled to herself as he pulled her in for a kiss. God it felt good to have her here, and Killian was more than thrilled for whatever had happened in the world that led Emma to him right now.
The gleam in Emma's eyes when they separated from the kiss, still a breath away from each other and both clearly wanting more, made Killian wonder exactly what had brought her here today. There were gears turning in that beautiful brain of hers and though Killian didn't expect any ulterior motives on Emma's part, there was definitely something on her mind. Yet Killian didn't have to ask about it. Instead Emma freely said what she wanted to say.
"I just wanted to say for the record that I'm choosing you and this relationship, and that I'm really glad you broke the ice that first day. If you hadn't…" Emma looked away and Killian tilted her face back up to look at him. He didn't understand exactly what prompted her words, but the sentiment was one he wanted to immediately address.
"There was no choice to make, Emma. Some things you just know, and I knew I needed you in my life."
Killian also knew even then that he loved her, or that he could love her very soon. It was the easiest thing to do in Killian's opinion, as if he'd been born specifically for the task of giving his heart to one Emma Swan. Nothing felt as right as giving her everything he had, and no dream could outshine his one to always be with her. It had happened quickly to be sure, but some loves were like that. They started at first glance and evolved into something all the greater, and that, Killian believed, was what he'd found with Emma: a love that grew to so much more when given the opportunity to do so.
The confessions on both of their parts sparked another kiss, and the food was long forgotten. All Killian could comprehend was Emma. The way she gave herself so willingly, the way she was investing in him and their relationship together. It was incredible, and yet it was only the surface of what made Emma so miraculous. She was so complex and dynamic, a person he still didn't fully know, but who he wanted to spend a lifetime trying to understand.
"You know the last time I was here I had this thought," Emma whispered when she pulled back too soon for his liking. Her eyes stayed on his lips, her smile curving upwards. "I was thinking that your office has a lot more privacy than mine does and as such it lends more options for how to spend a lunch hour."
The seductive tone of Emma's voice and her hand on his chest teasing ever so slowly downward made Killian gulp harshly. He knew exactly what she was hinting at, and he'd never been even remotely tempted to steal such an interlude in his office. This was where he worked, and for his whole life up to now he had kept his romantic life as far from here as he could, but with Emma things were different. The idea of spending however much time they had here chasing some sort of pleasure made his heart pump loudly and his veins fill with a rush of adrenaline.
"And did these thoughts of yours have any more specificity, Swan?" Killian asked, his voice gruff and gravely. He hardly recognized the tone, but damn he loved the way Emma flushed at hearing it. She played the seductress so well, but she was just as far gone as he was and that was an aphrodisiac in itself.
"Some. But I'm always open to suggestions," she replied breathily and Killian sought to take advantage of her current state.
"Lock the door, love."
The fire in Emma's eyes at the command made her all the more beautiful, but she heeded the request, getting up and swaying her hips with a bit more flair than usual as she walked to fulfill his request. When she turned around, her sinful smile had returned and Killian felt his hands clench into fists as an active attempt to not just grab her right now. Instead he waited until she was back with him before wrapping his arms around her.
"Now what?" Emma asked.
"Now you decide, Swan. Should I ravish you on the desk or the couch?" Emma blushed at the words, but her eyes never waivered, staying trained on his before she replied.
"Desk. Definitely desk." The way she said the words made Killian groan. There was no doubt Emma had thought of this before, and he certainly had lost his train of thought more than once imaging such a moment as this.
With time not on their side, Killian had to fight with himself. His usual instinct when it came to Emma was to savor every moment and to elicit every last drop of pleasure that he could from her. It came back to the idea of proving himself worthy and showing her how good he could always make her feel. That he found his own immense satisfaction from satisfying her was a mere bonus. Typically his one-track mind was dedicated only to seeing her content.
Now though there wasn't every option under the sun available to him. He couldn't tease her like he wanted, or bring her to the brink and then pull back so as to elongate her eventual climax. No, this needed careful consideration and it would test the mastery he'd accumulated over the past few weeks of what Emma craved and what she most desired. The thought of needing to get creative made him impossibly harder.
"I should have told you when you walked in that you look beautiful today, Emma," Killian murmured when she was perched atop his desk, her legs spread wider so he could stand between them. The hem of her black dress inched higher than was decent, but in here no one would see aside from him. He loved thinking that she was all his, and a possessiveness that he'd never had before her settled over him. Emma was his, and he would spend every last bit of energy in him to show her he was worth putting her faith in and choosing in return.
"You did tell me this morning remember?" Emma teased, her eyes searching his and then dropping back down to his mouth again, her tongue poking out to wet her lips and drive him mad. His hands on her hips tightened until one moved down to the soft skin of her thigh.
"Once isn't enough, love. You should know it every second of every day," he professed.
"That might get a little tedious," Emma said, a sharp sound of need tailing the last syllable and causing Killian to smile wider. Just as he expected she was ready for him already. One graze of his fingers against the lace that covered her sex and he was certain.
"Ah, but the way I'd tell you isn't with mere words," Killian said as he delicately removed the fabric that separated them, taunting her a little more in the process before putting the scrap of lace in his pocket. "I think we'd both rather enjoy my showing you just how enamored I am with you more than simply saying it."
Emma made a sound of agreement that turned into a quiet moan when he knelt before her. She no doubt knew of his intentions in that moment and though she shook her head and protested that they didn't have time, her body arched towards him, pleading for the attention he was about to bestow.
"Just a taste now, Swan. Enough to drive you to the edge before I take you fully."
Emma looked liable to speak again but she didn't get the chance when Killian had her where he wanted her, perched at the edge of the table and opened to him completely. He didn't tease in the slightest, but made love to her sex with his mouth, reveling in each frustrated sound Emma made. Her need to keep quiet was no doubt burdensome for her, but Killian knew a thing or too about disappointment. He wanted more than anything to take Emma over the edge like this. He knew exactly the series of licks and sucks he'd need to give her that completion but he pulled back and stood up again right when she was about to come, the taste of her arousal still sweet on his tongue.
Understanding his thoughts on what would happen next, Emma moved up and made quick work of undoing his pants, pushing them down far enough so he was free to take her as he wanted. With one quick thrust, they were both of them groaning, but they covered the sounds with a hungry kiss that was hard and demanding. The thought that this was dangerous was never far from Killian's thoughts, and honestly it was the only thing keeping him in check at all. But soon enough Emma was crashing into her orgasm and taking him with him as she pulsed against him, and the release was just as satisfying as all the one's Emma had granted him in the past few weeks.
"I think I can safely say that this has been the best lunch break ever," Emma said, when she caught her breath again, her forehead resting against Killian's and her eyes lazily opening and displaying every last bit of the pleasure she'd just found. He wanted to take her all over again when she looked like this, sated and happy and infatuated with him.
"And it's not over. Not just yet anyway." They still had a bit of time left, and Killian fully intended to make use of it.
The two of them cleaned up and got themselves situated, moving to the couch to eat their lunch, and though it was a bit more rushed because of their other chosen activities, Killian cherished every second that they had together. They sat close, sharing the two items Emma had procured for them with a familiarity that spoke to far more time shared between them than they'd actually had. Killian found himself wanting more afternoons like this and he was willing to procure them from Emma through whatever means necessary, but he held back on making that request as he learned about her day. He listened as she broke down the scene from Bliss earlier this afternoon that had prompted her visit, and he felt himself truly happy for Emma and her friend.
"So they found each other again in the end," Killian acknowledged, watching Emma's smile appear as he made the claim.
"Yeah they did," she confirmed, intertwining her fingers with his in a quiet show of togetherness.
"Promise me something, Emma." Emma looked back to him and took in his earnest plea. "Promise me that you won't run if ever there's some sort of misunderstanding. I would never hurt you, love, and the thought that you would think so…" Killian couldn't bare to put those thoughts to words.
"I'm not going anywhere, Killian. I know what kind of man you are and I know that I can trust you." Killian would be hard pressed to think of sweeter words that his ears had ever heard.
"That you can, love. That you can."
They shared one last kiss before Emma took note of the clock along the wall and realized she had to get going, but saying goodbye was difficult for Killian, even if today's visit had never been planned in the first place. Nevertheless he sent Emma off with a vow to see her later and as he watched her go, offering a friendly goodbye to Tink and some of the other staff around the floor on her way to the elevator, Killian felt himself falling a little more under the spell of this woman who brought so much magic to his life just by being herself.
Post-Note: I am leaving this chapter here hoping that you guys take as much enjoyment from all the fluff as I did. I know some of you might be thinking that there wasn't as much direct CS engagement as you might like, but don't fret. Next week and all the subsequent chapters there will be much more. As I said earlier, next chapter also brings Liam's arrival (and some more intrigue on that front) and I can hardly wait. Anyway thank you all so much for reading and I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!
