Emma breathed in the scent of pine from the tree David had brought into the loft earlier with a broad smile. Mary Margaret was upstairs in her closet digging for the ornaments she'd tucked away after the last holiday while Austin was picking out Christmas music.
Emma could hear popcorn popping as Henry stood over the stove. It had been a tradition she'd started with the twins when they were just babies of decorating the tree with popcorn garland as money had been tight, and the tradition continued in Storybrooke.
Brooklyn was dancing around her brother in eager anticipation as she liked eating the popcorn as much as creating the garland.
"She has so much energy," Mary Margaret noted as she came down the stairs with a few boxes of ornaments.
"Tell me about it," Emma shook her head in amusement as she watched her son begin to thread hooks through several of his toy cars. "Austin, we are not hanging any of your toys on the tree."
"Aw," Austin made a face of disappointment as he pulled out the hooks and returned the few toys he'd pulled out of his toy chest.
"Come on. Help Grandma decide what goes on the top of the tree this year. Angel or star," Emma directed her son towards her mother.
"Star," Austin looked towards his grandmother with his piercing blue eyes as she held out each option.
Killian stood back to take in the scene of the family decorating for the holidays. He'd never seen anything quite like it.
"Where's David?" Emma asked her mother as she surveyed the room.
"He'll be here soon. He's picking up dinner so we don't have to cook and decorate tonight," Mary Margaret smiled.
Henry poured the popcorn he'd cooked into a bowl to start on the next batch. Brooklyn immediately reached for a handful and squealed as it scorched her fingers.
Killian flinched and almost rushed to her side, but Emma's casual laugh halted his action.
"Brookie, don't you ever learn?" Emma teased as she tickled her daughter's ribs.
"Ouchie," she raised her fingers to her mother to kiss away her pain.
Emma took her time to kiss each finger tip.
"Better?" Emma smiled at Brooklyn.
Brooklyn nodded with a happy smile.
"Now wait a few minutes for the popcorn to cool," Emma instructed her, "Then we can start making the garland."
"Okay," she said as she looked towards the pirate standing off to the side. "Will you help us, Killian?"
"Help with what, Love?" Killian asked the eager little brunette.
"Stringing the popcorn," Brooklyn explained. "We make garland and put it on the tree."
"How about I hold the needle and you thread the popcorn on the string," Killian lifted her into his lap.
"Okay," Brooklyn clapped her hands.
Emma passed him the needle and thread and the bowl of popcorn to Brooklyn. Half of the kernels made their way into the little girl's mouth. Killian laughed each time she tried to sneak one in, thinking that no one was going to notice.
Emma hung an ornament that Henry had made in school the year before with a smile. Then she took a glass bell and hung it.
"Did you have Christmas in the Enchanted Forest?" she asked her mother.
"We had something similar," Mary Margaret nodded.
"Christmas was always one of the most depressing holidays for me growing up because I was moving from one foster home to another," Emma confessed, "When I had the twins, it was my mission to give them the holiday I never had."
"If last year was any indication, you're doing an excellent job."
Brooklyn's giggle at Killian stealing a kernel of popcorn from her fingers with his lips cut through the moment.
"He's good with her," Mary Margaret noted softly, "Maybe you could give the twins a daddy for Christmas."
"I don't want to give them something that they may not be able to keep."
"You can't think like that, Emma," Mary Margaret stated.
"How should I think about it then?" Emma asked, "A psycho witch is on a collision course with us, and she's capable of truly horrible things."
"I know," Mary Margaret nodded. "Try to stay in the moment. It's Christmas. We should be happy."
"I'm trying," Emma nodded.
David came into the apartment with food catered by Granny. Everyone stopped their decorating and had their meal before returning to the task at hand.
With the popcorn now all popped, Henry, Austin and Brooklyn set about getting the garland ready. Mary Margaret was at the stove making everyone some homemade hot chocolate as the three adults decorated the tree.
As Emma fiddled with a glass fish bearing Brooklyn's name and the words 'Baby's 1st Christmas' Killian smiled over her shoulder and slid his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss to her neck.
Emma relaxed into his embrace for a few moments before giggles interrupted the moment. Her eyes went wide in the realization that her children were witnessing the scene. As she tensed in his arms, Killian realized his mistake.
"Yay!" Brooklyn cheered the new development.
"You owe me five bucks, Snow," David smiled.
"For what?" Emma gasped.
"He's been telling me that you two would be together before Cora got here. I said you'd hold out," Mary Margaret dug out a five dollar bill and reluctantly handed it over to her husband.
"Nice, thanks for that," Emma sighed as she relaxed into Killian's embrace again. There was no point in denying they were involved now.
"Sorry, Love," Killian whispered in her ear.
"It's okay," Emma smiled. "Did you see Austin's ornament?"
Killian shook his head slightly from side to side.
Emma pointed to a small pirate ship with Austin's name and 'Baby's 1st Christmas' on it.
"Was a pirate from the womb, I see," Killian chuckled, "Considering you didn't know my true profession, that's quite the coincidence."
"I don't believe in coincidences," Emma smirked. "I believe in fate."
"I believe in you and me," he whispered.
"I like that," Emma nodded.
"Brooklyn, stop eating the popcorn," Henry called out in protest.
"Brooklyn Eva, what did we say about the popcorn?" Emma frowned.
"But it's yummy," she pouted.
"You just ate dinner," Emma replied, "How can that tiny tummy fit more food?"
"Mommy, it's popcorn," Brooklyn said as if that explained everything.
"Makes sense to me," Killian chuckled as he buried his head into Emma's neck to conceal his laughter.
"Tell you what," Emma said as she tried to keep a straight face. "If you leave the popcorn alone until we're all done with the tree, we'll make more."
Brooklyn continued to pout but kept her fingers out of the bowl as her brothers continued to make the garland.
"Help us decorate, Brookie," Emma waved her towards the tree.
"Okay," Brooklyn came over to the tree and squealed when Killian scooped her up.
Emma handed her ornament after ornament to stick on the tree. The girl beamed with pride every time she placed an ornament on the branch.
David and Mary Margaret stood off to the side watching their daughter, grandchildren, and their daughter's boyfriend act like a family without realizing it.
"This is going to be my favorite holiday ever," Mary Margaret told her husband as his arms wrapped around her waist.
"Can we watch a movie?" Brooklyn asked her mother as they continued to adorn the tree with ornaments.
"Sure. What should we watch?" Emma asked.
A chorus of various choices was called out by everyone in the room. The choices had Killian's head spinning.
"Mommy, please can we watch The Grinch?" Brooklyn pleaded.
"I want to watch Charlie Brown," Austin chimed in.
"And Henry, I'm sure you do too," Emma nodded. "Mary Margaret? David?"
"I like White Christmas."
"I'm with the boys," David smiled.
"No," Brooklyn moaned as she realized she was going to be overruled.
"How about we watch Charlie Brown first and then the Grinch?" Emma suggested, "If everyone is still awake, White Christmas."
"What about you?" Mary Margaret asked. "What's your favorite movie?"
"It's on tomorrow night," Emma smiled.
"Which one is that?" David asked.
"Christina Comes Home for Christmas," Emma smiled. "It's on once a year and for some reason has never been released on DVD."
"Never heard of it," David shook his head.
"We watched it last year," Mary Margaret smiled. "It's was a pretty good movie."
"We'll make sure to watch it then," David replied as he unpacked the star, "Who gets to top the tree?"
"Me," Brooklyn's hand shot up.
"You did it last year," Austin protested.
"Austin's right, Brookie," Emma said. "It's his turn this year."
The poor child pouted some more. Nothing seemed to be going her way that evening.
"Come on, Brookie," Mary Margaret guided her granddaughter into the kitchen. "We need some popcorn if we're going to watch movies."
Brooklyn moped towards the kitchen to help her grandmother, but her pout was still very much in place.
"My poor Cindy Lou Who," Emma pouted a little too.
"Cindy Lou Who?" Killian asked.
"It's a character in the movie she likes," Emma explained.
"Brooklyn, will you help me plug in the tree," David called out to his granddaughter in hopes of improving her mood.
"Okay, Grandpy," Brooklyn nodded as she trotted over to where David was standing with the extension cord.
-d-d-d-d-d-d-
"What time's dinner at Granny's tomorrow night?" Emma asked her mother on Christmas Eve as she set the table for dinner.
"Six, I think," Mary Margaret stated after a moment of thought, "Hopefully the children won't be asleep by then. I suspect that they'll be up early tomorrow."
Emma smiled in amusement, "Remember last year? Brooklyn jumped on my bed while Austin jumped on yours. I think it was about four in the morning."
"It's Santa's fault for coming so early," Mary Margaret smiled, "Hopefully he'll come a bit later this year. I'd like to sleep in a little if I could."
"Something smells good," Killian stepped in behind Emma and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Well, if you mean the food, it's ham. If you mean me, it's the perfume you bought me last weekend," Emma smirked.
"Smells better than it did in the bottle," he nipped at her neck.
Emma giggled at the sensation, "Behave yourself, Captain. There are parents and children in the vicinity."
"My apologies, your Highness," Killian said to Mary Margaret as he straightened and let Emma go. "Can I help?"
"You can help by eating a hearty helping of this meal. I don't want any leftovers in my fridge, so you'd better be hungry."
"As you wish," he gave a slight bow.
"Before I forget, I told Henry he could invite Regina for breakfast tomorrow morning," Emma said quickly.
"You invited Regina?" Mary Margaret gasped, "What about that whole apple tart, sleeping curse, jail thing you talked about?"
"That's still very much an option, but at least if she's here we know where she is. If she spends the holidays alone, she's more vulnerable to Cora's manipulations if she happens to show up," Emma explained, "I'm not thrilled about this, but I think it's best for Henry."
"That's going to be a cheery morning," Mary Margaret frowned.
"She's still his mother, and she shouldn't be by herself tomorrow."
"We'll make her feel welcome," her father assured her.
"Thank you," Emma smiled. "Brookie, where are your brothers?"
"I don't know," she shrugged as she slid into her chair.
"Henry? Austin?" Emma called. "Dinner's ready."
There was no response.
"I bet they're on the roof," Killian replied, "I'll go grab them."
"Thanks," Emma smiled.
Killian went up to the roof and found the boys near the ledge fiddling with something.
"There you two are. Dinner's ready," he called as he approached.
The boys quickly scrambled to hide whatever they were playing with.
"What are you two doing?" Killian eyed them suspiciously as he recognized the mischievous look on their faces from his own youth.
"Nothing," Austin smiled.
"That's not a nothing look," Killian challenged them.
"We're just working on something for Christmas," Henry said.
"Maybe I can help. What is it?"
"Fi-" Austin started.
"Nothing," Henry cut off his brother.
"Step aside, boys," Killian motioned.
The boys reluctantly moved away with guilty looks on their faces.
Killian recognized the bundle behind them as something Emma had forbidden them to buy last week in the store. She'd explained it to him later. Fireworks were dangerous for those who didn't know what they were doing and an eleven and almost five year old definitely didn't know what they were doing.
"Your mother told you that you couldn't have that," Killian eyed the pair sternly.
"We wanted to surprise everyone," Austin explained glumly.
"How? By blowing up Storybrooke?" Killian snorted, "How did you even get this?"
"I had enough allowance from my other mom saved up to buy them."
"Well, I'm taking possession of it," Killian told them, "You boys are too young for fireworks."
"Aw man," Henry sulked.
"And if you two put up any more of a protest, I'll be telling your mom."
Henry and Austin scrambled down to the apartment to avoid further punishment.
Killian took the offending object and went to the side of the roof and looked down. The dumpster on the side of the building was open. He dropped the fireworks, and they landed neatly in the container.
He couldn't hide his amusement as he made his way back down to the apartment where everyone was waiting patiently for him.
"Everything okay?" Emma asked.
"Yes. The boys were just fooling around. I just wanted to make sure they didn't have anything up there they shouldn't."
"And did they?" Emma asked.
"Not anymore," Killian assured her.
"Good. Let's eat," Emma smiled.
-x-x-x-x-x-
"So," Emma sat down next to Killian on their bed when they'd retired together, publicly, for the first time since they'd gotten back together, "What were the boys really doing on the roof?"
"You don't want to know," Killian stated as he helped her with her shoes.
"Thank you," Emma said as she wiggled her toes now that they were free. "Just answer me this, am I going to get any calls?"
"Because of what they were doing on the roof, no," Killian assured her.
"Is Santa going to be putting coal in their stockings because of what they were doing?" she asked.
"Coal?"
"Right. I guess I didn't explain that to you during the last Christmas we spent together," Emma smiled when Killian put her feet in his lap and brushed his thumb over her instep. "It's a threat parents use with kids. If they're bad, we tell them Santa will put coal in their stocking."
"That seems a little cruel," Killian responded as he began to massage her foot.
"That feels really good," she moaned happily.
"Good," Killian smiled. "Tonight was fun."
Emma leaned against her headboard, "Better than last time?"
"It was different," he told her, "I didn't really understand this holiday last time. You were right when you said it was different with children. I'm almost as excited for tomorrow morning as Brookie, Austin and Henry."
Emma bit her lip and then reached over to the nightstand and took a box from the drawer before she moved to sit beside him. She handed him the box, "This is for you."
"What's this?" he asked as he shook it slightly.
"You might think I'm a little crazy but I bought that the Christmas after I had the twins," Emma confessed. "I was walking by this second hand shop with them in a stroller and it caught my eye. I don't even remember why, but I knew I had to buy it. Open it."
Killian put the tip of his hook in the space between the top and bottom of the box and opened it. A compass stared back at him.
"Emma, this is beautiful," Killian smiled softly.
"The owner said he got it in a box of things from some estate in England."
"Now I'll always be able to find my way back to you," he told her as he kissed her temple.
"So you like it?"
"Correction, I love it," he amended.
"Good," Emma smiled.
"I'll be right back," Killian went over to the chest of drawers that sat alongside Emma's back wall and opened one of the drawers she'd given him.
"What are you doing?" she asked as he dug to the bottom of the drawer.
"One good turn deserves another," he smirked.
"Did you get me something?" she smiled, "You didn't have to do that. The perfume last week is enough."
"That wasn't a Christmas gift, just a special gesture," he smiled and handed her a box, "This is a Christmas gift."
"Should I open it now or tomorrow?" she asked as she heard the contents rattle as she shook it.
"Tonight," he smiled.
Emma pried open the box and gasped in reply, "Killian, it's beautiful."
"Your mom said charm bracelets are popular in this realm," Killian smiled.
"They are," she replied.
"One charm for each child," he ran his fingers along each charm.
"There are four charms here," she told him.
"One for us too," he smirked.
Emma smiled, "I love it. Thank you."
"Merry Christmas, Swan," he smiled as she caressed his chin.
"Merry Christmas," she smiled back before she put the bracelet and the compass on the nightstand. Then she looped her arms around his neck, "Now, how about a bonus Christmas gift for each of us?"
"I'm open for suggestions," he raised an eyebrow.
"We have to be quiet," Emma reminded him as she wiggled closer.
"I think we'll manage," he chuckled as he began biting at her neck lightly.
"Tomorrow night, you get to see a certain nightgown all over again," she promised.
"Oh really?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Yep," she nodded as she lay back and he followed her. "But for tonight, it's just you and me."
"I couldn't wish for anything better."
Emma smiled at him even though there was no levity about the moment, "Merry Christmas, Killian."
"Merry Christmas, Em," he said before he kissed her again.