Moving Emma in was easier than Killian had thought it would be. It turned out Emma only had a few boxes, and had to purchase a bed and a few other essentials. It was two days before Christmas when she was finally settled into the apartment they now shared. Killian had put up a small, pathetic looking Christmas tree in the corner of the living room. The only lights that were on it were the ones that had come with the tree. If he was being honest, Killian would have never bothered with the thing in the first place. But last year Mary Margaret had purchased David and him the tree, and he figured putting it up would make her happy. Killian was also hoping that the tree would make the apartment feel more like home for Emma.

The day after he put it up, he came home to two stockings hanging by the wall next to the tree. The stockings had their names haphazardly painted on with some sort of glitter glue. The smile on his face was brighter than any of the fancy LED Christmas lights he saw in the store that afternoon.

"I, um, tried to get in the Christmas spirit," Emma said from behind him as he stared at the stockings. "Sorry they aren't more fancy, I—"

"They're perfect," he interrupted, turning around to face her. "I normally don't do the whole Christmas thing. This year it sort of seemed, I don't know…"

"Right?" she gave him.

"Yes. Right," he said in return.

They stood there for a moment, the light from the tree creating a colorful shine in his black hair. It was a comfortable silence filled with admiration and warmth.

Killian shifted his gaze from the Christmas tree to Emma, her eyes reflecting the soft glow of the lights. It was Christmas Eve, and the peace he felt in the moment of being with her in a very domestic setting was something he hadn't experienced in years. The apartment felt like home.

"What?" Emma said when she saw him looking at her. A small blush formed on her cheeks.

"Nothing," Killian smiled.

"No, you looked like you were going to say something."

He considered this for a moment. Part of him admired her ability to get him to talk when he didn't want to. The other part was frustrated that he couldn't get away with just saying "nothing." There wasn't much for him to say beyond trying to put words to the feeling of content happiness he felt.

"I guess," Killian began. "I'm glad you're here, Emma."

"Me too."

The look on her face told him that he didn't need to say more. It was one of gentle acceptance. But there was a distant loneliness he was able to recognize in her eyes because it was the same expression he had seen in the mirror for years. The expression said that she, too, had spent many Christmases alone without trees or presents or family.

"Well, I do believe it is time for my special hot chocolate," Killian smirked, breaking the tension that had risen in the room.

"Special?" Emma eyed him suspiciously.

"Let's just say it's not your grandmother's hot chocolate," he winked, leaving her standing in the living room while he strode to the kitchen to prepare the drinks. After the initial ingredients were put in a pot on the stove, Killian reached up for a cabinet and retrieved a bottle of peppermint schnapps.

"That's your secret ingredient," Emma said plainly, watching him measure out shots into each of the coffee mugs.

"Only one of them, yes," he replied, heading towards the fridge to grab whipped cream. "Do be patient with me, love. I am only one man."

She snorted at this as she took a seat on the counter by the sink.

He worked in comfortable silence for the next few minutes, assembling hot chocolate.

"The finishing touch," he said, sprinkling cinnamon on top of each of their cups. Emma looked at him with vague curiosity.

"That's my favorite," she remarked mildly.

"Great minds," he handed her the warm mug. "SNL's Christmas special is on. Shall we?"

She nodded, smiling at him over her mug. Before sitting down, Emma ducked into her room to change into a matching flannel pajama set.

As their mugs emptied, Emma's giggles and remarks at the show became few and far in between until her breathing was deep and slight snores escaped her mouth. She had fallen asleep with her feet in Killian's lap. He gently shifted her feet off of him, and turned off the TV. He considered waking her, or moving her to her room. But he wasn't sure where the boundaries were quite yet, and he didn't want to wake her up. The Christmas tree left enough light for him to find a warm blanket amongst her half unpacked boxes and throw it over her, taking extra care to make sure it covered her feet.

"Merry Christmas, Emma," he whispered as he looked back at the living room before retreating into his bedroom.

The next morning, Killian awoke to find Emma brewing coffee in the kitchen and humming quietly to herself. She surprised him by pulling out two slim packages from her room and placing them under the tree. He cocked an eyebrow at her from the kitchen counter, where he was making french toast and singing along to Christmas carols.

"They're for you," she explained, a blush rising on her cheeks.

"Well," he said. "Yours are already under there."

Her grin was bigger than he had ever seen it as she located her parcels. Killian joined her on the living room floor and they opened their presents together.

Emma had gotten Killian a small moleskin that would fit in his back pocket along with a new pack of guitar picks. He, in return, gave Emma her own moleskin notebook, a fresh set of pens, and a set of sticky notes that she would always steal from him while they would work in the library.

"Lame gift," Killian said. "I'm a sucker for practicality, though," his ears turned bright red.

"It's perfect," she looked at him with sincerity. "Thank you."

A feeling of comfort and home fell over the apartment while Killian finished breakfast, and Emma cleaned up the living room.

Their first Christmas in the apartment together set a precedent for a tradition that Emma hoped would continue into the next year. And many more, Emma found herself thinking as she fell asleep.


A/N: I thought a nice Christmas break might be good for all of our souls. Happy Holidays! Thanks for reading :) I'll have another update for you soon.